Unit Outline

This unit is designed to meet ESSA accreditation criteria in the musculoskeletal domain for health and exercise assessment in exercise science and within the Scope of Practice of an Exercise Scientist. You will apply foundational knowledge of musculoskeletal conditions / co-morbidities / treatments, risk / capacity / monitoring considerations, injury prevention / rehabilitation principles in a multidisciplinary musculoskeletal care environment to prescribe and translate exercise to practice for apparently healthy populations at risk of a musculoskeletal condition/disorder. You will also deliver exercise that is prescribed by an Exercise Physiologist or Physiotherapist to clinical populations with an existing musculoskeletal condition/disorder.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Explain the pathological and pathophysiological bases and the interactions between exercise and acute, subacute and chronic conditions; musculoskeletal signs, symptoms and medications; and sport, rehabilitation and activity of daily living (ADL) environments for all target musculoskeletal conditions.
2	Conduct functional assessments relevant to musculoskeletal conditions within the Exercise Scientist scope of practice.
3	Appraise medications, surgical, and medical and allied health interventions/treatments, clinical and safety risks, and their implications on clinical status, exercise and functional capacity, in the design and delivery of safe and effective exercise for clients with musculoskeletal conditions.
4	Identify and respond to changes in clinical status including adverse signs/symptoms and formulate appropriate clinical responses that include session modification or termination, first-aid and onward referral for clients with musculoskeletal conditions.
5	Explain the roles and responsibilities of Accredited Exercise Physiologists and other health professionals in the clinical management of clients with musculoskeletal conditions, and communicate professionally with clients and other health professionals.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CXA307 and CXA329

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Musculoskeletal Workbooks	Week 9	20 %	LO1
Assessment Task 2:	Practical Exam	Week 11	30 %	LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Exercise Prescription Case Study	Week 13	25 %	LO1, LO3, LO5
Assessment Task 4:	Examination	Exam Period	25 %	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Musculoskeletal Workbooks

Task Description:

Musculoskeletal Workbooks - You will be required to complete a workbook that draws on the structural and functional anatomy taught in your previous units and applies this knowledge to prescription of specific exercise. The completion of the workbook will help you in applying an integrated approach to the professional areas of musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Task Length:

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates knowledge of structural and functional anatomy and application to prescription of specific exercise.	LO1
2	Use appropriate medical language	LO1
3	Use illustrations	LO1

Assessment Task 2: Practical Exam

Task Description:

Practical Exam

The practical exam will be 25 mins in duration and will examine student’s knowledge and skills in musculoskeletal rehabilitation.
Students will be required to conduct objective assessments on a peer, demonstrate and instruct clinical exercises and respond to questions asked by the assessor, which will include anatomy and case study based questions. Students need to address their peer as if they are a ‘client’ (eg using appropriate language, providing clear instructions ...) and use appropriate medical and anatomical language when responding to the assessor. The practical skills required to be conducted by the student and the anatomy and case study based questions will be randomly assigned from an extensive pre-determined list.

Task Length:

25 minutes

Due Date:

Week 11

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates knowledge and skills of musculoskeletal rehabilitation.	LO4
2	Demonstrate creativity, critical thinking and evidence based clinical reasoning.	LO2
3	Act professionally with the client.	LO2
4	Apply technical skills.	LO2, LO4
5	Apply clinical reasoning to case study.	LO2, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Exercise Prescription Case Study

Task Description:

Exercise Prescription Case Study - This assessment requires the student prescribing exercise for a client with a musculoskeletal condition/s based on information provided as part of detailed case notes. It will entail the compilation of a clinical case history using SOAP notes, reporting to appropriate referring health professionals, and the prescription of an appropriate exercise program for the client.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge of exercise prescription for a client with musculoskeletal condition/s	LO1
2	Use all elements of SOAP	LO1, LO3, LO5
3	Demonstrate creativity, critical thinking and evidence based clinical reasoning in exercise prescription.	LO1, LO3, LO5
4	Written communication with other health professional	LO5

Assessment Task 4: Examination

Task Description:

Written exam - You will be required to complete a written closed-book (no materials permitted) theory exam in which you will complete a number of short answer questions covering the content of the unit.

Task Length:

2 hours plus reading time

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Written responses provided by the student are accurate and comprehensive but succinct and demonstrate an integrated and in depth knowledge of the discipline of exercise for musculoskeletal conditions.	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Myers, J.N., Herbert, W.G. & Humphrey, R., (2010) ACSM’s Resources for Clinical Exercise Physiology: Musculoskeletal, Neuromuscular, Neoplastic, Immunologic, and Hematologic Conditions (2nd Ed). Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.