Year
2024Credit points
30Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Prerequisites
Completion of all third year unitsTeaching organisation
150 hours of focused learning.Unit rationale, description and aim
Occupational therapists work with people and communities of all age groups and in a wide range of physical and psychosocial environments to enable participation in life situations (WFOT, 2016). Professional Practice Education 3 provides students with the opportunity to integrate theory into practice. You will experience occupation as a therapeutic medium for enhancing participation in self-care, leisure and productivity roles within the person, environment, occupation model and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Placements can occur in a range of traditional and contemporary practice settings where the focus is on occupational engagement and participation. This unit includes a 9-week block placement (360 hours).
This unit contains learning outcomes from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (HCF) (2014) specifically addressing the HCF cultural capabilities Reflect and Advocate.
The overall aim of this unit is to enable students to consolidate and build on the professional behaviours, self-management, communication skills and core Occupational Therapy practice skills developed in the previous placements in readiness to practice as a new graduate occupational therapist.
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.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Demonstrate professional practice in an ethical, safe, lawful and accountable manner, supporting client health and wellbeing through occupation and consideration of the person and their environment |
| LO2 | Apply occupational therapy knowledge, skills and behaviours in practice informed by relevant and contemporary theory, practice knowledge and evidence |
| LO3 | Evaluate and reflect on own performance acknowledging the relationship between health, wellbeing and human occupation, and demonstrating professional practice that is client centred for individuals, groups, communities and populations |
| LO4 | Demonstrates open, responsive and appropriate communication which maximises the occupational performance and engagement of clients and relevant others |
| LO5 | HCF 14.3 Debate the implications of White Privilege and other social privileges on delivering equitable health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients |
| LO6 | HCF 17.2 Illustrate strategies to develop personal and professional leadership qualities, including resilience to work with possible health system challenges in delivering culturally safe health care |
Australian occupational therapy competency standards (AOTCS) 2018
Australian occupational therapy competency standards (AOTCS) 2018 developed within this unit are:
| Standards/Attributes/Criteria | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
Standard 1 - Professionalism An occupational therapist practises in an ethical, safe, lawful and accountable manner, supporting client health and wellbeing through occupation and consideration of the person and their environment. An occupational therapist: 1.1 Complies with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia's standards, guidelines and Code of conduct 1.2. Adheres to legislation relevant to practice 1.3. Maintains professional boundaries in all client and professional relationships 1.4. Recognises and manages conflicts of interest in all client and professional relationships 1.5. Practises in a culturally responsive and culturally safe manner, with particular respect to culturally diverse client groups 1.6. Incorporates and responds to historical, political, cultural, societal, environmental and economic factors influencing health, wellbeing and occupations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 1.7. Collaborates and consults ethically and responsibly for effective client-centred and interprofessional practice 1.8. Adheres to all work health and safety, and quality requirements for practice 1.9. Identifies and manages the influence of her/his values and culture on practice 1.10. Practises within limits of her/his own level of competence and expertise 1.11. Maintains professional competence and adapts to change in practice contexts 1.12. Identifies and uses relevant professional and operational support and supervision 1.13. Manages resources, time and workload accountably and effectively 1.14. Recognises and manages her/his own physical and mental health for safe, professional practice 1.15. Addresses issues of occupational justice in practice 1.17. Recognises and manages any inherent power imbalance in relationships with clients. | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Standard 2 - Knowledge and learning An occupational therapist’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in practice are informed by relevant and contemporary theory, practice knowledge and evidence, and are maintained and developed by ongoing professional development and learning. An occupational therapist: 2. 