Overview
In this unit, you will focus on examining, diagnosing and managing common conditions that impact male and female health across the lifespan. You will advance your understanding of a range of management topics related to multicultural and ageing populations including injury prevention, advice on healthy lifestyles, self-managed care, rehabilitation, and treatment options. This unit will assist you with your clinical development in the student clinic by addressing the importance of integrating knowledge and skills to support clinical decision-making for these special populations.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite: CHIR20011 Clinical Practice 5 and CHIR20012 Advanced Clinical Development 2 Co-requisite: CHIR20013 Clinical Practice 6
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Peer-reflection
Attendance at on-campus sessions are currently not compulsory, linking to assessment items may increase engagement
It is recommended that on-campus activities are integrated into formal assessment items and attendance is compulsory for completion of those assessments
Feedback from Unit coordinator reflection
Students may benefit from being provided with learning materials specific to the on-campus activity to help better their understanding of the assessment task
It is recommended on-campus activities have supplementary learning materials provided to enhance the in-person learning opportunity.
Feedback from SUTE
Students may appreciate additional clarification of the assessment requirements.
It is recommended that additional time is allocated in tutorials to discuss the requirements of the assessments.
- Explain the morphology of a clinical condition according to its aetiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment options.
- Evaluate findings and formulate a diagnosis, clinical impression, management plan and prognosis from a case history and physical assessment, taking into consideration patient safety and any contraindications.
- Apply the appropriate chiropractic approach to treatment (within the scope of practice) that includes technique/skills, exercise/rehabilitation, health promotion, prevention, lifestyle advice and self-managed care in a professional and ethical way in accordance to the chiropractic code of conduct and professional standards.
- Apply humanistic factors involving communication skills and bio-psychosocial awareness, relative to the patient-practitioner interface.
This is a unit to assist the student develop their individualised pathway towards strengthening the majority of elements and performance indicators of CCEA’s Accreditation Standards for areas considered ‘clinical interest’ as opposed to general practice. In total, this unit will address aspects of Unit 6 Patient Assessment, Unit 7 Diagnostic Decision Making, Unit 8 Planning of Patient Care, Unit 9 Implementation of Care, and Unit 3 Professional Interaction. There will be some elements addressed from Unit 10 Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and Unit 11 Professional Scientific Development.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 25% | ||||
| 2 - Presentation - 25% | ||||
| 3 - In-class Test(s) - 50% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.deluca@cqu.edu.au
m.fernandez@cqu.edu.au
Week 1 - The ageing population
Begin Date: 10 Nov 2025Module/Topic
Lecture: The ageing population
Online tutorial: Unit outline
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2 - Chiropractic care for the older adult
Begin Date: 17 Nov 2025Module/Topic
Lecture: Chiropractic care for the older adult
Online tutorial: Chiropractic care for the older adult
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3 - Clinical assessment of the older adult
Begin Date: 24 Nov 2025Module/Topic
Lecture: Assessment of the older adult
Online tutorial: Assessment of the older adult
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4 - Back pain in older adults
Begin Date: 01 Dec 2025Module/Topic
Lecture: Back pain in older adults
Tutorial: In person, on campus practical with Fiona Couchman.
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
In person, on campus practical with Fiona Couchman.
Week 5 - Spinal stenosis
Begin Date: 08 Dec 2025Module/Topic
Lecture: Spinal stenosis
Online tutorial: Spinal stenosis
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
WEEK 6 - Scoliosis
Begin Date: 15 Dec 2025Module/Topic
Lecture: Scoliosis
No online tutorial: Mid term review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 22 Dec 2025Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 29 Dec 2025Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7 - Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis
Begin Date: 05 Jan 2026Module/Topic
Lecture: Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis
No online tutorial - Assessment 1: Online mid term quiz
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1: Online mid term quiz
MID TERM QUIZ Due: Week 7 Friday (9 Jan 2026) 9:00 am AEST
Week 8 - Falls
Begin Date: 12 Jan 2026Module/Topic
Lecture: Falls
Online tutorial: Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9 - Neurological conditions in older adults
Begin Date: 19 Jan 2026Module/Topic
Lecture: Neurological conditions in older adults
Tutorial: In person, on campus practical with Fiona Couchman.
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2: Written assessment. This should be saved as a PDF file and uploaded to Moodle by 5pm on Friday of Week 10.
Chiropractic Board of Australia presentation: This in person presentation will be provided for students on Friday 23rd January, on campus and prior to the practical workshop.
Clinical case presentation Due: Week 9 Friday (23 Jan 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 10 - Women's health (1)
Begin Date: 26 Jan 2026Module/Topic
Lecture: Women's health (1)
Online tutorial: Women’s Health with Andrea Huddleston
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11 - Women's health (2)
Begin Date: 02 Feb 2026Module/Topic
Lecture: Women's health (2)
No online tutorial: Unit review
Chapter
Relevant material will be available on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12 - Men's Health
Begin Date: 09 Feb 2026Module/Topic
Lecture: Men's Health
No online tutorial: Clinic exit preparation
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 16 Feb 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 3: Invigilated, on campus end of term test on Friday 20th January, 9-11am in rooms 1.06 / 1.07.
1 Online Quiz(zes)
The mid-term online quiz will be open in Moodle on Friday in Week 7 at the time of your normal tutorial (9:00am). Once you start the mid-term online quiz in Moodle, the quiz will be open for 60 minutes after which time your answers will be submitted automatically.
