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Course Outline

LFS304 Clinical placement I

Course Coordinator:Michelle Maugham-Macan (mmaughammacan@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Biomedicine

2024Semester 1

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

In this course you will apply and extend the skills and knowledge you developed through your degree in a clinical placement related to the Biomedical science discipline and your personal career aspirations. Over 96 hours of structured and supervised activities you will proactively prepare for and undertake a range of discipline related duties in a work setting, develop new professional competencies and relationships, and record and reflect on your experience to enhance your employability and prepare you for professional practice.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Pre-recorded concept videos and associated activities 4hrs Orientation week 4 times
Placement – Clinical placement within the Biomedical Science Discipline. Placement are 96 hours total usually undertaken as a full-time work week for 2-3 weeks but can also be spread across the Semester depending on host site preference. 96hrs Not applicable Once Only

Course Topics

  • Reflective practice
  • Scope of the field of study
  • Applications and engagement in their field
  • Career pathways in field of study
  • Professional practice
  • Professional communication

What level is this course?

300 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 Apply Biomedical knowledge and skills within your clinical placement role. Engaged
2 Work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, taking initiative to identify and seek out any additional required skills or knowledge. Engaged
3 Communicate placement-specific Biomedical concepts to a range of diverse audiences. Engaged
4 Act with integrity with respect to the rules, roles and responsibilities of different professional contexts. Ethical

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Entry is also contingent upon: students having a cumulative GPA of 4.5 or above, having successfully completed at least two thirds of the courses in their degree: the Course Coordinator being satisfied that the scope of project/duties outlined in the initial internship application is of sufficient rigour to be appropriate, relevant and achievable for a clinical placement of 96 hour's duration over 12 weeks; students consulting with the Course Coordinator and host at the placement organisation to establish mutually satisfactory workplace arrangements. It is assumed that you would have considered or identified an area of interest in which to undertake your placement that will advance your body of knowledge and skills.

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Limited Grading (PNP)

Pass (PU), Fail (UF). All assessment tasks are required to be passed for successful completion of the course.

Details of early feedback on progress

Early feedback will be provided through a formative assessment item (Task 1a: Employability task – early entry) and on week 1 submission of Task 3: Portfolio.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1a Written Piece Individual 
500 words
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 1b Written Piece Individual 
500 words
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Placement performance Individual 
The host supervisor will provide a report on your placement performance.
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Oral and Written Piece Individual 
2500 words for written assessment 
5 minutes for oral presentation
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1a:Employability task - early entry
Goal: 
This task empowers you to be career-ready by applying for the job you are going on placement for.
Product: Written Piece
Format: 
This task is designed as a written response to selection criteria based on the job you will be engaged in during placement. This task is formative with feedback provided for you to reflect on prior to final submission.
Submit: Week prior to start of placement
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Quality written communication
 3
2 
Sound evidence of understanding and application of the Biomedical Science discipline
 1
3 
Effective communication of Biomedical Science suitable for a range of diverse audiences.
 3
All - Assessment Task 1b:Employability task – reflection and revision
Goal: 
This task empowers you to be career-ready by applying for the job you are going on placement for.
Product: Written Piece
Format: 
This task is designed as a written response to selection criteria based on the job you will be engaged in during placement. Early entry feedback is provided to enable you to reflect on your formative entry and make improvements prior to final submission. Final submission Friday the week after your final day of placement.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Quality written communication
 3
2 
Effective communication of Biomedical Science suitable for a range ofdiverse audiences
 3
3 
Sound evidence of understanding and application of the BiomedicalScience discipline
 1
All - Assessment Task 2:Placement performance
Goal: 
The goal of placement is to learn and demonstrate the professional behaviours captured in your clinical placement environment. The hours log and constructive feedback from the host organisation supervisor will reflect your capacity to demonstrate these behaviours.
Product: Placement performance
Format: 
Hours log (template provided), signed by the placement supervisor and supervisor report.
The coordinator will provide your supervisor with a report template; you are also provided with a template on Canvas. The completed supervisor report will be made available on Canvas
During your placement experience, you are required to complete 96 hours of placement. To be eligible to pass, you are required to complete this placement satisfactorily per the criteria below. If you fail to meet the student placement code of conduct you may fail the course and can be withdrawn from the workplace immediately, as per the UniSC Workplace and Industry Placement – Procedures 

You will be assessed on: 
• Behaviour that is in accordance with the student placement code of conduct 
• Completion of minimum 96 hours of work placement 
• A minimum of 25% of the total placement hours must be completed by census date.