1. applies current and evidence-informed knowledge of occupational therapy and other appropriate and relevant theory in practice. 2.2. applies theory and frameworks of occupation to professional practice and decision-making. 2.3. identifies and applies best available evidence in professional practice and decisionmaking. 2.4. understands and responds to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health philosophies, leadership, research and practices. 2.5. maintains current knowledge for cultural responsiveness to all groups in the practice setting 2.6. maintains and improves currency of knowledge, skills and new evidence for practice by adhering to the requirements for continuing professional development. 2.7. implements a specific learning and development plan when moving to a new area of practice or returning to practice. 2.8. reflects on practice to inform current and future reasoning and decision-making and the integration of theory and evidence into practice. 2.9. main tai ns knowledge of relevant resources and technologies, 2.10. maintains digital literacy for practice. | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Standard 3 - Occupational therapy process and practice An occupational therapist’s practice acknowledges the relationship between health, wellbeing and human occupation, and their practice is client-centred for individuals, groups, communities and populations. An occupational therapist: 3.1. addresses occupational performance and participation of clients, identifying the enablers and barriers to engagement 3.2. performs appropriate information gathering and assessment when identifying a client's status and functioning, strengths, occupational performance and goals 3.3. collaborates with the client and relevant others to determine the priorities and occupational therapy goals 3.4. develops a plan with the client and relevant others to meet identified occupational therapy goals 3.5. selects and implements culturally responsive and safe practice strategies to suit the occupational therapy goals and environment of the client 3.6. seeks to understand and incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples· experiences of health, wellbeing and occupations encompassing cultural connections 3.7. reflects on practice to inform and communicate professional reasoning and decision making 3.8. identifies and uses practice guidelines and protocols suitable to the practice setting or work environment 3.9. implements an effective and accountable process for delegation, referral and handover 3.10. reviews, evaluates and modifies plans, goals and interventions with the client and relevant others to enhance or achieve client outcomes 3.11. evaluates client and service outcomes to inform future practice 3.12. uses effective collaborative, multidisciplinary and inter-professional approaches for decision-making and planning 3.13. uses appropriate assistive technology, devices and/or environmental modifications to achieve client occupational performance outcomes 3.14. contributes to quality improvement and service development | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Standard 4 - Communication Occupational therapists practise with open, responsive and appropriate communication to maximise the occupational performance and engagement of clients and relevant others. An occupational therapist: 4.1. communicates openly, respectfully and effectively 4.2. adapts written, verbal and non-verbal communication appropriate to the client and practice context 4.3. works ethically with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to understand and incorporate relevant cultural protocols and communication strategies, with the aim of working to support self- governance in communities 4.4. uses culturally responsive, safe and relevant communication tools and strategies 4.5. complies with legal and procedural requirements for the responsible and accurate documentation, sharing and storage of professional information and records of practice. 4.6. maintains contemporaneous, accurate and complete records of practice. 4.7. obtains informed consent for practice and information-sharing from the client or legal guardian 4.8. maintains collaborative professional relationships with clients, health professionals and relevant others 4.9. uses effective communication skill s to initiate and end relationships with clients and relevant others 4.10. seeks and responds to feedback, modifying communication and/or practice accordingly, 4.11. identifies and articulates the rationale for practice to clients and relevant others | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Content
Topics are drawn from the Occupational Therapy Competency Standards in preparation for the placement block.
