Unit of competency Outline
Date retreived
22/07/2026 2:06 PM AWST
22/07/2026 2:06 PM AWST
Whilst all efforts are made to provide accurate and timely information from the relevant source/documentation, please be aware that the information supplied may not be the most current version. The accuracy of the detail has not been confirmed by the Department and therefore should not be relied upon without first confirming the contents.
Assist with an allied health program
Assist with an allied health program
Unit of competency
National Code
HLTAH301B
HLTAH301B
State Code
D5631
D5631
TGA Status
Replaced
Replaced
DTWD Status
Replaced
Replaced
State Implementation and Classification
Approved Date
21/07/2011
Field of Education
060301 - General Nursing
Original Release Date
21/07/2011
Nominal Hours
80
Description
DescriptorThis unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to provide basic assistance to an allied health professional. This unit of competency provides a general introduction to working as an assistant in the allied health area
Notes
Elements and Performance Criteria
1. Provide relevant information to clients
- 1.1 Understand the role of the allied health professional and assistant
- 1.2 Adhere to confidentiality policies at all times.
- 1.3 Provide basic accurate information to clients/prospective clients regarding allied health services
2. Prepare for therapy session
- 2.1 Discuss therapy/treatment program and confirm with appropriate supervising allied health professional
- 2.2 Obtain information from relevant sources according to organisation policies and supervising allied health professional
- 2.3 Check resources/equipment required for therapy program to ensure suitability and working order
- 2.4 Recognise and minimise environmental hazards in accordance with organisation requirements
- 2.5 Prepare the client for therapy under direction of relevant supervising allied health professional who may not be present
3. Provide assistance with therapy session
- 3.1 Assist with therapy tasks according to instructions of allied health professional who may not be present
- 3.2 Maintain general therapy precautions
- 3.3 Seek clarification/feedback as required
- 3.4 Take appropriate actions to ensure comfort, safety and privacy of the client
- 3.5 Reinforce, clarify and explain therapy goals to clients under supervision of allied health professional
- 3.6 Support and coach clients to achieve identified therapy goals under supervision of allied health professional
- 3.7 Deal with accidents/incidents appropriately and report to the supervising allied health professional
4. Use therapyequipment correctly and safely
- 4.1 Use equipment according to instructions set by supervising allied health professional
- 4.2 Follow OHS guidelines for particular pieces of equipment
- 4.3 Use equipment according to manufacturer and supervising allied health professional instructions
5. Feedback appropriate therapy information to supervising allied health professional
- 5.1 Pass on significant information to appropriate supervising allied health professional
- 5.2 Document information according to organisation policy and procedures
6. Assist in the design and construction of simple therapy materials/equipment
- 6.1 Assist the allied health professional to identify gaps in therapy material resources and develop solutions
- 6.2 Update therapy materials on a regular basis as instructed
- 6.3 Construct aids/adaptations in accordance with allied health professional's instructions
7. Complete required administrative duties
- 7.1 Maintain statistics in accordance with organisation policies and procedures
- 7.2 Maintain stock levels in accordance with organisation policies and procedures
- 7.3 Book in clients for appointments in accordance with organisation policies and procedures
8. Apply a primary health care approach
- 8.1 Demonstrate a holistic understanding of health as wellbeing, rather than focusing on disease or its absence
- 8.2 Work with an awareness of multiple determinants of health, including housing, education, nutrition and communication
- 8.3 Support and facilitate the involvement of the client and, where appropriate, the community in planning and provision of services
- 8.4 Promote good health and a preventive approach to maintaining health as part of own work role, where appropriate
- 8.5 Demonstrate recognition of and support for the importance of access and equity in provision of health services in line with own work role
- 8.6 Reflect evidence based practice in own provision of health care services
RANGE STATEMENT
The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.
