Physiotherapy Practice in Acute Care

Course aim

To develop specialised evidence based clinical knowledge of pathology and mastery of skills of assessment, analysis of findings, planning, intervention and evaluation required for acute client centred physiotherapy practice.

Course content

Students will learn how to apply the clinical knowledge and skills required for acute physiotherapy practice with
adults. Students will build on their introductory knowledge of cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological and
orthopaedic condition pathologies and clinical presentations to develop readiness for practice in the higher
acuity setting (cardiothoracic surgery, critical illness, oncology). Students will apply problem-based learning to
integrate this knowledge with assessment skills (outcome measures, investigations e.g. chest x-ray, monitoring);
interpretation of assessment findings, and clinical reasoning to inform the planning, modification, progression and
evaluation of interventions in acute care including discharge planning. Knowledge to enable safe and effective physiotherapy practice in the acute care setting e.g. basic pharmacology, medical terminology, occupational health and safety, and ethical and medico-legal requirements.
Implementation of evidence based practice, needs of the older patient, culturally responsive care and communication within interprofessional practice.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Clinical assessment/OSCE/OSCA, Practical, Written test

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.250
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 2)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.