This unit of study is concerned with exploring theories, models and research of clinical reasoning and decision-making from the medical, nursing and allied health literature. You will be introduced to a range of strategies to facilitate the development of clinical reasoning, and have the opportunity to explore the research literature relevant to the teaching of clinical reasoning, and to plan the application of strategies to a learning problem your own clinical educational context.

This unit of study is concerned with exploring current theory and best practice in teaching and supervision in clinical settings. Participants will be expected to develop a critical and research-informed understanding of the clinical setting as a highly complex and specialised context for student learning, and to investigate and argue for the application of teaching/learning strategies to a learning problem in their own clinical education contexts.

This unit provides students with an understanding of the major theoretical perspectives, concepts and vocabulary of psychology. Psychology is concerned with the science of human behaviour - how individuals perceive, think about, and behave in the world. It is concerned with identifying how internal determinants (characteristics unique to the person, and part of physical or psychological make-up) and external determinants (physical environment and social context) impact upon the individual. It is also concerned with the way in which people change over time, as well as explaining and predicting what they might do at any one time. The unit aims to position psychology as an essential ingredient in understanding health behaviour. This unit is only available to students who have no undergraduate studies in psychology.

This unit offers students an insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with population ageing and what is required to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of older people and those who will interact with them. It addresses the social and individual dimensions of ageing, health and well-being and the transitions that occur in later life. There will be an emphasis on the policy and practice implications of an ageing society and the role of various public and private providers (government, health care practitioners, family, voluntary) in providing services and care to older people. Students will be expected to develop a critical understanding of the issues related to ageing and the life course in three specific study areas: 1) Population and social issues; 2) Policies and services; 3) Health promotion and quality of life for older people, their families and carers.

This unit of study presents a multi-disciplinary and critical introduction to the study of health and safety at work. It evaluates the perspectives of the wide range of health, technical and health disciplines that contribute to the field and guides the application of these perspectives to a broader and more comprehensive understanding of the prevention and management of disease and injury. It addresses occupational injury and disease causation; the health and safety of older workers; precarious employment and workplace health and safety; regulation and prevention; workers compensation and rehabilitation; approaches to health and safety management; worker participation and involvement; and case studies of 1) working hours, work-life conflict and health and 2) work-related musculoskeletal injuries.

This unit studies human ageing from biological perspectives. The unit is designed to address issues relevant to health care service provision and the promotion of quality of life in ageing. It is not directed at a specific professional group. And addresses issues related to ageing in a generalist way. The emphasis is on understanding the main features of 'normal' ageing or senescence as distinct from disease processes and the contribution of environmental factors to ageing. It has three modules: first addresses the processes underlying the process fo ageing, the second addresses how health service interventions can modify the reponse to ageing in beneficial and detrimental ways; and the third focuses on the roles of nutrition and exercise in improving the wellbeing of the ageing population.

This unit of study introduces the basic concepts in musculoskeletal anatomy prior to a more detailed study of the gross anatomical structure of the upper limb and vertebral column as they relate to functional activities. Material will be presented in lectures, practical sessions and online. Students will also be expected to undertake some independent learning activities. This unit includes laboratory classes in which human cadavers are studied; attendance at such classes is strongly encouraged.

The subject has a major emphasis on the responses of skeletal muscle metabolism to the acute stress imposed by exercise, and how muscle metabolism is altered by endurance training. Respiratory gas analysis of whole body metabolism is used to investigate muscle metabolism, and students will gain skills in both practical aspects of collection of gas exchange data and in the calculation and interpretation of data in terms of oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and fuel oxidation. In addition, the acute cardiovascular and respiratory responses to exercises are examined and cardiovascular adaptations to training are discussed.
Recent discoveries in the area of molecular signalling pathways are used to integrate topic areas of muscle fatigue, improved endurance capacity following training and the health benefits of regular exercise.

This unit takes both a behavioural and a neurophysiological approach to the acquisition and execution of skilled motor actions. These approaches overlap, with the behavioural approach being primarily directed at the structures and processes underlying movement without considering their physical basis, while the neurophysiological approach is primarily directed at the neuromuscular machinery and the functional neural connections that govern movement. The information processing and energetic capacities that underpin motor performance are examined; such as memory, attention, decision-making, movement planning, speed-accuracy trade-off, force control, economy of energy, coordination, multi-task performance, automaticity, lateralisation, sense of effort and resources, as well as expert-novice skill differences. The features of learning that can be manipulated to promote motor learning are also examined, such as learner motivation, methods of instruction, practice and modelling conditions, and types of instructional feedback. The applications to teaching motor skills, coaching and rehabilitation are considered. Finally, and across the unit, ecological and motor program theoretical approaches to motor control learning are integrated. Students will read relevant research and theoretical material and be expected to report and interpret their findings and contribute to class discussion. This unit of study will be offered on campus supported with Blackboard resources.

This unit of study will teach students how to critically appraise clinical research pertinent to health professionals and to practise evidence-based decision-making. Self-directed modules address qualitative and quantitative study designs, experiences of therapies, effects of interventions, accuracy of diagnostic tests, prognoses, cost-effectiveness, and clinical decision analysis

This unit provides an introduction to health care systems with an emphasis on the Australian health care system. Topics to be studied include Commonwealth, State and Local government responsibilities for health with a particular focus on the structure and organisation of health care, health care financing and the health workforce. The Australian health care system analysed with particular attention to the concepts of effectiveness, efficiency and equity. The unit encourages a critical appraisal of current public policies and health care arrangements within an international context.

