PUN703 Health Management Internship


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Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:PUN703
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:96 cp of Study or HLN707.
Pre-requisite:HLN707 is a concurrent prerequisite. HLN707 can be studied in the same teaching period as PUN703
Assumed Knowledge:
Students embarking on an internship will be expected to have a broad understanding of the structure of the Australian healthcare system. This unit is not available to offshore students.
Anti-requisite:PUN704
Coordinator:Nicolie Jenkins | n2.jenkins@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

Based in a workplace, this unit takes an experiential approach to synthesise your knowledge of health care systems with your skills of investigation and analysis of complex information to contribute to professional practice and scholarship. This unit involves the planning and execution of a work-based research project or equivalent capstone experience, by applying the principles and concepts studied across the course into the real world of health services delivery and health policy. A capstone unit is a point of transition for you, and prompts reflection and coherence to the whole course experience.

Limited placements are available. Students are matched to placements based on placement availability and student competencies. Each placement is up to 140 hours and individually negotiated.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Design a work-based program or project in a health management organisation.
  2. Reflect on professional experiences to inform ongoing professional development.
  3. Outline the relationship between a small health management improvement project and the wider healthcare system.
  4. Communicate professionally with colleagues and stakeholders when collaborating, negotiating and conveying complex information.
  5. Research and critically analyse complex work-based health management problems to inform culturally safe and inclusive strategic decisions.

Content

This unit will cover the following:
  • Planning workplace projects
  • Research approaches for workplace projects
  • Reflective practice for professional development
  • Timeliness and meeting specified targets
  • Collaborating and negotiating with colleagues and stakeholders
  • Professional communication approaches, conventions and skills and in particular the ability to communicate complex concepts
  • Leadership, self-management, and ethical behaviour

Learning Approaches

In this unit, you will learn by engaging in the following:

  • internship placement (up to 140 hours)
  • tutorials
  • online readings and learning materials
  • self-paced and blended learning

This capstone unit engages you in your learning through an immersion in a real world placement. This experiential approach allows you the opportunity to demonstrate and build on your theoretical knowledge, and model the competencies and attributes expected of a health manager. This unit will be undertaken within a health service or health policy organisation. You will negotiate individualised identified practical outcomes. An industry supervisor will be identified who will provide feedback during the internship. The workplace based mode of delivery (either onsite or remotely) may be supplemented by face to face and/or online tutorials facilitated by QUT to support attainment of course learning outcomes.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Continuous individual feedback will be provided to you informally by the industry supervisor through regular meetings and overview of required tasks. Individual feedback will also be provided by the Unit Coordinator on your assessments.

Assessment

Overview

This unit includes three assessments.

1. Professional Plan - This task will prepare you for placement by planning in detail the project that has been agreed upon with your workplace supervisor and Unit Co-ordinator.

2. Placement Presentation - This task will draw on your reflective practice skills to communicate professional learning goals based on your professional placement. You will also summarise your placement project and justify its importance to health management.

3. Placement Report - This task will build on the Professional Plan and your placement experience to detail the project and provide evidence in support of the project rationale and outcomes.

 

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Professional Plan

You will prepare a professional plan describing in detail the project that has been agreed upon with your workplace supervisor. Includes

  • Details of your role on placement
  • Professional competency goals
  • Brief case study of the placement organisation
  • Design of research project
  • Details regarding consultation undertaken when synthesising the professional plan

This assignment is eligible for the 48 hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

 

Weight: 20
Length: 1500 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Before Commencement of Professional Placement
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2

Assessment: Placement Presentation

You will take on the role of a researcher or health manager and give an oral presentation summarising your placement project to your peers and workplace supervisors. The presentation will include the key question/s posed through the project, the rationale and significance of the project to health management. You will also reflect on your placement performance against key professional competencies and identify areas for further professional learning. This will be informed by feedback from your workplace supervisor.

Weight: 30
Length: 20 minutes
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 2, 3, 4

Assessment: Placement Report

You will write a report detailing the program or project on which you have been working while on placement. This project will be negotiated with your workplace supervisor and documented in your Professional Plan prior to placement.

The report will include a detailed literature review providing evidence to support the project rationale and outcomes.

This assignment is eligible for the 48 hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

 

Weight: 50
Length: To be negotiated with your workplace supervisor and the Unit Co-ordinator
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 13
Related Unit learning outcomes: 4, 5

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

A criminal history check and vaccinations may also be required to enable you to work in some locations.

Blue Card

A blue card is required to complete this unit. A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (the Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website.

Costs

There may be costs associated with:

  • vaccinations and immunisations
  • travel or accommodation associated with work placement

Risk Assessment Statement

The risks of this unit will be those associated with the particular placement and these would be identified prior to accepting any particular placement. There may well be normal risks associated with transport to the site of the placement and normal office risks. Substantial computer-based work will be required. You should ensure that you take regular rest breaks when engaging in prolonged computer-based work.

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

PU87 Master of Health Management and Leadership

  1. Design innovative and strategic responses to health leadership and management challenges to improve consumer, community, organisational and system level outcomes.
    Relates to: Placement Presentation
  2. Apply operational management skills to plan, organise and supervise internal organisational processes required for achieving high performance.
    Relates to: Professional Plan
  3. Critique and engage in research to inform ethical, evidence-based health management and policy decisions.
    Relates to: Placement Report
  4. Communicate, collaborate and negotiate with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to co-design equitable and sustainable healthcare.
    Relates to: Placement Presentation, Placement Report
  5. Apply reflective practice to professionally develop self and others.
    Relates to: Professional Plan, Placement Presentation