Australian Catholic University and the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences (SBHS) strongly support the right of all people to pursue a Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree.

Inherent requirements are the essential components of a course or unit that demonstrate the abilities, knowledge, and skills to achieve the core learning outcomes of the course or unit, while preserving the academic integrity of the University’s learning, assessment, and accreditation processes. The inherent requirements are the abilities, knowledge, and skills needed to complete the course that must be met by all students.

Students with a disability or chronic health condition may be able to have reasonable adjustments made to enable them to meet these requirements.

The School is committed to making reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional practice, and other activities to enable students to participate in their course. Reasonable adjustments must not fundamentally change the nature of the inherent requirement.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree will have professional work experience as they are required to complete at least one industry immersion unit (BMSC301—Industry Immersion 1). Students are required to undertake activities which reflect the Science Discipline context, which may include mixed gender, religious, and culturally diverse environments. For further information contact your Course Coordinator.

To support prospective and current students’ decision making, a series of inherent requirements statements have been developed. These statements specify the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities required for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science course. Students should use this information to make informed decisions about their chosen course of study. The statements are clustered under 10 domains consisting of (1) Compliance with Australian Law; (2) Ethical and Professional Behaviour; (3) Compliance with Safe Practice; (4) Behavioural Stability; (5) Metacognition; (6) Cognition; (7) Communication; (8) Sensory Abilities; (9) Strength and Mobility; and (10) Sustainable Performance.

The inherent requirements outlined below provide a guide to inform decision-making for students and staff.

If you are intending to enrol in the Bachelor of Biomedical Science course in the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences (SBHS), you should look at these inherent requirements statements and think about whether you may experience challenges in meeting these requirements.

If you think you may experience challenges for any reason, including a disability or chronic health condition, you should discuss your concerns with relevant staff, such as the Course Coordinator or Campus Disability Advisor. These staff can work collaboratively with you to determine reasonable adjustments to assist you in meeting the course inherent requirements. In the case where it is determined that inherent requirements cannot be met with reasonable adjustments, University staff can provide guidance regarding other study options.

The inherent requirements are made up of the following five components:

Level 1 — Introduction to the inherent requirement

Level 2 — Description of how you demonstrate that you meet the inherent requirement

Level 3 — Explanation of why this is an inherent requirement of the course

Level 4 — The nature of any adjustments that may be made to allow you to meet the requirement

Level 5 — Examples of tasks you must be able to do to show you have met the requirement (in-class and clinical/professional placement). The exemplars provided are not intended to be an exhaustive list.

Inherent requirement domains

There are 10 domains of inherent requirements in the Bachelor of Biomedical Science course

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Compliance with Australian Law and regulatory requirements

2

Student demonstrates knowledge and compliance with Australian Law and regulatory requirements

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary pre-requisites to professional placements to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.
  • Compliance with the Australian law and professional regulations ensures students are responsible and accountable for their activities and practice.

4

Adjustments must be consistent with legislative and regulatory requirements. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Comply with relevant child protection and safety legislation.
  • Meet all relevant placement requirements.

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Ethical and professional behaviour in academic and professional environments.

2

Student demonstrates knowledge of and engages in ethical and professional behaviour in practice.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Ethical and professional behaviour is required to ensure compliance with standards, codes, guidelines, and policies that facilitate safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with.
  • Ethical and professional behaviour ensures that the students’ activities support the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of all.

4

Adjustments must ensure the standards, codes, guidelines, and policies are not compromised or result in unethical behaviour. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Comply with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies and professional standards.
  • Identify and enact relevant applications of these codes and standards, including those relating to group work, plagiarism, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and equitable, inclusive and respectful behaviour in academic and professional settings.

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Compliance with safe practice sufficient to meet professional performance, including considerations of current scope of practice, infection control procedures, as well as workplace health and safety.

2

Student demonstrates knowledge and compliance with safe practice, infection control procedures, and workplace health and safety.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Compliance with safe practice—including considerations of current scope of practice, infection control practices, as well as workplace health and safety—is required to provide safe environment for students, staff, and others.
  • <text to be added>

4

Adjustments must be consistent with safe practice procedures including considerations of current scope of practice, infection control practices, and workplace health & safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Comply with relevant workplace health & safety policies and infection control procedures including the use of personal protective equipment.
  • Comply with immunization policies.

