Unit rationale, description and aim
Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) contribute significantly to work health, injury prevention, and rehabilitation by applying specialised assessment skills and supporting safe, sustainable return to work outcomes. This unit prepares students for the practical and professional demands of occupational rehabilitation practice in Australia.
Students will work with increasingly complex case scenarios to develop competence in workplace assessment, risk identification and reduction, functional capacity evaluation, and return to work planning. Through applied learning experiences—including workplace tool application, functional assessment interpretation, case analysis, and simulated case conferences—students will build confidence in synthesising multifactorial information (including physical, psychosocial and workplace factors) to generate defensible, person-centred recommendations.
The unit emphasises culturally responsive, evidence informed practice and the communication skills required to advocate effectively for clients, justify assessment findings, and collaborate with key stakeholders across compensable and workplace health settings.
This unit develops students’ professional capabilities for occupational rehabilitation practice, with an emphasis on person-centred and collaborative approaches to supporting work participation and return to work outcomes.
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.
Critically analyse clinical and contextual informa...
Learning Outcome 01
Integrate advanced clinical reasoning processes to...
Learning Outcome 02
Design culturally responsive, person-centred retur...
Learning Outcome 03
Demonstrate effective and professional communicati...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Foundations of occupational rehabilitation practice.
- Analysis of work.
- Workplace and workstation design and assessment.
- Functional capacity evaluations and interpretation.
- Work conditioning.
- Investigation and management of work-related physical and/or mental health conditions.
- Integration of physical, psychosocial, and work-related factors to inform return to work planning.
- Introduction and safety of mobility aids.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Assessments are designed to reflect authentic clinical practice and adopt an assessment for learning approach.
The first assessment task enables students to develop a broader understanding of task analysis and application of ergonomic tools to achieve effective risk mitigation for workplace OHS related issues reducing risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the context of work.
The second assessment enables students to apply advanced knowledge and understanding of functional anatomy and ergonomic principles in the compilation of a comprehensive return-to-workplan based on a real-life workplace injury. This task enables students to develop professional report writing skills and clinical reasoning skills.
The final assessment enables students to synthesise complex case study information and apply clinical reasoning to defend and advocate for the client demonstrating skills required in professional practice.
Generative AI must not be used in assessments unless explicitly permitted in the assessment instructions.
To pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes and achieve a minimum overall mark of at least 50%.
Overview of assessments
To pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes and achieve a minimum overall mark of at least 50%.
Assessment Task 1 Task Analysis Report Enables ...
Assessment Task 1
Task Analysis Report
Enables students to apply principles of ergonomics to solve a manual materials handling problem in a workplace through the provision of recommendations for risk mitigation strategies for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the context of work.
30%
Assessment Task 2 Return To Work Plan Case prese...
Assessment Task 2
Return To Work Plan Case presentation
Enables students to apply the principles of occupational assessment and rehabilitation to present a return-to-work plan based on a real-life workplace.
30%
Assessment Task 3 Case Conference Simulation, de...
Assessment Task 3
Case Conference Simulation, defence and advocacy
Enables students to prepare and perform a return to work case conference, demonstrating clinical reasoning and evidence based advocacy within an occupational rehabilitation context.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit uses a multi‑mode learning strategy designed to facilitate applied, student‑centred learning experiences. It combines self-paced online learning resources with on-campus learning to support the development of advanced occupational rehabilitation attributes relevant to clinical Exercise Physiology practice..
Learning and teaching activities emphasise the integration of clinical reasoning, to reflect the complexity of contemporary occupational rehabilitation practice in Australia.
Students engage with scaffolded learning activities that progress from foundational concepts to increasingly complex workplace and compensable case scenarios. Learning experiences include analysis of work demands and ergonomic risk, conducting and analysing functional capacity evaluations, and development of work conditioning programs. Structured case‑based discussions then require students to synthesise physical, psychosocial, and workplace factors in return‑to‑work planning..
Learning activities are aligned with assessment tasks to support the progressive development of competence relevant to professional practice. Online learning focuses on core concepts while on-campus learning emphasises application of evidence and practising professional practice.