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LocationDomesticInternational
Gold Coast

Unit description

Builds on previous work integrated experiences and provides students with a 7 week full-time continued supervised clinical experience in the provision of pedorthic services to the general public. Within this supervised environment the student clinician will be responsible for case planning and management.

Unit content

Students will be involved in providing pedorthic treatment involving custom made orthoses and footwear for  medium risk cases. The cases will need to have a level of complexity or lower limb deformity to clinically require complete custom-made footwear with orthotic elements.  The student is expected to do the pedorthic assessment, develop the treatment plan, take, design and construct the cast negatives and positives, orthoses and footwear under supervision and guidance. This will include fitting trials with the client. 

While on placement students, under lower level of supervision and guidance, will participate in learning experiences to develop medium level clinical, professional and communication skills.  These experiences will include:

  • Taking health histories of clients with medium risk and increased level of complexity or foot and ankle deformity or functional impairments
  • Biomechanical assessments sports, neurological and muscular impairment, skeletal deformities and reviewing medical reports, including radiology results
  • Clinical assessments (including, but limited to, range of motion checks, skin condition, muscular ability, hands-on manual examination) and treatment plan for the lower limb
  • Treatment planning considering evidence based practice, implementation and progress review including appropriate adjustments to treatment (for the lower limb)
  • Three-dimensional foot and ankle model (casting and scanning) for clients
  • Manufacture of pedorthic appliances for low risk clients, including design and construct the cast negatives and positives, orthoses and complete footwear
  • Conduct trial fittings as well as final fittings. Compare outcome against planed outcome, account for variations.
  • Provide client / user focused induction to the use, care and follow up of any fitted appliance.
  • Reviewing cases by peer and supervisor interaction

In this context, workplace professionalism including teamwork; limitations of pedorthic practice and appropriate referral to other health care professionals; workplace health and safety regulations and infection control; and medico-legal and ethical principles pertaining to clinical practice will be strengthened. Integral to this, students will be required to communicate by written and oral means with clients, peers, staff and other health care professionals using language and terminology appropriate to the situation.

 

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1demonstrate advanced skills to work as a safe, competent pedorthic practitioner
2demonstrate a professional level of case management skills consistent with a beginning pedorthic practitioner
3provide person-centred pedorthic advice and appliances for complex/high risk cases
4display high standards of professional and ethical conduct consistent with a beginning pedorthic practitioner
5communicate competently and professionally, and present a case study consistent with the requirements of a beginning pedorthic practitioner
6critically review pedorthic practice.
7evaluate quality and develop quality improvement activities for pedorthic service delivery.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. demonstrate advanced skills to work as a safe, competent pedorthic practitioner
  2. demonstrate a professional level of case management skills consistent with a beginning pedorthic practitioner
  3. provide person-centred pedorthic advice and appliances for complex/high risk cases
  4. display high standards of professional and ethical conduct consistent with a beginning pedorthic practitioner
  5. communicate competently and professionally, and present a case study consistent with the requirements of a beginning pedorthic practitioner
  6. critically review pedorthic practice.
  7. evaluate quality and develop quality improvement activities for pedorthic service delivery.

Prescribed Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts
  • Prescribed text information is not currently available.
Prescribed Resources/Equipment
  • Prescribed resources/equipment information is not currently available.
Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods

Teaching and assessment

Teaching method
Placement 40 hrs (7 wks)
Assessment
Case studySR
VIVA examSR
Clinical skillsSR
Learning portfolioSR
Clinical skillsSR
PlacementSR
Notice

Intensive offerings may or may not be scheduled in every teaching period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Southern Cross University employs different teaching methods within units to provide students with the flexibility to choose the mode of learning that best suits them. SCU academics strive to use the latest approaches and, as a result, the learning modes and materials may change. The most current information regarding a unit will be provided to enrolled students at the beginning of the teaching period.

Fee information

Domestic

Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.

Fee paying courses
For postgraduate or undergraduate full fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees

International

Please check the international course and fee list to determine the relevant fees.

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