Supervision refers to:
Instructing, advising, and monitoring another person in order to ensure safe and effective performance in carrying out the duties of their position
The nature of supervision is flexible and may be conducted by various means including:
in person
through use of electronic communications media such as telephone or video conferencing
Frequency of supervision will be determined by factors such as:
the task maturity of the person in that position or clinical placement
the need to review and assess client conditions and progress in order to establish or alter treatment plans in case of students and assistants
the need to correct and develop non clinical aspects such as time management, organisation requirements, communication skills, and other factors supporting the provision of clinical care and working within a team
A person under supervision does not require direct (immediate) and continuous personal interaction, but the method and frequency will be determined by factors outlined above
Clients may include:
Infants
Children
Adolescents
Adults
Elderly
Visitors
Staff
Prospective clients to the service or services
Relatives/carers of client
Client services may include interaction with:
Other staff members
Team members
Service units or departments
Family members and friends of clients
Carers
Volunteers in a health services environment
Professional representatives or agents of the client such as medical specialists, social workers, therapists, interpreters, teachers and/or spiritual, community or other representative
Allied health services may include:
Physiotherapy
Psychology/clinical psychology
Podiatry
Occupational therapy
Speech pathology
Dietetics
Social work
Audiology
Physical education
Pharmacists
Prosthetists
Orthotists
Hydrotherapy services
Confidentiality policies may include:
Fees
Health fund entitlements
Welfare entitlements
Payment methods and records
Public environments
Legal and ethical requirements
Writing details ie. medical and consent forms
Conversations on the telephone
Secure location for written records
Offering a private location for discussions
Information disclosed to an appropriate person consistent with individual's level of responsibility
Workplace settings may include:
Hospital (inpatient and outpatient)
Community health centres
Rehabilitation service
Therapy centres
Multi-purpose centre
Nursing home/hostels
Residential care
School
Child care centre/preschool
Allied health private practice
Client's home (community based/rural and remote services)
Hydrotherapy pools
Allied health equipment may include:
Physiotherapy equipment
Respiratory equipment
Tilt tables
Braces
Electrotherapy devices
Electrical equipment
Hydrotherapy
Manual handling
Exercise equipment
Positional equipment eg. slings/splints
Wheelchairs/frames and walking sticks and crutches
Audiovisual equipment
Feeding equipment
Plastering equipment
Woodworking equipment
Sewing machines
Computers
Occupational therapy equipment may include:
Splinting equipment
Wheelchairs/frames and walking sticks/crutches
ADL equipment
Exercise equipment
Various activity equipment
Computer programmes
Audio-visual equipment
Positioning furnishing equipment
Computer/other technical equipment
Variety of activity equipment
Speech pathology equipment may include:
Artificial larynx
Augmented communication equipment
Paediatric feeding devices
Feeding equipment
Allied health professional instructions may be:
Written
Verbal
Diagrammatic
Assistance with therapy tasks may be:
Working directly with (in the presence of may be directly with or in parallel to) the allied health professional and according to their instruction
Working without the allied health professional being present but according to instruction of the allied health professional
Maintaining reserve of appropriate assessment and client record forms
Relevant sources of information may be:
Clients
Client relatives/friends/carers
Allied health professionals
Community/support group
Nurses
Care plans
Discharge plans
Appropriate training programs
Information passed on to appropriate allied health professional must be as:
Case notes
Verbal or written handover
Memo
Checklists
Other forms according to procedures for individual organisations
Recording of appointments may include but is not limited to:
Manual ie. appointment book
Electronic ie. computer based program
The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.
