Course Coordinator:Cherie Wells (cwells@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Physiotherapy
UniSC Sunshine Coast |
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 unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This course will equip you to assess and treat physiotherapy clients with musculoskeletal disorders of the spine, ribcage, and pelvis in a safe, effective, and evidence-based manner. You will refine and extend musculoskeletal knowledge and skills to diagnose and assess common pathologies and develop client-centred and evidence-based treatment plans that include manual therapy, exercise, and education. You will also be expected to monitor, progress, and support clients in their recovery and self-management of their condition.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Online resources for students to review before practical laboratory sessions | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Laboratory 1 – Practical Laboratory 1 | 4hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Full cohort session | 2hrs | Week 1 | 6 times |
300 Level (Graduate)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Physiotherapy Board of Australia | |
| 1 | Demonstrate ethical, legal and professional behaviour, critical reflection and commitment to continuing education and improvement |
Empowered Ethical Engaged |
2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 6.1 |
| 2 | Apply effective communication, interprofessional collaboration and documentation skills in the clinical contexts |
Empowered Ethical Engaged |
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 3.1, 3.2, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 |
| 3 | Conduct subjective and objective musculoskeletal assessments of the spine, pelvis and ribcage in a safe, effective and client-centred manner |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
1.1, 1.3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 7.1 |
| 4 | Clinically reason through musculoskeletal assessments to generate a diagnosis and problem list, and to plan and justify treatment and reassessment |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2 |
| 5 | Apply evidence-based treatments for musculoskeletal disorders of the spine, pelvis, and ribcage in a safe, effective and client-centred manner |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 3.1, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 |
| 6 | Monitor client response and outcomes to physiotherapy assessment and treatment and adjust approach or refer to other health professionals as indicated |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 3.1, 3.2, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.2 |
| CODE | COMPETENCY |
| Physiotherapy Board of Australia | |
| 1.1 | Plan and implement an efficient, effective, culturally responsive and client-centred physiotherapy assessment |
| 1.2 | Involve the client and relevant others in the planning and implementation of safe and effective physiotherapy using evidence-based practice to inform decision-making |
| 1.3 | Review the continuation of physiotherapy and facilitate the client’s optimal participation in their everyday life |
| 1.4 | Advocate for clients and their rights to health care |
| 2.1 | Comply with legal, professional, ethical and other relevant standards, codes and guidelines |
| 2.2 | Make and act on informed and appropriate decisions about acceptable professional and ethical behaviours |
| 3.1 | Use clear, accurate, sensitive and effective communication to support the development of trust and rapport in professional relationships with the client and relevant others |
| 3.2 | Record and effectively communicate physiotherapy assessment findings, outcomes and decisions |
| 4.1 | Assess their practice against relevant professional benchmarks and take action to continually improve their practice |
| 4.2 | Evaluate their learning needs, engage in relevant continuing professional development and recognise when to seek professional support, including peer review |
| 4.3 | Efficiently consume and effectively apply research and commit to practice informed by best available research evidence and new knowledge |
| 4.4 | Proactively apply principles of quality improvement and risk management to practice |
| 4.5 | Recognise situations that are outside their scope of expertise or competence and take appropriate and timely action |
| 5.1 | Engage in an inclusive, collaborative, consultative, culturally responsive and client-centred model of practice |
| 5.2 | Engage in safe, effective and collaborative interprofessional practice |
| 6.1 | Use education to empower themselves and others |
| 7.1 | Organise and prioritise their workload and resources to provide safe, effective and efficient physiotherapy autonomously and, where relevant, as a team member |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
PTY301 and PTY302 and enrolled in BH001
PTY304
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Quizzes will provide early formative feedback to assist preparation and revision for OSCEs. Formative feedback is also regularly given during laboratory classes regarding clinical reasoning and practical skills. Performance in OSCE 1 and feedback will also assist preparation for OSCE 2.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | Individual | 40% | 90 min (plus reading time) |
Week 7 | Exam Venue |
| All | 2 | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | Individual | 40% | 90 minutes (plus 15 minutes reading time) |
Exam Period | Exam Venue |
| All | 3 | Quiz/zes | Individual | 20% | 4X 15 minute in class quizzes in weeks 3, 6, 9 and 12 |
Exam Period | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All - Assessment Task 1:OSCE - Assessment and Treatment of the Lumbar Spine and Pelvis | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | To evaluate student knowledge and skills in assessing and treating clients with low back and pelvic pain and dysfunction (including neurological involvement) and to ensure competency demonstrated prior to clinical placement. |
