96040 Advanced Professional Practice
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 96036 Neurological Ocular Disorders
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This capstone subject integrates knowledge acquired from all subjects in the Master of Orthoptics (C04299) and is closely aligned with learning in 96075 Professional Practice 3 with knowledge and information gained in clinical placements amalgamated into this subject. Emphasis is given to preparing for professional practice as an entry-level orthoptic graduate. The subject encourages students to gain greater understanding of the various realms of orthoptic practice and aims to provide them with the knowledge and skills to strategically manage their professional life to assure the long-term viability of their career and profession. The students adopt a creative approach to developing an understanding of the impact of clinical settings and practice management on the provision of good patient care. This includes the design of safe and efficient clinical facilities in organised consultation with industry partners and of protocols that adhere to legislative requirements. Clinical reasoning is emphasised within the framework of patient-centred care. This is placed within the broader context of the health system, including co-management and consultation with other health professionals and non-government agencies. Content addresses work health and safety, employment and medico-legal issues. Students refine their communication skills, both verbal and written in the creation of information to be contained in medical records, formal orthoptic reports and providing therapeutic instruction to maximise patient education, understanding and compliance with therapy.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 40.1. | Utilise knowledge and skills acquired throughout the course to reflect on and critically evaluate emerging evidence and personal learning, prompting self-directed inquiry in innovative areas that may form part of novel approaches to complex orthoptic, ophthalmic and systemic cases. |
|---|---|
| 40.2. | Appraise a clinical environment, its organisational dynamics and features that can influence patient care and determine how these can be modified to provide optimal clinical outcomes for both the patient and the organisation. |
| 40.3. | Communicate effectively and accurately, in both verbal and written form, diagnosis and treatment plans that reflect sound clinical reasoning coupled with respectful and ethical attitudes to patient care. |
| 40.4. | Reflect on their practice to enhance self-awareness and acknowledge the impact of the health system, contribution of other health practitioners, their own expertise and appropriate patterns of referral in order to attain the best outcomes for patients. |
| 40.5. | Adopt a consultative approach to the management of patients that recognises the cultural needs of individuals and the diversity of communities in Australia including, Indigenous communities. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
The learning outcomes for this subject are as follows:
- Practice professional expertise and clinical reasoning to provide safe, responsible, and evidence-based orthoptic care for the benefit of the community. (01.01)
- Lead and collaborate within disciplinary and interdisciplinary health care teams to provide best practice health care and contribute to positive patient outcomes. (01.02)
- Utilise research knowledge and skills to analyse and synthesise literature, design research methodology and ethically conduct research in the field of orthoptics. (02.01)
- Engage in reflective practice to support lifelong learning and professional development that enhances patient outcomes and health service delivery. (02.02)
- Critically reflect on Indigenous Australian contexts and apply principles of cultural safety and ethical research practices to work effectively with and for Indigenous Australians within the orthoptic profession. (04.01)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
In addition, this subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attributes:
• Lifelong Learning
• Professional Capacity
• Cultural Competence
Teaching and learning strategies
Preparation for Learning: Students will be provided with the details of preparation activities each week through the subject’s Canvas site. Activities are designed to help students prepare for their learning in lectures and workshops by engaging them with journal and other readings, videos, online resources and group discussion.
Active Lectures: Lectures provide an introduction to topic content each week and guest lecturers are invited to share their professional expertise on particular topic areas at relevant times throughout the session. Lectures are active and require students to engage and participate in the analysis of case presentations, class discussion and other active and collaborative learning methods.
Case-based Learning: Case-based learning is a form of problem-based learning (PBL) and a key learning strategy. Students follow the progress of actual cases they have seen during external clinical placements that are undergoing long term treatment. Through establishing a treatment plan and observation over the course of treatment, students gain insight into external factors that can influence patient outcomes, such as cultural norms and compliance and how these can be successfully managed. Through this students refine their skill in clinical reasoning and practice the application of theoretical knowledge gained throughout the course to develop appropriate patient-focused plans for their investigation and management of their patient’s ocular condition.
Research-integrated Learning: Taking an evidence-based approach to the investigation and management of patient cases is essential for effective patient care and an important skill for Orthoptic students to perfect. Current research is integrated into content provided in lectures and pre-work and students are provided opportunities in workshop classes and through assessment to read, discuss and utilise current research in ophthalmology and orthoptics in the context of evidence-based patient care.
Collaborative Learning: As health professionals, teamwork is an essential skill to ensure patients are managed appropriately within interdisciplinary teams of health professionals. Teamwork skills are developed through collaboration with peers in active lectures and workshops, conducted in collaborative POD classrooms, as well as through group assessment.
