CSB542 Professional Placement 2

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit is a work integrated learning (WIL) unit in which you will complete clinical placements at external placement sites. Professional Placement 2 will build upon and broaden your clinical experience through exposure to a variety of WIL environments, while consolidating knowledge and skills acquired across the course. An appreciation of social determinants of health, foot health needs in the community, and the professional role and responsibilities of podiatrists in the community will be explored. You will experience team work and collaboration with a range of health professionals in an interdisciplinary environment. This unit will develop your capacity for reflection and form the basis for lifelong learning in professional practice, while consolidating knowledge and skills acquired across the course. This final semester unit is designed to prepare you for entry into the workplace upon graduation as a registered health professional.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Relate your clinical experiences to the development of professional capabilities, with alignment to professional, ethical and legal frameworks;
2. Collaborate and communicate in a professional manner with other health professionals and diverse patient groups;
3. Perform efficient, effective, culturally responsive and person-centred podiatry assessments, generate diagnoses and manage cases safely and appropriately in a range of clinical settings; and
4. Apply critical thinking skills and knowledge of health determinants to develop and implement a community based intervention in response to foot health needs identified within diverse health care settings.

Content

Learning Approaches

Online resources and learning modules will be utilised to orientate you to the expectations of clinical placements. Whilst on placement you will be engaged in learning via compilation of a clinical portfolio of your workplace integrated learning experiences, identifying personal and career goals and evaluating your own clinical performance. This capstone unit provides an opportunity for you to integrate and synthesis the learning you have undertaken across the course of study to date and apply this in the professional working environment and evidence this in your clinical portfolio.  This work based learning experience unit should assist your transition into the  profession of Podiatry as a registered health professional and provide opportunities for you to engage with relevant industry, professions, community organisations and to establish professional networks to succeed in the future workforce.

You will have opportunity to work on a collaborative group project with a focus on health promotion in the community, through engagement with industry partners and / or professional networks. Tutorial sessions will be conducted to assist you in the development of relevant skills for compilation of your reflective clinical portfolio and group project. In the tutorial sessions, you will participate in learning activities and explore a range of diverse learning materials specifically collated to represent different perspectives on health encounters and you will be encouraged to critically examine cultural perspectives in a range of health care settings.  

This unit requires compulsory attendance at external clinical placement sites (135 hours), and any absence from clinical placements will reduce the opportunity for development of your professional capabilities. Where absence is due to special or unforeseeable circumstances independently supported by documentation (e.g. medical certificate), make-up clinical placement days will be facilitated wherever possible. In certain circumstances, involving a substantial number of missed clinical hours, you may be advised to seek withdrawal from the unit without academic penalty. Standard course progression cannot be guaranteed following withdrawal from a clinical placement unit (or fail grade). 

You will be provided with feedback as you develop the elements of your Clinical Portfolio. Supervisor and self evaluations will be discussed with the unit coordinator throughout the semester as required.

Clinical hours will be documented in a Clinical Portfolio and in InPlace to demonstrate fulfilment of Podiatry Board of Australia requirements. Students are expected to comply with the QUT Student Code of Conduct at all times and demonstrate a high level of professionalism in the workplace.  

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

The following opportunities for formative feedback are provided in this unit:

• Peer review and supervised tutorial discussions as you work towards development of your assessment tasks.
• Monitoring of the number of external clinical placement hours you have completed (via InPlace) and discussion with unit coordinator as required.

• You will have opportunities for continuous feedback from your clinical supervisor whilst on external placement and you will be required to continually reflect on this feedback and your performance in order to continually progress towards attaining the professional capabilities expected of a graduate podiatrist.

• External supervisor clinical appraisals will be discussed with the unit coordinator throughout the semester as required.

• You will have a structured program of project milestones which will need to be achieved throughout the semester, this will ensure you have multiple opportunities for formative feedback and review of your progress as you work towards the submission of your collaborative group assessment. You will make a submission of your group project plan in week 6 and will receive feedback on this, which can be used to improve the quality of the final group poster presentation.

Assessment

Overview

The learning outcomes in this unit address elements of AHPRA's professional capabilities for podiatrists. The Podiatry Board of Australia recognises these competencies as the minimum standards for professional practice.  There are two assessment items in this unit, each assessment item is designed to measure your ability to apply the knowledge and skills stated in the unit learning outcomes.

