CQUniversity Unit Profile
MEDI11004 Professional Practice
Professional Practice
All details in this unit profile for MEDI11004 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

Students learn to interact effectively with clients and peers through an understanding of professional and interprofessional relationships. This unit provides an overview of the social, legal and ethical issues that impact on the experience of illness, equity of health care and best practice. It contextualises therapeutic communication and collaborative teamwork skills and introduces the student to evidence based practice, reflective practice and decision making in the health professions.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 1
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

There are no requisites for this unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 2 - 2020

Mackay
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Group Work
Weighting: 40%
2. Written Assessment
Weighting: 20%
3. Online Test
Weighting: 40%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Student evaluations

Feedback

The unit includes content that overlaps to some degree with other units in the imaging courses.

Recommendation

Consultation amongst all imaging courses to reduce the amount of overlap in Year 1 units.

Feedback from Student evaluations and unit coordinator

Feedback

Students are supplied with a large volume of learning resources in Moodle, some within the weekly Study Guide and others as standalone links within that week’s section. For standalone links there are not always explicit indications as to which are core and which are supplementary. To use all linked resources would significantly exceed the expected engagement time for the unit.

Recommendation

Evaluate and classify learning resources so that students can better manage the volume of reading for the unit.

Feedback from Student evaluations

Feedback

The group work assessment was a good learning opportunity, was well supported and fairly structured.

Recommendation

Maintain a similar group work structure and continue to use video and tutorial supports.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Collaborate with health care students demonstrating an understanding of professional and interprofessional relationships
  2. Describe the principles underlying effective communication skills in health care settings demonstrating cultural sensitivity
  3. Reflect on experiences to enhance your own personal and professional development
  4. Apply knowledge of evidence-based practice to gather information effectively
  5. Apply knowledge of legal and ethical issues that impact the provision of health care and best practice
  6. Describe the impact of social determinants, disability and culture on the experience of illness and access to health care for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
  7. Identify national and international health reform initiatives to improve the quality and equity of health care
  8. Explain the concept of quality patient care and inclusive decision-making in the health professions.

This is a core unit for many of the allied health courses which are subject to external accreditation by a range of professional and regulatory bodies. It introduces a range of concepts and professional competencies at a foundational level.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Group Work - 40%
2 - Written Assessment - 20%
3 - Online Test - 40%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Group Work - 40%
2 - Written Assessment - 20%
3 - Online Test - 40%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Supplementary

The Extra Mile

Edition: First (2017)
Authors: Christine Franklin
BevRyanPublishing.com
Cannonvale Cannonvale , Queensland , Australia
ISBN: 978-0-6480526-0-9
Binding: Paperback

Additional Textbook Information

This is a short handbook that addresses many of the topics covered in this unit and would be particularly useful for any students who plan to work, or even attend clinical placement, in rural or remote locations in Australia. It is not an essential text for the unit.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
  • Zoom meeting access
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Caroline Falconi Unit Coordinator
c.falconi@cqu.edu.au
Andrea Chandrarajan Unit Coordinator
a.chandrarajan@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 13 Jul 2020

Module/Topic

The professional and reflective practice

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 1
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

1 hour tutorial

Week 2 Begin Date: 20 Jul 2020

Module/Topic

Teamwork and interprofessional collaborative care

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 2
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic


Week 3 Begin Date: 27 Jul 2020

Module/Topic

Health and illness: Conceptual understanding

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 3
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

1 hour tutorial

Week 4 Begin Date: 03 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

The determinants of health and illness

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 4
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

You will be assigned to your group this week for Assessment 1 and will make initial contact with group members.

Week 5 Begin Date: 10 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Cultural issues in health care provision

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 5
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

1 hour tutorial

Groups should hold first meeting to discuss the group work component of Assessment 1

Vacation Week Begin Date: 17 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic


Week 6 Begin Date: 24 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Disability access

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 6
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Self and Peer Assessment (1) for Assessment 1 (Individual and Group Work on Health Initiatives) Due: Week 6 Friday (28 Aug. 2020) 11:45pm AEST

Week 7 Begin Date: 31 Aug 2020

Module/Topic

Therapeutic communication in health practice

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 7
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

1 hour tutorial

Individual report for Assessment 1 (Individual and Group Work on Health Initiatives) Due: Week 7 Wednesday (2 Sept. 2020) 11:45pm AEST

