Unit Synopsis
This unit introduces you to the physiotherapy profession, including regulatory, ethical and legal frameworks underpinning practice within the context of the changing healthcare environment. This unit includes fundamental aspects of physiotherapy practice, including the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Framework, communications skills and the therapeutic relationship, cultural competence, inter-professional healthcare, and gathering, analysing and problem-solving information through a process of clinical reasoning. You will also develop practical skills in relation to subjective examination, therapeutic massage, assessment of posture and movement, patient manual handling, walking aid prescription, and clinical documentation.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
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 Undergraduate 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. In-class Test(s) | 50% |
| 2. Practical Assessment | 20% |
| 3. On-campus Activity | 0% |
| 4. Practical Assessment | 30% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 90.63% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 55.17% response rate.
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.
Source: Unit evaluation data, direct student feedback, self reflection, broader feedback.
Not all students recognise informal (formative) feedback given during class or via email as feedback on their performance in this unit.
It is recommended that feedback should be emphasised and clearly labelled to help students better understand and benefit from it.
Both informal and formal feedback were provided and emphasised throughout the term by the teaching team.
Source: Unit evaluation data, direct student feedback, self reflection, broader feedback.
The standard of completion for preclinical requirements is inconsistent.
It is recommended that clearer guidelines on the standards expected for preclinical requirements should be provided to ensure students understand what is required for successful completion.
Clear guidelines for pre-clinical requirements were provided in the unit profile, on Moodle and SONIA, and in class.
Source: Unit evaluation data, direct student feedback, peer feedback, self-reflection.
The tutorial and practical manual supported student learning and improved their learning experience.
It is recommended that the tutorial and practical manual be used as an essential learning resource for this unit.
In Progress
Source: Unit evaluation data, direct student feedback, peer feedback, self-reflection.
While students generally felt supported in their learning, some reported feeling underprepared for quizzes, citing limited experience with Moodle-based online assessments.
It is recommended that the unit continues to embed Academic Learning Centre (ALC) study skills workshops. The unit coordinator should also consider the introduction of formative quizzes to help students build confidence and familiarity with Moodle-based assessments.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate professional and ethical behaviours consistent with a physiotherapy practitioner
- Apply principles of evidence-based physiotherapy practice in the context of client-centred and inter-professional healthcare utilising the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework (ICF)
- Demonstrate effective skills in communication and the therapeutic relationship through conducting and documenting a subjective examination
- Demonstrate theoretical and applied knowledge in human movement, including patient handling and walking aid prescription
- Demonstrate theoretical and applied knowledge of therapeutic massage.
Learning outcomes and assessment tasks have been mapped against and aligned with the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - In-class Test(s) | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Practical Assessment | • | • | |||
| 3 - On-campus Activity | • | • | |||
| 4 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | |||
| 5 - Team Work | • | • | • | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | • | |||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |