CSH534 Podiatric Medicine 4

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit is a work integrated learning (WIL) unit in which you will complete clinical placements in the QUT Podiatry Clinic. This unit will extend your clinical expertise by fostering independent case management and communication. You will gain exposure to complex cases requiring higher order problem solving ability and the ability to link information from your previous studies, including podiatric therapeutics. Your diagnostic skills will be developed with a wider range of patients presenting for management of lower limb conditions. Case management for special populations including paediatric and chronic disease populations, including high risk foot care, will be emphasised. You will demonstrate clinical competencies at a developing level aligned with AHPRA Professional capabilities for podiatrists, professional guidelines and codes of conduct.

This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Analyse and synthesise information from patient history and targeted assessments to facilitate clinical decision making.
2. Integrate knowledge of paediatric and high risk foot, with application to clinical practice and alignment to relevant professional, ethical and legal frameworks.
3. Communicate and collaborate in a culturally responsive manner with patients, healthcare providers and relevant others, in the context of paediatrics and chronic disease.
4. Plan and implement safe and effective person-centered management plans, incorporating podiatric therapeutics and mechanical therapies, leveraging industry-relevant digital technologies.
5. Examine challenges and recognise learning opportunities, building skills for lifelong learning through reflective practice, focused on the integration of evidence and digital capabilities into clinical practice.

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you will be learning in a clinical environment and orthoses laboratory that places you at the centre of all clinical activities. You will engage in on site clinical activities (Work Integrated Learning) in the QUT Podiatry Clinic, including sessions in the high risk foot clinic, working with paediatric patients, along with furthering your skills in assessing and managing musculoskeletal lower limb conditions and general foot care. Your skills in communication and collaboration, including digital modalities and use of patient management software, will be practiced and supported by clinical educators. In the QUT Health Clinics you will have the opportunity to engage in professional reasoning and reflection, and collaborate with students from other health disciplines to support ongoing patient care as required.  

Your Work Integrated Learning experiences will be supported by practical sessions for the supervised development of clinical assessment skills for special populations (high risk foot and paediatrics).  Real world digital capabilities will be developed in the on-site orthoses laboratory, learning to use computer aided design (CAD) software to prescribe and design custom foot orthoses. Lectures will cover contemporary theory and practice of paediatric lower limb disorders and high risk foot management to ensure you are at a developing level expected of a student progressing into the final year of study.

You will build skills for lifelong learning by utilising reflective practice and responding to feedback from clinical educators, to create your personal clinical portfolio throughout your CSH534 learning journey.

This unit requires compulsory attendance at on-campus clinical placement (90 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). 

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Formative feedback on your progress in this unit will include self and staff reflection on your achievement of skills with reference to the Professional capabilities for podiatrists. Feedback on the element being monitored will occur on a week to week basis. Students will be given verbal feedback of performance during the clinical placement.

Assessment

Overview

The learning outcomes in this unit address elements of the Professional Capabilities for Podiatrists. The Podiatry Board of Australia recognises these capabilities as the minimum standards for professional practice. As such, this unit contains specified threshold assessment conditions as indicated below. 

Your first assessment item is a Clinical Portfolio that consists of case studies and reflection upon your attainment of the Professional Capabilities for Podiatrists. Your second assessment item is an OSCE that will provide opportunity for you to demonstrate clinical decision making skills and integration of knowledge acquired in this unit and through the course.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Clinical Portfolio

In your work as a Podiatrist you will regularly encounter situations that require you to adopt an enquiry and reflective practice approach centred around the integration of evidence into clinical practice. In your Portfolio you will present evidence of your developing reflective practice skills. 

Portfolio items will relate to your clinical placements and practicals, including (but not limited to): supervisor appraisal of clinical skills and weekly clinical reflections, professional communication exemplars with demonstration of digital capabilities, application of industry-relevant digital technology for mechanical therapies, and reflective essay related to a clinical case (1500 words).

In your Clinical Portfolio you will document completion of the required number of clinical hours (90 hours) and this will also be recorded in InPlace. 

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details page for specific guidelines.

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

Threshold Assessment:

In order to receive a grade for this assessment item, fulfilment of all clinical hours must be documented in your Portfolio and you must achieve the minimum pass level as indicated by a criterion-referenced assessment rubric mapped to AHPRA’s professional capabilities for podiatrists. You will be eligible for one reattempt at the minimum pass level, only when your achieved mark/grade is within 10% (or 1 grade) of the pass level. You are advised to seek feedback on your performance from the unit coordinator prior to the reattempt. 

