CSH545 Podiatric Medicine 5

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

In this final year unit, you will be required to integrate knowledge, practical, clinical and problem-solving skills acquired across the course. Clinical decisions are informed by relevant physical and clinically appropriate diagnostic examinations conducted within the framework of technological, ethical, financial and legal considerations and an evidence-based context. National and international medical, orthopaedic, pharmacological and podiatric perspectives guide the design, implementation and evaluation of complex patient management plans. You will gain experience in the management of the high risk foot as well as paediatric, musculoskeletal, surgical and general conditions of the lower limb as part of your placement rotations during semester. 

This is a work integrated learning (WIL) unit in which you will complete placement in the QUT Podiatry Clinic. 

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. Integrate knowledge of podiatric medicine and pharmacology to plan and conduct safe, effective, culturally responsive and person-centered assessment to generate diagnoses.
2. Analyse and interpret patient information to inform clinical decision making and develop and implement comprehensive, evidence informed plans for management and monitoring patient outcomes
3. Communicate assessment findings and justify clinical decisions to other health professionals; and
4. Establish therapeutic partnerships in the negotiation of comprehensive management plans with patients (including educative strategies).

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit utilises contemporary approaches to learning and teaching in a clinical Work Integrated Learning (WIL) environment that places you at the centre of all clinical activities, clinical reasoning and reflection. You will engage in clinical activities which will include the QUT Health Clinics and may include external aged care and special school settings, providing opportunities for collaborative practice alongside other health care professionals. You will undertake practical sessions for the supervised fabrication of foot orthoses, and clinical rotations will include high risk foot, paediatric, musculoskeletal, surgery and general clinics. Online case studies representing diverse cultural perspectives and links to professional standards and guidelines will be available via the Canvas teaching website. Clinical skills workshops will also be used to facilitate the development of practical skills expected of a graduate podiatrist. Workshops and resources developed by the Student Success Group are embedded within this unit to support your success in performance-based clinical exams.

In consultation with staff, you will be required to undertake a self-audit of performance against AHPRA's professional capabilities for podiatrists to reflect on your practice and facilitate goal setting for ongoing learning. This activity will guide your learning throughout the unit.

This unit requires compulsory attendance at on-campus clinical placement of 210 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

Your clinical supervisors (including registered podiatrists from industry) will provide informal feedback throughout semester regarding your handling of patient cases, your clinical reasoning and interactions with your patients. You will be expected to reflect on this feedback and your performance in order to continually improve and progress towards becoming a podiatrist.

Formal feedback regarding your case study presentation presentation will aid in your preparation for the placement performance exam. 

Assessment

Overview

Your first assessment item will allow you to demonstrate application of evidence based practice in your clinical decision-making and management planning, through preparation of a case study. Your supervised clinical practice in this unit will be evidenced by your clinical logbook completed throughout the semester, and direct assessment of one or two patient consultations. Finally, you will undertake an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess your assessment, diagnostic and clinical reasoning skills.

Special conditions of assessment:

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. As such, this unit contains specified threshold assessment conditions on the Placement Performance and OSCE assessment items. You must pass these assessment items to pass the unit overall.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Case study

You will be required to identify a suitable patient within your caseload at the QUT Podiatry Clinic or from your external placements and obtain informed consent for their participation in this assessment task. In collaboration with your patient, you will design a patient-centered rehabilitation plan including mechanical intervention and suitable evaluation of the patient's progress and measurable outcomes. This case will be presented to your peers, with reference to evidence-based practice, and you will be encouraged to reflect on this peer feedback and evaluation of patient outcomes in your final Logbook.

This is an assignment for the purpose of an extension.

Assessment: Placement Performance and Logbook

You will be assessed on one to two occasions of patient treatment. You will be required to apply theoretical concepts of podiatric medicine and relevant clinical and diagnostic skills to identify common foot conditions, interpret evidence, form a preliminary diagnosis, provide initial patient treatment and discuss podiatric management pathways from an evidence-based perspective. You will also submit a log of clinical activities throughout the semester.

Threshold Assessment:

In order to receive a grade for this assessment item, fulfilment of all clinical hours must be documented in your logbook 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

You will be examined on your ability to analyse and interpret patient history, diagnostic and physical examination findings, demonstrating sound decision-making in standardised clinical scenarios. You will be required to integrate knowledge and skills from your studies across the curriculum.

Threshold Assessment:

Threshold conditions apply to this assessment item. If you do not achieve satisfactory performance on at least 4 out of 6 stations, you will be permitted one reattempt at the minimum pass level, only when your achieved grade is within 1 grade of the pass level for the assessment item. You are advised to seek feedback on your submission from the unit coordinator prior to your reattempt. 

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, COVID-19 and flu 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

Resource Materials

Reference book(s)

Burrow, J. G., Rome, K., & Padhiar, N. (Eds.). (2020). Neale's Disorders of the Foot and Ankle. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Christman, R.A. (2003). Foot and ankle radiology. St. Louis, Mo.: Churchill Livingstone.

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

Michaud, T.C. (1993). Foot orthoses and other forms of conservative foot care. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.

Thomson, P., and Volpe, R.G. (2001). Introduction to podopediatrics. (2nd Edition). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Valmassy, R.L. (1996). Clinical biomechanics of the lower extremities. St. Louis: Mosby.

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 (eg 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.