PHTY411 - Physiotherapy Honours Clinical Practice 1

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

PHTY300 Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy Practice 2 AND PHTY301 Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Practice 3 AND PHTY302 Neurological Physiotherapy Practice 1 AND PHTY303 Neurological Physiotherapy Practice 2 AND PHTY304 Paediatric Physiotherapy Practice AND PHTY306 Integrated Physiotherapy Practice in Selected Populations AND ALHT411 Honours Literature Review for Allied Health AND ALHT412 Honours Research Methods for Allied Health

Unit rationale, description and aim

These clinical practice honours units enable students to develop an integrated problem-solving approach to assessing and understanding individuals' problems and an ability to apply treatment skills and specific techniques in the clinical setting. Students will be required to apply advanced knowledge and skills of physiotherapy practice to the management of manage individuals in specific and a variety of settings in order to be exposed to a range of caseloads, model/s of intervention and service delivery. Students will be prepared to perform clinical practice at a new graduate level according to the Physiotherapy practice thresholds in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Students will be further challenged to recognise and explore research and practice improvement opportunities related to physiotherapy practice or service delivery within a variety of clinical settings using their advanced research skills.

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.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Demonstrate integration of knowledge, theoretical concepts and skills to inform, justify and implement a safe and effective person-centred physiotherapy management plan (assessment, intervention, evaluation and progression) (GA3, GA4, GA5, GA8)

LO2 - Apply critical thinking in developing new understanding in unique clinical settings, demonstrating well developed judgements, adaptability and responses as an entry-level practitioner (GA2, GA3, GA6)

LO3 - Demonstrate effective communication and collaboration with individual clients, carers, professional colleagues and managers, and in multi-disciplinary teams (GA1, GA7, GA9; GA10)

LO4 - Autonomously and continuously evaluate their own performance using reflective practice, developing strategies for ongoing learning and continued professional practice (GA5)

LO5 - Demonstrate professional and ethical behaviours in physiotherapy practice in accordance with Physiotherapy Board of Australia’s Code of conduct (GA5)

LO6 - Critically evaluate the physiotherapy management of specific client presentations (GA3, GA4)

LO7 - Recognize and appraise research opportunities to improve evidence-based physiotherapy practice or service delivery including safety and health promotion (GA6). 

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Students’ clinical experience will involve working in a variety of settings (inpatient, outpatient and community), with different funding and service models (public, private), locations (metropolitan, regional, rural, international), and serving a variety of populations, people from different socio-economic status including indigenous and vulnerable people from marginalized groups. 

Students will undertake three compulsory clinical placements: Musculoskeletal Outpatients; Neurology; Cardiorespiratory. 

Students will undertake three clinical placements of their choice (subject to availability). These placements include but are not limited to: Paediatrics, Gerontology, Women’s Health, Occupational Health, Musculoskeletal Inpatients, Burns and Plastics, Rheumatology, Intensive Care Unit, Psychiatry, Hand Clinic, Disability Services, Spinal Unit or Community Physiotherapy. Successful completion of a specific compulsory clinical placement may be a pre-requisite for some of these placements. 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Each clinical placement (unit) is 5 weeks in duration, during which students undertake supervised clinical practice including both direct (patient/client) and non-direct (administration) clinical care. In addition to supervised clinical practice students are expected to reflect on their clinical practice and, contribute to workplace activities as required. Other learning and teaching may include directed independent and simulation learning activities. 

At the completion of year 4 clinical placements students will have accrued clinical hours to meet the requirements of the Australian Physiotherapy Council for registration. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

Student performance on clinical placement will be assessed using the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool. This assessment tool is used by all Schools of Physiotherapy in Australia and New Zealand and addresses the requirements of the Physiotherapy practice thresholds in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Students will use their critical appraisal skills to evaluate the need for, and evidence supporting a practice protocol or research finding applicable to a clinical work-place.  

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Students should refer to the prescribed texts for the relevant academic units undertaken for this course and to the facility’s descriptor for any required readings.