Cultural practices, disease patterns and healthcare systems are vastly different in different countries around the globe. This unit provides students with the opportunity to work with non-government organisations in a developing country for up to six weeks. Countries where students can be placed include Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Nepal. As part of the unit students will be expected to participate in local development programs, live within the community that they are visiting, and document key health and development issues facing local populations. The unit will require that students illustrate project management skills; develop an awareness of cultural issues facing individuals and organisation in your host country; and, illustrate your capacity to document and report on local health issues.

This unit is concerned with the sensory processes that underlie perception of one's own body, its' states and motor action. It aims to develop a broad knowledge about sensory function and an understanding of theory and research approaches. Sensory functioning in both healthy and disease states will be considered. Topics covered include: proprioception or sense of position and movement of body parts, vestibular system or sense of balance and motion relative to gravity, touch, vision, brain plasticity, disorders of sensory processing (agnosias, neglect, chronic pain, phantom limbs, vertigo), pain and recent experimental developments in sensomotor rehabilitation, and alleviation of pain. The unit will also examine the use of technology as an extension of one's impaired body (e.g., brain-computer interface). Tutorial assessment includes in-depth analysis of a topic of your choice and running your own experiments. NB: This unit does not teach about standard treatments taught in the core units of professional courses. You will not be instructed directly what to do with patients, but will gain a broad knowledge that allows you to better understand the complexity of their states. This knowledge will develop your ability to reflect on the current health practice, understand its future developments and personally contribute to them.

This unit extends the patient communication skills of the health science practitioner. It aims to make the practitioner more effective at giving and receiving information when interacting with the patient. The enhancement of listening skills will be encouraged, with an emphasis on patient empowerment, support, advice and counselling. Students will be encouraged to become reflective practitioners in the area of communication, and to become active consumers and evaluators of communication in its broadest context.

This subject is designed to explore in depth the evidence base for interventions related to intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for falls in older people. The content will be multifactorial. The unit will also provide an orientation to the conceptual framework and models that underpin falls prevention practice, with an emphasis on community contexts. The written assignment will provide an opportunity to explore and apply relevant theory to a chosen intervention and context in falls prevention.

This unit provides the opportunity for health professionals from any background to increase their knowledge and experience of stroke rehabilitation. The aim of this unit is to develop student understanding of the long-term nature of stroke recovery and rehabilitation after stroke. Topics will include stroke epidemiology, brain plasticity, person-centred goal setting, mobility, travel and driving, upper limb and cognitive retraining, communication, mood changes and self-management. Different modes of service delivery will be explored including telehealth. Students will collaborate with a stroke survivor during the semester, and assist that person to set, and work towards achievement of, personal goals.

This unit introduces students to issues relating to the management of public offenders for both adults of young offenders. Students will consider the major theories of criminality and their implications for rehabilitation in correctional settings. They will examine and comment on the different approaches to males/females/young offenders. Attention will be paid to incarceration policy and issues relating to those with mental health problems and with problems of addiction. Students will also be introduced to the range of correctional alternatives within and outside jails, e.g., community service options, weekend jail, work release and probation and parole, etc. In addition, students will examine the role of professionals in and out of jails. They will examine and assess the role of health professionals in the area of addiction, mental health, and HIV counselling within the jail system and the ethical issues surrounding these services. Also covered will be the role of health service professionals working with offenders in non-jail programs: e.g., probation and parole, community service and civil rehabilitation.

This unit provides participants with an opportunity to investigate a relevant theory, practice, topic or issue linked to their professional interest. Many students use the unit as an opportunity to undertake a critical review of the literature or explore an innovation in their workplace. Prospective students must contact their program coordinator to discuss their topic.

This unit introduces students to basic statistical principles relevant to the manipulation and analysis of clinical data. Students will be exposed to concepts of sampling, distributions of scores, summaries of data, and treatment of categorical and quantitative data. This last topic will include chi square analysis, calculation of confidence intervals, tests for differences in the locations of samples (including t-tests and tests for non-normally distributed data), correlation and regression, sample size estimation and an introduction to survival analysis. It is expected that at the conclusion of the unit students will be able to: appraise published statistical analyses; perform simple statistical tests by hand and with the assistance of a computer package SAS or SPSS; and present statistical data.

This unit focuses on qualitative research methodologies, including the disciplinary traditions that contribute to qualitative methodologies and the construction of knowledge using qualitative methods. The implications of methodology for research design will be examined, as will approaches to data collection and analysis. Activities to build skills in research design, data collection and data analysis will be included. Students will work on a research project of their choice throughout the semester.

This unit provides an overview of the research process and focuses on the formulation of a proposal for a small research project. It provides students with an opportunity to learn about (or update their knowledge of) research methods at the introductory level and acts as an introduction to the research electives which concentrate on a particular methodology or aspect of the research process. Students explore quantitative and qualitative approaches to research with their own specific research question in mind. Basic research designs are considered (including interview, observation, longitudinal and cross-sectional designs, experiment, single case study, survey) together with their suitability for investigating different types of research questions. Students also learn about ethics in research, sampling, validity and reliability of measures and descriptive statistics.

Students will undertake a supervised research project in an area relevant to the discipline of occupational therapy. This unit is designed to assist students with the development of a research question, a systematic literature review and research proposal, and any ethics applications that may be applicable to their individual research topics. Students will develop an understanding of the strengths of different research methods and be able to provide a rationale for the methodology selected for their research question. Students will effectively communicate the aims, methods and implications of their proposed research in a research proposal.