Assessment: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

You will be assessed through an objective structured clinical examination. You will be required to apply theoretical concepts of podiatric medicine to paediatric and high risk case scenarios. You will ultilise relevant clinical and diagnostic skills to identify common foot conditions, interpret clinical information, form a preliminary diagnosis and discuss podiatric management pathways from an evidence-based perspective.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Threshold Assessment:

Threshold conditions apply to this assessment item. If you do not achieve the pass level as indicated by a criterion-referenced assessment rubric mapped to AHPRA's professional capabilities for podiatrists, you will be eligible for one reattempt at the minimum pass level, only when your achieved mark/grade is within 10% (or 1 grade) of the pass level. You are advised to seek feedback on your performance from the unit coordinator prior to the reattempt.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

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.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, 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 and evidence immune serology 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.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Evans, A. (2010) Pocket Podiatry. Paediatrics. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Recommended text(s)

Thomson, P., & Volpe, R. G. (2001). Introduction to podopediatrics (2nd ed.). Churchill Livingstone.

Safety and protective equipment

Podiatry clinic uniform and compliant footwear

Other

Podiatry instruments kit

Risk Assessment Statement

This unit will involve lab-based and clinic-based sessions in on campus clinic facilities. You will be required to attend a mandatory induction session in Orientation week and/or at the commencement of the semester, where the safety precautions to be observed while working in the labs and clinic will be outlined. You are required to read the Clinic Policies and Procedures documents, and sign forms indicating that you have read and understood the material contained in these manuals. Please direct any questions regarding safe working procedures to the unit coordinator. Protective clothing outlined in the Policies and Procedures documentation must be worn at all times in the laboratories (e.g. face mask, goggles/face shield, lab coat) along with closed in footwear and the clinic uniform during all clinic sessions. This unit involves contact with patients, and risks associated with the clinical environment (e.g. scalpel injury and exposure to patients with a blood borne virus) are outlined in the policies and procedures manuals for podiatry students. You are expected to comply with these procedures and guidelines at all times. 

Course Learning Outcomes

CS44 Bachelor of Podiatry

1. Critically evaluate and integrate specialised discipline knowledge of body systems, pathology, podiatric medicine and therapeutics in real-world settings.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
2. Employ information literacy, evidence-based professional reasoning and shared decision-making to safely and effectively undertake person-centred management for diverse lower limb conditions through assessment, investigation, diagnosis and evaluation.
   Relates to: Clinical Portfolio, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
3. Implement safe and effective assessment and management of patients, using highly developed clinical and technical skills, exercising reflexive, ethical, sustainable and culturally responsive practice, within regulatory and legal frameworks.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
4. Practice effective multimodal communication and collaboration, establishing inclusive partnerships with patients, health professionals and relevant stakeholders, leveraging digital capabilities and interprofessional referral pathways to positively impact individual and community health outcomes, applying the full scope of podiatric practice.
   Relates to: Clinical Portfolio, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
5. Leads self and others in reflective practice and lifelong learning, recognizing and addressing own biases, seeking and responding to feedback, engaging in evidence-based practice, fostering a culture of peer support and mentoring, alongside a curious, agile, resilient and entrepreneurial mindset.
   Relates to: Clinical Portfolio

CS46 Bachelor of Podiatry (Honours)

1. Critically evaluate and integrate advanced specialised knowledge of body systems, pathology, podiatric medicine and therapeutics in real-world settings.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
2. Employ research skills in parallel with evidence-based professional reasoning and shared decision-making to safely and effectively undertake person-centred management for diverse lower limb conditions through assessment, investigation, diagnosis and evaluation.
   Relates to: Clinical Portfolio, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
3. Implement safe and effective assessment and management of patients, using highly developed clinical and technical skills, exercising reflexive, ethical, sustainable and culturally responsive practice, within regulatory and legal frameworks.
   Relates to: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
4. Practice scholarly multimodal communication and effective collaboration, establishing inclusive partnerships with patients, health professionals and relevant stakeholders, leveraging digital capabilities and interprofessional referral pathways to positively impact individual and community health outcomes, applying the full scope of podiatric practice, including dissemination of research findings.
   Relates to: Clinical Portfolio, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
5. Leads self and others in reflective practice and lifelong learning, recognizing and addressing own biases, seeking and responding to feedback, contributing to evidence-based solutions, fostering a culture of peer support and mentoring, alongside a curious, agile, resilient and entrepreneurial mindset.
   Relates to: Clinical Portfolio