Unit rationale, description and aim
Occupational therapists work with people of all ages and communities in a wide range of settings to enable their participation. This unit will provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate and apply knowledge and skills learnt in prior units in a 5-week (200 hours) professional practice placement. Students will engage in learning activities to ensure they are prepared for this placement experience. This learning will focus on occupational therapy competencies and standards for safe and ethical practice.
This unit contains learning outcomes from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (HCF) (2014) specifically addressing the HCF cultural capabilities Safety and Quality, and Reflect.
The overall aim of this unit is to provide students with the opportunity to integrate theory into practice and to apply professional and clinical skills to an area of 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.
Demonstrate professional practice in an ethical, s...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply occupational therapy knowledge, skills and b...
Learning Outcome 02
Evaluate and reflect on one’s own performance ackn...
Learning Outcome 03
Demonstrate open, responsive and appropriate commu...
Learning Outcome 04
HCF 9.2 Research age-related morbidity differences...
Learning Outcome 05
HCF 13.2 Demonstrate internal strategies to examin...
Learning Outcome 06
Content
Topics are drawn from the Occupational Therapy Competency Standards in preparation for the placement block.
AOTCS 1: Professionalism
Professional Behaviours:
- In accordance with the WFOT standards
- Professional attitudes
- Professional communication skills
- Professional responsibilities
- Expectations for placement
- Supervision models and supervisor feedback
Ethical practice:
- In interprofessional teams
- In accordance with WFOT standards (2016)
Cultural capability:
- Incorporating and responding to historical, political, cultural, societal, environmental and economic factors influencing health, wellbeing and occupations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
AOTCS 2: Knowledge and Learning
- Performance evaluation:
- Utilising reflective practice
- Determining appropriate actions to enhance future performance
- Adjusting intervention plans
- Determining and utilising appropriate therapy outcome measures
AOTCS 3: Occupational therapy process and practice
Occupational therapy practice implementation
- Establishing the therapeutic relationship
- Interview and assessment approaches relevant to practice setting
- Interpreting interview and assessment results
- Developing goals and planning an intervention
- Incorporating evidence-based practice
- Implementing an individual intervention session
- Implementing an individual or group intervention session, and a series of intervention sessions Utilising professional reasoning skills
- Understanding and incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ experiences of health, wellbeing and occupations encompassing cultural connections
AOTCS 4: Communication
Effective communication skills
- Clients, carers, family
- Groups and / or communities
- Professional colleagues
- Managers and key stakeholders
- Culturally responsive, safe and relevant communication tools and strategies
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with university assessment requirements. Professional Practice placements are assessed in line with Occupational Therapy Australia guidelines using the common assessment tool the SPEF-R2 (Student Practice Evaluation Framework – Revised (2nd Edition). The SPEF-R2 is an accredited method of assessing student performance on placement and includes eight domains, i.e., Professional Behaviour, Self-Management Skills, Co-Worker Communication, Communication Skills, Documentation, Information Gathering, Service Provision and Service Evaluation. Learning plans which indicate a student’s capacity to reflect on their learning needs and identify learning goals aligned with these SPEF-R2 domains are developed by students prior to placement and submitted as a hurdle requirement.
In order to pass this unit, students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome and must pass the following hurdles:
- Hurdle 1 - Attendance at the manual handling workshop
- Hurdle 2 - Attendance at, and completion of, the NDIS interprofessional learning module (Part 1)
- Hurdle 3 and Hurdle 4 - Submission of pre-placement learning plans of a satisfactory standard
- Hurdle 5 - Achievement of a pass rating on the Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised (2nd Edition) SPEF-R2 as determined by the Placement Educator and ACU Professional Practice Coordinator
- Hurdle 6 - Submission of post-placement documents including (a) SPEF-R2, (b) post-placement learning plans of a satisfactory standard and (c) timesheet as evidence of having passed the placement and having met the requirements for placement hours.
Students are offered one attempt to achieve a pass on the SPEF-R2, and two attempts to achieve a pass on the manual handling workshop, NDIS interprofessional learning module, the pre-placement learning plan and submission of the post-placement documents. Assessment approaches in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ cultural advisors.
Overview of assessments
Hurdle 1 Attendance at manual handling workshop ...
Hurdle 1
Attendance at manual handling workshop and completion of manual handling workbook to learn safe manual handling skills
Pass/Fail
Hurdle 2 Attendance at, and completion of, the N...
Hurdle 2
Attendance at, and completion of, the NDIS interprofessional learning module (Part 1).
Pass/Fail
Hurdle 3 Submission of a pre-placement learning ...
Hurdle 3
Submission of a pre-placement learning plan which will address a minimum of one professional practice competency goal (Professionalism, Knowledge and Learning, Occupational Therapy Process and Practice and Communication).
Pass/Fail
Hurdle 4 Submission of a pre-placement learning ...
Hurdle 4
Submission of a pre-placement learning plan which will address one cultural capability development goal.
Pass/Fail
Hurdle 5 Pass grade on the Student Practice Eval...
Hurdle 5
Pass grade on the Student Practice Evaluation Form – Revised (SPEF-R2) as determined by Placement Educator and ACU Professional Practice Coordinator in order to meet AHPRA registration requirements at the end of the program of study.
Pass/Fail
Hurdle 6 Submission of post placement documents ...
Hurdle 6
Submission of post placement documents including (a) SPEF-R2, (b) post-placement learning plans and (c) timesheet as evidence of having passed the placement and having met the requirements for placement hours.
Pass/Fail
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Students will complete mandatory preparatory sessions prior to their 5-week (200 hours) Professional Practice Placement. The preparatory sessions will introduce students to the expectations, frameworks, and learning tools required for placement. These sessions will include case studies, group discussions and self-directed online learning activities to develop skills in reflective practice and professional practice reasoning. Students will develop inter-professional skills through an online NDIS learning module and 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.
On completion of preparatory sessions and the learning plan, students will complete 5 weeks (200 hours) of professional practice. These professional practice placements will provide students the opportunity to develop competencies expected of a 3rd year undergraduate occupational therapy student. Learning and Teaching approaches included in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ Cultural Advisors.
Australian Occupational Therapy Competency Standards (AOTCS) 2018
Australian occupational therapy competency standards (AOTCS) 2018 developed within this unit are: