OCC4082 - Advanced professional practice - 2018

The unit comprises 9 weeks of fieldwork placement followed by on campus debriefing tutorials. The unit provides students with the opportunity to develop, integrate and enhance their practice skills to reach an entry level of competence in occupational therapy prior to graduation. By the end of the fieldwork placement students will be managing a caseload of clients independently. A learning contract developed in OCC4081 will be used to guide fieldwork learning. A portfolio assessment will be used to encourage reflection, a self-directed approach to learning and to provide a record of professional competencies as these are developing.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate autonomous and competent application of all stages of the occupational therapy process to the level expected of a new graduate in occupational therapy as outlined in the Australian Minimum Competency Standards for New Graduate Occupational Therapists (ACSOT);
2. Apply professional attitudes and behaviours, and effective time and workload management strategies to occupational therapy practice;
3. Document personal and professional learning using a portfolio in preparation for professional accreditation;
4. Devise strategies to overcome service delivery constraints to provide effective occupational therapy intervention for clients in a fieldwork agency;
5. Collaborate, co-operate and communicate with other health professionals and health service providers to deliver effective and efficient practice;
6. Select and critique occupational therapy interventions on the basis of best available evidence;
7. Design and implement strategies for critical self-reflection, evaluation and improvement of own professional development;
8. Develop strategies to provide effective occupational therapy service considering the broad political, legal and industrial issues in the workplace, profession and client group;
9. Plan, implement and evaluate an occupational therapy service;
10. Critique an organization's key performance indicators and service delivery for continuous improvement and meeting the regulatory standards.

Clinical placement: 9 weeks (45 days).

• Reflective statement (2,000 words) (25%)
• Written portfolio (8,000 words) (45%)
• Oral portfolio exam (20 minutes) (30%)

Hurdle requirement:

• 80% attendance at tutorials, seminars and practical skills classes.
• Satisfactory completion of fieldwork placement as assessed through the Student + Placement Evaluation Form - Revised (SPEF-R) (ungraded).

Occupational therapy