PDTY4018Podiatric Practice 3

Course handbook

Description

This course is the third of four clinical practice courses. Building on previous clinical courses and academic knowledge the course develops student assessment skills encouraging the student to make the appropriate selection of assessment techniques to diagnose, treat and provide short and long term health outcomes. Students will continue to participate in clinical activities under supervision to manage foot pathologies with increased scope to evaluate and manage more complex cases (i.e. surgery, paediatrics, high risk foot). Clinical activities include Clinic sessions, Clinical Therapies and External Clinical Placement.

Availability

Not currently offered.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate skills in safe work practices including infection control and work health and safety in a clinical setting.

2. Apply professional communication skills in a clinical setting.

3. Appraise and review assessment, diagnostic and management skills necessary for the development and application of treatment of patients with general foot and lower extremity pathologies.

4. Consolidate specialist diagnostic skills for the assessment of patients from special populations including radiographic interpretation, vascular assessment, neurological assessment, and biomechanical assessment.

5. Develop and apply assessment, diagnosis and management knowledge and skills in the context of complex clinical cases including paediatric, sports and geriatric patients.

6. Develop and demonstrate safe and competent skills in undertaking nail surgery procedures.

7. Develop and refine skills in the manufacture of custom made functional orthotic devices including neutral casting, positive cast manufacture, grinding and safety competencies.

8. Develop and apply soft tissue techniques in the context of management of musculoskeletal pathologies.

Content

(a)  Clinic (including surgery) 

In these clinics, the student will consolidate and further develop patient assessment, diagnosis and management, and clinical reasoning skills. The patients who attend these clinics will be new and ongoing patients who have basic foot problems, problems associated with an existing medical condition, mechanical/functional problems or require minor surgical intervention. Appropriate assessments and management strategies will be carried out including manufacture of orthoses, soft tissue techniques, and minor surgical procedures. The students will be supervised by registered practitioners.  Tutorials will support the management and educational needs (including case presentations) to faciliate learning during sessions. 

(b) Clinical Therapies  

This course will continue to develop clinical skills and academic knowledge in a range of therapies. This unit will build on previous orthoses and surgery content taught in the 3rd year of the program.  Additional content (‘soft tissue techniques’) will also be introduced to refine student clinical application and reasoning skills to manage musculoskelatal pathologies. Clinical sessions will support the management and educational needs (including case presentations) to facilitate learning during Clinic sessions. 

Content will include: 

• Manufacture of clinical devices, problem solving and ethics 
• Prefab and off the shelf devices 
• Soft tissue therapies including trigger point, dry needling and active release techniques 
• Revision of surgical procedures and protocols 
• Orthotic scripts 
• Translation of patient pathology and condition to orthotic script prescription  
• Translation of biomechanical assessment results to orthotic script prescription  

(c) External Clinical Placement 

A placement for 20 days of clinical activities in an external clinical site will be undertaken. The focus of this placement will be on developing assessment, diagnostic, management, and patient interaction skills in a real world clinical setting. 

Requisite

Student must be active in programs:

[50021] Bachelor of Podiatric Medicine or

[50022] Bachelor of Podiatric Medicine (Honours).

Students must have successfully completed PDTY3029 and PDTY3030.

Assessment items

Practical Demonstration: Orthotics Device

Written Assignment: Clinical Reflection

Presentation: Patient Examination

Formal Examination: Clinical Examiniation (OSCE)
Compulsory Requirement: Pass requirement - Must pass this assessment item to pass the course.

Demonstrated competency: Clinical Placement
Compulsory Requirement: Demonstrate competency - Must demonstrate competency in all required professional skills.

Compulsory Requirements

Compulsory Placement and WHS Requirements:

• NSW Health Verification Requirements - Mandatory NSW Health Verification Requirements must be met.
• First Aid Certificate - students must complete a First Aid Certificate issued by an approved provider.
• Working with Children - A national criminal history check and review of findings of misconduct involving children, required for any child-related work.

Course outline

Course outline not yet available.