99647 Clinic Level 6

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular semester, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

UTS: Science: Medical and Molecular Biosciences
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Pass fail, no marks

Requisite(s): 99646 Clinic Level 5 and Acupuncture Microsystems

Handbook description

This subject is divided into three modules

Module 1: Clinical Assistant Level 6: Approximately 30 per cent of the undergraduate training program is devoted to clinical experience and preparation for becoming a qualified traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. This module builds on the first two-and-a-half years of theoretical, practical and clinical training and develops student skills and professional understanding of clinical practice as exemplified in the University's outpatient clinic.

Module 2: Internship training: Students engage in a series of group exercises to prepare a fourth clinical management plan. This plan covers all aspects of daily management and promotion of their future internship clinic. Students engage in a series of reflective exercises dealing with the legal and ethical issues they may face during their internship clinic and upon graduation. They must also undertake the preparation of a learning contract in an area of clinical specialisation of their own choosing that they execute during their fourth-year clinics.

Module 3: Disease States: This subject module contributes to the development of an evidenced-based approach to the clinical practice of Chinese medicine (CM). The subject module develops clinical understanding of disease and its treatment through the integration of theories and knowledge from Chinese medicine with biomedical and western medicine understandings of diseases and their processes. A number of diseases are covered from traumatology and paediatric CM clinical areas.

Preventative health measures and strategies for health maintenance are additionally addressed in this subject module. These are discussed in the context of Yang Sheng, the CM clinical area of practice relating to health preservation and enhancement including understanding and application of dietary principles. The subject module links into clinical practicum and clinic internship subjects where students are required to put into practice and integrate their learning within a clinical context.

Subject objectives/outcomes

Module 1: Clinic

At the completion of this module, the student will be able to apply and demonstrate all knowledge and objectives from Clinic Levels 1 through 5 plus:

• actively assist a supervising practitioner in the UTS outpatient clinic;
• actively participate in direct patient care with appropriate attention to ethical responsibilities.
• actively participate in the routine management of the clinic as directed by the supervising practitioner;
• undertake limited treatment protocols commensurate with their level of training and as directed by the supervising practitioner;
• assure aseptic techniques as required for the practice of acupuncture, tui na and the preparation of herbal compounds;
• demonstrate the competent use of professional communication skills with the patient, fellow students and supervising practitioner.
• analyse the practitioner’s Chinese diagnostic rationale

Module 2: Internship Training

Component 1
At the completion of this component students will have completed:

• a group clinical management plan for implementation in the final year UTS internship clinic
• a personal management plan outlining specific learning and clinical goals for the final year intern clinic and post graduate practice
• a practitioner resource portfolio

Component 2
At the completion of this component students will have:

• developed a Learning Contract identifying personal learning objectives and outcomes which will be enacted in the following semester’s clinical apprenticeship.

Module 3: Disease States

Upon successful completion of this area of study students should be able to:

• Explain, identify and apply clinically significant categories of information to a range of traumatology and paediatric diseases, including disease identification and differentiation
• Identify the principle(s) of treatment and modifications for each of the main diseases in traumatology and paediatrics
• Integrate theories and knowledge from Chinese medicine with biomedical and western medicine understandings of diseases and their process
• Explain clinical considerations relating to the care of children, their health and treatment
• Explain the principles and methods of health preservation and enhancement used in CM
• Demonstrate and apply the principles of health preservation and enhancement to clinical and life context

Contribution to course aims and graduate attributes

Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application

The ongoing development of practical diagnostic and treatment skills associated with the clinical module assists students with their understanding of clinical processes and ability to communicate with professional colleagues. Through the observation of acupuncture and herbal medicine and the clinical application of tui na, students will develop an appreciation for the benefits and limitations of these modalities.

The Academic Module 2 helps students place these practices within an ethical and legal framework. Development of a Learning Contract helps students to focus on particular areas of disciplinary knowledge which they may wish to apply during 4th year clinic and upon graduation. The marketing exercises and strategies developed for the intern clinic may also assist graduates when they enter private practice.

An Enquiry-oriented approach

The critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills developed as part of the clinical training structures are vital to the development of interest in research later in their post graduate careers. An enquiry oriented approach is also a key factor in the development of clinical skills and the research required for continuing professional development. The assessment structures and practical exercises require the pursuit of knowledge and stimulates a sense of enquiry into the workings of TCM. Students are encouraged to research and develop areas of specialisation which fall outside their standard training. Assessment tasks for this subject are designed specifically to develop communication and management skills necessary for the running of the final year internship clinic with a flow on to post graduate practice.

Professional skills and their appropriate application

Students continue to develop their diagnostic and practical training skills within a controlled and safe clinical environment. Assessment structures are specifically designed to foster leadership and the management and organization skills which will be necessary for the delivery of TCM services within the 4th year clinic. These same skills are transferable to private practice. Exposure to the clinic environment allows student to engage in the management of practitioner clinics. Assessment tasks are also geared towards these attributes. As students’ confidence grows in clinic, they will be able to take their place within the professional community. Class exercises are specifically designed to address the ethical and legal aspects of practice.

The ability to be a Lifelong Learner

Students are required to develop a Learning Contract and are encouraged to research and engage in an area of specialization hitherto unfamiliar to their formal studies. This task impacts the clinical practice for both the UTS clinic and the graduate’s private practice. The nature of the task emphasizes the need for continuing development and research into their areas of chosen specialty. Students are also required to critically think about their chosen topics, reflect on their learning and clinical process. This includes engaging in the latest research and development within the TCM/Western medical fields.