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| Product: | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) - station-based exam, consisting of 1X reading station (15min), 3 X 15 practical stations (Lsp, SIJ/Pelvis, Neuro) and a written examination station (60min). Students will be provided with case studies during reading time and tasks related to the case study for subsequent stations. Students will need demonstrate safe and effective assessment and treatment skills and explain clinical reasoning with regards to case studies during practical stations and then will need to complete a written examination. The scheduling of the OSCE will be arranged around classes and other examinations. Students should refer to timetable on CANVAS and note both therapist and patient times (as students will act as patients for peers). Students need to wear their clinical uniform during OSCEs, and be prepared to disrobe to suitable underwear or singlet/shorts when simulating a patient. The marking of the OSCE will be undertaken according the marking schema available on CANVAS. Students must achieve 50% on this assessment item to pass this course and progress to clinical placement. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 2:OSCE 2 - Assessment and Treatment of Cervical and Thoracic Spine | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | To evaluate student knowledge and skills in assessing and treating clients with cervical spine, thoracic spine and rib cage pain and dysfunction (including neurological involvement), and demonstrate competency prior to progressing to clinical placement. |
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| Product: | Practical / Laboratory Skills, and Written Piece | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) - station-based exam, consisting of 1X reading station (15min), 3 X 15 practical stations (Csp, Tsp, Neuro) and a written examination station (60min). Students will be provided with case studies during reading time and tasks related to the case study for subsequent stations. Students will need demonstrate safe and effective assessment and treatment skills and explain clinical reasoning with regards to case studies during practical stations and then will need to complete a written examination. The scheduling of the OSCE will be arranged around classes and other examinations. Students should refer to timetable on CANVAS and note both therapist and patient times (as students will act as patients for peers). Students need to wear their clinical uniform during OSCEs, and be prepared to disrobe to suitable underwear or singlet/shorts when simulating a patient. The marking of the OSCE will be undertaken according the marking schema available on CANVAS. Students must achieve 50% on this assessment item to pass this course and progress to clinical placement. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Revision Quizzes | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | To provide student with early and formative feedback regarding learning to prepare for subsequent OSCEs. This will include evaluation of student understanding of common musculoskeletal disorders and implications for physiotherapy, and clinical reasoning skills related to assessment and treatment of spinal disorders (including when there is neurological involvement) |
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| Product: | Quiz/zes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Online quizzes with automatic submission via Canvas will be scheduled within class times. Focus will be placed on clinical reasoning and understanding of common clinical presentations, and associated physiotherapy assessment and treatment using case study examples. Access will be provided via CANVAS. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy |
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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.
| Period and Topic | Activities |
Module 1: Lumbar Spine and Pelvis Disorders - Diagnosis, Assessment and Treatment (including Neurological Involvement) |
workshops, online learning, laboratory sessions |
Module 2: Cervical and Thoracic Spine Disorders - Diagnosis, Assessment and Treatment (including Neurological Involvement) |
workshops, online learning, laboratory sessions |
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.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Deborah Falla,Jeremy Lewis,Christopher McCarthy,Chad E Cook,Michele Sterling | 2024 | Grieve's Modern Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy | n/a | Elsevier |
| Required | Mark A. Jones,Darren A. Rivett | 2019 | Clinical Reasoning in Musculoskeletal Practice | n/a | Churchill Livingstone |
Standard PTY course requirements for practical classes (e.g. comply with OH&S, manual handing, infection control; be prepared for disrobing and hands on practice with peers; clinical uniform for practical assessments; inform tutor of any pain or injuries or illnesses affecting participation). Classes at Sunshine Coast Health Institute also require students to be vaccinated against COVID 19 and be inducted to the site. Students must achieve at least 50% in practical OSCEs to pass the course and progress to clinical placement. This is a program and accreditation requirement to ensure client safety. Students who fail their first attempt will be provide with feedback and opportunity to re-sit the examination. A maximum score of 50% will be achieved in re-sit examinations. Feedback will be provided from the first attempt to inform preparation and revision for the second attempt.
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.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Please note: Students will also have one re-sit examination opportunity for OSCES (Assessment 1 and 2). The re-sit opportunity will be offered if students fail their first attempt given the potentially stressful nature of an OSCE, and need for students to achieve 50% in these assessment items to progress to future clinical placements. Students who pass their re-sit examination will receive a maximum of 50% for the relevant assessment item. Feedback on the first attempt will be provided to facilitate preparation and revision before the second attempt. The re-sit examinations will be scheduled as close as possible to trimester timing. If students do not pass their first attempt and they have been allocated a clinical placement in block 9, they may have their clinical placement rescheduled until they have had the opportunity to resit the examination. There is no guarantee that the clinical placement allocation location and type of placement will be the same as the original allocation (depends on availability and timing of placements).
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
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