Inherent requirements – Physiotherapy
Find the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of the physiotherapy courses at Victoria University.
Inherent requirements
You should carefully consider the following inherent requirement statements for the Master of Physiotherapy and Bachelor of Applied Movement Sciences/Master of Physiotherapy as a:
- a guide for your learning during the course
- a way to identify challenges you may have in meeting the requirements.
Inherent requirement
This relates to the understanding and ability to comply with Australian and Victorian law and professional accreditation regulations. Examples include:
- Child protection and safety legislation (including the ability to pass a Working with Children Check)
- Criminal History / Police Checks
- Occupational health and safety
- Anti-discrimination legislation
Rationale
Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others in clinical and related settings; compliance with these professional regulations and the Australian Law ensures students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.
Examples
- Respond to the requirements for student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) https://www.physiotherapyboard.gov.au/
- Comply with relevant legislation including child protection and safety, work health and safety, and anti-discrimination legislation. For examples of applicable Australian Federal legislations visit https://www.comlaw.gov.au/
Inherent requirement
This relates to the student's ability to understand and adhere to standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with.
Examples include:
- Complying with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies, including academic integrity policies
- Understanding and complying with professional standards, codes of practice, and guidelines
Rationale
Compliance with standards, codes, guidelines and policies that facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and the people they engage with in the many environments of practice is required for the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being of all.
Examples
- Comply with academic and non-academic conduct codes and policies and professional standards
- Identify and enact relevant applications of these codes and standards, including those relating to plagiarism, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and equitable and respectful behaviour in academic and clinical settings.
Where relevant, this relates to considerations of current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, and any other matter related to safety. Examples include ability to:
- Ability to understand and comply with all relevant workplace health and safety policies and practices
- Ability to identify and respond to alarm systems
- Ability to understand and demonstrate compliance with current scope of practice
- Ability to manage one's own health in a manner that promotes the ability to fulfill the requirements of study, placements, and the role/s for which the study typically equips the graduate
Rationale
Compliance with current scope of practice, workplace health and safety, infection control considerations and effective and timely response to alarm systems are required to provide safe environments for students, staff and others.
Examples
- Limit task performance to current scope of practice as a physiotherapy student within the course.
- Capable of completing fundamental physiotherapy related tasks within our scope of practice such as exercise, mobility assessments and manual therapy skills, safely at all times.
- Ability to understand and demonstrate compliance with the current scope of practice.
- Ability to manage one's own health in a manner that promotes the ability to fulfil the requirements of study, placements, and the role/s for which the study typically equips the graduate.
This relates to the student's capacity for knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention. It also includes metacognitive capacity such as awareness of one's own thinking, and the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies. Examples include:
- Focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning sufficient to meet the course objectives
- Ability to reflect and take personal responsibility
- Ability to apply knowledge in practical and theoretical assessment settings
Knowledge & cognitive skills
Inherent requirement
Knowledge acquisition, utilisation and retention spanning and drawing together all coursework subjects. Cognitive skills for focus, memory, attention to detail, theoretical deliberation, and practical functioning.
Rationale
Understanding and retention of coursework information and the effective processing of this information is required for appropriate, safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
- Ensuring patient/client safety and effective healthcare provision by appropriately applying knowledge of theory, research evidence, policies and procedures in the clinical environment.
- Ability to monitor and appropriately respond to effects of assessment and treatment of an individual (e.g. ability to implement and appropriate course of action when a patient/client has a fall.)
Metacognition
Inherent requirement
Awareness of own thinking, and skills to reflect, evaluate, adapt and implement new cognitive strategies for improved learning.
Rationale
Understanding and ongoing learning about oneself as an instrument in patient care is required for safe and effective delivery of practice.
Examples
- Ability to apply knowledge in both practical and theoretical assessment settings.
- Ability to appropriately apply knowledge of theory, research evidence, policies and procedures in a clinical setting.
- Able to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a distracting, dynamic and time-sensitive environments (e.g. a busy hospital ward with many health professionals and patients around.)
Inherent requirement
This includes both writing and reading, and is also linked to English language proficiency (literacy requirements are always established in terms of English). NB: For VE, literacy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Examples include:
- Capacity to comprehend, summarise and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments
- Producing clear, accurate documentation relating to practical tasks
Rationale
Patient/client care information can be delivered by many different modes and competent literacy skills for these are essential to provide appropriate, safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Comprehend, summarise and reference a range of literature in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignment
- Interpret written and spoken English language to enact verbal directions or documented patient/client care plans
- Produce accurate, concise and clear documentation in English which meets legal requirements.
Inherent Requirement
This includes any form of numeracy required to complete the course successfully. For many courses, this will be basic functional numeracy. NB: For VE, numeracy requirements are based on the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Examples include:
- Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts
- Ability to perform basic mathematical tasks
Rationale
Competent reasoning and reliable accuracy with numerical concepts are essential for safe and effective care/practice.
Example
- Administering accurate electrotherapy dosages.
- Accurately recording measurements in patient/client notes
Verbal communication
Inherent requirement
VVerbal communication in English to a standard that allows fluid, clear, and comprehensible two-way discussions, tailored to the local English-speaking audiences.
