Physiotherapy – Inherent Requirements

• Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments.  Physiotherapy students will be exposed to human discomfort in the clinical setting and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage situations objectively and professionally

• Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
• Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals in clinical, school, work and community settings
• Maintaining effective professional boundaries so as to not negatively impact directly or indirectly on the mental and emotional wellbeing of individuals they are working with.

• Capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information
• Ability to process information relevant to practice
• Ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Safe and effective delivery of Physiotherapy services and care is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately

• Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items
• Appropriately applying knowledge of policy and procedures in clinical, school, work and community settings
• Know and correctly interpret and apply a wide range of research findings to provide safe client care

• acquire information and to accurately convey messages
• comprehend a range of literature and information
• construct written communication appropriate to the circumstances

• The ability to acquire and comprehend information from multiple sources and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective delivery of Physiotherapy client care
• The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective delivery of Physiotherapy.

• Conveying a spoken message accurately and effectively in a clinical setting
• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments
• Communication of clinical requirements and treatments, with the completion of documentation, in accordance with the level of practice and clinical setting
• Producing accurate, concise and clear documentation which meets legal requirements

• Competent application of numeracy skills is essential to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of Physiotherapy

• Performing accurate calculations (e.g. range of motion, body mass index, heart rate range, oxygen levels, blood pressure, exercise prescription)
• Critical analysis of relevant literature, including numeracy in statistics

• Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to ensure prioritisation, coordination and effective performance of assessment and intervention and to maintain consistent, accurate and safe Physiotherapy practice and to protect the safety of self and others
• Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective Physiotherapy practice

• Ability to identify abnormal movement (e.g. postural, biomechanical, motor control, anatomical)
• Ability to accurately identify, palpate or perform physical assessments on specific muscle groups or injuries
• Ability to see and recognise abnormal ECG or blood pressure in cardiopulmonary clients
• Ability to terminate a test for reasons of symptoms related to abnormal ECG or elevated blood pressure and then deal with a client needing medical assistance
• Ability to assess and evaluate and to demonstrate functional specific movement patterns and skills
• Ability to observe issues which may compromise the safety of any individual they are working with during clinical skills.

• Sufficient auditory acuity to ensure prioritisation, coordination and effective performance of assessment and intervention and to maintain consistent, accurate and safe Physiotherapy practice and to protect the safety of self and others
• Use of audition during observations of functional or daily living activities, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective Physiotherapy practice

• Accurately interpreting verbal cues from client history
• Accurately interpreting client statements, requests, concerns and comments
• Detecting care request by calls for help

• Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to ensure prioritisation, coordination and effective performance of assessment and intervention and to maintain consistent, accurate and safe Physiotherapy practice and to protect the safety of self and others
• Tactile assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective Physiotherapy practice

• Accurately interpreting tactile cues from client
• Conducting a physical assessment and detecting movement changes eg Manual Muscle Testing
• Accurately interpreting features of client occupational performance through touch

1

Physiotherapy practice involves physical demands and requires balance and gross motor function and mobility

2

Student demonstrates the ability to perform gross motor skills and mobility to function within scope of Physiotherapy practice

3

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, balancing, 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.
• Personal mobility including travel and negotiation of various physical environments in clinical and community settings.

4

Adjustments must facilitate functional effectiveness, safety of self and others and a capacity to provide appropriate and safe assessment and intervention

5

Exemplars:

• Ability to respond in client safety emergency situations for example, administering CPR
• Ability to safely retrieve, set-up and utilise clinical equipment
• Ability to physically conduct clinical exercises
• Ability to demonstrate and conduct a sport specific training session

• Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects. 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 perform subtle manual diagnostic techniques (e.g. manual pressure cuff, manual heart rate monitors, dynamometer, manual therapy)
• Ability to demonstrate and perform fine motor skills in performing subtle manual diagnostic and therapeutic techniques

• Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time
• Ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately
• Capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period of duty

• Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective Physiotherapy practice and care

• Participating in tutorials, lectures, labs, skills practicals throughout the day
• Providing consistent Physiotherapy services over a negotiated time frame
• Ability to prepare, deliver and supervise Physiotherapy rehabilitation programs for community, hospital and other clinical settings

• understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner
• provide clear instructions in the context of the situation
• provide clear and timely feedback and reporting

• Communication may be restricted to verbal because of physical 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

• Participating in tutorial, simulation, laboratory, practical and clinical discussions
• Responding appropriately to a care request in a clinical or community environment (e.g. instructing clients on correct use of equipment and on mobility and exercises)

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

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic, work 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, work and professional relationships
• Being sensitive to individual differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships
• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation of client responses, symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and treatment of clients

• Recognising and responding appropriately in classroom (inside and outdoor; within or external to the University) situations
• Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in the community, clinical and professional environments

• Construction of essays/reports/assignments and other written work to academic standards is required in order to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter, procedures and professional practice
• Accurately written communication, including record-keeping and client notes, is vital to provide consistent and safe patient care in Physiotherapy practice

• Constructing an essay to academic standards
• Constructing a report or exercise prescription or rehabilitation program in a timely manner that meets professional standards
• Producing accurate, concise and clear Physiotherapy documentation which meets legal requirements