HLT42507 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance

Course Outline
The Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance course is for people who provide therapeutic and program related support to allied health professionals.  The worker is required to prepare and assist with rehabilitation and mobility sessions, support clients in therapeutic and program related activities under the guidance of an allied health professional.

Course Structure
The Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance consists of 15 units of competency: 4 compulsory units and 11 elective units.

This qualification includes:
•    the generic elective skill set in Allied Health
•    the mandatory elective skill set in Physiotherapy
•    the mandatory elective skill set in Occupational Therapy

The units cover topics such as:
•    Overview of the health care sector
•    Communicating in health including medical language
•    Anatomy and physiology as it applies to treatment and care
•    Occupational health and safety
•    Infection control procedures
•    Legal and ethical aspects of health care
•    Assisting with the movement of clients/patients
•    Assisting with allied health programs
•    Assisting with physiotherapy treatments
•    Assisting with the rehabilitation of clients/patients

Pre-requisite: There are seven (7) pre-requisite units which must be either completed before this qualification or undertaken as part of this qualification.

Delivery Options
The Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance is delivered as a classroom based course..

Classroom based delivery is structured over 3 days per week for 19 weeks including 228 hours of full time work placements at Mercy Health’s hospitals, health care and aged care facilities.

For individuals who have worked in the industry for some time and have the requisite skills and knowledge may apply for Recognition Assessment.

Career Pathways


Selection Criteria
Prospective participants:
  • must have a genuine desire to support and care for others
  • must be at least 18 years of age
  • must have the physical fitness and the ability to actively perform certain work duties including transferring physically dependent patient/clients
  • may be required to complete a language, literacy and numeracy assessment.

A national police check is mandatory before undertaking practical work placement.

Employment Opportunities
There are many employment opportunities for allied health assistants in public and private hospitals, health care services, aged care facilities and rehabilitation centres.

Job roles include: therapy assistant, physiotherapy assistant, occupational therapy assistant and allied health assistant.

Course Fees

Full fee paying
The course fee for classroom based delivery is: $2,800 per participant.  A range of flexible payment options are available.

Partially funded courses
Tuition fee is $550 per person or $120.00 for Concession Card holders.

To be eligible for a Government subsidised place, applicants must be:
1. An Australian citizen or holder of a permanent visa; or a holder of a Special Category Visa (sub-class 444); or East Timorese asylum seeker; or a holder of a Temporary Protection Visa; AND
2. Aged under 20 years of age on 1 January in the year of course commencement; OR
3. Aged 20 - 25 years on 1 January in the year the course commences, and you do not hold a prior qualification at the Certificate IV level or higher; OR
4. Aged 25 years or over on 1 January in the year of the course commences and you are a retrenched worker seeking a qualification higher than the highest qualification held.

* This training is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth Government Funding for eligible candidates. 

For further information and enrolment details
Contact:    Mercy Health Training Institute
                (03) 8458 4997
                mhti@mercy.com.au