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The Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA) is the national peak body for Hand Therapy in Australia.
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Superficial Thermal Modalities Course

Registration

Registration for this course will open on 31 March 2026. A link will be provided below at this time.

Overview

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the safe and effective use of superficial thermal modalities (heat and cold) as adjunctive treatments in hand therapy. It is designed to upskill practitioners and ensure the application of these modalities aligns with best practices, clinical reasoning, and medico-legal standards. 

This course consists of self-paced learning delivered on Canvas. 

CPD

4 hours CPD.

Investment

The Superficial Thermal Modalities Course will be offered to to current associate members who have completed Fundamentals and one other core course, current AHTs and mentors for FREE for three months until 31 June 2026.

Thereafter, the course will be $250 (exc GST).

Course type

This course is suitable for individuals who:

  • who want continued professional learning (CPD hours)
  • want to learn more about this topic
  • are undertaking the AHT credential
  • are mentoring an AHT applicant
  • are experienced hand therapy practitioners.

This course is a compulsory component of the Accredited Hand Therapist program. Regardless of your undergraduate studies, recognised prior learning is not available. 

Pre-requisites

You must be a qualified health professional to participate in this course.

Learning outcomes

After this course, participants will:

At the completion of this course, learners will be able to: 

  1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the physiological effects, indications, contraindications, and precautions of hot and cold modalities in hand therapy. 

  2. Justify the selection of thermal modalities based on patient-specific factors, treatment goals, and current evidence. 

  3. Demonstrate safe decision-making in the application of thermal modalities in theoretical scenarios, including informed consent, thermal safety warnings, appropriate equipment and patient monitoring. 

  4. Evaluate medico-legally compliant documentation detailing modality use and treatment outcomes. 

Assessment

This course includes an online exam. For those undertaking the AHT credential, a pass mark of 65% is required for a Certificate of Attainment.

Content access

The AHTA uses an online Learning Management System (LMS) called Canvas. 

This will be your ‘online textbook’ for all course content – including videos, pictures, written content, references, and links to other web pages. 

When you have registered for the course, you will be emailed a link to enrol.

Once you receive this link, you are encouraged to create login details, ready to use on the day. The Home Page includes important information, such as Course Information, Assessment, and Help and Support. The Modules tab is where you will find the course content, including any pre-learning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quality

Our courses are developed using best-practice educational standards and are aligned with the Australian Quality Framework (AQF) AQF Level 8. As the AHTA is not a registered tertiary education provider, our courses are not formally recognised or accredited.

Courses are developed and presented by Accredited Hand Therapists.

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