Unit Outline

This professional experience placement unit brings together core foundational physiotherapy practice knowledge and skills and requires students to apply them to work in supervised practice with clients who present with neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. There is a retained focus on the application of core theoretical knowledge and threshold concepts related to person and client centredness, biopsychosocial models of practice, clinical reasoning, self-reflection, critical thinking, cultural safety and awareness, pharmacology and evidence-based practice to direct client care. Students will further develop knowledge and skills, to a new graduate level, related to physiotherapy assessment and treatment skills for in the management of neuro-musculoskeletal disorders. Students will learn to evaluate, quantify and interpret participation and activity limitations and impairments in people with neuro-musculoskeletal conditions, and to provide appropriate interventions.

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	Evaluate and integrate evidence in the assessment of clients with neuro-musculoskeletal disorders.
2	Assess and interpret neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction in relation to underlying impairments and use clinical reasoning to plan and implement physiotherapy interventions.
3	Conduct a client assessment, including examination of the neuro-musculoskeletal system, client history, physical examination, and demonstrate the use of basic measurement and testing procedures used to assess neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction.
4	Collaborate interprofessionally and communicate clinical information to patients/clients, carers, other healthcare practitioners and other stakeholders.
5	Justify the clinical reasoning rationale for assessment and selection and implementation of active and passive treatment procedures commonly used in the management of neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CXA736 Foundation of Physiotherapy CXA737 Physiotherapy Practice
Co-requisite	CXA708 Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The quiz assessment has been reviewed and improved, with an extended quiz duration and a greater number of questions. The word limit for the final (Applied Clinical Reasoning) assignment has been reviewed and increased.

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:	Physiotherapy Skills Performance	Week 9	0 %	LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Three quizzes	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	Applied Clinical Reasoning	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5
Assessment Task 4:	Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice	Refer to Assessment Description	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Physiotherapy Skills Performance

Task Description:

Physiotherapy Skills Performance.
This is a skills-based hurdle assessment to assess your ability to meet the participation requirements for your placement. These participation requirements are based on professional standards, the course accreditation requirements and the College of Health and Medicine Mandatory Functional Requirements.
For this practical assessment you will be provided with a brief case description and asked to 1) indicate relevant conditions and/or assessments with reasons for your choices, 2) perform and interpret assessment/s selected by your examiner, and 3) perform and interpret treatment/s selected by your examiner.

This hurdle task must be passed to commence PEP. You are entitled to only ONE retake of this hurdle task assessment if you do not meet the satisfactory criteria for safety and/or effectiveness (or both) aspects of physiotherapy skill performance during your first attempt. The retake hurdle assessment will occur within one week of the initial assessment date, before the scheduled PEP commencement start date.

Task Length:

30 minutes

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Perform practical skills in accordance with best practice guidelines using a person-centered approach.	LO3, LO4
2	Use best practice structured communication for safely sharing clinical information with others.	LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment Task 2: Three quizzes

Task Description:

Three online multiple choice quizzes.

Task Length:

Each quiz lasting up to 30 minutes.

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge of assessment and treatment of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions of the spine, pelvis and upper limb.	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 3: Applied Clinical Reasoning

Task Description:

Applied Clinical Reasoning: Client with a Neuro-musculoskeletal Condition.
The assessment task requires you to describe a situation from your placement experience and critically reflect on your performance. The situation must involve undertaking a client assessment and formulation of a physiotherapy intervention plan for a client with a neuromuscular condition.
Part A. Application of Clinical Reasoning (2000 words)

The description must outline your approach to client assessment and depict how you applied a systematic clinical reasoning approach to the design and evaluation of an intervention/treatment program. approach. The clinical reasoning approach must be person centred and evidence based, and include descriptions of:
• biopsychosocial factors relevant to the case
• your diagnosis and differential diagnoses based on assessment and clinical presentation
• your client centred physiotherapy interventions based on the best evidence available
• medication indications, actions and interactions, and adverse effects
• strategies you used to evaluate therapy outcomes
• plans for adjustment of intervention program in line with diagnosis and stage of progress
• referring to or strategies for working with other disciplines to exclude and or address confounding problem
• outcome measures that are valid and reliable and discuss considerations that might impair body structure, healing and function as well as activity limitation and participation restriction.

Part B. Critical Self-Reflection (500 words)

• In this part you will write a critical reflection about your performance in the application of clinical reasoning with a real client. There are four required components to your reflection:

• Draw on Driscoll’s Model to reflect on how your cultural location, and your attitudes, values and beliefs, might affect the assumptions and practices you brought to the client interaction.
• Discuss how your approach to client interaction demonstrated respect, dignity and consent
• Using the Physiotherapy Threshold Standards, identify the competencies in which your performance aligns and describe the strengths and limitations of your performance in these areas.
• The critical reflection must be uploaded to your Professional Portfolio and used to update your professional development plan.

Task Length:

2500 words

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use a structured clinical reasoning process to devise, implement and evaluate client-centred physiotherapy initiatives.	LO2, LO3
2	Use evidence-based practice to inform clinical decision making.	LO1, LO3
3	Use effective person-centred professional interaction that is respectful and ensures dignity and consent.	LO2, LO3
4	Critically reflect on practice.	LO5
5	Relate reflection back to key areas of ongoing professional development.	LO5

Assessment Task 4: Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice

Task Description:

Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice.
During your professional experience placement (PEP), you are required to demonstrate entry-level performance in practice. The supervising physiotherapist will assess your performance twice over the duration of the five-week placement. One assessment will occur mid placement and another will occur at the end of the placement.

You will be formatively assessed against twenty items listed in the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool, which includes competencies within the following domains:
• Professional Behaviour
• Communication
• Assessment and Planning
• Intervention
• Evidence Based Practice

The APP tools are to be uploaded to your Professional Portfolio to maintain a record of your professional development across all competency domains on multiple occasions.
The requirements for performance in PEP are stated in your Clinical Education Handbook. Whilst physiotherapy clinical educators report on your performance in practice, it is the UTAS School of Health Sciences that has the responsibility for determining your final assessment results in this unit.

This is a hurdle assessment task and you must pass all items in the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool to be eligible for a pass in the unit.

Task Length:

PEP rotation

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Perform across the identified APP domains at an entry-level standard.	LO1, LO2, 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.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

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.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

You will be able to access the topic-specific reading list via the Readings List section on the MyLO homepage. You will be directed to topic-specific readings to complete related activities on each topic.