91831 Professional Experience in Medical Science 1
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 91552 Professional Experience in Medical Science 1 AND 94680 Entering Professional Life (6cp) AND 94681 Entering Professional Life (8cp)
Description
This subject provides students with the opportunity to gain real-world work experience in order to prepare them as employment-ready graduates. The subject provides approved professional experience in a (bio)medical science service provider laboratory in the private or public sector. It is designed to provide students with appreciation of the technical, organisational, social, cultural, ethical and legislative dimensions of workplace practice in science. The focus is on the attributes required for a successful job application; orientation to workplace practices; self-analysis of current skills, attributes and learning needs; effective written and oral communication skills; application and extension of knowledge; technology proficiency; and early workplace experiences.
The subject aims to introduce students to the major specialties in a pathology or research laboratory, e.g. immunology, microbiology and biochemistry. Students may have the opportunity to rotate through these specialty laboratories or they may be allocated to one specialty for the entire placement. Students experience the entire business process including work, health and safety; quality assurance and control; sample handling, processing and storage; data reporting; stakeholder interaction; and an overview of technical and experimental procedures.
This subject may provide students with a competitive advantage for future employment.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Identify your skills and attributes, and communicate these effectively to a recruiter (or target employer) in a written job application. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Communicate effectively in both written and oral formats, with consideration of a varied audience. |
| 3. | Behave in a manner suitable to a professional environment. |
| 4. | Apply theoretical and practical disciplinary knowledge and professional skills to a workplace setting. |
| 5. | Reflect upon your professional placement as a developmental experience, identifying what you have learned, and determine how you will fit into your future professional workspace. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of following course intended learning outcomes:
- Explain how diseases arise and disrupt normal physiological function and appraise the technologies used to diagnose, treat, and cure diseases. (1.1)
- Collect, accurately record, interpret, and draw conclusions from data to solve real-world medical problems, and infer how the results of medical research can be translated to improve patient outcomes. (2.1)
- Evaluate ethical, social, and cultural issues in medical science in local and global contexts and work responsibly, safely and with respect to diversity and regulatory frameworks. (3.1)
- Reflect upon, independently evaluate, and critically appraise current evidence-based literature to identify medical problems or unmet medical needs and creatively translate medical research results to improve the clinical care of patients. (4.1)
- Effectively communicate medical science knowledge and research information, and the importance thereof, to a range of audiences using a variety of modes, independently and collaboratively. (5.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Professional Experience in Medical Science 1 (PEMS 1) is designed to be taken after stage 3 in Medical Science or Biotechnology degrees, but can be taken at any later time. This subject builds upon the foundation of many subjects in earlier stages, including Human Anatomy and Physiology, General Microbiology and Metabolic Biochemistry, as well as complementing stage 5 and 6 subjects, including Advanced Haematology, Medical and Diagnostic Biochemistry, and Immunology and Human Health. This subject provides you with the opportunity to apply your theoretical knowledge and practical laboratory skills, learned in previous subjects, to a professional setting.
You will develop:
- Disciplinary knowledge. Through real-world industry experience you will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the modern diagnostic laboratory, and prepare yourself as an employment-ready graduate.
- Research, inquiry and critical thinking. As you observe and carry out tests and experiments during your day-to-day work experience, you will have the opportunity to develop critical and independent thinking in the analysis of results. You will draw on your in-class knowledge to understand the basis for diagnostic assays, and use an inquiry-based approach for trouble-shooting.
- Professional, ethical and social responsibility. Through working in a pathology laboratory, you will have the opportunity to appreciate and develop the professional, ethical and social responsibilities inherent in the healthcare system.
- Reflection, Innovation, Creativity. You will be encouraged to reflect on your current skills, your learning experiences and the skills developed during your placement.
- Communication. Throughout the subject, you will have the opportunity to develop your communication skills as you interact with co-workers within a professional setting, and prepare assessment tasks for this subject.
Teaching and learning strategies
This Professional Experience subject provides you with the best of an off-campus learning environment with continued access to all the on-campus support structures. You will have the opportunity to learn in a real-world work place. You will work off-campus within a public or privately run (bio)medical laboratory, completing 140 hours of work, which is nominally 20 days of 7 hours work per day. You will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you have learnt in your University study to a real-world environment, and at the same time adapt and develop these existing skills and learn new ones. You are encouraged to reflect on your experience, self-assess your current skills and knowledge, and learn from your workplace experiences so as to facilitate development of your self-directed learning skills.
While in the workplace you are invited to make contact with other students in the subject, either at the same host organisation or others, and develop a network for collaboration and support.
You are encouraged to use the UTS language support service, HELPS, as well as the UTS Careers Service, during preparation of your assessment tasks. The UTS Library website also has information that may be of use to you during your placement. Your subject coordinator can help you with resources on working in teams, preparing oral presentations, and time management, and resources will be available on Canvas. Assessment tasks have preparation guidelines, marking criteria and rubrics available on Canvas in order to help you maximise the quality of your work.
A brief report on your perceived progress, achievements, strengths and weaknesses will be requested from the workplace supervisor upon completion of your professional placement. This report may be provided to you as a developmental guide, in agreement with the workplace supervisor.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Skills reflection
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 3.0 Professional, ethical, and social responsibility 4.0 Reflection, Innovation, Creativity |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 3.1 and 4.1 |
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 35% |
| Length: | Skills Reflection: 600 words +/- 10% Recommendation: 100 words +/- 10% |
| Criteria: | The assignment will be assessed for your ability to articulate your current transferable and technical skills, problem-solving skills and critical thinking.
A marking rubric for this assessment task will be available on Canvas. |
Assessment task 2: Video Logs
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 4.0 Reflection, Innovation, Creativity 5.0 Communication |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 2, 3 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 4.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | The Initial Presentation vlog is an absolute maximum of 1 minute. The Final Presentation vlog is an absolute maximum of 2 ½ minutes. Marks will be deducted for going over the time limit (10% per 30 seconds).
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| Criteria: | The assignment will be assessed for your ability to communicate effectively and present your professional experience learning opportunity to a varied audience, including a prospective employer. The video log will be marked according to the following criteria:
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Assessment task 3: Supervisor report
| Intent: | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes: 1.0 Disciplinary knowledge 2.0 Research, inquiry and critical thinking 5.0 Communication |
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| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 2 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 25% |
| Criteria: | Your supervisor will assess your conduct during the placement with respect to: Disciplinary knowledge (understanding of the scientific discipline being studied) Research, inquiry, and critical thinking Communication skills (ability to communicate with all stakeholders). There will be a copy of the supervisor report on Canvas. |
Minimum requirements
You are expected to attend all 140 hours (20 days) of professional experience, Mondays to Fridays. If you are absent from an agreed (timetabled) professional experience day, your workplace supervisor must be informed at the earliest practicable time. A medical certificate must be produced to explain the absence and given to the subject coordinator. Other reasons for absence will be assessed on their merits at the time. Another suitable time must be organised with the host organisation to make up time missed because of illness or misadventure.
All assessment items are compulsory; and in order to pass the subject you must attain at least 50% of the collective total marks.
Recommended texts
As this is a professional experience subject there is no essential text. However, you are encouraged to keep up-to-date with relevant published material, including journal articles, and method reports by suppliers of consumables and reagents.
Recent textbooks relevant to the area of professional experience, for example microbiology or biochemistry, will also be of assistance for study in this subject. Many relevant textbooks are available in the UTS Library.