OPN163 Primary Care Clinic 7

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit begins clinical optometric practice in the primary care area within the Optometry Clinic of the Faculty of Health Clinics. Through clinical practice, students will develop specific problem solving strategies, and develop problem specific examination techniques, reinforcing and refining clinical skills developed in the previous units. This unit begins the transfer of theoretical and practical skills to the clinical situation, providing the early basis for transition to professional practice.

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. Apply technically competent eye examination skills within a supervised, optometric environment.
2. Use evidence-based practice skills to differentially diagnose visual.disorders.
3. Plan and implement treatment and management plans for patients under your (supervised) care.
4. Provide empathetic, culturally safe, and ethical advice and care to patients.
5. Communicate efficiently (written and verbally) with colleagues and other health care professionals about eye health conditions.

Content

Learning Approaches

Clinical practice in the primary care clinic under supervision of qualified and registered optometrists. Clinical practice will be supported by tutorials with emphasis placed on clinical assessment, case management and problem solving, differential diagnoses, with reference to current and developing clinical management strategies.

You will receive additional training from the Student Success Group on managing stress.

Expected Clinical Conduct:
Clinical attendance is mandatory for all students.

Clinical hours are documented to demonstrate fulfilment of Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand course accreditation requirements. Absence from a scheduled clinic session due to illness requires a medical certificate sighted by the unit coordinator and clinic coordinator. In addition, any clinical hours missed must be completed in the next scheduled semester break clinic.
In some exceptional circumstances, prior approval may be obtained from the unit and course coordinator to alter a student's individual clinical timetable. However, supporting evidence is required to justify the need for any timetable alterations.
Students are required to comply with the policies and procedures of the QUT Optometry Clinic at all times. Failure to comply with relevant policies and procedures may lead to exclusion from the QUT Health Clinics and inability to complete the unit.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Formative feedback on the development of your clinical skills, and diagnostic and management skills will take place during clinical practice sessions on an ongoing basis through your clinical supervisors and the clinic coordinator.  You are encouraged to communicate with the clinical supervisors if you require any specific feedback on clinical skills and to communicate with the unit coordinator if you have any questions or concerns about the assessment items.

Summative feedback on your clinical skills, assessed patient consultations and case study will be provided in written format within 2 weeks of the assessment.  

Assessment

Overview

Patient encounters are assessed in a formative way to provide feedback regarding development of clinical skills, and in a summative way toward the end of the unit. Clinical skills competency assessments and summative assessment of patient consultations must each be passed to complete the unit, and repeat (supplementary) assessment will be undertaken until the required competency is demonstrated. Skills competency assessment and assessment of patient consultations will include a written component (referral letter or report using patient management software and appropriate selection of digital technology to compile relevant clinical imaging information) and may include an oral examination component.  Submission of a case report discussing a clinical encounter will be due the end of semester.

Satisfactory performance in each of the assessment items is a condition for passing this unit. The Faculty of Health Threshold Assessment Policy will apply where student performance in an assessment item is unsatisfactory.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Clinical skills

Clinical skills competency assessments
Description: As a student optometrist you will be required to undertake core clinical skills on a colleague in an optometric environment.  Technical skills and ability to communicate instructions in a patient care setting will be assessed.

Threshold Assessment:

Satisfactory performance in each of the assessment items is a condition for passing this unit.  The Faculty of Health Threshold Assessment Policy will apply where student performance in an assessment item is unsatisfactory.

Assessment: Patient consultations

Assessment of patient consultations
Description: As a student optometrist you will be required to undertake a routine eye examination on a QUT Health Clinics Optometry Clinic patient.  Across three different patient consultations you will be assessed on different components of the eye examination, concentrating on your ability to solve clinical problems through a problem oriented clinical routine, and the ability to communicate effectively with a patient.  A written referral or report relating to one of your patient consultations using patient management software and appropriate use of digital technology to compile clinical information will be submitted for assessment.

Threshold Assessment:

Satisfactory performance in each of the assessment items is a condition for passing this unit.  The Faculty of Health Threshold Assessment Policy will apply where student performance in an assessment item is unsatisfactory.

Assessment: Case Study

You will be required to submit a 'clinical picture' discussing a clinical case you have seen in clinic.  A 'clinical picture' is the format of one of the article types accepted in the journal Clinical and Experimental Optometry. Clinical pictures are limited to 500 words, up to five references and three figures.  Your submission can report a rare condition, an unusual presentation or fairly ordinary cases that demonstrate a clinical lesson, such as a risk of misdiagnosis or the effectiveness of treatments.  Clinical pictures need not be of ocular disease but can be about refractive errors, optical dispensing, contact lenses and ocular motility disorders or any other aspect of optometry.

This is an assignment for the purposes of extension.

Threshold Assessment:

Satisfactory performance in each of the assessment items is a condition for passing this unit.  The Faculty of Health Threshold Assessment Policy will apply where student performance in an assessment item is unsatisfactory.

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

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

Risk Assessment Statement

This unit will involve practice of clinical techniques on fellow students and on people from the general public who present as patients to the QUT Optometry Clinic. High standards of hygiene and safe practices are required. You are required to be proficient in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first-aid and have completed Queensland Health's Cultural Introductory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Practice online module. You will be informed of relevant Standard Operating Procedures of the School of Optometry as they pertain to this unit.

Blue card
The Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act (2000) requires that students undergo a criminal history check and be issued with a blue card by the Commission prior to undertaking field experience in a school or centre, or undertaking activities in any unit which may involve contact with children. You will require a blue card for clinical placement/practicum in this unit. You should apply for a blue card at least 12 weeks before any clinical placement/practicum. Current blue card holders must register their card with QUT. More information is available online.

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Entry-Level Competency Standards for Optometry 2014

1: Professional Responsibilities

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2: Communication and Patient History

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3: Patient Examination

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4: Diagnosis and Management

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5: Health Information Management

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Course Learning Outcomes

OP85 Master of Optometry

1. Theoretical optometric knowledge, cognitive, clinical and technical skills and research methodology in vision science
   Relates to: Clinical skills, Patient consultations, Case Study
2. Apply critical thinking and researchable questions to generate solutions to complex conditions in clinical and research settings
   Relates to: Patient consultations, Case Study
3. Apply clinical skills to conduct assessment, diagnose and implement a management plan safely and effectively
   Relates to: Clinical skills, Patient consultations
4. Acquire and transfer complex knowledge to patients, professionals within multiple environments
   Relates to: Patient consultations
5. Practise independently and collaboratively as an ethical, socially responsible health care professional within legal and professional frameworks
   Relates to: Patient consultations