In the first assessment (Viva examination - Professional discussion of clinical Portfolio) you will discuss and relate how your clinical experiences captured within your clinical portfolio to date provide evidence of your attainment of the AHPRA's professional capabilities for podiatrists, effective communication and collaboration with other health professionals and working within professional, ethical and legal frameworks.  In the second assessment task (Poster presentation) you will collaborate with other students and a placement supervisor, to develop and implement a community-based intervention in response to foot health needs identified within diverse health care settings. You will develop and present a poster to summarise the activities and outcomes of the community-based intervention. 

Special conditions of assessment apply in this unit and students must evidence completion of the required number of clinical hours (135 hours), in the portfolio submission, which must also be recorded in InPlace, in order to receive a passing grade in this unit.    The number of placement hours you have completed will be monitored by the placement coordinator and/or unit coordinator throughout the semester. 

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Viva examination - Professional discussion of clinical Portfolio

You will be required to keep records of your clinical experiences, establish individual learning goals for each placement and subsequently reflect on your clinical performance as a developing health professional.  External placement supervisors will evaluate your performance and competency in knowledge, clinical skills, communication and professionalism. You will be required to participate in a professional discussion (Viva) of 15 minutes duration in which you will present evidence from your portfolio which demonstrates how you meet the AHPRA professional capabilities as a graduating podiatrist.  You will be required to specifically discuss your understanding of the professional capabilities of a podiatrist and how the evidence in your clinical portfolio demonstrates that you now meet the AHPRA professional capabilities.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Poster Presentation

You will identify a health issue in the community relevant to podiatry practice, in collaboration with a placement supervisor. Your project focus may fall within broad areas relevant to the workplace context, such as: equity and access to podiatry services for various cultural groups, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, aged care, or needs of individuals with a range of physical and mental health conditions. You should approach your topic using a public health process of enquiry with reference to epidemiological research and evidence based practice. You should demonstrate an understanding of the role of podiatrists to promote foot health within the community, and an awareness of health outcomes, health determinants, public health and equity issues. The outcome of your project will be a poster presentation, which you will present at a student poster presentation event.  The poster should outline the relevant stages of the project, in addition to any relevant resources you have developed in collaboration with your placement supervisor. 

Your group will have the opportunity to submit an outline of the project plan in week 6 to get some formative feedback in order to improve the quality of the final poster submission.  

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

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

The Health Work Integrated Learning Support (WILS) team supports checking of mandatory documentation required for all student clinical placements.  

Failure to comply with these requirements will result in your exclusion from clinical activities.  

• Blue Card: A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (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 (https://qutvirtual4.qut.edu.au/group/student/jobs-and-careers/get-work-experience/blue-cards). 

• Vaccine Preventable Diseases Evidence:  It is a mandatory requirement for students to be vaccinated against a number of vaccine preventable diseases. For more information, please refer to QUT Health students placements website.   
• First Aid Certificate: You are required to have a current Senior First Aid Certificate before you begin your podiatry placement. There are a variety of First Aid certificate courses that are delivered by approved providers and duly authorised under the Ambulance Service Act 1991.  

All documentation needs to be provided to Work Integrated Learning Support (via InPlace) before the commencement of clinical placements. 

Specific disclosure: Students will be required to disclose specific personal or medical information where:  

• A medical condition or medication use may increase the risk of injury to yourself or others (e.g. use of sedative medications or communicable disease).  

• Adjustments may be required for a disability, injury, health condition or pregnancy (e.g. access to facilities, manual tasks such as scalpel work or orthosis fabrication, working with chemicals).  
    

Please seek advice about disclosure from your Disability Advisor. Refer to Disability Services homepage for information.  

Further information regarding WIL policies and procedures, such as health and safety, risk management, confidentiality, intellectual property, disclosure and insurance, are available via the following QUT Health student placements website.  

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

CS44

Bachelor of Podiatry

Bachelor of Podiatry (Graduate Entry)

Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella, Pertussis vaccinations in addition to uniform and suitable footwear, First Aid and CPR Certificate that includes AED (Automated External Defibrillation) and anaphylaxis training, blue card and podiatry instruments kit.

$1000-$1500

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

As a health practitioner you are responsible for the safe provision of health care, in compliance with various regulations. The management of risk associated with Workplace Integrated Learning is the responsibility of all stakeholders. Students have a responsibility to minimise risk to themselves, other staff and clients while on clinical placements both on campus and off campus.

Further information regarding policies and procedures, such as health and safety, risk management, confidentiality, intellectual property, disclosure and insurance, is available via the QUT Faculty of Health websites:

Faculty of Health: Practicum and clinical placement costs and requirements
Faculty of Health: Workplace Integrated Learning