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Course Outlines

PHYSIOTH 1000 - Introduction to Physiotherapy Practice

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2025

In this course students will be introduced to a community engagement experience and develop relevant personal and professional skills. An understanding of the history of the physiotherapy profession, scope of practice and professional behaviour as outlined by codes of practice will be introduced. Students will explore critical thinking, reflection and communication, and the development of professional identity as a health practitioner will be introduced. The course will involve a series of lectures, practical sessions, workshops, online components and a work integrated learning experience that will assist in the development of professional skills.

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  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code PHYSIOTH 1000
    Course Introduction to Physiotherapy Practice
    Coordinating Unit Physiotherapy
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 5 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Restrictions Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours)
    Assessment Final examination, various assignments and continuous assessment tasks
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Amanda Maddern

    Course Coordinator: Deb Wadham
    Phone: +61 8 8313 3647
    Email: deb.wadham@adelaide.edu.au
    Location Level 4, Engineering & Maths Sciences Building

    Tutor: Dr Rutger de Zoete
    Phone: +61 8 8313 3034
    Email: rutger.dezoete@adelaide.edu.au 
    Location: Level 4, Engineering & Maths Sciences Building

    Tutor: Nicole Prideaux
    Phone: +61 8 8313 3697
    Email: nicole.prideaux@adelaide.edu.au
    Location Level 4, Engineering & Maths Sciences Building

    Student & Program Support Services Hub
    Phone: +61 8 8313 5336
    Email: askhealthsc@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Ground Floor, Helen Mayo North
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

    Timetable information can be found in the MyUni website for this course.
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 Describe physiotherapy practice in Australia, including history, scope of practice, practice thresholds, codes of conduct, and the regulatory frameworks that govern the profession.
    2 Explain the importance of effective communication and cultural safety with people from diverse backgrounds, including peers, supervisors and people in the community.
    3 Discuss self-perceptions of the physiotherapy profession in community practice.
    4 Identify and assess activities in physiotherapy practice, in the context of community practice.
    5 Select and perform safe, appropriate and individualised gait aid prescription
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    		 1, 2

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    		 3, 4

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    		 2

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    		 1, 3, 4

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    		 2

    Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency

    Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.

    		 2

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    		 2

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    		 3, 4
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    No textbook required. Scientific articles and online readings will be made available on MyUni.
    Online Learning
    All notes, resource manuals and papers for lectures, practicals, tutorial sessions and assessment tasks are available on MyUni as well as lists of suitable readings, online quizzes and links to external websites.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The approach to learning and teaching involves students’ progression through seven weeks of dedicated coursework. During these seven weeks, students will explore the domains of physiotherapy practice, familiarise themselves with the profession’s regulating bodies, and learn about the code of conduct. Each week will be comprised of a lecture, workshop, practical class and online activities. Students will attend observational placements in a variety of clinical settings in weeks 8-11. There will be a debriefing workshop in the final week to allow students to share their experiences from the observational placements.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Practicals: 9 x 2 hours = 18 hours
    Workshops: 9 x 2 hours = 18 hours
    Placement: 2 x 4 hours = 8 hours
    Examination: 1 x 2 hours = 2 hours
    Preparation for Practical and Workshop Sessions: 1 hour per session = 14 hours
    Preparation for Placement: 3 hours per session = 12 hours
    Preparation for Assessment Tasks = 35 hours
    Weekly reading and online modules: 4 hours per week = 48 hours
    TOTAL = 155 hours
    Learning Activities Summary
    The following content will be covered within this course:

    • Introduction to the physiotherapy profession
    • The history of physiotherapy in Australia
    • The different domains of physiotherapy
    • Physiotherapy code of conduct and scope of practice
    • Informed consent and the foundations of touch
    • Subjective assessment in physiotherapy
    • Objective assessment in physiotherapy
    • Repeated and standardised patient assessment
    • Basic concepts of physiotherapeutic treatment and management
    • Therapeutic management, planning, and self-management
    • Public health approach to physiotherapy treatment, introducing health promotion and public health
    • Introduction to cardiorespiratory physiotherapy
    • Introduction to neurological physiotherapy
    • Introduction to musculoskeletal physiotherapy
    • Introduction to aged-care physiotherapy
    • Introduction to paediatric physiotherapy

    Students will also be required to undertake four observational clinical placements in a variety of clinical settings, providing them with first-hand experience to support the theoretical content.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    The assessment for Introduction to Physiotherapy Practice consists of:

    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome
    Examination Summative 40% 1, 2, 3, 4
    Assignment Summative 20% 1, 2, 4
    Continuous Assessment Formative & Summative 40% 1, 2, 3, 4
    Detailed information, including due dates, can be found in the MyUni wesbite for this course.
    Assessment Detail

    Examination (40%) – The final examination consists of a written and practical component:

    1. Written examination (20%): Students will complete an end-of-semester written examination within the University exam period covering content delivered within the course.
    2. Objective Structured Clinical Examination (20%): Students will complete an end-of-semester OSCE covering practical skills that reflect the learning activities as covered for the different domains of physiotherapy.

    Assignment (20%) - Students will complete an assignment related to the physiotherapy code of conduct and professional and culturally safe behaviour. The assignment is an analysis of a case study.

    Continuous Assessment (40%) - Continuous assessment tasks will occur frequently throughout scheduled course time and will not require additional preparation time beyond normal expectations. The continuous assessment consists of three parts:

    1. A discussion board post and responses to other students’ posts (formative assessment, not moderated)
    2. Three online quizzes (10% each) (summative assessment, not moderated)
    3. A written reflective submission or case study relating to experiences on observational placement (10%, moderated)
    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through .

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines

    This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.

  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.
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