Inherent requirements - Bachelor of Physiotherapy

Introduction

Physiotherapy is a profession governed by Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, Professional Standards where nurses are both accountable and responsible for ensuring professional behaviour in all contexts.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Knowledge of, and engagement in ethical behaviour in practice.
• Knowledge, understanding and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements. This compliance is pre-requisite to undertaking workplace learning in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.
• Compliance with professional regulations and the Australian law.

Justification

Compliance with the codes, standards, guidelines and policies facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they work. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must ensure the codes and standards are not compromised or result in unethical behaviour.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Demonstrated ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.
• Complying with requirements relating to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality with client information in academic and workplace learning environments.
• Complying with the requirements for student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
• Complying with the policies of clinical facilities e.g. Work Health and Safety Act and uniform requirements.

Introduction

Physiotherapy practice requires both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level.

Behavioural stability is required to function and adapt effectively and sensitively in this role.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time.
• The ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately.
• The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period of time.
• Behavioural stability to work constructively in a diverse and changing academic and workplace learning environments.

Justification

• Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective practice.
• Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments.
• Physiotherapy students will be exposed to emergency situations and human suffering and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage these events.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period.
• Adjustments must support stable, effective and professional behaviour in both academic and workplace learning settings.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Providing consistent physiotherapy management over a negotiated time frame.
• Maintaining appropriate time management to provide healthcare services to the expected number of clients in a given time frame.
• Reflecting on practice and responding appropriately to constructive feedback.
• Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals in tutorials, lectures, simulation laboratories and workplace learning.

Verbal

Introduction

Effective verbal communication, in English, is an essential requirement to provide safe delivery of practice.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences.
• Ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation.
• Timely clear feedback and reporting.

Justification

• Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others develops trusting relationships.
• Communication may be restricted because of limitations of the individual (e.g. injury, disease or congenital conditions).
• Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety or treatment.
• Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety, treatment and management.
• Interactive verbal communication is necessary to ensure effective assessment of symptoms to facilitate an accurate assessment.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must address effectiveness, timeliness, clarity and accuracy issues to ensure safety and appropriate practice.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Provide clear verbal instructions to direct client into appropriate position for treatment.
• Establishing rapport, through verbal communication, with clients during physiotherapy management.
• Understanding verbal communication and responding appropriately to requests from individuals in tutorials, lectures, simulation laboratories and workplace learning.

Non-verbal

Introduction

Effective non-verbal communication is fundamental to physiotherapy and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathetic and non-judgemental.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues.
• Consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours.
• Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences

Justification

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships.
• Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.
• Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships.
• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for the safe and effective observation of patient symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and treatment of patients.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must enable the recognition, initiation of or appropriate response to effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Recognising and responding appropriately in tutorials, lectures, simulation laboratories and workplace learning settings.

Written

Introduction

Effective written communication, in English, is a fundamental physiotherapy responsibility with professional and legal ramifications.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances.

Justification

• Construction of written text based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice.
• Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and patient notes  is vital to provide consistent and safe patient practice.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy and accessibility to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and workplace learning settings.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Constructing an essay to academic standards.
• Constructing a physiotherapy report in a timely manner that meets professional standards

Knowledge and thinking skills

Introduction

Consistent knowledge and effective cognitive skills must be demonstrated to provide safe and competent physiotherapy practice.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• The capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information.
• The ability to process information relevant to practice.
• The ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice.

Justification

• Safe and effective delivery of nursing practice is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately

Adjustments

• Adjustments must ensure that a clear demonstration of knowledge and cognitive skills is not compromised or impeded.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
• Ensuring client safety and effective healthcare provision by appropriately applying knowledge of theory, research evidence, policies and procedures in the clinical environment.

Literacy (language)

Introduction

Competent literacy skills are essential to provide safe and effective delivery of physiotherapy practice.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to acquire information and accurately convey appropriate, effective messages.
• The ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and information.
• The capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written text in a scholarly manner.

