POPLHLTH 300 : Health Sector Professional Competencies
Medical and Health Sciences
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
This practical, end-of-degree, capstone course develops the students' understanding of the importance of competencies in the health sector with particular attention being paid to leadership, communication, project planning and working as a part of a team. Throughout the course students critically reflect on their own competencies drawing on a range of national and international health sector competency frameworks.
The course is built around a common health sector process where funders like Te Whatu Ora call for project proposals from providers in response to complex health challenges. The students work in teams to develop evidence-informed project proposals in response to a simulated request for proposal (RFP) process on a current real-world problem.
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
- Plan, research, write & present a project proposal that persuasively presents an evidence-informed argument for a population-health intervention appropriate for a specified health context. (Capability 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
- Work effectively within a collaborative group-project environment demonstrating skills in relation to working with others, including: the ability to provide constructive feedback to others; the ability to receive feedback from others; the ability to implement changes to your own behaviour in relation to feedback received. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
- Critically analyse their own level of competency in relation to the competencies expected of professionals working in the health sector and devise strategies for ongoing competency development. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 4.1, 4.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
- Critically examine their strengths, values, preferred communication style, and preferred approaches to learning to prepare for participating in typical personal development planning processes utilised in health sector workplaces. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 4.1, 6.1, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
- Demonstrate application of population health theories and frameworks (including change and risk management) to a real world health problem. (Capability 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Analysis of competencies in health sector role descriptions | 15% | Individual Coursework |
| Project scope (in form of a poster) | 15% | Individual Coursework |
| Project proposal and presentation | 30% | Group Coursework |
| Summative self-evaluation of competency development | 40% | Individual Coursework |
| 4 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Analysis of competencies in health sector role descriptions | ||||||||||
| Project scope (in form of a poster) | ||||||||||
| Project proposal and presentation | ||||||||||
| Summative self-evaluation of competency development | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, your weekly activity comprises: two hours of interactive lectures, one hour weekly tutorial/workshop focused on skill development and assignment work, two hours of reading and thinking about the course content, and four hours of work on assignments. There are three additional reflective practice workshops which are run in the fourth, sixth and ninth weeks of the course - these are focused on competency development with regard to your group project work. Group presentations are a key component of the project proposal assignments and are held in week eight of the course (following mid-semester break)
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is expected at all scheduled course events. Especially important are the weekly tutorial/workshops (as well as the three additional reflective practice workshops) as these are designed to enable you to carry out the group work components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including the tutorial/workshops will not be available as recordings.
Live online events may be used, for example, visits from guests, group discussions and/or workshops.
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
At the end of every semester 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 and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Other Information
This course is held at The University of Auckland Grafton Campus. Lectures are on Mondays between 9am and 11am. Allocation to tutorial/workshop streams (and the three additional workshops) can be found on students' individual timetables. You will work in small groups from week one and remain in the same group throughout the semester.
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.
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.
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.