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Monash University: University handbooks: Undergraduate handbook: Units indexed by faculty
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Bachelor of Physiotherapy

Course code: 3868 + Course abbreviation: BPT + Total credit points required: 192 + 4 years full-time

Study mode and course location

On-campus (Peninsula - F/T only)

Course description

Monash physiotherapy education is built around five themes delivered within a fully integrated curriculum. Commencing first semester, the curriculum is structured around conditionsfor which people typically seek physiotherapy. In the later years of the course, the focus moves to learning in a clinical environment. This provides opportunities for students toapply knowledge and skills, andappreciate the relevance of ongoing learning in the context of supervised health care delivery.

Monash physiotherapy education facilitates development of skills through small group learning. Otherfeatures of this degree are opportunities to experience interdisciplinary rural health care delivery and interprofessionaleducation (IPE). In IPE, students spend some time each semester learning and collaborating withstudents enrolled in other health science courses including occupational therapy, nursing, ambulance and paramedicstudiesand social work.

Clinical practicum across all years of the course is compulsory. In the third and fourth years of study,the majority of time is spent in clinical education. Some flexibility may be required of students, both interms of hours worked at clinics and scheduling of clinical education.

All students can expect to have rural attachments during the course (proposed placements include one week in first year and two weeksin second year). Some students will have additional rural clinical education of four, 12 or 15 weeks during third or fourth year. Studentsshould take these matters into consideration when considering casual employment.

Course themes

Theme 1: Personal and professional development

This theme focuses on the development of personal attributes and skills that assist the student in the transition from student to physiotherapist. It includes verbal and written communication skills and developing an understanding of the importance of relevant ethical and legal issues and the physiotherapy profession.

Theme 2: Population, society and health

This theme provides the structure to learn about and deal with broader society and population issues and is underpinned by an internationally accepted socio-ecological model of health.

Theme 3: Fundamental knowledge of health science

This theme provides the knowledge and skills required for physiotherapy clinical practice. It includes biomedical and behavioural sciences as well as the theory of physiotherapy practice.

Theme 4: Applied practice

This theme develops clinical competencies for physiotherapy practice. It focuses on the incorporation of the best available research evidence with the clinical reasoning skills of assessment, management, evaluation and health care of patients across the lifespan and across a spectrum of patient environments and circumstances.

Theme 5: Research

This theme provides opportunities to learn the knowledge and skills to locate, interpret and critically evaluate research into conditions and practices relevant to physiotherapy.

Course objectives

A graduate of the Bachelor of Physiotherapy(BPT) will demonstrate the generic attributes of a Monash University graduate. The learning objectives in physiotherapy are described in levels: Level 1 objectives are shared with Occupational Therapy and Health Science/Social Work; Level 2 objectives are specific to the BPT and are described below under the integrated course themes.

  • + Personal and professional development: On successful completion of the BPT graduates will be expected to: show respectful behaviour when interacting with people; use a person-centred approach in delivery of care to people; integrate an awareness of ethical issues in clinical practice and a consideration of ethical principles in health care practices; demonstrate knowledge of the legislation that is relevant to physiotherapy practice; utilise physiotherapy practices that aim to ease pain and suffering; identify the costs and benefits of treatment options; demonstrate a commitment to maintain high standards of health care; implement quality assurance practices to maintain high standards of health care and service delivery; recognise personal limitations in the provision of health care; demonstrate ability to maintain best practices in a changing health care environment and show commitment to lifelong learning; demonstrate the capacity to embrace uncertainty and pursue knowledge that improves delivery of physiotherapy care; choose practice based on best available evidence; advocate for individuals in need; demonstrate ability to assume leadership when such leadership serves to advance health care; respond appropriately to conditions relevant to physiotherapy registration and employment; communicate clearly, considerately and sensitively with clients and patients across the lifespan, their relatives and colleagues, other members of the health care team and the general public; counsel sensitively and effectively and provide information that informs patients and their families when consenting to any procedure; work in a multi-disciplinary team using leadership skills and collaboration skills as appropriate.
  • + Population, society and health: On successful completion of the BPT graduates will be expected to: show concern and understanding for disadvantaged groups in society; recognise individual beliefs and contributions of health consumers to their care; modify practices to optimise health care in consideration of factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and spiritual beliefs; explain the contribution of population-based health strategies to the care of individuals; be able to describe a variety of applications for physiotherapy in society; appreciate the relationship between practices that are based on evidence of effective health care and other models of health care; recognise factors that influence the organisation and delivery of health care to populations; describe a range of strategies that promote health and prevent disease; consider a spectrum of factors affecting human relationships, the psychological wellbeing of clients and their families, and the interactions between humans and their social and physical environment.
  • + Fundamental knowledge in health sciences: On successful completion of the BPT graduates will be expected to have integrated knowledge and practice and be able to: apply scientific knowledge relevant to biological, behavioural and social sciences at an entry level physiotherapy practitioner standard; understand normal structure, function and development of the human body and mind, the changes that occur across the life span, the interactions, and factors affecting the interactions between the body and mind; recognise aetiology, pathology, symptoms and signs, natural history, and prognosis of physical conditions across the lifespan; demonstrate knowledge of appropriate physiotherapy assessment and care of people with a range of clinical conditions including the fields of cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological physiotherapy; utilise safely a range of appropriate physical interventions including electrophysical agents, and knowledge of appropriate pharmacological management; integrate a selection of informed strategies for health education, disease prevention, amelioration of suffering and disability, rehabilitation, and the care of people who are terminally ill and dying; implement knowledge to minimise risk to self, patient and care givers.
  • + Applied practice: On successful completion of the BPT graduates will be expected to: collect and record a tactful, appropriate, accurate, organised and problem-focused history for people of all ages; perform an accurate physical assessment using valid assessment procedures for clients of all ages; interpret and integrate assessment findings for an appropriate diagnosis or differential diagnosis; formulate a management plan in collaboration with the person and family where appropriate; select from the repertoire of clinical skills those that are appropriate and practical to apply in a given situation to the individual person; implement effective inter-professional, interpersonal and clinical skills in a variety of settings including community and tertiary facilities in metropolitan and rural location; appraise findings from diagnostic studies, utilising an awareness of diagnostic test applications and limitations; evaluate and record health outcomes of physiotherapy intervention using valid assessment procedures; utilise effective communication skills in work practice; counsel sensitively and effectively and provide information that informs people and their families when consenting to any procedure; recognise serious illness and perform common emergency and life-saving procedures such as cardiopulminary resuscitation; work in a multi-disciplinary team using leadership skills and collaboration skills as appropriate; work as a patient advocate in the health care system; and use computer systems for accessing medical information, accessing information about best health care practices, for patient monitoring and for communication between health care professionals at different sites.
  • + Research: On successful completion of the BPT graduates will be expected to: find current information about effective health care practices; access and interpret publications that summarise evidence about the effectiveness of health care practices; evaluate reports of investigations into health care practices; estimate the expected benefit of an intervention based on the magnitude of treatment effects reported in intervention studies; identify the relevance of research outcomes to the needs of individuals with consideration of patient characteristics, treatment effects and intervention methods; evaluate research reports about outcome measures relevant to physiotherapy practice; assess health using outcome measures with acceptable clinimetric properties; differentiate important from unimportant changes in assessment measurements; interpret information about diagnostic test utility and apply this information to diagnostic tests used by physiotherapists; access clinical practice guidelines and apply practice recommendations with consideration of individual patient needs and preferences; maintain knowledge of best practice in health care provision through computer-based resources; adapt health care practices with changes in evidence of best health care; demonstrate effective use of information and communication technology.

Special requirements

Police checks

Organisations that host clinical placements require students to have a current police check regarding their suitability to undertake such placements. All enrolled and prospective students are advised that they will be required to obtain and pay for a police check prior to undertaking the clinical placements in this course. Police checks need to be renewed annually. However in some community partnered programs there may be a requirement to have a police check renewed every six months.

Health requirements

Students will be required to comply with the Faculty Immunisation and Infection Risk Policy, and current recommendations and procedures, to enable them to proceed through the course with an acceptably low level of risk.

It is recommended that all students accept responsibility for having up-to-date immunisations before commencing the course. Recommended immunisations include diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis B.

Prospective and enrolling students will be provided with detailed written information and, as appropriate, counselling about the effects that HIV or hepatitis B infection may have on the ability of health care workers to practice their profession.

Expenses

Students should be advised that in addition to the student contribution amount (SCA), there may be additional costs associated with the course that may include text books and course support material, uniforms for clinical education, and travel, accommodation and living costs associated with rural clinical attachments.

Course structure

During the first and second years of the course, education in the biomedical and behavioural sciences (anatomy, biomechanics, kinesiology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, psychology, radiology, sociology) foundations of physiotherapy practice and research is provided on campus using a problem-based and patient-centred approach to learning.

All students will participate in a one-week interdisciplinary rural attachment in year one, and a two-week interdisciplinary rural attachment in year two to gain knowledge and insight into rural health services and issues.

On-campus learning continues in the early weeks of third year. The focus will then change to learning in the clinical setting. Clinical education aims to develop knowledge and practice in the delivery of physiotherapy services under the supervision of experienced physiotherapists. Clinical education will be undertaken in a diversity of settings, with challenges increasing across years three and four. Year four will also include paediatrics and the opportunity to undertake elective units in areas of interest. A mix of metropolitan and rural health services will be utilised for clinical education.

Students undertaking the Bachelor of Physiotherapy are selected into the honours degree (see the entry for the Honours degree of Bachelor of Physiotherapy under ‘Honours degrees’ later in this section of the handbook) at the completion of the second year.

In addition to the units outlined below, students will complete their Level 2 First Aid Certificate in second year as part of their studies.

Course requirements

First year
First semester
Second semester
Second year
First semester
Second semester
Third year
First semester
Second semester
Fourth year
First semester
  • PTY4071 Physiotherapy 7
Second semester
  • PTY4082 Physiotherapy 8

Contact details

Telephone: +61 3 9904 4466, emil: physiotherapy@med.monash.edu.au or visit www.med.monash.edu.au/physiotherapy

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