CQUniversity Unit Profile.

You will be required to attend and participate in a block placement, typically five days per week across six weeks (note that in some instances this may vary - for example, you may instead be required to attend a placement for four days per week across eight weeks). The commencement and finish dates will vary for different placements and different individuals. Information regarding these dates, as well as the duration and nature of the placement, will be provided to you by your Unit Coordinator either prior to or during the term.

This block placement will provide you with an opportunity to further develop your competence as a Speech Pathologist under the supervision of one or more Clinical Educators (CEs), in a clinical setting such as a community health facility, a hospital, private practice, or an educational setting. This particular placement will be paediatric-focussed, whereby the majority of your caseload is expected to include children. You may however also gain additional experiences working with adult clients.

In order to complete this placement, you may be required to travel and participate in a placement that is outside of the Central Queensland region or even outside of Queensland. You are required to support yourself financially whilst attending your placement, to source and fund your own travel and accommodation, and to cover any other costs associated with attending the placement.

During your placement, your CE, a qualified Speech Pathologist, will assess your competence across the seven Competency-Based Occupational Standards (CBOS) units and each of the four generic professional competencies (GPCs) at both the mid and final points of the placement, through the use of the COMPASS online assessment tool. The specific assessment details and requirements are as follows:

• you and your CE/s must complete a mid-placement assessment using COMPASS On-line. This will be completed with your CE/s at the mid-point of your placement, however you will also be required to complete a self-assessment (also using COMPASS On-line) prior to meeting with your CE/s for this assessment. The mid-placement assessment is formative in nature, which means that although it does not technically count towards your final mark at the end of the placement, it provides you with a formal opportunity to discuss your strengths and areas for improvement - that is, the areas to focus on for the second half of the placement. It also provides your CE/s with an opportunity to formally raise any concerns with the Clinical Education Co-Ordinator (CEC).

• you and your CE/s must complete a final-placement assessment using COMPASS On-line. This will be completed at the end of your placement. Again, you will be required to complete a self-assessment using COMPASS On-line prior to meeting with your CE/s. This final assessment is summative in nature, meaning that it provides the CE/s with the opportunity to give final marks and feedback regarding the entire placement. At this point you are required to be at entry-level across each of the four generic professional competencies as well as all of the CBOS units. The behavioural descriptors for the entry-level student can be found in the COMPASS Assessment Resource Manual which is available on COMPASS On-line and will also be posted on Moodle. The pass criteria for entry-level block placements are also described in the 2020 Speech Pathology Clinical Education Handbook.

• you are required to complete a learning contract at the beginning of your placement - this is a learning agreement that is reached between you and your CE/s, generally in the first week of the placement. It enables both you and your CE/s to identify and discuss any particular areas which need to be focussed on and developed throughout the placement. The contract is to be reviewed at the mid and final points of your placements, in order to determine whether the goals you have set for yourself have been achieved.

• you must also complete and submit any additional documentation that is required by the CE or placement organisation, such as written reports and information for client files.
  

Further details regarding learning contracts and COMPASS can all be found in the 2020 Speech Pathology Clinical Education Handbook, which is available on Moodle. In addition, the handbook describes the expectations of students who are completing placements, including information regarding dress code, professional conduct, confidentiality, and managing a range of issues during placements. You should ensure that you are familiar with the content of the Clinical Education Handbook prior to commencing any placement.

This assessment item has pass/fail criteria and must be passed in order to achieve a pass grade for this unit.

Also note that in order to commence this block placement, you must have met all pre-clinical requirements (a.k.a. mandatory checks) and these must remain current for the duration of your placement. Information regarding pre-clinical requirements can be obtained from the Work-Integrated Learning Office via email: smas-clinicalplacements@cqu.edu.au. Different workplaces may also have additional pre-clinical requirements that relate to their particular workplace/facility/organisation, such as training related to the use of telepractice or infection control, or specific vaccinations such as the influenza vaccination (this is particularly the case when working with vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and immuno-compromised individuals). It is up to you as the student to ensure that you have met all of these requirements, otherwise you may not be able to attend a placement and complete this assessment task.