The quiz will involve a mix of question types including multiple choice, short answer and matching styles. The quiz will assess content taught across weeks 1 - 6.
This is not an open book quiz nor a group assessment and answers must be an individuals own work.
The 72-hour assessment grace period is NOT implemented on this assessment. Therefore, you are NOT allowed to submit your end of term test up to 72 hours after the original due date.
To help you use Generative AI tools in a transparent, flexible, and responsible way, you are encouraged to explore the following practical framework that guides your ethical and effective AI use in your assessment. All AI Assessment scale tool descriptors have been provided on the CHIR13012 Unit Documents & Materials.
For this assessment, AI Assessment descriptor 1 is applied.
Descriptor 1: No AI - The assessment is completed entirely without Al assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
The quiz is worth 25% of your total grade and has a 50% minimum mark to pass.
Other
Week 7 Friday (9 Jan 2026) 9:00 am AEST
The mid-term online quiz will be open in Moodle at 9:00am on Friday in Week 7.
Week 10 Thursday (29 Jan 2026)
Multiple choice and matching style questions will be returned to students once the quiz is closed, with short answer questions returned to students within two weeks.
The assessment criteria will involve selecting or providing the most accurate and correct answers to the questions posed in this mid-term online quiz.
- Explain the morphology of a clinical condition according to its aetiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment options.
- Evaluate findings and formulate a diagnosis, clinical impression, management plan and prognosis from a case history and physical assessment, taking into consideration patient safety and any contraindications.
2 Presentation
Students are required to provide a 750 word, written, clinical case presentation.
The clinical case presentation should include the following sections: title, introduction, case description, research question, search strategy and results, implications, and reflection. This assessment should be referenced appropriately throughout and include appendices if necessary.
To help you use Generative AI tools in a transparent, flexible, and responsible way, you are encouraged to explore the following practical framework that guides your ethical and effective AI use in your assessment. All AI Assessment scale tool descriptors have been provided on the CHIR13012 Unit Documents & Materials.
For this assessment, AI Assessment descriptor 2 is applied.
Descriptor 2: AI PLANNING - Al may be used for pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. This level focuses on the effective use of Al for planning, synthesis, and ideation, but assessments should emphasise the ability to develop and refine these ideas independently. You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
The assessment should be saved as a PDF file and uploaded to Moodle by 5pm on Friday week 9.
Week 9 Friday (23 Jan 2026) 5:00 pm AEST
The assessment should be saved as a PDF file and uploaded to Moodle.
Week 12 Thursday (12 Feb 2026)
The assessment will be returned with feedback relevant to the assessment guidelines and marking rubric provided.
Students are required to provide a 750 word, written, clinical case presentation. The portfolio should be on a case (geriatric, women’s, or men’s health) informed from their clinic internship. The portfolio should include title, introduction, case description, research question, search strategy and results, implications, and reflection and be appropriately referenced.
Please see Moodle for assessment guidelines and rubric.
The assessment should be saved as a PDF file and uploaded to Moodle by 5pm on Friday of Week 9.
It is worth 25% of your final grade.
- Explain the morphology of a clinical condition according to its aetiology, epidemiology, pathophysiology and treatment options.
- Apply the appropriate chiropractic approach to treatment (within the scope of practice) that includes technique/skills, exercise/rehabilitation, health promotion, prevention, lifestyle advice and self-managed care in a professional and ethical way in accordance to the chiropractic code of conduct and professional standards.
- Apply humanistic factors involving communication skills and bio-psychosocial awareness, relative to the patient-practitioner interface.
3 In-class Test(s)
This end of term test will be undertaken in a CQUni computer lab on whichever campus that you are enrolled. The test will involve a mix of question types including multiple choice, short answer and matching styles. The test will assess all theoretical and case content taught across weeks 1-12.
The 72-hour assessment grace period is NOT implemented on this assessment. Therefore, you are NOT allowed to submit your end of term test up to 72 hours after the original due date.
This is not an open book quiz nor a group assessment and answers must be an individuals own work. To help you use Generative AI tools in a transparent, flexible, and responsible way, you are encouraged to explore the following practical framework that guides your ethical and effective AI use in your assessment. All AI Assessment scale tool descriptors have been provided on the CHIR13012 Unit Documents & Materials.
For this assessment, AI Assessment descriptor 1 is applied.
Descriptor 1: No AI - The assessment is completed entirely without Al assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills. You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
The test is worth 50% of your total grade and has a 50% minimum mark to pass.
Friday (20 Feb 2026) 9:00 pm AEST
The end of term test will be open in Moodle at 9:00am on Friday in Week 12.
Exam Week Wednesday (18 Feb 2026)
Multiple choice and matching style questions will be returned to students once all questions have been graded.
The assessment criteria will involve selecting or providing the most accurate and correct answers to the questions posed in this end of term test.
- Evaluate findings and formulate a diagnosis, clinical impression, management plan and prognosis from a case history and physical assessment, taking into consideration patient safety and any contraindications.
- Apply the appropriate chiropractic approach to treatment (within the scope of practice) that includes technique/skills, exercise/rehabilitation, health promotion, prevention, lifestyle advice and self-managed care in a professional and ethical way in accordance to the chiropractic code of conduct and professional standards.
- Apply humanistic factors involving communication skills and bio-psychosocial awareness, relative to the patient-practitioner interface.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
