Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will assess and manage complex musculoskeletal and inflammatory disorders common to the lower extremity. Rheumatology as it relates to the foot and associated arthropathies will be covered in detail with respect to aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, investigation, and management. You will learn how these disorders can be managed by different interventions, including the use of pressure reducing devices and footwear intervention.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 4 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisite: PODI13011 Podiatry Clinical Practice 3. Co-requisite: PODI14008 Podiatry Clinical Practice 4. 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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
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).
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 20% |
| 2. In-class Test(s) | 50% |
| 3. On-campus Activity | 30% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 100% response rate.
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.
Source: Staff feedback
Assessment requirements and the scaffolding against relevant learning outcomes should be clearly articulated.
It is recommended that the unit coordinator clearly articulates assessment requirements and understand how individual assessment items scaffold upon one another throughout the term.
In 2025, the unit coordinator clearly articulated assessment requirements to students during the introductory lessons.
Source: Staff feedback
Consideration should be made to maximise exposure to practical elements of this units content
It is recommended that opportunities for practical exposure and application of skills consistent with the units be considered in the unit design.
In 2025, the volume and diversity of practicum activities in this unit were increased.
Source: Staff feedback
The radiology teaching materials in PODI14009 may benefit from an update to improve clarity and to scaffold effectively upon content delivered in pre-requisite units
It is recommended that the radiology teaching materials are reviewed and updated where required for clarity and for effective scaffolding upon what students have learned in prior units
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Recognise and appraise the pathophysiology and clinical pattern of common arthropathies and musculoskeletal disorders specific to the lower extremity
- Evaluate conservative therapies applicable to the patient with rheumatic diseases and implement an appropriate patient-centred management plan.
- Develop patient education strategies for optimum management of common lower extremity musculoskeletal and inflammatory disorders.
- Engage in active learning and apply an evidence based approach to rheumatology and musculoskeletal medicine in podiatry practice.
Per NPC1320
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | ||
| 2 - In-class Test(s) | • | • | ||
| 3 - On-campus Activity | • | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 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 | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |