Inherent Requirements for Bachelor of speech pathology

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Compliance with the codes, guidelines and policies facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This ensures the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the individual is not placed at  risk.

Exemplars:

• Complying with academic and non-academic misconduct policies in both academic and professional practice settings
• Complying with medico-legal requirements relating to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality with client information in academic and professional practice settings

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Speech pathology students will be exposed to healthcare and disability contexts in which they will encounter human suffering and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage these events. 

Exemplars:

• Reflecting on practice and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
• Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals in the professional practice setting 

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements and standards are necessary pre-requisites to professional practice placements in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.
• Compliance with the Australian law and professional regulatory requirements and standards ensures that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice

Exemplars:

• Complying with mandatory requirements for professional practice (e.g., child protection and safety legislation).
• Complying with standards of academic honesty and integrity. 

Student demonstrates:

• Sensitivity to individual linguistic and/or cultural differences.
• Ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Ability to provide clear instructions and information in the context of the situation.
• Clear and timely feedback and reporting

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety or treatment.
• Timely, accurate, effective and culturally appropriate delivery of instructions and information is critical to individuals’ safety, treatment and management.

Exemplars:

• Participating verbally in tutorial discussions, simulation and professional practice meetings.
• Establishing rapport with clients during speech pathology services and responding appropriately to requests from clients, supervisors and other health professionals, in the professional practice setting.

Student demonstrates:

• The capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues
• Consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours.
• Sensitivity to individual differences

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships.
• Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.
• Being sensitive to individual differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships.
• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation of client symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and treatment of clients.

Exemplars:

• Recognising and responding appropriately to cues and activities in the university environment.
• Recognising and responding appropriately to visual and auditory cues in the professional practice setting, including when working with multiple clients in a group setting.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Construction of written text-based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice.
• Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and client notes which meet legal requirements, is vital to provide consistent and safe client care. 

Exemplars:

• Constructing client notes, reports and information sheets in a timely manner that meets legal and professional standards in a range of modes (written, electronic).
• Writing accurate reports that are appropriate for the intended reader using correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, paragraph structure and organisation of information.

Student demonstrates:

• Capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information.
• Ability to process information relevant to practice.
• Ability to integrate and implement knowledge into practice in a timely manner.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Safe and effective delivery of speech pathology services is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately.

Exemplars:

• Conceptualising and using appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
• Applying knowledge of theory, research evidence, policies and procedures appropriately in the professional practice setting.

Student demonstrates:

• The ability to accurately acquire information and convey appropriate, effective messages
• Ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and information.
• The capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written text in a scholarly manner.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and delivery of care.
• The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective delivery of care.

Exemplars:

• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments.
• Producing accurate, concise and clear speech pathology documentation (e.g., assessment reports, progress notes, referral/discharge letters) which meets legal requirements and demonstrates an acceptable standard of spelling, grammar, punctuation and organization of information. 

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in speech pathology to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of speech pathology services.

• Recording accurate data in client notes (e.g., swallowing trials, intervention data).
• Interpreting data from standardized assessments to compare client performance to normative data for diagnosis and intervention planning.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe care to self and others.
• Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective speech pathology practice.

Exemplars:

• Observing clients interacting with others during communication assessments and intervention to note non-verbal behaviours and social-pragmatic skills.
• Observing and detecting oromotor movements during assessments (e.g., articulation of speech sounds, swallowing during videofluoroscopy).

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage individual health needs consistently and accurately.
• Auditory assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective speech pathology practice.

Exemplars:

• Perceiving client responses during assessment and intervention to accurately identify articulation errors and changes in voice quality, including in group settings with multiple clients talking at the same time.
• Hearing and recording language samples and/or client responses during case history interviewing and communication assessments.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to monitor, assess and detect clients’ physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide appropriate speech pathology services.
• Tactile assessments and observations are frequently required for safe and effective speech pathology practice.

Exemplars:

• Conducting an oromotor or bedside swallowing assessment and detecting any anatomical or movement abnormalities.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, standing, twisting and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Exemplars:

• Changing posture or stance to achieve optimum positioning relative to a client.
• Manoeuvring within the professional practice environment to access clients and materials.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects and individuals. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Exemplars:

• Performing assessment techniques (e.g., using devices to count percentage of stutters, conducting oromotor/cranial nerve assessments, recording speech transcriptions).
• Performing treatment techniques (e.g., programming alternative and augmentative communication devices, recording data and composing progress notes).

Student demonstrates:

• Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner, over a period of time and under different conditions.
• The ability to perform activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately.
• The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period of time. 

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective care. 

Exemplars:

• Participating in tutorials, lectures, skills workshops throughout the day.
• Undertaking speech pathology activities consistently over a negotiated time frame while on professional practice placement.