Rationale
Effective verbal communication, in English, with patients/clients and University and clinical staff is required for effective learning and to provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Providing clear verbal instructions to direct patient/client into appropriate position for treatment.
- Establishing rapport, through verbal communication, with patients/clients during physiotherapy management.
- Comprehending verbal communication and responding appropriately to both health professionals and non-health professionals.
Non-verbal communication
Inherent requirement
Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others.
Rationale
The ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication is essential for safe and effective care.
Examples
- Recognise cues in a patient/client's facial expression, appearance, behaviour, posture or movement.
- Able to respond appropriately to cues in a clinical environment.
Written communication
Inherent requirement
Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication, with language usage and style tailored to the targeted recipients.
Rationale
Effective communication in English text is required to demonstrate applied skills in academic writing conventions and in sustained and organised academic argument and provide safe and effective delivery of care/practice.
Examples
- Communicate complex academic and clinical perspectives in writing
- Summarise and appropriately reference a range of literature in written assignments
- Use precise, professional and appropriate language to contribute to both handwritten and electronic medical records in a time-constrained environment
- Use of precise, professional and appropriate language when constructing a written report/correspondence with both health professionals and clients/patients.
This includes visual, auditory and tactile capacity. NB: Care must be taken to not prescribe any sensory ability as an inherent requirement if the student might be able to achieve the desired result with the use of one or more adjustments. Examples include:
- Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
- Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments
- Ability to respond to tactile input and provide appropriate tactile interaction
Visual
Inherent requirement
Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments.
Rationale
Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments. Elements in the working and learning environment are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Observe and detect subtle changes in patient's/client's response to therapeutic procedures e.g skin colour and/or appearance. Have the visual acuity to safely navigate the workplace (e.g a busy hospital).
- Process of visual information necessary for accurate assessment, diagnosis of individuals which informs appropriate intervention and discharge.
- Have the visual acuity to safely operate simple machinery or equipment that may be used during therapeutic procedures (i.e. able to see the buttons on a lifting machine to operate it.)
Auditory
Inherent requirement
Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments.
Rationale
Elements in the learning and working environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice..
Examples
- Have the auditory acuity to interact safely in the workplace.
- Detect and discriminate changes in blood pressure sounds, pain sounds and breathing sounds
- Accurately undertake blood pressure measurements by auscultation
- Detect and discriminate alarms, emergency calls over PA systems, and urgent verbal information for patient/client care
- Follow developing discussions with colleagues for patient/client care decisions
Tactile
Inherent requirement
Ability to respond to tactile input and provide tactile interaction.
Rationale
Elements in the learning and working environment are detected and measured by tactile means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective practice. The appropriate use of touch as a part of effective patient/client care is also required.
Examples
- Detect changes in skin, muscle tone and joint range of motion.
- Detect changes in circulation e.g. temperature of extremities, palpable pulses
- Conduct a physical assessment and detect any anatomical or physiological abnormalities
- Provide patient/client care through appropriate and reassuring touch.
This includes both gross and fine motor ability. NB: Care must be taken to not prescribe any motor ability as an inherent requirement if the student might be able to achieve the desired result with the use of one or more adjustments. Examples include:
- Strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility sufficient to meet the requirements of the study, including placements included in the course
- Manual dexterity and fine motor skills sufficient to meet the requirements of the study, including placements included in the course
Gross motor ability
Inherent requirement
Strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility.
Rationale
A wide range of physical patient care actions in a time-constrained environment is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Maintaining own and patient's/client's balance, while providing patient/client support, when transferring and mobilising individuals in a safe manner.
- Evaluating patient's/client’s in a safe and effective manner, who have varying physical capacity, when positioning on plinths and hospital beds, mats on the floor, on chairs and when standing.
- Instigate and contribute to emergency life support
- Ability to ascertain relevant information from percussion and palpation of a patient's/client's body.
Fine motor ability
Inherent requirement
Manual dexterity and fine motor skills.
Rationale
A wide range of fine-motor manual tasks in a time-constrained environment are required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Performance of assessment techniques such as evaluation of sensation and joint movements.
- Performing treatment techniques that involves opening of sterile packaging without contaminating contents, joint mobilisations and soft tissue massage.
Inherent requirement
This includes a person's ability to sustain their performance in a given activity or series of activities over time. Care must be taken to not prescribe sustained performance in a way that allows no room for temporary changes to performance levels due to illness or other factors.
Examples include: Ability to sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of any task required as part of the course or any placement
Rationale
A range of complex, multi-component or extended patient/client care tasks carried out over a period of time and in a time-constrained environments is required to provide safe and effective practice.
Examples
- Providing consistent physiotherapy assessment and management over a negotiated time frame. Maintaining appropriate time management to provide healthcare services to the expected number of patients/clients in a given time frame.
- Sustaining study practices and clinical performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload for a study period, and for the degree, within a constrained time-frame
- Ability to sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of a patient/client care process e.g: successive and extended patient/client assessments with minimal breaks.
If you have challenges related to a disability or health condition, contact Accessibility Services to discuss possible strategies and reasonable adjustments.