Justification

• The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and delivery of care.
• The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for the safe and effective delivery of physiotherapy care.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply and communicate accurate information.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Conveying spoken instructions accurately and effectively in a workplace learning setting.
• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments.
• Producing accurate concise and clear client medical records and written communication with other healthcare providers which meet legal requirements

Numeracy

Introduction

Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential for safe and effective physiotherapy practice.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Ability to interpret and correctly apply data, measurements and numerical criteria.

Justification

• Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in physiotherapy to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of physiotherapy care.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must demonstrate a capacity to interpret and apply concepts and processes appropriately in a timely, accurate and effective manner.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Administering accurate electrotherapy dosages.
• Accurately recording measurements in client notes.

Visual

Introduction

Adequate visual acuity is required to provide safe and effective physiotherapy practice.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills.

Justification

• Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe practice of self and to others.
• Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective physiotherapy practice.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise treatment or safety.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Observing and detecting subtle changes in posture movement and the ability to perform functional activities during assessment and treatment.
• Safely operating electrotherapy equipment.

Auditory

Introduction

Auditory ability is required to provide safe and effective physiotherapy practice.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Sufficient aural function to undertake the required range of skills.

Justification

• Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage an individual's health needs consistently and accurately.
• Auditory assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective physiotherapy practice.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the hearing loss must be effective, consistent and not compromise treatment or safety.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Performing accurately cardiopulmonary assessment by auscultation.
• Detecting care requests by calls for help or activation of a call bell.

Tactile

Introduction

Sufficient tactile ability is required to perform competent and safe physiotherapy practice.

Description

Student demonstrates

• Adequate tactile function sufficient to undertake the required range of skills and assessments.

Justification

• Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to monitor, assess and detect patients' physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide thorough physiotherapy practice.
• Tactile assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective physiotherapy practice.

Adjustments

• Adjustments must have the capacity to make effective assessments of physical characteristics and abnormalities within safe time frames.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services

Exemplars

• in skin temperature e.g. assessment for inflammation in soft tissues.
• Palpating joints, muscles, and soft tissues to detect anatomical or movement abnormalities.

Gross motor

Introduction

Physiotherapy involves physical demands and requires gross motor function.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice.

Justification

• Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise practice. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.
• Ability to appropriately position self, equipment and client so as to perform tasks reliably with a range of movement is required to reduce risk of harm to self and others.

Adjustments

• Adjustments should facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others and a capacity to provide appropriate practice.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Maintaining own and clients balance while providing client support, when transferring and mobilising individuals in a safe manner.
• Evaluating in a safe and effective manner, clients who have varying physical capacity when positioning on plinths and hospital beds, mats on the floor, on chairs and when standing.

Fine motor

Introduction

Physiotherapy is a profession that requires manual dexterity and fine motor skills.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Ability to use fine motor skills to provide safe effective care.

Justification

• Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise practice. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects and individuals. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Adjustments

• Adjustments should facilitate functional effectiveness, safety to self and others and a capacity to provide appropriate care.
• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Performing assessment techniques, e.g. evaluation of hand sensation and joint movement.
• Performing treatment techniques, e.g. suctioning, joint mobilisation and soft tissue massage.

Introduction

Physiotherapy requires skills to live, learn and work in a society where communication and access to information is increasingly through digital technologies.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Ability to access and use technology, and adapt to technological changes.

Justification

• Having the capability to operate various digital technologies in diverse learning and workplace settings.
• Understanding appropriate use of digital technology in various settings.
• Being able to access and update a range of programmes and platforms to deliver medications, remote health practice and health promotion and client/patient education programmes

Adjustments

• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with Support Services.

Exemplars

• Able to use digital technology safely to use infusion pumps and other medical equipment, electronic medical records (EMR), Telehealth.
• Able to use computers to access online learning resources to support learning.

Introduction

The physiotherapy course requires the ability to understand and effectively apply various financial skills.

Description

Student demonstrates:

• Ability to manage personal finances (such as budgeting) in order to manage costs associated with workplace learning.
• Ability to plan for the future costs of workplace learning by seeking seeking financial assistance, scholarships and grants.

Justification

• Sufficient finances are required to meet the incidental costs involved with workplace learning (WPL).
• Planning and budgeting to meet these costs is important during WPL for extended periods of time when paid employment is not possible.

Adjustments

• Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with