Unit rationale, description and aim
Professional Practice Education provides students with the opportunity to integrate theory into practice and experience occupation as a therapeutic medium for enhancing participation in self-care, leisure and productivity. Participation is viewed within the person, environment, occupation framework and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. This unit includes the second Professional Practice placement in third year, enabling students to consolidate and build on the professional behaviours, self-management skills, communication skills, and occupational therapy core practice skills developed in the first Professional Practice placement. Placements may occur in a range of settings and locations (rural and metropolitan). At the end of this placement, students will have built their capacity for adapting occupational therapy skills to different practice contexts and further developed their professional identity.
This unit contains learning outcomes from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (HCF) (2014) specifically addressing the HCF cultural capabilities Respect and Safety & Quality. The overall aim is for students to demonstrate a standard of professional practice skills during placement that align with their practice supervisor’s expectations of third year undergraduate students. Students will thus progress towards the competencies outlined in the Australian occupational therapy competency standards in readiness for their final fourth year block placement.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Demonstrate professional practice in an ethical, s...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply occupational therapy knowledge, skills and b...
Learning Outcome 02
Evaluate and reflect on own performance acknowledg...
Learning Outcome 03
Demonstrates open, responsive and appropriate comm...
Learning Outcome 04
HCF 4.3 Design professional strategies that enable...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics are drawn from the Occupational Therapy Competency Standards in preparation for the placement block.
AOTCS 1: Professionalism
Professional Behaviours:
- Review of placement settings and expectations for placement
- Preparing for different supervision models, and feedback
Professional attitudes:
- Professional communication skills
- Professional responsibilities
- Self-Management, Resilience and Wellbeing
Ethical practices:
- In interprofessional teams
- In accordance with World Federation of Occupational Therapy standards
Cultural capability:
- Incorporating and responding to historical, political, cultural, societal, environmental and economic factors influencing health, wellbeing and occupations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
AOTCS 2: Knowledge and Learning
Active Learning
- Debrief and reflect on OTHY303 Professional Practice Education 1 Experience
- Being an active learner & tools for placement
Performance evaluation
- Utilising reflective practice regularly and effectively
- Determining appropriate actions to enhance future performance
- Adjusting intervention plans
- Determining and utilising appropriate therapy outcome measures
AOTCS 3: Occupational therapy process and Practice
Extending skills in occupational therapy practice implementation:
- Establishing the therapeutic relationship
- Interview and assessment approaches relevant to the practice setting
- Interpreting interview and assessment results
- Planning an intervention
- Incorporating evidence-based practiceImplementing individual and group intervention sessions, and implementing a series of intervention sessions
- Utilising professional reasoning skills
- Understanding and incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples experiences of health, wellbeing and occupations encompassing cultural connections
AOTCS 4: Communication
Effective Communication Skills in the professional practice setting:
- Clients
- Groups and / or communities
- Professional colleagues
- Managers and key stakeholders
- Professional Reasoning
- Managing your professional practice portfolio
- Culturally responsive, safe and relevant communication tools and strategies
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with university assessment requirements. Professional Practice placements are assessed in line with Occupational Therapy Australia guidelines using the common assessment tool the SPEF-R2 (Student Practice Evaluation Framework – Revised (2nd Edition). The SPEF-R2 is an accredited method of assessing student performance on placement and includes eight domains, i.e., Professional Behaviour, Self-Management Skills, Co-Worker Communication, Communication Skills, Documentation, Information Gathering, Service Provision and Service Evaluation. Learning plans which indicate a student’s capacity to reflect on their learning needs and identify learning goals aligned with these SPEF-R2 domains are developed by students prior to placement and submitted as a hurdle requirement.
In order to pass this unit, students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome and must pass the following hurdle tasks:
- Attendance at the manual handling workshop
- Attendance at, and completion of, the NDIS interprofessional learning module (Part 2)
- Submission a pre-placement learning plan of a satisfactory standard
- Achievement of a pass rating on the Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised (2nd Edition) SPEF-R2 as determined by the Placement Educator and ACU Professional Practice Coordinator
- Submission of post-placement documents including (a) SPEF-R2, (b) post-placement learning plan of a satisfactory standard and (c) timesheet as evidence of having passed the placement and having met the requirements for placement hours.
Students are offered one attempt to achieve a pass on the SPEF-R2, and two attempts to achieve a pass on the manual handling workshop, NDIS interprofessional learning module, the pre-placement learning plan and submission of the post-placement documents. Assessment approaches in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ cultural advisors.
Overview of assessments
Hurdle Pass grade on the Student Practice E...
Hurdle
Pass grade on the Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised (SPEF-R2) as determined by Placement Educator and ACU Professional Practice Coordinator in order to meet AHPRA registration requirements at the end of the program of study.
Pass/Fail
Hurdle Submission of a pre-placement learning pl...
Hurdle
Submission of a pre-placement learning plan which will address a minimum of one professional practice competency goal (Professionalism, Knowledge and Learning, Occupational Therapy Process and Practice and Communication) and one cultural capability development goal.
Pass/Fail
Hurdle Submission of post placement documents inc...
Hurdle
Submission of post placement documents including (a) SPEF-R2, (b) post-placement learning plan and (c) timesheet as evidence of having passed the placement and having met the requirements for placement hours.
Pass/Fail
Hurdle Attendance at, and completion of, the NDIS...
Hurdle
Attendance at, and completion of, the NDIS interprofessional learning module (Part 2).
Pass/Fail
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Professional Practice Education 2 provides students with a second 3rd year professional practice experience with opportunities to continue exploring, fine-tuning and mastering the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to practise as a new graduate occupational therapist. In line with WFOT requirements, students must have a range of professional practice experiences with a variety of clients and settings throughout their qualifying degree. This second 3rd year placement allows students to build on skills learnt in previous professional practice placements (including community engagement and simulated placement) and to integrate academic learning with practical experience. Preparation sessions, online learning and hurdle tasks prior to students beginning their placements are designed to connect previous learning to the anticipated practice experience and to build their professional identity as future occupational therapists. Students will develop inter-professional skills through an online NDIS learning module and are required to prepare a learning plan prior to commencing placement, to seek and respond to peer and tutor feedback, and to reflect on progress towards meeting the learning plan at the end of the placement block. Learning and Teaching approaches included in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ Cultural Advisors.
Australian Occupational Therapy Competency Standards (AOTCS) 2018
Australian occupational therapy competency standards (AOTCS) 2018 developed within this unit are: