Unit rationale, description and aim
Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) practise within the Australian healthcare system under professional standards, legal responsibilities, and ethical obligations that ensure safe, effective, and person-centred care. This unit supports students in developing clinical practice readiness as they transition from foundational coursework into their first supervised internal placement experience. Emphasis is placed on building the practical competencies required for contemporary exercise physiology practice, including clinical reasoning, professional communication, culturally responsive decision making, and the application of regulatory requirements in clinical settings.
Students will develop the skills required to deliver safe and responsible exercise physiology services, including conducting assessments, designing, delivering and adjusting exercise interventions, identifying and facilitating person-centred behaviour change and communicating effectively with clients and the broader healthcare team. The unit emphasises professional behaviours such as documentation, reflective practice, and working within scope to support high-quality clinical decision making.
The aim of this transitional unit of study is to provide an essential bridge between early academic learning and subsequent external clinical placements. This unit equips emerging practitioners with the confidence and professional foundations required to practise safely and effectively across diverse healthcare contexts, promoting the common good through exercise physiology care.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Develop comprehensive risk mitigation strategies t...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse complex client presentations using advance...
Learning Outcome 02
Justify clinical reasoning and intervention choice...
Learning Outcome 03
Evaluate current evidence and professional standar...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include but are not limited to:
- Professional standards, scope of practice, and regulatory responsibilities in exercise physiology.
- Healthcare ethics, the law, accreditation and professional practice
- Clinical safety, governance, and responsible decision making in supervised practice.
- Exercise physiology service delivery within the Australian healthcare system.
- Foundations of clinical operations and sustainable practice for AEPs.
- Clinical readiness, reflective practice, and competency development for placement.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy for this unit is designed to ensure students develop and demonstrate the essential clinical skills required for safe, person-centred clinical exercise physiology practice.
Assessment 1 requires students to develop a comprehensive clinical reasoning and intervention plan for their Pop-Up Clinic client, integrating professional standards, scope of practice, risk management and clinical decision-making in preparation for supervised service delivery.
Assessment 2 requires students to reflect on their clinical reasoning across the Pop-Up Clinic placement, evaluating how their prospective plan translated into practice, and to revise their plan based on actual client outcomes.
Assessment 3 is a hurdle task assessing core competency skills aligned with clinical competence expectations. Students must be marked 'competent' to pass, ensuring readiness for external placement, with 2 attempts permitted.
Assessment 4 is a structured oral assessment in which students defend their clinical reasoning and intervention choices, demonstrating effective communication within clinical exercise physiology settings.
Generative AI must not be used in assessments unless explicitly permitted in the assessment instructions.
To successfully pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes, complete attendance requirements and clinical sessions, pass the hurdle task, and achieve a minimum overall mark of 50% in the graded assessments.
Overview of assessments
To successfully pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes, complete attendance requirements and clinical sessions, pass the hurdle task, and achieve a minimum overall mark of 50% in the graded assessments.
Assessment Task 1: Clinical reasoning and inter...
Assessment Task 1:
Clinical reasoning and intervention plan.
Enables students to analyse client presentations and develop an evidence-informed assessment and exercise prescription plan, integrating professional standards, scope of practice and risk management strategies in preparation for supervised service delivery within the Pop-Up Clinic context.
25%
Assessment Task 2: Reflective evaluation of clin...
Assessment Task 2:
Reflective evaluation of clinical reasoning and intervention plan
Enables students to critically reflect on their clinical reasoning and decision-making across the Pop-Up Clinic placement, evaluating and revising their assessment and exercise prescription plan in light of actual client outcomes and clinical experience.
35%
Assessment Task 3 * (Ungraded Hurdle Pass/Fail): ...
Assessment Task 3* (Ungraded Hurdle Pass/Fail):
Clinical competence and readiness.
Enables students to document and demonstrate foundational clinical competencies, and readiness for safe and effective service delivery during internal placement, supporting preparation for subsequent external clinical placements.
Ungraded Hurdle*
Assessment Task 4: Case presentation En...
Assessment Task 4:
Case presentation
Enables students to document and demonstrate foundational clinical competencies, and readiness for safe and effective service delivery during internal placement, supporting preparation for subsequent external clinical placements.
40%
* Ungraded Hurdle Assessment 3: Students will be given 2 attempts to pass this hurdle.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit emphasises active participation in a supportive community of inquiry and the development of clinical practice readiness. Informed by adult learning theory, social constructivism, and experiential learning theory, the unit integrates online learning, face-to-face workshops, and supervised internal placement experience to support students’ transition into clinical practice. Students engage in applied learning activities that build foundational competencies in clinical reasoning, assessment planning, professional communication, documentation, and safe exercise service delivery.
Weekly synchronous and asynchronous tasks foster critical thinking, peer collaboration, and reflective practice, enabling students to integrate professional standards and scope of practice expectations within real-world contexts. Case-based and problem-based learning approaches guide students in responding to complex client presentations and developing confidence in responsible clinical decision making. The overarching goal is to prepare emerging exercise physiology practitioners with the professional foundations required for subsequent external placements and contemporary healthcare practice.
Mandatory requirements:
- Attendance: Students must attend all compulsory classes to pass this unit. Formal explanation must be provided for any missed class.
- Compliance: Students must meet all compliance requirements for clinical placement and experience units, in order to undertake this unit. This must be completed before enrolment in this unit. Non-compliance will result in removal from this unit.