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in a demanding role.

2

Student demonstrates behavioural stability to work constructively in a diverse and changing academic environment.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Behavioural stability is required
  • to manage personal emotional responses as an individual and within teams in changing and unpredictable environments including times of distress;
  • for optimal and safe engagement in on-campus learning and during professional experience placement;
  • for students to adapt their behaviour appropriately during times of additional stressors in their own lives and decide whether they should continue to engage with their role or withdraw for self-care.

4

Adjustments must support stable, effective, and professional behaviour in both academic and professional experience settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Be receptive and respond appropriately to constructive feedback.
  • Effectively cope with own emotions and behaviour to maintain respectful communication practices in times of increased workloads and stressors.

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Awareness of own thinking, and skills to reflect, evaluate, adapt, and implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning and professional performance.

2

Student demonstrates self-reflection allowing them to implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning and professional performance.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Understanding and ongoing learning about oneself is required for safe and effective delivery of professional performance in biomedical sciences.

4

Adjustments must be consistent with safe and effective delivery of professional performance. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Understand one’s own limitations in knowledge, experience, and skill, and seek advice when existing skills and experience are limited.
  • Effectively cope with multiple priorities and make appropriate time management decisions.

This course requires knowledge of theory and the skills of cognition, literacy, and numeracy.

Knowledge and cognitive skills

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Knowledge acquisition, utilization, and effective cognitive skills are essential to provide safe and effective work in the laboratory and during placement experience.

2

Student demonstrates

  • the capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information,
  • the ability to process information relevant to practice, and
  • the capability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Safe and effective practice in the biomedical sciences is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood, and applied appropriately .

4

Adjustments must ensure that clear demonstration of knowledge and cognitive skills is not compromised or impeded. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Be able to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
  • Apply knowledge of policy and procedures in the laboratory and biomedical setting.

Literacy (Language)

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Foundational literacy skills are essential to safely work in the biomedical setting

2

Student demonstrates the ability to

  • acquire information and to accurately convey messages;
  • comprehend, summarise, and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments;
  • construct accurate, concise, and clear documentations for professional practice.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • The ability to acquire, read, analyse, and comprehend information from multiple sources and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safety in the laboratory and biomedical settings.

4

Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply, and communicate accurate information. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Convey a spoken message accurately and effectively.
  • Paraphrase, summarise, and reference in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments to produce accurate, concise, and unambiguous scientific documentation.

Numeracy

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential to work in the laboratory and biomedical settings safely and effectively.

2

Student demonstrates ability to accurately process and reason with numbers and numerical concepts for professional performance.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Competent application of numeracy skills and the provision of accurate data to be acted upon by self or others is essential to ensure safe and effective performance in the biomedical setting.

4

Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to interpret and apply concepts and processes appropriately in a timely, accurate, and effective manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Understand and use mathematical concepts to perform accurate biomedical experiments and provide accurate, reliable data.
  • Accurately produce and interpret scientific graphs, diagrams, and statistical analyses including predicting the likelihood of an outcome.

This course requires effective, verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills.

Verbal

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Effective and efficient verbal communication in English is an essential requirement to allow clear and comprehensible two-way interactions for professional performance.

2

Student demonstrates

  • the ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately, and in a professional and timely manner;
  • the ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation;
  • the capacity to provide timely, comprehensible, and clear feedback and reporting.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Communication may be restricted to verbal because of physical limitations of the individual (e.g., injury, disease, or congenital conditions). Speed and interactivity of communication is critical for effective learning, for safe professional performance, and for successful completion of experiments.
  • Timely, accurate, and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety and accuracy of the given task.

4

Adjustments must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity, and accuracy issues to ensure safety and professional conduct. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Participate in tutorial, laboratory experiments, and discussions.
  • Convey spoken messages accurately and effectively in an academic/professional situation.

Non-verbal

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Effective non-verbal communication is an essential requirement to work safely and accurately with others.

2

Student demonstrates

  • the capacity to recognize, interpret, and respond appropriately to behavioural cues;
  • consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours;
  • sensitivity to individual differences.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships.
  • Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space/time boundaries and body movements/gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.
  • Being sensitive to individual differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships.

4

Adjustments must enable the recognition, initiation of, or appropriate response to effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Recognise and respond appropriately in classroom situations.
  • Recognise and respond appropriately to cues in the practice environment.

Written

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication, with a language usage and style that is tailored to the targeted recipients.

2

Student demonstrates the capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Construction of multiple essays/assignments to academic standards is required to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter, procedures, and professional practice.
  • Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and laboratory notes, is vital to work safely and accurately in the biomedical environment.

4

Adjustments must meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy, and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and laboratory settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Construct an essay to academic standards.
  • Accurately provide the necessary information in a lab book in a timely manner that meets professional standards.

This course requires adequate visual, auditory, and tactile abilities.

Visual

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Adequate visual acuity is required to work in the biomedical setting safely and effectively.

2

Student demonstrates sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks, and assessments to safely provide accurate data in the laboratory and biomedical settings.
  • Visual observations, examination, and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective work in the biomedical sciences.

4

Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in laboratory and other biomedical settings. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent, and not compromise the accuracy of experiment or safety of anyone. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Accurately choose the reagent in a laboratory experiment.
  • Observe and detect subtle changes in histological slides, specimens, and experiments.

Auditory

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Adequate auditory ability is required to safely work in the biomedical setting

2

Student demonstrates sufficient aural function to undertake the required level of safety and accuracy in the biomedical setting.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Elements in the learning and working environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from and/or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective professional performance.

4

Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in the laboratory and other biomedical settings. Any strategies to address the effects of the hearing impairment must be effective, consistent, and not compromise the accuracy of experiment or safety of anyone. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Identify noises indicating instability in centrifuge machines; identify timers and alarms that are aimed at accuracy and safety in the biomedical setting.
  • Detect sounds that indicate that someone is in danger or has been injured.

Tactile

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

Sufficient tactile ability is required to perform competently and safely in the biomedical setting.

2

Student demonstrates sufficient function to undertake the required experiments in the laboratory setting.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Elements in the working environment are detected and measured by tactile means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required for safe and effective professional performance.

4

Adjustments must have the capacity to ensure safety and accuracy in performing laboratory experiments. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Determine whether pipette tips are properly inserted and whether single or multiple fibre filters are being used.
  • Apply a range of pressures at critical time points to accurately determine blood pressure or palpate a peripheral pulse.

This course requires strength and mobility involving fine and gross motor skills.

Gross motor

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

The laboratory technician and biomedical scientist has physical demands and requires appropriate gross motor function.

2

Student demonstrates the ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform experiments and analyses in the biomedical sciences. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include (but are not limited to) lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting, and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

4

Adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others, and a capacity to perform duties required in laboratories and other biomedical settings. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Move and maintain balance and body position around practice areas to access, transport, and use ingredients, glassware, and equipment on varying surfaces and levels to complete tasks within constrained timeframes.
  • Safely retrieve, move, and utilise stock and equipment from reasonable storage positions at a range of heights.

Fine motor

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

The laboratory technician and biomedical scientist requires manual dexterity and fine motor skills.

2

Student demonstrates the ability to use fine motor skills to work in the biomedical setting safely and accurately.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform experiments accurately and safely. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze, and manipulate various objects. Biomedical science students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

4

Adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety to self and others, and accuracy in laboratory activities. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Unscrew reagent bottles, hold glass pipettes, and release small quantities, place small samples/tubes in analysers/centrifuges.
  • Manipulate surgical equipment such as forceps and scissors during dissection.

Sustainable performance

Level

Inherent requirement statement

1

The biomedical scientist requires sustained physical, cognitive, and psychosocial performance sufficient for safe and complete professional activity in a time-constrained environment.

2

Student demonstrates

  • consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time;
  • the ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately;
  • the capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance during an entire practical/day.

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

  • Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and accurate data.

4

Adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the Campus Disability Advisor.

5

Exemplars:

  • Participate in tutorials and practicals throughout the day.
  • Maintain a sufficient level of concentration to focus on an activity to completion, and manage personal physical and mental health effectively.

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