Unit rationale, description and aim

Accredited Exercise Physiologist's (AEP's) adhere to professional standards to practice within the Australian healthcare system, underpinned by ethics, law and regulations. To promote the common good while practising safely and effectively across different domains of healthcare, practitioners must be capable of making decisions informed by healthcare ethics. In this unit, students will analyse the ethical and core legal responsibilities that face the AEP in a clinical setting. Emphasis is placed on understanding and applying ethical decision-making, risk management and legal compliance as it relates to exercise physiology practice. In particular, this unit provides a broad-based introduction to risk management and applied ethics in healthcare. For context, students will also be introduced to fundamental business principles specific to clinical healthcare environments and will integrate this knowledge during the management of a pop-up exercise physiology clinic throughout semester.

This transitional unit of study is placed deliberately between the earlier foundational units and subsequent clinical experience units. This unit aims to support exercise physiology student practitioners in the application of principles of risk management and healthcare ethics to specific issues arising in exercise physiology settings to promote the common good by serving the goals of healthcare practice.

2025 10

Campus offering

Find out more about study modes.

Unit offerings may be subject to minimum enrolment numbers.

Please select your preferred campus.

  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Multi-mode
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Multi-mode
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Multi-mode

Prerequisites

EXSC632 Clinical Assessment and Exercise for Neurological Conditions AND EXSC633 Lifestyle and Exercise Counselling AND EXSC635 Clinical Assessment and Exercise for Cardiopulmonary Conditions AND Either (EXSC634 Clinical Assessment and Exercise for Musculoskeletal Conditions of the Lower Limb OR EXSC639 Clinical Assessment and Exercise for Musculoskeletal Conditions of the Trunk and Upper Limb )

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.

Conceptualise principles of risk management inform...

Learning Outcome 01

Conceptualise principles of risk management informed by professional standards, laws and regulations to practice responsibly and safely within the scope of practice of accredited exercise physiologists
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Practice competently, consistent with the ESSA cod...

Learning Outcome 02

Practice competently, consistent with the ESSA code of professional conduct and ethical practice, the professional standards of accredited exercise physiologists, and within the ESSA exercise physiology scope of practice.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Evaluate the social contribution of professional p...

Learning Outcome 03

Evaluate the social contribution of professional practice and the ways in which human dignity is supported, within the context of the promotion of the common good, integrating coherent knowledge of selected theories and concepts in normative ethics and applied healthcare ethics
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC12

Content

Topics include but are not limited to:

  • Healthcare ethics, the law, accreditation and professional practice
  • Risk management in clinical practice
  • Exercise Physiology within the Australian Healthcare System
  • Business essentials for accredited exercise physiologists
  • Evaluating clinical practice

Assessment strategy and rationale

Assessment 1 (Graded hurdle) allows students to develop their understanding of risk management and legal compliance through a case-based scenario. This ensures they can deliver safe, ethical, and effective client services.

Assessment 2 (Ungraded hurdle) requiring students to document clinical learning activities aligned with accredited exercise physiologist practice. It encourages critical reflection on clinical performance and work integrated learning within a pop-up exercise physiology clinic. A key component, the Clinical Performance Assessment Tool (CPAT), records educator feedback on clinical competencies. To pass, students must demonstrate essential skills for safe practice with real clientele. If insufficient observation is noted, additional experiential learning opportunities may be provided.

Assessment 3 (Graded hurdle) evaluates student knowledge of ethical practice principles in healthcare and how they relate to professional practice. Using an online format, students articulate ethical issues in a professional context while developing relevant presentation and technological skills, in line with many employment requirements.

Overview of assessments

To pass this unit and meet the learning outcomes, students must achieve ≥50% in each graded assessment task, pass the ungraded hurdle, and meet the two mandatory requirements. 

Assessment Task 1 (*Graded Hurdle) Individual re...

Assessment Task 1 (*Graded Hurdle)

Individual report 

Enables students to demonstrate knowledge of risk management principles and legal compliance in relation to an exercise physiology scenario.

Weighting

*Graded Hurdle

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11

Assessment Task 2 (**Ungraded Hurdle) Learning p...

Assessment Task 2 (**Ungraded Hurdle)

Learning portfolio 

Enables students an opportunity to document, and reflect upon, performance of essential clinical competencies within the AEP scope of practice followed by critical appraisal.

Weighting

**Ungraded Hurdle

Learning Outcomes LO2
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Assessment Task 3 (*Graded Hurdle) Individual or...

Assessment Task 3 (*Graded Hurdle)

Individual oral presentation 

Enables students to undertake an observation and analysis of a ‘real life’ ethical issue, and apply a comprehensive and systematic analysis of ethical decision-making as it applies to an accredited exercise physiologist’s practice.

Weighting

*Graded Hurdle

50%

Learning Outcomes LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC6, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC12

*The two graded hurdle assessments must be passed with a score of ≥50% to pass the unit. If on a first attempt, a student scores less than 45% in the graded hurdle, they will not receive a second attempt, and will not pass the unit. If on the first attempt, a student receives a score of 45-49%, they will be eligible for a second attempt. If a student scores less than 50% on the second attempt, they will fail the hurdle and therefore fail the unit. If a student achieves a score of ≥50% on their second attempt, they will pass the hurdle, however they will receive a score of 50% for this assessment task regardless of the grade achieved in the second attempt.

**The ungraded items associated with the ungraded hurdle must be passed to pass the unit.

1.      Work Integrated Learning Portfolio (Assessment Task 2)

a.      Students are required to submit all relevant documentation for their professional experience records by the respective due date detailed on Canvas. Students who fail to submit the hurdle task by the due date will fail the hurdle task and the unit.

b.      Clinical Performance Assessment Tool (CPAT): Students must not be marked ’unsatisfactory’ in any competency and must be marked as ’competent’ for Communication, Professionalism and Risk Management on the CPAT at the end of Pop-Up Clinic to pass this hurdle task. Students may be offered supplementary hours in the ELC (I.e., 3-5 days) at the end of Pop-Up Clinic as an opportunity to achieve competence and pass the hurdle task. Students who are not marked ‘competent’ in Communication, Professionalism and Risk Management and/or who are marked unsatisfactory for any of the 6 competencies at the end of Pop-Up Clinic and Supplementary hours, will fail the hurdle task and therefore the unit.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is delivered through multiple modes, emphasising active participation in a community of inquiry. Informed by andragogy, social constructivism, and experiential theory, it integrates online, face-to-face workshops and clinical experience to promote inquiry in learning. Students engage in simulated clinical practice, supported by educators to apply and integrate knowledge. Weekly synchronous and asynchronous activities foster critical thinking, peer collaboration, and self-reflection. Case- and problem-based learning drive analysis and innovation, guiding students toward interprofessional, person-centred care. The goal is to develop responsible healthcare professionals with the skills and attributes necessary for effective clinical practice.

There are two mandatory requirements for this unit:

  1. Attendance: Students must attend all compulsory classes in order to pass the unit. Any class or clinical placement missed must be formally explained by the student.
  2. Compliance: Students must be compliant on InPlace to undertake this unit.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Exercise & Sports Science Australia. (2021). Accredited Exercise Physiologist Professional Standards 2021. Retrieved on 3 March 2025 from https://www.essa.org.au/Web/Resources/Standards/aep-professional-standards.aspx.

Exercise & Sports Science Australia. (2021). Accredited Exercise Physiologist Scope of Practice. Retrieved on 3 March 2025 from https://www.essa.org.au/Web/Resources/Standards/aep-scope-of-practice.aspx

Exercise & Sports Science Australia. (2021). Code of professional conduct and ethical practice. Retrieved on 3 March 2025 from https://www.essa.org.au/Web/Resources/Standards/code-of-professional-conduct-and-ethical-practice.aspx .

Liguori, G., Feito, Y., Fountaine, C. and Roy, B. (2022). ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. 11th ed. Wolters Kluwer.

Marlow, N., Hansson, J., Hastings, K. and Australian Association For Exercise And Sports Science (2014). Exercise & Sports Science Australia’s outcome measures for exercise physiologists : Ensuring evidence-based practice. Albion Dc, Qld.] Exercise & Sports Science Australia.

Clinical educators will also recommend texts relevant to clients' presenting clinical conditions.

Locations
Credit points
Year

Have a question?

We're available 9am–5pm AEDT,
Monday to Friday

If you’ve got a question, our AskACU team has you covered. You can search FAQs, text us, email, live chat, call – whatever works for you.

Live chat with us now

Chat to our team for real-time
answers to your questions.

Launch live chat

Visit our FAQs page

Find answers to some commonly
asked questions.

See our FAQs