You will be assessed on the four generic professional competencies and the seven CBOS (Occupational) competencies through the use of COMPASS On-line.

The generic professional competency units are:

• Professional Competency Unit 1: Reasoning
• Professional Competency Unit 2: Communication
• Professional Competency Unit 3: Learning
• Professional Competency Unit 4: Professionalism

The CBOS units are:

• CBOS Unit 1: Assessment
• CBOS Unit 2: Analysis and Interpretation
• CBOS Unit 3: Planning Evidence-based Speech Pathology Practices
• CBOS Unit 4: Implementation of Speech Pathology Practice
• CBOS Unit 5: Planning, Providing and Managing Speech Pathology Services
• CBOS Unit 6: Professional and Supervisory Practice
• CBOS Unit 7: Lifelong Learning and Reflective Practice

Further information regarding each of these units can be found in the COMPASS Assessment Resource Manual, available through COMPASS On-line: https://compass.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/compass/portal/portal.jsp.

Prior to meeting with your CE/s to complete your mid-placement and final-placement assessments, you must first complete the self-assessment component through COMPASS On-line. You must also bring the learning contract that was developed at the commencement of the placement, for you and your CE/s to review, as this will aid the discussion you have about the progress you have made and any objectives you may have achieved.

At the final-placement assessment, your COMPASS results must indicate that you have demonstrated entry-level competence across each of the eleven CBOS and generic professional competency units.

A range of important policies, procedures and additional information regarding work-integrated learning (placements) can be found in the 2020 Speech Pathology Clinical Edcuation Handbook. Students should ensure that they are highly familiar with the content of the handbook and that they abide by the rules and guidelines included in this document.

As you complete your block placement as part of this unit, you are required to track and record your work-integrated learning experiences by logging your hours on the electronic spreadsheet provided to you by the Unit Coordinator at the beginning of Term 2. The instructions required to complete this process can be found in the 2020 Speech Pathology Clinical Education Handbook as well as on the record form itself. To help ensure the accuracy of this hours record, it is strongly recommended that you enter your hours into the spreadsheet on a daily basis. 

It should be noted that Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) does not specify the number of clinical hours that students must complete during the course of any Australian university’s Speech Pathology program. SPA instead places the focus on the minimum level of competence, skills and knowledge required for entry into the workforce as a qualified and competent speech pathologist (The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited, 2005). CQUniversity's approach is consistent with SPA’s philosophy and therefore does not have a specific requirement regarding the minimum number of clinical hours each student must complete by the end of the Speech Pathology course. Submission of the record form for this unit is therefore a pass/fail assessment requirement. You should be aware however that you are also expected to track this data and keep copies for your own records, as evidence of clinical hours may be required if you are requested to provide evidence of clinical experience when applying for work as a speech pathologist overseas.

In order to pass this assessment task, you must complete and submit an electronic copy of the Speech Pathology Work-Integrated Learning Record provided to you by your Unit Coordinator, within one week of completing your paediatric-focussed block placement. Instructions for completion can be found in the 2020 Speech Pathology Clinical Education Handbook as well as on the record form itself. 

A strong ability and willingness to engage in reflective practice is a key ingredient to becoming a competent speech pathology clinician. It is a vital part of implementing evidence-based practice, developing professional reasoning skills, and engaging in the process of lifelong learning (Lewis, 2013). Throughout the CB87 Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) course, you have had many opportunities to reflect on your skills, knowledge and experiences as a student clinician. This specific assessment task will provide you with further opportunities to demonstrate and develop your reflective skills, as you near the conclusion of your degree.

