SPHY401 - Contemporary Issues in Speech Pathology

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Unit rationale, description and aim

Speech pathology practice requires excellent skills in operational aspects of service delivery as well as management of specific and complex clinical populations. This unit is a capstone unit where students examine the role of the speech pathologist in relation to contemporary areas of practice, contexts of practice and the transition to practice.

Students have the opportunity to gain deeper knowledge of contemporary areas of practice that are increasingly relevant for speech pathologists; they explore contexts of practice that represent fields in which speech pathologists are increasingly employed to work; and they gain skills to assist them transition from study to employment as speech pathologists.

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 an understanding of contemporary areas of speech pathology practice, contexts of practice and skills for transitioning to practice (GA5, GA8, GA10)

LO2 - Demonstrate readiness for the transition from speech pathology student to employment as a speech pathologist (GA4, GA9, GA10)    

LO3 - Implement, critically review, and/or report on a speech pathology  case study focusing on a specific range of practice area or context of practice (GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9, GA10)

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

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

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

Topics will include:

Contemporary areas practice

• Mental health
• Palliative care
• Cognitive communication concerns
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Learning disorder
• Quality improvement

Contexts of practice

• Private Practice
• Management
• Disability (NDIS)

Transitioning to practice

• Understanding health organisations
• Preparing a job application
• Preparing for a job interview

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This capstone unit is the final theoretical unit in the Bachelor of Speech Pathology. The unit is a blended learning offering that comprises recorded lectures, online learning modules, and a final conference on campus. Blended learning is utilized to offer a flexible learning style to students whose professional practice placements can be scheduled between January and December of the final year of study in a metropolitan, rural, and/or remote area. 

Blended learning and online material thus offers students the opportunity to access and complete unit learning material at a time that is convenient for them. A range of online learning modules are offered to students and are updated and/or replaced as newer, more pertinent issues of speech pathology practice emerge thus ensuring that students are exposed to contemporary issues in the field. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

This unit requires students to demonstrate their understanding of contemporary issues in speech pathology, to demonstrate preparedness for transitioning to work as a speech pathologist and to demonstrate capacity to apply and reflect upon the delivery of speech pathology practice. 

Students demonstrate their understanding of contemporary speech pathology issues by completing online modules and their associated quizzes. The quizzes allow students to check their factual understanding of module material. Assessment task two requires student to prepare an employment application including writing a cover letter, resume, and a response to key selection criteria They are then required to participate in a mock interview for an advertised speech pathology position. Exposing students to the job application and interview process provides them with safe and scaffolded practice prior to the ‘real life’ experience. These tasks exactly parallel the process of applying for a position as a speech pathologist and thus is an authentic assessment task of real practical importance. 

Finally, this unit is a capstone unit and, as such, students are expected to demonstrate consolidation of four years of university theory and professional practice in a professional degree. As such, students are required to deliver an oral presentation at the School of Allied Health conference. Specifically, students are required to report upon the management of a client demonstrating the occupational competencies of assessment, analysis and interpretation, planning intervention, and the implementation of intervention, as required by the Competency Based Occupational Standards for Entry-Level Speech Pathologists (Units 1-4). Furthermore, they are expected to critically reflect on their management and contextual factors that influenced their reasoning and service delivery.

This task shows an authentic assessment approach with students required to demonstrate critical reflective practice regarding the CBOS 1- 4 cycle. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Ledlow, G.R., & Copola, M.N. (2011). Leadership for health professionals: Theory, skills and applications. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Liebler, J., & McConnell, C. (2011). Management principles for health professionals (6th ed). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Parton Vinson, B. (2009). Workplace skills and professional issues in speech-language pathology. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing. 

Roseberry-McKibbin, C. & Hegde, M. N. (2011). An advanced review of speech-language pathology (3rd ed.). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.