Unit rationale, description and aim
Speech pathologists are required to engage in professional, ethical, and evidence-based practice, drawing on skills in reasoning and reflection to provide appropriate services for individuals, families and communities that address communication and swallowing needs and enable human flourishing. This unit enables students to apply their knowledge and skills from all previous theoretical and professional practice units to demonstrate readiness to enter the profession. In this unit, students undertake an extended period of professional practice experience, consolidating their knowledge and skills in assessment, analysis and interpretation, intervention planning and implementation of intervention with the population and contexts of practice. This unit contains a learning outcome from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (HCF, 2014) specifically addressing the HCF cultural capability - Humility and Lifelong Learning. Additionally, students will demonstrate skills in professional conduct, reflective practice and lifelong learning, showing transferability of skills and knowledge across contexts and populations.
The aim of this unit is to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in working with children or adults across the continuum of care, at the level required for entry into the profession. The unit also provides honours students with the opportunity to demonstrate their developing skills in critical analysis, evaluation and translation of research literature to speech pathology practice.
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.
Demonstrate professional, ethical, and evidence-ba...
Learning Outcome 01
Integrate theoretical knowledge and skills to enga...
Learning Outcome 02
Demonstrate reflective practice, transferability o...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically analyse, evaluate and translate researc...
Learning Outcome 04
Design professional strategies that enable continu...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
Competency and Range of Practice Areas of focus:
- Skills required for entry to the profession
- Assimilating and applying previously learnt knowledge and skills to workplace settings, populations and practice areas.
Professional Conduct (Domain 1)
- Worldview and sociocultural perspectives
- Catholic social teaching (human rights and human dignity).
- role of speech pathologists in advocating for consumers and the profession.
- Ethical challenges and the Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics.
- Independent use of sound EBP processes to support professional reasoning and decision-making
- Communicating effectively and respectfully with the consumer, family and support members, and other professionals in practice.
- Working collaboratively and respectfully in teams
Reflective Practice and Lifelong learning (Domain 2)
- Using critical reflection skills
- Engaging in reflection to shape learning.
- Professional development.
- Personal and professional learning goals
- Consolidating identity as a speech pathologist
- Career and self-care support strategies.
- Culturally responsive practice
Speech Pathology Practice (Domain 3)
- Time and caseload management.
- Service delivery models.
- Quality Improvement process.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessment 1 Professional practice competency assessment: This ungraded hurdle assessment evaluates the minimum professional and clinical competencies required on placement. Demonstrating these is essential to support safe, ethical, and effective practice. Students need to achieve a “Satisfactory” for this task with one attempt to pass this hurdle.
Assessment 2: Quality improvement project. This ungraded hurdle task showing the ability to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of service provision is an essential element in providing speech pathology services. Furthermore, this assessment provides honours students with the opportunity to critically analyse research literature and explore the translation of research into practice. Students need to achieve “Satisfactory” for this task with two attempts to pass this hurdle.
Assessment 3: Professional development plan and reflective statement: This ungraded hurdle task provides evidence of the ability to critically reflect on performance with increasing breadth and depth applying insights to future professional growth. This professional competency is fundamental to lifelong learning. Students need to achieve a “Satisfactory” for this task with two attempts to pass this hurdle.
To pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, attend all allocated placement days, and pass all the hurdle tasks.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1: Professional Practice Competency As...
Assessment 1: Professional Practice Competency Assessment
- Completion of mandatory tasks
- A grade on COMPASS at entry or near entry level
Ungraded
Hurdle
Assessment 2: Quality improvement project Student...
Assessment 2: Quality improvement project
Students will be enabled to undertake a quality improvement project while completing the professional practice experience. The project will meet a need identified by the placement site.
Ungraded
Hurdle
Assessment 3: Professional development plan and r...
Assessment 3: Professional development plan and reflective statement
Students will be enabled to prepare a professional development plan outlining learning goals, activities and timeframes for completion and a reflection on their learning.
Ungraded
Hurdle
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This is the penultimate professional practice unit, and as such, is an important opportunity for students to gain workplace experience prior to entering the profession. The blended approach to this unit acknowledges that students will be experiencing a range of contexts, supervision styles and practice areas and populations throughout the semester. This unit includes professional practice experiences, which are conducted external to the University or within on-campus speech pathology clinics. These experiences are integral to the development of speech pathology skills, knowledge and attitudes within a ‘real world’ context. Students are supervised by qualified speech pathologists who support learning and development of competencies. In addition to the professional practice experiences, students will engage in learning activities including tutorials, group and individual discussions, self-directed learning activities and assessment tasks are completed. These activities foster peer learning, reflective practice, professional reasoning and shared problem solving, and expose students to workplace contexts which they might not individually experience. All content is designed to assist the development of students’ professional skill and identity as a speech pathologist in readiness to enter the profession.
Professional Standards for Speech Pathologists in Australia
In connection to the learning outcomes, the Professional Standards for Speech Pathologists in Australia (Professional Standards) detail
- the knowledge, skills and attributes a speech pathologist practising in Australia must demonstrate and apply, at any point in their career, as relevant to their speech pathology role and work context
- the knowledge, skills and attributes a graduating speech pathology student must demonstrate and be able to apply by the time they complete their entry-level degree.
The Professional Standards should not be read in isolation. Speech pathologists should also be cognisant of, and comply with, relevant legislation, Speech Pathology Australia policies and the Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics.