Inherent requirements for sport and exercise science undergraduate

Student demonstrates:

• Student demonstrates knowledge of, and engages in ethical behaviour in practice.

Justification of inherent requirement: 

• Compliance with the codes, guidelines and policies facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people and services they engage with. This ensures the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the individual is not placed at risk.

Exemplars:

• Complying with requirements relating to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality with client information in academic and professional practice settings
• Demonstrating the ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour

Student demonstrates:

• Behavioural stability is required to work constructively in a diverse, changing and sometimes challenging/stressful and potentially traumatic environments.
• Consistent and appropriate awareness and control of own behaviours and emotions and their potential impact on others.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing, challenging, stressful, unpredictable environments.
• Exercise Science students may be exposed to emergency situations and challenging/stressful or potentially traumatic environments and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage these events.

Exemplars:

• Responding appropriately and professionally to stressful situations, issues and constructive feedback.
• Managing own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with culturally and socially diverse groups in the clinical setting.

Student demonstrates:

• Knowledge and compliance with Australian Law and professional regulation and scope of practice.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Knowledge, understanding and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements and standards are necessary pre-requisites to placements, to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.
• Compliance with these laws and regulations ensures that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.

Exemplars:

• Complying with relevant child protection and safety legislation.
• Complying with Inplace requirements (e.g. immunisation) for safe placement.

Student demonstrates:

• Sensitivity and respect towards people of different gender, ability, sexuality and age, and from diverse religious, socio-economic, cultural and educational backgrounds.
• The ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner.
• The ability to provide clear and audible instructions in the context of the situation.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others develops trusting relationships
• Communication may be restricted to verbal because of limitations of the individual (e.g. injury, disease or congenital conditions)
• Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety, treatment and management

Exemplars:

• Actively participating in tutorial, simulation and professional practice discussions.
• Establishing rapport with clients during practicum and responding appropriately to requests from clients, supervisors and other health professionals in professional practice settings

Student demonstrates:

• Sensitivity and respect towards individual of different gender, ability, sexuality and age, and from diverse religious, socio-economic, cultural and educational backgrounds.
• The capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues.
• Consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours, and the ability to modify these where the situation requires.
• The ability to maintain constant and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, posture and personal space.

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 and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.
• Being sensitive to individual differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships.
• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation of patient symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and treatment of patients.

Exemplars:

• Recognising and responding appropriately in classroom situations inside and outside the University.
• Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in the professional practice environment. e.g. client pain or distress

Student demonstrates:

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

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Comprehension of a range of information relevant to an academic/professional environment is critical for the study of Exercise Science.
• Communicating with respect and empathy for others develops trusting relationships.
• Construction of written text-based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice.
• Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and client notes, is vital to provide consistent and safe client care.

Exemplars:

• Constructing an essay to academic standards.
• Constructing an individualised exercise program in a timely manner that meets professional standards.

Student demonstrates:

• The capacity to locate and organise appropriate and relevant information.
• The ability to process information relevant to practice.
• The ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice.
• The ability to engage in scientific, clinical, rational and ethical reasoning specific to the field

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Safe, appropriate and effective delivery of Exercise Science services is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately.
• The ability to reason is fundamental to prescribing a safe and effective, individualised Exercise Science services.

Exemplars:

• Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
• Appropriately applying knowledge and practice reasoning in the professional practice setting.

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to accurately acquire information and convey appropriate, effective messages.
• The ability to read, comprehend and synthesize a range of literature and information.
• The capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written text in a scholarly manner.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and delivery of Exercise Science services.
• The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective delivery of Exercise Science services.

Exemplars:

• Actively listen to information in course-related situations e.g. in class, on placement
• Produce accurate, concise, clear and appropriate documentation in course-related situations e.g. report on community engagement activity, report for organisation related to placement

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to interpret and correctly apply data, measurements and numerical criteria
• Accurately undertake arithmetic calculations
• Accurately interpret electronic numerical data from exercise testing equipment

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in Exercise Science to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of Exercise Science services.

Exemplars:

• Interpret client assessment data such as exercise intensity based on heart rate, oxygen levels and other techniques
• Interpret electronic numerical data from exercise testing equipment (e.g. blood pressure sphygmomanometers, heart rate, BMI).

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to accurately reflect on their professional performance.
• The ability to accept feedback on their academic and professional practice and respond constructively.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Working with clients while on professional experience and understanding and responding to them requires well developed understanding of oneself and the ability to effectively manage one's reactions to situations that may arise.
• Reflective practice is considered standard practice in Exercise Science where individuals are able to consider their responses to situations and think about how they might respond differently to improve an outcome.

Exemplars:

• Identifying when a practice issue is outside one's scope or expertise or when one's practice may be negatively affected by personal experience and/or reactions.
• Continual reflection on previous interactions with clients to adjust ongoing exercise program and delivery as well as improve own practice.

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to build and maintain relationships and rapport with key stakeholders including clients, academic staff, supervisors and peers. Skills include empathy, trustworthiness, patience, active listening, approachability and reliability.
• Ability to engage and relate appropriately in individual and group professional practice supervision and experiential learning groups.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Highly developed skills in building and maintaining relationships, developing a network and engaging both on an individual and group level is critical for students to be able to be successful in their Exercise Science careers.

Exemplars:

• Rapidly building rapport with a client or group of clients in order to engage them in an assessment while on professional experience.
• Effectively using relational and interpersonal skills to manage relationships with clients while on professional experience.

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

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe care to self and others. Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective Exercise Science practice.

Exemplars:

• Observe changes in client appearance (skin colour, sudomotor and vasomotor changes, loss of facial expression) that might indicate cardiovascular and/or neurological symptoms.
• Observe and detect subtle changes in posture, movement and the ability to perform functional activities during assessment and treatment of clients.

• Student demonstrates sufficient aural function to undertake the required range of skills.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage individual health needs consistently and accurately. Auditory assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective Exercise Science practice.

Exemplars:

• Accurately undertaking a blood pressure measurement by auscultation.
• Detecting care request by activation of call bell or calls for help.

• Student demonstrates sufficient tactile function to undertake the required range of skills

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to monitor, assess and detect patients’ physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide thorough Exercise Science services.

Exemplars:

• Detecting any changes in circulation observations e.g. temperature and pulse palpation.
• Conducting a physical assessment and detecting any anatomical abnormalities.

• Student demonstrates:
  The ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice. Student can mobilise safely in a variety of environments.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise service. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include 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

Exemplars:

• Demonstrate a variety of exercises and movements for service delivery.
  Provide support to clients if doing movements unfamiliar, ensuring safe practice and support mechanisms (e.g. wall support) as required

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise Exercise Science services. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects and individuals. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Exemplars:

• Effectively manipulate small objects when operating equipment and demonstrating fine dexterity assessments and activities of daily living.
• Placing blood pressure cuffs on clients and manipulating valve control for effective blood pressure measurement.

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to engage with academic and professional staff, peers, university systems, learning resources and assessment tools using current digital technology
• The ability to use appropriate current technology in completion of activities•

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Safe, appropriate and effective practice as an Exercise Scientist requires the ability to effectively use a range of information and communication technologies suitable for academic and professional environments.

Exemplars:

• Access library resources to develop skills in video development, prepare video and submit online in an appropriate format and timely manner.
• Access and utilise online learning content.

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 until it is completed appropriately.
• The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance for extended periods.

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 effective Exercise Science services.

Exemplars:

• Provide consistent exercise science services to clients over a negotiated time frame while in class or on placement.
• Attend practicum placements in a range of physical settings (e.g. urban, rural, hospitals, clinics) and for the required number of hours, within a reasonable period.