This reflective portfolio assessment item requires you to provide a collection of evidence, including a series of written reflections and supporting documentation, that demonstrates the knowledge, skills and competence that you have gained and/or demonstrated during your entry-level, paediatric-focussed block placement. In doing so, you should reflect on your learning journey throughout the course and explain how it has culminated in this most recent placement. As part of this portfolio, you also need to identify your ongoing learning needs and strategies that may assist you to continue your lifelong learning journey after graduation. Your reflections are required to demonstrate deep and critical thinking and must relate specifically to evidence-based practice, client-centred care, the ICF, inter-professional practice, and both CBOS and the generic professional competencies. Specific, structured tasks will be set by the Unit Coordinator and described in the task instructions that will be available through Moodle. 

This assessment task is worth 60% of your final grade for the SPCH14006 unit.

A marking rubric containing specific task instructions and assessment criteria for this task will be made available on the unit Moodle site during term. The assessment criteria will be based on your ability to:

• identify, reflect on and discuss your experiences, skills, knowledge, competence and learning needs in light of the paediatric-focussed block placement you completed this term;
• reflect deeply upon your experiences and make clear links between these experiences and the relevant CBOS and/or generic professional competency units;
• demonstrate your understanding of the importance and application of evidence-based practice, client-centred care, the ICF framework and inter-professional practice;
• use appropriate writing conventions, including accurate spelling, grammar, punctuation, cohesion, clarity, and organisation;
• present a portfolio that has a professional appearance, contains de-identified information, and accurate use of APA referencing.

In order to pass this item you must achieve a minimum mark of 50%.

For this assessment task you will be required to complete a viva (an oral assessment) based on a paediatric clinical scenario. You will be provided with written case information about a child who is presenting with communication and/or swallowing difficulties, as well as a number of social/psychosocial issues. You will be given a short amount of time to consider this written information prior to commencing an oral assessment in the form of an interview. During this interview you must independently demonstrate your skills, knowledge and competence in the practice areas of child speech, language and multimodal communication. You will be required to respond to a range of questions about the case and to consider and discuss the information you have been provided with. You will also be presented with additional information during the interview that may influence your professional decision making, such as complications relating to the child's personal circumstances or challenges to service delivery. 

Throughout the interview you are expected to demonstrate your ability to independently integrate information, to problem-solve in real-time, to make decisions regarding assessment and intervention and the overall management of a client (with reference to the ICF and within the ethical guidelines of the speech pathology profession), to use effective thinking and reasoning skills, and to provide clear and appropriate rationales for decisions that carefully consider evidence-based practice.

Your responses will be verbal only and will be video-recorded. This viva will take place following the completion of your paediatric-focussed block placement, at a date and time that will be set by your Unit Coordinator. 

This assessment task is worth 40% of your final grade for the SPCH14006 unit. For this assessment task you will be assessed against entry-level requirements outlined in Speech Pathology Australia's Competency Based Occupational Standards (CBOS). The assessment criteria relate specifically to:

• creating an assessment plan that demonstrates critical evaluation and synthesis of information sources and factors affecting communication performance, that is individually tailored to the client, and that uses best available evidence to determine the most suitable assessment procedure/s. 
• using and integrating knowledge, clinical reasoning, decision making skills and evidence-based practice in order to analyse and interpret assessment data, to identify gaps in information, and to discuss management of and likely outcomes for the client. 
• using and integrating knowledge, clinical reasoning and current evidence-based practice to inform the development of a holistic intervention plan that demonstrates careful consideration of client abilities, priorities and needs.
• being flexible and using problem-solving skills as needed, when presented with unexpected challenges and/or when clients require additional assistance to achieve their goals. 
• communicating clearly and effectively, engaging in professional conduct at all times, providing reasoning and decision-making processes involved in the approach to case management, applying principles of client-centred practice, incorporating relevant aspects of the ICF to guide decision-making regarding the client, and engaging in reflective thinking to critically appraise your professional competencies within speech pathology practice.

In order to pass this item you must achieve a minimum mark of 50% and demonstrate entry-level competence related to each of the above assessment criteria.