Your supervisor report addresses the following: 
• Demonstration of concepts and theoretical knowledge 
• Application of concepts and theoretical knowledge to practice 
• Acts professionally and responsibly 
• Communicates professionally 
• Co-operates, interacts and collaborates well with other staff 
• Seeks feedback for self-improvement 
• Takes initiative to seek out new learning experiences 
• Seeks out answers to questions 
• Manages time and tasks effectively
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Behaviour that is in accordance with the student placement code of conduct
 2 4
2 
Completion of minimum 96 hours of work placement
 1 2 3 4
All - Assessment Task 3:Portfolio
Goal: 
To apply critical reflective practice to further develop personal and professional learnings in the workplace context of your clinical placement.
Product: Oral and Written Piece
Format: 
This is an individual assessment. Each weekly reflective portfolio entry should be 200 to 250 words (max). Each entry should discuss at least one of the following: • The major task/s on which you have worked during the current week’s clinical placement • Evidence your application of Biomedical theory and knowledge and/or how you acquired new Biomedical theory and knowledge • Any problems you encountered and how you solved them • How you contributed to the team • How you communicated effectively with a team member and/or patient/another stakeholder • What you would like to work on/achieve next week The portfolio will be submitted in week 1 and 1 week after the end of placement including an oral presentation using online technologies describing your experience.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Demonstrated acquisition and application of biomedical knowledge and skills in the workplace context as part of a multidisciplinary team
 1
2 
Effective communication of the Biomedical Science discipline to a range of diverse audiences
 3
3 
Ability to proactively engage with both theory and practice in Biomedicine within your placement context
 1 2
4 
Quality use of critical thinking and judgement to solve problems
 1 2

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

There are no required/recommended resources for this course.

Specific requirements

Each placement has inherent requirements that may be specified by the host organisation and/or UniSC to enable you to undertake placement. Please check with your host supervisor or course coordinator prior to placement commencement. Requirements may include but are not restricted to: PPE, criminal history check, Hepatitis B vaccination, CPR, current first aid certificate and Blue Card.

Working with children check 
If you are required by your host organisation to have a current Blue Card please apply for a Blue Card with the Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian via TechOpsWil@usc.edu.au. Receipt of a Blue card indicates that you have passed a working with children check in the state of Queensland and are eligible to be allocated to placements that involve working with children. You are encouraged to apply for Blue Cards early in the semester preceding the placement so that you are in receipt of your Blue Card prior to the placement 

Evidence of immunisation 
If you are required to be immunised for your placement you will need to provide evidence of immunisation to Hepatitis B or other required vaccinations. Students holding current evidence of immunisation do not need to be vaccinated again. If you need additional vaccinations, you are encouraged to commence inoculation processes as early as possible to allow sufficient time to complete all vaccinations in a course. For example, the entire Hepatitis B schedule takes 3 months to complete. Because some placements will request additional vaccinations, students are recommended to provide evidence of immunisation status for vaccinations in the current Australian immunisation schedule. Students seeking placements in health care settings (now or future) are recommended to comply with the organisation’s vaccination schedule. Queensland Health and the majority of placement hosts reserves the right to refuse entry to placement sites to students with incomplete immunisation status or records.

How are risks managed in this course?

Risk assessments have been performed for all field activities and low to moderate levels of health and safety risk exists. Moderate risks may include working in an Australian bush setting, working with people, working outside normal office hours for example. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation.  It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline.  This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person.  You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin.  This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Limited Graded Course:

This course will be graded as Pass in a Limited Grade Course (PU) or Fail in a Limited Grade Course (UF) as per clause 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 of the Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA) - Institutional Operating Policy of the UniSC.

In a course eligible to use Limited Grades, all assessment items in that course are marked on a Pass/Fail basis and all assessment tasks are required to be passed for a student to successfully complete the course. Supplementary assessment is not available in courses using Limited Grades.

Assessment: Submission penalties

You must contact your Course Coordinator and provide the required documentation if you require an extension or alternate assessment.

SafeUniSC

UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUniSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUniSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.

The SafeUniSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.

Study help

For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.

If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.

Wellbeing Services

Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.

AccessAbility Services

Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.

To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
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