Orthotics Mobilisation Course

This course is an AHTA Core course.

Core courses are suitable for practitioners:

• with a minimum of two years of post-graduate experience in treating upper limb conditions
• looking to acquire additional skills required for a position in hand therapy
• wishing to upskill and learn current best practice
• wanting continued professional learning (CPD hours)
• undertaking to complete the Accredited Hand Therapist credential.

This course is 20 CPD hours for attendance only.

Participants will receive 50 CPD hours if they complete and pass the assessment. 

Non-Member $1500.00 inc GST

Associate $975.00 inc GST

Accredited Hand Therapist $900.00 inc GST

You must check the prerequisites for this course before completing registration.

Discounts apply for Associate members and Accredited Hand Therapists.

We endeavour to run all courses as scheduled; however, our courses sometimes do not meet the required minimum numbers to go ahead.

We advise that you DO NOT book flights and/or accommodation until the registration closing date (one month before the course).

Please contact us for advice if you wish to book flights earlier.

Refer to the cancellation policy linked below.

Participants may choose to undertake the assessment.

Completing and passing the assessment is a requirement for those wishing to apply to become an Accredited Hand Therapist.

The course has 3 assessment components:

1. Orthosis fabrication: Participants must complete 3 orthoses to an 'acceptable standard' as assessed by the presenters using a marking guide. This is a hurdle task and must be passed to pass this course. 
2. Examination: 1 hr on-line exam including MCQ and short answer questions, scheduled 3 weeks after the course.  
3. Case study: Submission of a case study using evidenced-based decision-making and application of clinical knowledge submitted 8 weeks after the course. 

The exam and the assignment are weighted equally (50% each) towards the total score.  An overall score of 65% is required to pass the course and receive a "Certificate of Attainment".  

Participants who cannot complete the exam as scheduled and advertised will forfeit the option of a Certificate of Attainment. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided.

AHTA courses aim to meet Australian Quality Framework (AQF) Level 8 and are designed according to best practice education standards.

Courses are developed and presented by Accredited Hand Therapists.

All presenters have undertaken a four-stage presenter training program.

There are two compulsory pre-course modules (videos) with associated quizzes, in addition to some recommended reading. 

Module 1 –

105 minutes to view, 30-min quiz

Module 2 –

90 minutes to view, 30-min quiz

We recommend that you commence the pre-learning as soon as possible.

The recommended reading can be also be found on the portal.

The two quizzes are formative assessment only (the scores do not count towards your final overall grade). 

Pre-learning and information regarding this course are in a portal on our website.

Follow the steps below.

1. Go to our website ahta.com.au
2. Click on Login, located in the top right-hand corner
3. Enter your username and password and click Login
4. Go to the My Documents tab
5. Click on the"[COURSE NAME] Resources" to access the course materials.
6. Click on the Events tab to download your tax invoice.

Face-to-face courses are held from 9.00 am – 5.30 pm local time.

Please note dietary requirements when completing the online registration form. Not all requirements can be catered for at all venues.

Essential Items:

• Pen for adding notes to your course workbook which will be provided at the course
• Sharp Scissors for cutting heated thermoplastic
• Shears to cut cold thermoplastic materials
• Pliers, round nose and square nose (wire benders)
• Smooth Roll Bandage (width 7.5cm)
• Small Towel
• Chinagraph pencil/splint markers

Desirable Items:

• Hole punch
• Wire cutters
• Spring wire coil jig (if your clinic has one that you can bring)

If you do not have access to the essential items, please notify the AHTA office and they will attempt to source additional items from course presenters or other course participants.
If traveling interstate, please be mindful of airport security and do not pack sharps in carry on luggage

The extra time available in the course to do practical splinting was excellent. Doing the theory and taking the exam a little later was very beneficial as I did not have to focus on anything but building my practical skills.

The aspects of the course that were most beneficial include learning practical aspects of orthotic design, indications and clinical applications, takeaway patterns and design information, access to experienced HT staff, and learning practical tips about shortcuts and orthotic construction.

Both presenters were knowledgeable and nurturing in their teaching. They made the course very relaxed compared to previous ones I’ve attended.

The practical components were most beneficial as I had not made some of the orthosis in the clinic before.

