UWA Handbook 2025

Unit Overview

Description

In this unit, students develop their patient history taking, communication, professionalism, reflective practice and manual dexterity skills by engaging in experiential learning in the UWA Podiatry Clinic to provide care to low risk patients. Students also engage in simulated work place learning to develop their understanding and application of safe practice management by demonstrating skills in clinical record keeping, gaining consent, patient confidentiality, podiatric assisting and explaining relevant mandatory policies and protocols in podiatric practice. Students are exposed to the application of therapeutic management of podiatric patients here. Students also develop clinical assessment skills, diagnostic principles and are able to justify assessment techniques to diagnose foot and ankle conditions and implement evidence based conservative treatments, while applying the principles of infection prevention and control protocols. Students learn the application of biomechanical principles to orthotic therapy and fundamentals of clinical assessments and conservative care, to then learn how to design,develop and manufacture a custom made foot orthoses to support and treat patients with foot & ankle pathologies with foot orthoses.

Students must abide by the Professional Behaviour Procedure set in out in the experiential work-place learning environments.

Credit

6 points

Offering
(see Timetable)

Availability	Location	Mode
Semester 2	UWA (Perth)	Face to face

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) demonstrate professional behaviour in the educational and clinical setting including on-site UWA Podiatry Clinic

; (2) demonstrate understanding of safe practice management including legislative and regulatory requirements within the on-site UWA Podiatry clinic/WILsettings including recognising and reporting adverse events and near misses; (3) demonstrate developing skills in podiatric history taking skills by embedding the concepts of social determinants of health, patient-centered care and professional communication with relevant parties in the clinical setting; (4) demonstrate the ability to perform basic assessments of the lower extremity to implement appropriate relevant clinical measurements and diagnostic principles using principles of safe practice; (5) demonstrate capability to safely perform, appropriate conservative treatments, applying the relevant principles of infection prevention and NSQHS; (6) apply biomechanical theories in orthotic therapy to prescribe and design foot orthoses; (7) evaluate the role that orthoses have in patient management for common foot and ankle conditions using current evidence based literature; (8) demonstrate developing orthoses manufacture techniques and occupational health and safety skills; and (9) develop and build on pharmacological knowledge within the WIL setting /onsite UWA Podiatry clinic.

Assessment

Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) assignments(s); (2) examination(s); (3) clinical assessment(s); and (4) professional behaviour assessment. Further information is available in the unit outline.

To pass this unit, a student must: (a) achieve an overall mark of 50 per cent or higher for the unit; and (b) achieve the requisite requirements(s) or a mark of 50 per cent or greater, whichever is higher and specified in the unit outline, for the clinical assessment(s) and professional behaviour assessment components.

Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Unit Coordinator(s)

Dr Matthew Keating

Unit rules

Prerequisites

(1) a.
96 points credit including completion of all level 2 units in Major of Podiatric health and Medical Sciences Major (MJD-PHMSC).
or b.
Enrolment in

Doctor of Podiatric Medicine 91870.
and (2) students enrolling in this unit via the assured pathway MJD-PHMSC and/or the graduate entry DPM must comply with the requirements of the School's Infection Control, First Aid, Working with Children's check and Police Clearance check requirements prior to the commencement of Level 3 PODI units, as detailed in the DPM course rules.

Co-requisites

PODI3000 Professionalism in Practice (ID 7835).
PODI3117 Pharmacotherapeutics for Podiatrists 1 (ID 7823).
PODI3118 Research and Evidence in Practice (ID 7840).
PODI3114 Podiatric Biomechanics (ID 7820)

Incidental fees

Incidental student fees and charges are costs incurred by students as part of their studies at UWA that are in addition to their tuition fees (further information is available "
Participation in this unit will incur the following incidental fee(s):
(1) Ear defenders or ear plugs (estimated cost - $5 - $30)
(2) Safety glasses (estimated cost - $5 - $30)
(3) Transport costs associated with attending field trips and placements (estimated cost - Up to $500)
(4) Replacement costs for borrowed equipment (estimated cost - $20 - $5000).

Contact hours

Approximately 6 hours per week, including lectures 2-3 hours per week and a combination of: seminars, clinical skills workshops, team and case based learning workshops, e-learning sessions, tutorials, and self-directed online learning.