PHTY400 - Preparation for Physiotherapy Practice

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

For Bachelor of Physiotherapy Students:

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 HLSC220 Health Care Ethics AND (UNCC300 Justice and Change in a Global World OR PHCC320 The Just Society )

For Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours) Students:

(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 (PHTY415 Preparation for Physiotherapy Honours AND PHTY416 - Research Methods for Physiotherapy Honours) OR (ALHT411 Honours Literature Review for Allied Health AND ALHT412 Honours Research Methods for Allied Health ).

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

To successfully transition from on-campus learning to the clinical practice year students are required to integrate and apply all previously acquired physiotherapy knowledge and skills to comprehensively meet the clinical needs of people in all contexts. In this unit, students will investigate different models and contexts of health care and health related services from a local, national and international perspective and will further develop the professional behaviours and communication skills required across a range of clinical contexts. Students will use clinical reasoning skills to plan delivery and evaluation of evidence based, culturally sensitive, person-centred physiotherapy for individuals with complex health issues. Students will also develop professional report writing to document their clinical practice. Students will apply these skills as they transition into clinical placement to optimise outcomes for individuals with complex health issues in a variety of practice frameworks. This unit aims to prepare students for physiotherapy clinical practice.

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 - Identify and evaluate different models of health care provision in local, national and international contexts (GA6, GA10)  

LO2 - Identify and evaluate the influence of social determinants of health when planning, delivering and optimising individualised physiotherapy (GA1, GA5) 

LO3 - Plan, evaluate and document evidenced-based, culturally responsive, person-centred care for individuals with complex health care problems including transition to community based health services (GA1, GA3, GA5, GA9) 

LO4 - Reflect critically on professional and personal behaviours and skills that underpin effective, culturally responsive, client-centred practice in the provision of health care (GA4, GA5) 

Graduate attributes

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

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

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: 

Models of health care provision and the influence upon physiotherapy practice

• The Australian healthcare system (and how it specifically operates in the respective states of Qld, NSW and Vic)
• Community-controlled health care
• Physiotherapy in primary health care
• Physiotherapy in developing countries
• Community-based rehabilitation

Physiotherapy practice for people with complex health care issues. Students will explore complex health care issues relevant to contemporary physiotherapy practice through the use of case scenarios. Within these scenarios students will identify and discuss ethical, legal and professional issues relevant to physiotherapy practice. 

Examples include: 

• Indigenous health
• Rural and remote practice
• Palliative care
• Mental Health
• Infectious diseases
• Adolescents living with disabilities
• Chronic pain management
• The older person with numerous co-morbidities
• Domestic violence
• Torture and trauma

Community resources for supporting individuals/groups of people with complex health issues

• Ageing and community care
• Indigenous health services
• Transitional care services for adolescents and young adults with chronic disease and/or disability

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of learning. This unit has two delivery patterns: intensive delivery on-shore (2 weeks) and intensive delivery off-shore (2 weeks). For both delivery patterns learning and teaching strategies include a combination of face-to-face, online, simulation, and other directed independent learning activities. Students will transition from tutor-led to peer and finally self-directed learning. Peer learning is encouraged through seminar presentations of physiotherapy practice for people with complex health care issues during the intensive delivery period. Additionally students will contribute to a shared online collection of resources encouraging self-directed learning.

Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities, demonstrating respect for the individual as an independent learner.

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks for this unit align with the presentation of the content and comprise a practical examination, a group seminar and a written letter of referral.

Assessment task 1, an individual submission of a letter of referral for a client, requires students to provide evidence of professional report writing to document clinical practice and provide succinct information to another health professional regarding the client’s current short and long term goals. 

Assessment task 2 requires student to demonstrate clinical reasoning and effectively apply appropriate therapeutic techniques and training of planned rehabilitation for complex cases.

Assessment task 3, a group seminar presentation, requires students to develop an evidence-based individualised comprehensive physiotherapy management plan for a person with complex health care needs.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Burgess, Annette, van Diggele, Christie, Roberts, Chris, & Mellis, Craig. (2020). Teaching     clinical handover with ISBAR. BMC Medical Education, 20(Suppl 2), 459–459. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02285-0.

Higgs, J., Smith, M., Webb, G., Skinner, M., and Croker, A. (Eds). (2009). Contexts of Physiotherapy Practice. Churchill Livingstone: Sydney.

Rilind Shala, Nathalie Roussel, G. Lorimer Moseley, Thomas Osinski & Emilio J. Puentedura (2021) Can we just talk our patients out of pain? Should pain neuroscience education be our only tool?, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 29:1, 1-3, DOI: 10.1080/10669817.2021.1873259

Strong, J., Unruh, A. M., Van Griensven, H., & Strong, Jenny. (2014). Pain: a textbook for health professionals (Second edition.). Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.

Taylor, K., & Guerin, P. (2019). Health care and Indigenous Australians: cultural safety in practice (3rd ed). Macmillan International Higher Education.

Willis, E., Reynolds, L., & Rudge, T. (Eds.). (2019). Understanding the Australian health care system (4th Ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.