Reflective Learning: Students are encouraged to critically reflect on their learning throughout the subject to identify areas where they may improve their performance and to assist in the development of lifelong learning skills. Specific activities where reflective learning is encouraged are; self-evaluation of their contribution to collaborative assessment tasks and skill achievement checklists and through post lecture/workshop review of learning questions on Canvas.
Ongoing Feedback: In-class verbal feedback is an important teaching and learning strategy employed throughout the subject. Opportunities for verbal formative feedback on assignments are given prior to final submission and detailed summative feedback following final submission.
Content (topics)
Advanced Professional Practice involves the amalgamation of knowledge and skills from all subjects in the Master of Orthoptics course and closely supports concurrent clinical placement in 96075 Professional Practice 3. Advanced Professional Practice aims to advance skills of reflective learning and clinical reasoning while integrating evidence into practice to support sound decision making for the provision of competent care for the benefit of patients. As a subject in the final semester of the course it is expected that the student will demonstrate independent, responsible and ethical practice through awareness of patient needs and establishment of targeted therapeutic management plans. Strong written and verbal communication skills in a professional environment will be evaluated. Topics covered in this subject include; understanding the role of the orthoptist in patient care, adapting your management plans for patients with outstanding circumstances and appreciating the arrangement of a clinic as well as the different contexts you may find orthoptists working in.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Long-term Management Case
| Intent: | The long term case study assignment is a way of reinforcing the content learnt throughout all subjects in the Master of Orthoptics while placing it in the context of graduate professional practice. As students do not always have the opportunity to follow a patient through their path of management, this assignment stimulates tracking a patient over several months and observing the many factors that can affect the outcome of treatment and management plans. It allows students to improve their clinical reasoning skills and place an ‘evidence-based approach’ to management in the context of barriers that can occur for patients in executing their component of the treatment and/or advice. This assignment combines clinical knowledge and evidence in the analysis of patient information and the formulation of a long-term management plan and compares this plan to ‘real life’ outcomes. The patient case study will be provided in stages to students via Canvas |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 40.1, 40.2, 40.3, 40.4 and 40.5 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: .05, .06, .09, 01.01, 02.01, 02.02 and 04.01 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Criteria: | See full description and rubrics provided in class and in Canvas for further details. |
Assessment task 2: Building a Hypothetical Clinic
| Intent: | The aim of creating a hypothetic clinic or exploring an issue relevant to orthoptic practice is to allow students to consider the whole clinical environment, physical and managerial and to provide an overview of a working ophthalmic and/or orthoptic clinic and/or rehabilitation setting. This will allow students to gain a greater understanding of the constituents of the clinical environment. A frequent part of an orthoptist’s working life is to assist in the design of clinics, choice of equipment and to make recommendations for improvements to systems and structures. The clinical environment or issue of management will be treated as a closed system. This encourages you to study how clinical systems operate and will provide valuable information about optimal designs and procedures for effective practice. If choosing to examine issues of legislation, policy and/or guidelines, consideration will be given to how these impact and guide orthoptic practice. Additionally, it allows the student to consider available information to determine optimal clinical protocols, to understand equipment needs and costs (whilst choosing the best evidence-based clinical tests to purchase), the optimal patient flow for clinical and administrative staff, if relevant and to see current clinical structures in the context of good practice in clinical design and adherence to legislation and polices. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 40.1, 40.2, 40.4 and 40.5 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: .05, .06, .09, 01.01, 01.02, 02.01, 02.02 and 04.01 |
| Type: | Project |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | Individual component: 1200 words |
| Criteria: | See detailed criteria provided on Canvas. |
Assessment task 3: Learning Portfolio
| Intent: | The Learning Portfolio is a collection of work which will be completed over the semester. The aim of this is to ensure that students are working on their assessments for this subject consistently throughout the semester, having meaningful engagement with course materials and to provide opportunity for critical reflection and feedback on how this learning has been, and will continue to be applied throughout their clinical practice. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task is aligned with the following subject learning objectives: 40.1, 40.2 and 40.4 This task is aligned with the following course learning outcomes: .09, 01.02 and 02.02 |
| Type: | Portfolio |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Criteria: | See criteria provided in class and on Canvas for further details Students may be required to defend their work in an oral interview. Results: Approximately two weeks after submission |
Minimum requirements
Students are required to attend 90% of scheduled lectures and workshops and must achieve a minimum of 50% of the subject’s total marks.
Required texts
Coursework Assessments Procedures
Graduate School of Health Policy, Guidelines and Procedures (login required)