EXERSCI 738 : Professional Practice

Science

2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Students will apply specialist knowledge and skills to support graduate practice. Topics include: advanced professional practice, registration and ongoing professional competency, reflections to enhance critical consciousness, and strategies to maintain physical and mental health. Students will gain essential knowledge for business practices such as Accident Compensation Corporation, private insurance, legal and ethical obligations and occupational health and safety.

Course Overview

Through this semester you will apply specialist knowledge and skills to support graduate practice. Topics include: advanced professional practice including referral for imaging and physiotherapy in different settings, registration and ongoing professional competency, reflections to enhance critical consciousness, gender health and strategies to maintain physical and mental health. You will gain essential knowledge for business practices such as Accident Compensation Corporation, private insurance, legal and ethical obligations and occupational health and safety. Emerging leadership opportunities will be critically analysed with reference to the challenges and opportunities of moving the profession forward in emerging fields.

The aim of this course is to extend knowledge and skills in preparation for practise as a physiotherapist.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: EXERSCI 741, 752, 753

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate effective processes and skills to engage in professional practice as a reflective physiotherapist including registration and ongoing professional development and competency (Capability 1, 3 and 8)
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of advanced roles and responsibilities of a physiotherapist such as referring for imaging, appropriate screening in primary care roles, emerging areas of physiotherapy (e.g., advanced practitioner roles; working in emergency department), discharge planning and medicolegal issues relating to practices that carry higher risk to patients such as spinal manipulation. (Capability 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8)
  3. Critically reflect on issues relating to gender health and how this would influence patient interactions and physiotherapy practice and delivery. (Capability 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
  4. Critically reflect on challenges facing a practising physiotherapist and strategies to build resilience and maintain physical and mental health challenges facing a practising physiotherapist and strategies to build resilience and maintain physical and mental health. (Capability 2, 3, 4 and 5)
  5. Synthesise and analyse social and environmental responsibilities through the assessment of physiotherapy interventions, practices and systems in terms of their responsiveness to Māori and Pasifika and their capacity to eliminate health inequalities and plan the delivery of a service that enhances equity in healthcare delivery. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8)
  6. Demonstrate effective leadership and advocacy skills for service quality improvement to ensure patient safety (cultural and otherwise) and optimal experience of the healthcare episode. (Capability 1, 2, 5 and 8)
  7. Demonstrate an understanding of business and leadership including navigating Accident Compensation Corporation and private insurance; legal, and ethical business practices (Capability 3, 7 and 8)
  8. Critically demonstrate the the ability to research, identify and describe legal, ethical and professional responsibilities as a physiotherapist including in the context of occupational health and safety to physiotherapy practice. (Capability 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8)
  9. Demonstrate ability to effectively provide constructive feedback to peer learners and demonstrate effective skills in conflict resolution. (Capability 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 60% Group & Individual Coursework
Clinical Test 40% Individual Test
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Assignments
Clinical Test

Special Requirements

Must complete and pass OSCE.

Workload Expectations

This course is a 15 point course run over two teaching blocks totaling 5 weeks. Students are expected to spend approximately 150 hours in total on this course.

For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures, tutorials or labs and 72 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and 42 hours working on assignments and test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience or Online

This course is offered in two delivery modes:

Campus Experience and Online

Attendance is required at scheduled activities to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including labs will not be available as recordings.
The course will include live online events including group discussions.                              Where possible, study material will be released progressively throughout the course. Attendance on campus is required for the OSCE exam.                                                                      The activities for the course are scheduled as a block delivery.


Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.

At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.

Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.

The in-person group presentation has been moved to a pre-recorded group presentation. Students are on clinical placements and might have to travel back to Auckland only for the presentation. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.

You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 27/08/2025 08:59 a.m.