Allied Health at Bond

Bond’s Master of Nutrition and Dietetic Practice (MNDP) program has full accreditation with Dietitians Australia. Graduates have the opportunity to become full members of Dietitians Australia and can apply for Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) status, a credential which is recognised within Australia.

American students who study nutrition and dietetics at Bond University in Australia may be eligible for a 3-year post-work study visa, with immediate recognition to work as an Australian dietitian.

The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) is the credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the United States of America (USA), and are the agency that provide certification as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).  To be eligible for the RDN credential, applicants must satisfy three conditions:

1. Successful completion of both an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited didactic program in dietetics* and an ACEND accredited dietetic internship in the USA
2. Successful validation of elements in (a) above by CDR
3. Pass the national registration examination for dietitians in the USA

Most states require licencing to legally practice in the USA, and graduates must apply to the licencing authority in the State in which they wish to practice. Each State has its own licencing authority, and each authority has its own eligibility criteria for licencing.

*Bond University has been granted candidate status by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) as a Foreign Dietetic Education program to prepare Registered Dietitian Nutritionists from May 2021.   The program is currently accepting applications from prospective students . Graduates of a cohort designated as having candidate status have the same rights and privileges as graduates of an accredited program.

More information about the ACEND accreditation standards is available here.   

Contact Assoc Professor Dianne Reidlinger for more information, email: [email protected]

Bond University’s entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy and Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy programs are accredited for 7 years by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) in the United States of America.

Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all United States require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

• Information on the American Occupational Therapy accreditation process and standards are available on the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education website. 
• Program data for graduates registering to practice in the United States of America will be available on the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy website. 

Upon completion of all requirements of the two-year Master of Occupational Therapy program, students who opt to pursue the Bond Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy are eligible to apply for registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia,while they are enrolled in the Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program.

Information for students planning to register to practice as an Occupational Therapist in the United States of America: 

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association(AOTA), is located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is +1 (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. 

Note: Students must successfully complete all requirements of the Master of Occupational Therapy, including coursework and 24 weeks of Level II Fieldwork Practice Education, within 4 years of commencement of the degree program.

Physical therapy is a regulated profession in the United States of America (USA). To become a licensed physical therapist in the USA, graduates must apply to the licensing authority in the State in which they want to practice. Each State has its own licensing authority, and each authority has its own eligibility criteria for licensing.

An essential part of the licensing process is successfully completing the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). To be eligible to take the NPTE, physical therapists trained outside of the USA must have their education credentialled by an approved agency. This is a process where your completed physiotherapy degree is compared to the physical therapy education you would have received in the USA.

To be credentialed as having an equivalent education, you must have completed a Doctor of Physiotherapy program. You must be able to demonstrate that you have met all the educational criteria for your General Education, which comes from your undergraduate degree, and your Professional Education, which comes from your physiotherapy program. The Bond Doctor of Physiotherapy offers a program that has met the Professional Education requirements of the current evaluation tool, Coursework Tool 6.

In summary:      

Step 1:  Submit your educational portfolio to the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy at www.fccpt.org and receive a “Report of Evaluation of Educational Credentials. ”  Bond University DPT meets the criteria for equivalent education and will assist in this process.
Step 2:  Apply to sit the NPTE exam and pass the exam
Step 3:  Submit an application for professional licensure in the state of your preference.
Step 4:  Contact FSBPT to release your NPTE examination score report to the state you have applied for licensure. 
Step 5:  Once licensed in one state, you can apply for endorsement for licensure in other states.

Bond University has a dedicated staff member to work individually with students who are intending to practice in the USA and support them through the application process.   

You can find out more information about physical therapy licensure in the USA and the NPTE here.