Week 8 Begin Date: 07 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Time for completion of group work assessment 

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Group Summary for Assessment 1 (Individual and Group Work on Health Initiatives) Due: Week 8 Friday (11 Sept. 2020) 11:45pm AEST

Week 9 Begin Date: 14 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Ethics in health practice

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 8
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

1 hour tutorial

Self and Peer Assessment (2) for Assessment 1 (Individual and Group Work on Health Initiatives) Due: Week 9 Friday (18 Sept. 2020) 11:45pm AEST

Week 10 Begin Date: 21 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Disclosure and consent to treatment

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 9
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic


Week 11 Begin Date: 28 Sep 2020

Module/Topic

Leadership, change and decision making in health practice

Chapter

  • Study guide Chapter 10
  • Other readings as outlined in Moodle

Events and Submissions/Topic

Reflective Report on Group Work Due: Week 11 Friday (2 Oct 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 12 Begin Date: 05 Oct 2020

Module/Topic

Revision and examination technique

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

1 hour tutorial

Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 12 Oct 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 19 Oct 2020

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Term Specific Information

MEDI11004 is a 6-credit point unit, which means you should plan to spend about 10-12 hours per week studying the unit content. For each week, a suggested breakdown of your time would be:

  • Reading the weekly study guide, completing activities and revision questions: 3-4 hours
  • Other readings and learning activities in Moodle: 1-2 hours
  • Watching recorded lectures and note taking: 2 hours
  • Attending tutorials or group meetings: 1 hour
  • Completing assessment items: 2-3 hours

This will vary each week, depending on the stage of the unit and progress of assessment items.


Tutorials in this unit will be held on-line via Zoom and support your group work and assessment items. You are strongly advised to attend these in order to be successful in the unit. While online tutorials will be recorded, these recordings are not intended to replace your active participation in live sessions. To support your success in this unit: head to the Moodle site regularly, keep up-to-date with the weekly content, use the forums and be an active participant in your group work and tutorials.

Assessment Tasks

1 Group Work

Assessment Title
Individual and Group Work on Health Initiatives

Task Description

Australia is a very diverse county. In future practice you will be dealing with patients from many different social backgrounds and cultures, therefore, it is important to have some understanding of such diversity in order for you to address your patients' needs. By week 4 of this unit, you will be developing an awareness of the lack of equity in terms of health outcomes and the barriers to accessing healthcare for those living in rural areas, for migrant families, Indigenous people and those living with disabilities.


Your task for this assessment is to work in a group of 3-4 students to develop a set of initiatives that will help to improve access to healthcare for particular members of a given rural or remote Australian community. The task will include both an individual report and group summary.


You will be provided with a rural community with a population that includes Indigenous Australians, migrant families and community members with disabilities. Each group member will address one of these population groups (also listed below) and research barriers faced by that group in accessing healthcare and propose 2-3 new community-based initiatives that may help to address those barriers. The initiatives should be supported by examples of other initiatives that have proven successful in overcoming these barriers, either nationally or internationally. You may need to use a problem-solving approach and adapt a successful health initiative sourced from one country or circumstance to 'fit' the community and subgroup you are working with.


Each team member will be allocated one of the following topics to address for the given community:

  1. Improving access to healthcare for people in the community due to living in this rural or remote location.
  2. Improving access to healthcare for your community members with disabilities.
  3. Improving access to healthcare for Indigenous Australians in your given community.
  4. Improving access to healthcare for migrant women and children in your given community.


Task Process

Work on this assessment will be during weeks 4 to 8. In week 4 you will be allocated to a group of students, perhaps from different disciplines, and will make initial contact with your group. You will arrange your first group meeting, where you will allocate roles and topics for individual reports. You will continue to work on this assessment item both individually and as a group, discussing and sharing ideas in weekly group meetings.


Information and guidance on working in groups and investigating the topics will be provided in tutorials in weeks 3 and 5. It is important that you attend these. You will be expected to take an active role in your team and attend on-line or face to face meetings with your group members as scheduled through Weeks 4-8. To obtain a group summary mark, you will need to contribute to the group and submit your individual report to your group. Your group will document the organising, points for discussion and decisions made at each meeting. If you fail to engage regularly and participate in the group-work tasks, you may be removed from your originally assigned group by teaching staff and put in a group by yourself. You will then be required to complete the group portion of the report on your own. You will automatically score 0/5 for the self and peer assessment.