Barb Hall

Barb is an Occupational Therapist with over 20 years of experience in hand therapy in the UK, USA and Australia. She has a Master of Health Science degree from the University of Indianapolis and completed the Certification in Hand Therapy in the USA (HTCC) in the 1990s, where she developed her passion for hand and upper limb rehabilitation.  She has had many teachers and mentors:  Physio, OTs, surgeons and orthotists.

Barb’s interests include hand trauma, research and teaching.  Barb has been involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at Curtin University.  She has published research with Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital therapists on ‘Extensor Tendon Rehabilitation’ and ‘Carpal Tunnel Syndrome’.

She currently lives and works as a Senior Occupational Therapist in the beautiful southwest of WA.

Helen Fitzgerald

Helen graduated from university in 2000. Initially working in the public sector, she worked in Rheumatology, Burns and Plastics, and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation for 18 months before developing her Hand Therapy skills during locum work in the UK. On her return to Perth, she worked as a Senior Therapist in the Hand & Upper Limb Clinic at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for 8 years before devoting her time as a Director and Principal Therapist at InHand Occupational Therapy. She is an active member of the AHTA and has been involved in membership and education for the past nine years. She was co-author of a research publication on the effectiveness of wrist splinting and education in treating Carpal Tunnel syndrome in 2013.  Clinically, Helen is particularly interested in acute trauma, tendon rehabilitation and Rheumatology. She has a flare for splint fabrication and is passionate about the ongoing development and mastery of this unique skill in hand therapists across Australia.

Terra Bredy

In 1996, Terra graduated with a degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Since then, she has worked in various public and private therapy clinics throughout Canada and the United States, and in 2002, she obtained a certification in Hand Therapy. She became a full Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA) member in 2009 and served as the Queensland Divisional Representative in 2013. During a brief stint in California from 2014 to 2017, Terra was an Adjunct Professor at Stanbridge University, where she lectured at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and also served as a postgraduate research advisor on projects focused on Yoga as a therapeutic modality for CRPS and goniometric measurement techniques for wrist flexion/extension. Terra is an Accredited Hand Therapist with the AHTA and a Certified Hand Therapist with the HTCC. She is based in Brisbane, where she works as a Clinic Coordinator with EKCO Hand Therapy and as the owner/operator of LeatherWorks Splinting, fabricating custom leather orthotics.

Tracey Clark

Tracey has been a full member of the AHTA since 1997. She has worked in the public and private sectors and has recently opened her private practice – North West Hand Therapy, in suburban Sydney. Tracey has contributed significantly to the AHTA's growth and development as a volunteer on the Research Committee for four years, as President and on the Credentialing Council for five years. Tracey is interested in evidence-based practice and wants to improve members’ access to research to assist in clinical decision-making. Tracey has an MSc (Hand & UL Rehab) from Curtin University and has studied the relationship between sensibility and dexterity following digital nerve injury.

Melissa James

Melissa has worked in hand therapy for over 25 years.  She graduated from the University of  Queensland in 1991 with honours and a university medal.  She completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Hand and Upper Limb Rehabilitation (Curtin University) in 1997.  She has been a full Australian Hand Therapy Association member since 1996, including serving as Queensland State Representative.

Melissa has worked in both the public and private sectors and now has her private practice, Bayside Hand Therapy, in Brisbane.  Her teaching experience includes teaching splinting/orthotics to undergraduate occupational therapy students at the University of Queensland for several years and running many courses on other-hand therapy-related topics.  Melissa has been a presenter of the AHTA orthotic fabrication courses since 2006.

David Parsons

Dave graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy in 2006. During his career, he worked in the private and public sectors, before moving into a role at Curtin University teaching hand and upper limb rehabilitation, including orthoses fabrication. Dave completed a PhD and conducted research. He has a keen interest in acute trauma and managing sporting injuries. Dave is currently on the AHTA Board of Directors.

Photography and videography

Photos and videos taken at our course may be used for promotion and evaluation; including press releases; publicity materials, newsletters, eNews, social media, presentations and our website. They will not be accompanied by names or other details that could identify individuals. 

If you DO NOT consent to the AHTA using images or videos containing your image, you must contact the AHTA office prior to the course and advise the presenter on arrival on the first day of the course.

Intellectual property disclaimer

By registering for a course, you agree that during the course, any contributions verbally or in writing that you make regarding improving, altering or amending the content of the course may be used by the AHTA in subsequent courses and will become the intellectual property of AHTA.