Unit rationale, description and aim
Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) need to Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) need to work competently, ethically and effectively across a range of clinical settings. This unit is designed to help students develop these abilities by placing them in contemporary exercise physiology clinical settings.
With guidance from a clinical educator, students will build on their existing skills and knowledge while gaining new ones. They will take part in supervised, authentic clinical activities within healthcare environments such as public or private hospitals, community health centres, private practices, occupational health and rehabilitation services, and sport or education settings.
To support professional development, students will participate in structured experiential learning activities. These include deliberate practice, reflective observation, conceptualising their own and others’ practice, and experimenting with clinical skills within different exercise physiology service models.
To satisfy the practicum requirements mandated by Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA) for accreditation as an exercise physiologist, students must complete a minimum of 360 hours of clinical placement across the three clinical placement units (EXSC642, EXSC643, and either EXSC646 or EXSC683). For EXSC643 the student will be expected to complete approximately 120 hours of clinical placement.
The aim of this unit is to develop the core clinical competencies needed to deliver ethical, culturally responsive, person-centred and effective exercise physiology services for a range of conditions, in line with the professional standards for AEPs.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.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.
Implement safe and effective person-centred exerci...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically reflect on the application of clinical ...
Learning Outcome 02
Practise evidence-informed decision-making in coll...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include but are not limited to:
- Equitable, person‑centred service delivery across varied health systems.
- Accountable, scope‑appropriate clinical decision‑making.
- Professional communication and interprofessional collaboration.
- Professional, ethical and legal responsibilities in practice.
- Culturally responsive and respectful practice.
- Reflective practice and continual professional development.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessments in the Clinical Experience units are designed to reflect authentic clinical practice and support learning through practical experiences.
To meet ESSA practicum requirements, students will attend the required placement hours, and then submit a Professional Practice Portfolio consisting of two documents for each clinical experience:
1. Clinical Performance Assessment Tool
Students’ demonstration of essential clinical competencies during exercise physiology placement is assessed using the Clinical Performance Assessment Tool (CPAT). The student’s performance is assessed by the clinical educator at mid-placement (formative) and end-placement (summative). Students must be rated competent at the summative assessment point to meet ESSA’s minimum professional practice requirements and to satisfy completion of this clinical placement. A signed CPAT must be submitted within five (5) days of placement completion. Only one attempt is permitted, as additional placements are not available.
2. Placement Summary Report (PSR)
The PSR requires students to reflect on key learning, skills and competencies demonstrated and developed during placement. It must be reviewed and signed by the clinical educator and submitted within five (5) days of placement completion, with a maximum of two attempts permitted.
Generative AI must not be used in assessments unless explicitly permitted in the assessment instructions.
Overview of assessments
To pass this unit, students must: achieve every learning outcome, complete clinical attendance requirements, and pass all hurdle tasks.
Assessment Task 1* Professional Practice Portfoli...
Assessment Task 1* Professional Practice Portfolio: Clinical Performance Assessment
Enable students an opportunity to demonstrate the development of essential clinical competencies during clinical placement.
Hurdle Task*
Assessment Task 2** Professional Practice Portfol...
Assessment Task 2** Professional Practice Portfolio: Placement Summary Report
Enables students to reflect on the application of enhanced knowledge, clinical skills, attributes and experiential learning in the clinical workplace.
Hurdle Task**
* Assessment 1 Hurdle Task: Only one attempt is permitted given students are not able to be granted multiple clinical placements.
** Assessment 2 Hurdle Task: Maximum of two attempts of the hurdle assessment is permitted.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is delivered in multimode using a learner-centred approach. Teaching draws on social constructivist and experiential learning principles to promote active engagement and inquiry-based learning.
During clinical placement, students engage in structured experiential learning, including deliberate practice, reflective observation, conceptualisation of practice and active experimentation. These experiences support the development and future application of knowledge and skills in professional contexts.
Students also participate in workshops involving individual and small-group tasks that analyse current practice to consolidate learning. Guided debriefing provides structured reflection, enabling students to examine their experiences and learn from peers. Ongoing dialogue encourages refinement of practice to be collaborative, holistic and person-centred.
Learning activities may include case-based and problem-based tasks, reflective journaling, skills practice and peer mentoring. Together, these activities prepare students to deliver ethical, culturally responsive, person-centred exercise physiology services.