This assessment is worth 40% of the final grade for the unit. It has 4 parts:


Part 1: INDIVIDUAL REPORT (15% of final grade)

  • Each team member will individually prepare a report on one of the four topics listed above, as allocated in the initial group meeting. This part of the report will describe barriers to healthcare access for the particular population group and propose 2-3 possible initiatives that the community could implement to address these barriers and improve access to healthcare, including examples of existing initiatives, adaptations and implementation strategies.
  • Required word count: 500 +/- 10% per person. You will submit this work individually through the submission link on the unit's Moodle site.


Part 2: GROUP WORK – Summary Report (20% of final grade)

  • This summary report is prepared by the group as a whole and will identify the five most suitable initiatives taken from the individual reports.
  • The group will identify their rural community by location and population. Each member will have identified 2-3 initiatives in their individual report. This activity requires each of the individual reports to be shared within the group for evaluation. The group will create a rating criteria to evaluate all the initiatives. The criteria will then be used to rate each initiative. Consideration should be given to the appropriateness of the initiatives to the specified community groups. The group summary must describe the rating criteria used and submit the 5 initiatives chosen as the most suitable initiatives to implement in the community and the reason for their selection.
  • The group summary will be submitted by one group member only and the mark and feedback will apply to each group member named on the front page of the submission.
  • Each individual report must be included in the Appendix to the group summary.
  • Required word count: 500 words +/- 10%. The appendix and any references and in-text citations are not included in the word count.


Parts 3 and 4: SELF AND PEER ASSESSMENT (SPA) (5% of final grade)

  • To assess each member's contribution to the group work, you will take part in TWO self and peer assessments. You will receive your SPA form access via email in each of weeks 6 and 9. In confidence, each person within a group will score themselves and the other team members for their degree of contribution to the team work process. Each time you will be asked 10 questions concerning your own and your peers' participation as team members. The average of your assessment by your peers will form part of your mark for this part of the group assessment.
  • Collectively parts 3 and 4 are worth 5% of the final mark for this unit.
  • To be completed in Weeks 6 and 9.


Assessment Due Date

SPA 1 due Week 6 Friday 28/8/20. Individual report due Week 7 Wednesday 2/9/20. Group Summary due Week 8 Friday 11/9/20. SPA 2 due Week 9 Friday 18/9/20. All due by 11:45pm AEST on the specified day.


Return Date to Students

Week 11 Friday (2 Oct 2020)

Feedback on your individual report will be provided by Friday Week 10. Feedback on group summary provided by Friday Week 11.


Weighting
40%

Minimum mark or grade
50%

Assessment Criteria

  • Form (citation of sources, format, spelling, grammar, punctuation, word limit).
  • Structure and organisation (clarity of expression, succinctness, logical sequencing of ideas).
  • Content (rationale for health initiative selected, health initiative related to identified barriers for that population group and theoretical aspects of the unit, credibility and viability of proposed health initiative established through sourced example, description of health initiative and implementation strategies outlined, prioritisation of information researched for inclusion, identification and application of selection criteria to identify ‘best’ health initiatives).
  • Peer assessment of the team work process (dependability, task acceptance, timely productivity, contribution to team discussions and collaboration with team members).

More detailed marking criteria will be posted on the unit Moodle site.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online Group

Submission Instructions
The individual parts of the assignment should be uploaded to Moodle individually by each student. Each individual report must also be included in the appendix of the group summary. The group summary is to be submitted to Moodle by one group member only. SPA's are completed outside of Moodle, following the link that will be emailed to you.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Collaborate with health care students demonstrating an understanding of professional and interprofessional relationships
  • Reflect on experiences to enhance your own personal and professional development
  • Apply knowledge of evidence-based practice to gather information effectively
  • Describe the impact of social determinants, disability and culture on the experience of illness and access to health care for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
  • Identify national and international health reform initiatives to improve the quality and equity of health care


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Information Literacy
  • Team Work
  • Information Technology Competence
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Reflective Report on Group Work

Task Description

This assessment is completed by students individually and not as group work. As a health professional, your ability to work as part of a team is essential and will be highly valued by your future employer. In Assessment 1, you worked as a team member to complete the assessment task. In this assessment you are going to reflect on your experience of working within your team during Assessment 1. You will reflect on your role within the team and identify ways to improve your future contribution to a team dynamic. Guidance will be given in Week 9 tutorial, so it will be important for you to attend this.