Supervision refers to:
Instructing, advising, and monitoring another person in order to ensure safe and effective performance in carrying out the duties of their position
The nature of supervision is flexible and may be conducted by various means including:
in person
through use of electronic communications media such as telephone or video conferencing
Frequency of supervision will be determined by factors such as:
the task maturity of the person in that position or clinical placement
the need to review and assess client conditions and progress in order to establish or alter treatment plans in case of students and assistants
the need to correct and develop non clinical aspects such as time management, organisation requirements, communication skills, and other factors supporting the provision of clinical care and working within a team
A person under supervision does not require direct (immediate) and continuous personal interaction, but the method and frequency will be determined by factors outlined above
Clients may include:
Infants
Children
Adolescents
Adults
Elderly
Visitors
Staff
Prospective clients to the service or services
Relatives/carers of client
Client services may include interaction with:
Other staff members
Team members
Service units or departments
Family members and friends of clients
Carers
Volunteers in a health services environment
Professional representatives or agents of the client such as medical specialists, social workers, therapists, interpreters, teachers and/or spiritual, community or other representative
Allied health services may include:
Physiotherapy
Psychology/clinical psychology
Podiatry
Occupational therapy
Speech pathology
Dietetics
Social work
Audiology
Physical education
Pharmacists
Prosthetists
Orthotists
Hydrotherapy services
Confidentiality policies may include:
Fees
Health fund entitlements
Welfare entitlements
Payment methods and records
Public environments
Legal and ethical requirements
Writing details ie. medical and consent forms
Conversations on the telephone
Secure location for written records
Offering a private location for discussions
Information disclosed to an appropriate person consistent with individual's level of responsibility
Workplace settings may include:
Hospital (inpatient and outpatient)
Community health centres
Rehabilitation service
Therapy centres
Multi-purpose centre
Nursing home/hostels
Residential care
School
Child care centre/preschool
Allied health private practice
Client's home (community based/rural and remote services)
Hydrotherapy pools
Allied health equipment may include:
Physiotherapy equipment
Respiratory equipment
Tilt tables
Braces
Electrotherapy devices
Electrical equipment
Hydrotherapy
Manual handling
Exercise equipment
Positional equipment eg. slings/splints
Wheelchairs/frames and walking sticks and crutches
Audiovisual equipment
Feeding equipment
Plastering equipment
Woodworking equipment
Sewing machines
Computers
Occupational therapy equipment may include:
Splinting equipment
Wheelchairs/frames and walking sticks/crutches
ADL equipment
Exercise equipment
Various activity equipment
Computer programmes
Audio-visual equipment
Positioning furnishing equipment
Computer/other technical equipment
Variety of activity equipment
Speech pathology equipment may include:
Artificial larynx
Augmented communication equipment
Paediatric feeding devices
Feeding equipment
Allied health professional instructions may be:
Written
Verbal
Diagrammatic
Assistance with therapy tasks may be:
Working directly with (in the presence of may be directly with or in parallel to) the allied health professional and according to their instruction
Working without the allied health professional being present but according to instruction of the allied health professional
Maintaining reserve of appropriate assessment and client record forms
Relevant sources of information may be:
Clients
Client relatives/friends/carers
Allied health professionals
Community/support group
Nurses
Care plans
Discharge plans
Appropriate training programs
Information passed on to appropriate allied health professional must be as:
Case notes
Verbal or written handover
Memo
Checklists
Other forms according to procedures for individual organisations
Recording of appointments may include but is not limited to:
Manual ie. appointment book
Electronic ie. computer based program
EVIDENCE GUIDE
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this competency unit:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over the required range of situations relevant to the workplace
Where, for reasons of safety, space, or access to equipment and resources, assessment takes place away from the workplace, the assessment environment should represent workplace conditions as closely as possible
Access and equity considerations:
All workers in the health industry should be aware of access and equity issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities
Context of and specific resources for assessment:
Assessment must include evidence of workplace performance
Relevant guidelines, standards and procedures
Resources essential for assessment include:
Other organisation policies and procedures
Duties statements and/or job descriptions
Documentation
Equipment
Infection control procedures
Workplace health and safety guidelines
Method of assessment
Observation of some applications in the work place (as is appropriate/possible)
Written assignments/projects
Questioning
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this competency unit:
The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over the required range of situations relevant to the workplace
Where, for reasons of safety, space, or access to equipment and resources, assessment takes place away from the workplace, the assessment environment should represent workplace conditions as closely as possible
Access and equity considerations:
All workers in the health industry should be aware of access and equity issues in relation to their own area of work
All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
In recognition of particular health issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on health of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities
Context of and specific resources for assessment:
Assessment must include evidence of workplace performance
Relevant guidelines, standards and procedures
Resources essential for assessment include:
Other organisation policies and procedures
Duties statements and/or job descriptions
Documentation
Equipment
Infection control procedures
Workplace health and safety guidelines
Method of assessment
Observation of some applications in the work place (as is appropriate/possible)
Written assignments/projects
Questioning
Replaces
| State Code | National Code | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| C8939 | HLTAH301A | Assist with an allied health program | Unit of competency |
| C4913 | HLTAH1A | Assist with provision of an Allied Health therapy program | Unit of competency |
Replaced By
| State Code | National Code | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| WD020 | HLTAH301C | Assist with an allied health program | Unit of competency |
| State Code | National Code | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| D047 | HLT32407 | Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance | Qualification |