AOTCS 1: Professionalism
Further development of professional skills for professional practice education
- Reflecting on Practice Educators’ feedback OTHY307
- Debrief OTHY307 Professional Practice Education 2
- Stress and (performance) anxiety management
- Identifying and problem solving common and specific placement challenges, e.g. supervision and feedback processes, models of supervision, caseload management, professional and clinical reasoning
- Resume Preparation Tool (SPEF-R) – How to use & Interview guidelines
- Preparation for OTHY401 Professional Practice Education 3
- Using the learning tools, SPEF-R & Competency Standards in OTHY401
- Recapping placement self-management skills
- Identifying, debriefing and managing stressful situations
- Preparing for supervision sessions and responding to feedback
- Identifying learning needs & developing learning objectives & strategies
- Preventing and management of performances issues
- Professional attitudes and behaviour
- Professional communication skills
- Professional responsibilities
- Culturally responsive and culturally safe practice, with particular respect to culturally diverse client groups
- Identify and manage the influence of own values and culture on practice
- Recognise and manage any inherent power imbalance in relationships with clients
Ethical practices
- In interprofessional teams
- In accordance with WFOT standards
AOTCS 2: Knowledge and Learning
Performance evaluation:
- Utilising reflective practice
- Determine appropriate actions to enhance future performance
- Adjusting intervention plans
- Determining and utilising appropriate therapy outcome measures
- Maintaining current knowledge for cultural responsiveness to all groups in the practice setting
Lifelong learning:
- Professional development planning
- Managing your professional practice portfolio
- Cultural capability: Understanding and responding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health philosophies, leadership, research and practices
AOTCS 3: Occupational therapy process and Practice
Enhancing skills in occupational therapy practice implementation:
- Establishing the therapeutic relationship
- Developing interview and assessment approaches relevant to the practice setting
- Interpreting interview and assessment results
- Planning an intervention
- Incorporating evidence-based practice
- Implementing individual and group intervention sessions, and implementing a series of intervention sessions
- Utilising professional reasoning skills
- Incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples experiences of health, wellbeing and occupations encompassing cultural connections
AOTCS 4: Communication
Advanced development in effective communication skills:
- clients
- groups and / or communities
- professional colleagues
- managers and key stakeholders
- Articulating professional reasoning
- Working ethically with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to understand and incorporate relevant cultural protocols and communication strategies, with the aim of working to support self- governance in communities
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Teaching and learning strategies for this unit will include preparatory lectures and tutorials with interactive problem-solving exercises, and self-directed online learning activities. The learning on placement provides a real- world experience. On placement students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and engage in self-directed activities under the guidance of their practice educator. Students 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 activities are designed to situate the student in the context of professional placement and actively link academic learning to the practice learning environment. Learning and Teaching approaches included in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ Cultural Advisors.
Assessment strategy and rationale
This unit is designed to provide intensive preparation in the weeks leading up to the 9-week block placement and encourages students to seek learning assistance from practice educators and university staff during their placement as needed. Students are required to keep a reflective journal and to monitor their progress towards meeting the assessment criteria on the Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised (SPEF-R) to support their learning on placement by identifying areas for
development and practice. Assessment approaches in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ Cultural Advisors.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Summative – Professional Practice Placement: Pass grade on the Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised (SPEF-R) as determined by Unit Coordinator and Practice Educator in order to meet AHPRA registration requirements at the end of program of study | Pass/Fail 100% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Hurdle Task Submission of a pre-placement Learning Plan which will address each of the four areas of professional practice competency (Professionalism, Knowledge and Learning, Occupational Therapy Process & Practice and Communication) and one Cultural Capability development goal) | Hurdle | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
Hurdle Task Submission of SPEF-R, post-placement reflection on the Learning Plan, & Timesheet via Canvas as evidence of having passed the placement and met the requirements for placement hours | Hurdle | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6 |
The OTHY401 placement is assessed in line with Occupational Therapy Australia guidelines using the common assessment tool; the SPEF-R (Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised Edition). In order to pass this unit, you are required to gain a pass rating on all 8 Domains of SPEF-R as determined by your practice educator and OTHY401 LIC.
Representative texts and references
Occupational Therapy Board: Australian occupational therapy competency standards: https://www.occupationaltherapyboard.gov.au/codes-guidelines/competencies.aspx Occupational Therapy Australia Code of Ethics: https://otaus.com.au/publicassets/f3bceaea-49ff-e811-a2c2-b75c2fd918c5/OTA%20Code%20of%20Ethics%202014.pdf
Levett-Jones, T. (2018). Clinical reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Schell, B. & Schell, J. (2018). Clinical and Professional Reasoning in Occupational Therapy. (2nd ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Stagnitti, K., Schoo, A. & Welch, D. (Eds.). (2013). Clinical and Fieldwork Placement in the Health Professions (2nd ed) South Melbourne: Oxford University Press
University of Queensland (2008). The Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised Edition (SPEF-R©) https://spefronline.com/
World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) (2016). Minimum standards for the education of occupational therapists. https://www.wfot.org/assets/resources/COPYRIGHTED-World-Federation-of-Occupational-Therapists-Minimum-Standards-for-the-Education-of-Occupational-Therapists-2016a.pdf