Your reflection will focus on one particular aspect of your experience as a group member in this unit, such as:

  • An aspect of the group communication process
  • An aspect of the group decision-making process or outcome
  • An aspect of the group conflict resolution process or outcome
  • Another aspect of your group work


Your reflection can be about a positive or negative experience. You will describe an incident and identify a key issue involved in that incident which you will then research. During your analysis of this issue you will demonstrate your theoretical knowledge, related experience and the ability to recognise your own preferences for working, assumptions and bias. Finally you will suggest a plan of action in the form of a series of steps or actions that you will take to improve your next group work experience in relation to the issue identified. Your reflection must address:

  1. Description of your experience
  2. Analysis, research and discussion of key issue related to experience, including recognition of personal contribution, assumption and bias
  3. Action plan for future team work

APPENDIX

You will need to submit an appendix with your reflection to include the following forms (which will be provided on the unit Moodle site):

  1. Belbin’s self-perception inventory for team role assessment
  2. Team rules
  3. Completed evaluation of team's processes and performance, including observations as examples where appropriate.
  4. Completed rating scale for evaluating team meetings.
  5. Completed student self-assessment sheet.

Each document can be referred to by number, or other means, within the reflective report itself if appropriate.


Other submission requirements:

  • A suggested template for the reflection is available on the Unit Moodle site.
  • The maximum word limit is 500 +/- 10%. The appendix, references and in-text citations are not included in the word count.
  • Please submit your reflection as a .doc or .docx.


Assessment Due Date

Week 11 Friday (2 Oct 2020) 11:45 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Exam Week Friday (23 Oct 2020)


Weighting
20%

Minimum mark or grade
50%

Assessment Criteria

  • Form (citation of sources, writing style, spelling, format, grammar, punctuation, word limit).
  • Structure and organisation (clarity of expression, succinctness, logical presentation of work).
  • Original analysis and interpretation of a particular aspect of working in a team, related to own ideas and supported by literature.
  • Identification of an appropriate action plan for future practice.

A more detailed marking criteria will be posted on the unit Moodle site.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Describe the principles underlying effective communication skills in health care settings demonstrating cultural sensitivity
  • Reflect on experiences to enhance your own personal and professional development
  • Apply knowledge of evidence-based practice to gather information effectively
  • Apply knowledge of legal and ethical issues that impact the provision of health care and best practice


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

3 Online Test

Assessment Title
Online Test

Task Description

You will complete an online test to demonstrate your understanding and ability to apply the concepts and use the terminology from all weeks of the unit except Week 2. All questions will be based on the weekly learning outcomes in the study guide. The question types may include multiple choice, matching terms, fill-in-the-gap and written responses. Question tasks will require you to apply your knowledge to a given scenario and may require discussion and explanation.


This assessment is to be undertaken as an individual. As with all other university assessment, colluding with other students on non-group work tasks is considered academic misconduct. Inserting answers copied from other websites at the time of the online test is considered plagiarism. The online test is an open book assessment, however, you must remain mindful of the time you are taking to answer each question and have an understanding of the content and also familiarity with your resources to use them effectively.


It is your responsibility to log on to Moodle and complete the online test during the time the test is available. In the absence of an approved extension there can be no late penalty applied and you will receive a score of zero for this assessment.


Assessment Due Date

University exam period - date and time to be advised


Return Date to Students

Certification of grades


Weighting
40%

Minimum mark or grade
50%

Assessment Criteria

Question responses will be scored on the following criteria:

  • correct use of terminology
  • correct selection and application of core concepts to the specific content of the question
  • clarity, correctness, relevance and completeness of the response in addressing the question that was asked


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
You must log in to Moodle to complete the Online Test (a link can be found in the 'Assessment' section in Moodle. Once you have completed the Online Test, you must click the 'Submit' button to submit your work.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Describe the principles underlying effective communication skills in health care settings demonstrating cultural sensitivity
  • Apply knowledge of legal and ethical issues that impact the provision of health care and best practice
  • Describe the impact of social determinants, disability and culture on the experience of illness and access to health care for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
  • Explain the concept of quality patient care and inclusive decision-making in the health professions.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Information Literacy
  • Cross Cultural Competence
  • Ethical practice

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?