Engagement with the needs of Society

The resource portfolio and clinical management plan, when well researched and designed, has significant impact on the understanding and implementation of clinical practices and the communication of the benefits and marketing of TCM to the community on both a personal and group level.

The ethical and legal tasks create an awareness of the needs and rights of the patient, practitioner and legal guardians in respect to treatment protocol, privacy, Freedom of Information, record release, refusal of treatment and other similar scenarios.

All of these aspects of learning are further reinforced in the delivery of clinical services as students undertake their clinical hours.

Communication skills

Communication, negotiation and team building skills are exercised in essentially all aspects of this subject’s assessment, be it reinforcement of formal academic writing, history taking, computerised clinical data entry, communicating with supervisors, negotiating with coordinators or organising the management of the internship clinics.

Initiative and innovative ability

The promotional scheme for marketing the 4th year clinic involves the implementation of some very innovative ideas and strategies. In addition, the degree of uniqueness and flexibility demonstrated within the Learning Contract’s approach specifically targets student creativity and lateral thinking.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject is delivered through clinics, workshops, planning sessions, group and individual work tasks.

Module 1 Clinic

Clinic level 6 clinical assistant – 70 hours

Students are incrementally introduced to the responsibilities of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine practice through the clinics and practical workshops.

Clinics deal directly with the public and demand a professional attitude with none of the trial and error 'learning experiment' atmosphere of workshops. The confidence of the student is gradually developed in the workshop setting in preparation for the role to be undertaken in the University's internship clinics during the final year.

Module 2 Internship Training

12 workshops x 2 hours per week

This module is comprised of group workshops directed at student clinic management design and implementation. The module also encompasses active individual research and trialling (proof of learning) of new areas of knowledge in the form of a flexible Learning Contract, personal management plan and practitioner resource portfolio.

Module 3 Disease States

12 lectures x 2 hours per week

This module will deliver a series of lecture/workshop style presentations directed within the three broad areas of Traumatology, Paediatrics and Yang Shen.

Content

Module 1 Clinic

Students will conduct clinical duties which include:

• general cleaning of clinical equipment and prep for sterilisation, preparing needle and equipment trays,
• assembling herbal prescriptions,
• cleaning and stocking the herbal dispensary,
• taking and recording the patient's history, pulse and tongue details as well as recording the practitioner’s diagnosis and treatment details,
• assuring general patient care and comfort throughout the treatment,
• assisting with clerical duties associated with the clinic,
• booking appointments, both new and follow-up,,
• assisting the practitioner as otherwise requested

Module 2 Internship Training

This module has been divided into two components each of which are designed to prepare students for their entry into their final clinical internship.

Component 1

a) The class, working as a group, will produce, to the satisfaction of the subject co-ordinator, a clinical management plan for the final year’s intern programs of Clinical Practice 1 and Clinical Practice 2.

Duties include but are not limited to, rostering students’ clinical hours, appointing student co-ordinators, developing advertising and promotion for the student clinic and other management details deemed necessary for the efficient running of the internship a clinic. This management plan is to be revised and modified until it is acceptable to the subject co-ordinator and must be completed before any student commences their clinical internship.

b) Each student will develop a personal management plan

Each student will compile a resource portfolio designed to source solutions to key issues that may face the student in the UTS clinic and as a graduate practitioner.

Component 2

This component requires the development of a negotiated Learning Contract (LC) between student and subject co-ordinator. The LC will follow defined guidelines yet offers a degree of flexibility by allowing the student to choose the learning topic most appropriate to his/her needs. The development process of the LC in itself constitutes a learning exercise, in that students are required to analyse their personal needs, construct the learning method and desired outcomes in relation to the assessment criteria determined by the subject co-ordinator.

Module 3 Disease States

Disease discussion undertaken in the clinical areas will cover:

• CM classification/s
• biomedical classification/s
• aetiology
• pathology
• diagnosis
• differential diagnosis
• current therapy from a biomedical perspective
• herbal formula modification, application (and treatment)
• CM treatment therapy and strategies (may cover herbal formulae, acupuncture, massage, exercise methods, lifestyle and dietary advice)
• Integration of laboratory and radiological findings (where relevant)

Assessment

Assessment Item 1: Clinical Assistant Duties and Assessment

Intent:	To meet the following graduate attributes: Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application An Enquiry-oriented approach Professional skills and appropriate application Engagement with the needs of Society Communication skills
Objective(s):	to provide advanced clinical experience in a supervised manner by actively observing and assisting a practitioner in the UTS practitioner clinic; to introduce direct student-patient interface; to develop business management skills by actively participating in the routine office management of the practitioner clinic; to develop diagnostic capacity through observation and analysis of the practitioner’s diagnostic protocol; to undertake limited treatment techniques as directed by the supervising practitioner; to assure proper aseptic practices as required for acupuncture, tui na and the assembly of herbal compounds; to demonstrate the competent use of professional communication skills with the patient, fellow students and supervising practitioner; and to conduct an assessment on each student evaluating the competencies incorporated within the above
Weighting:	Pass/Fail
Length:	Ongoing throughout the semester
Criteria:	The Case Reports will be evaluated as either 'satisfactory' or 'unsatisfactory'. Reports with insufficent details or lacking adequate reflection will have to be resubmitted Criterion referenced performance measures based on competencies that must be met to the satisfaction of clinical supervisors.

Assessment Item 2: Individual Threshold tasks and Exam

Intent:	The following graduate attributes will be addressed: Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application. Professional skills and appropriate application. Enquiry-based approach Communication skills.
Objective(s):	To explore legal and ethical issues surrounding clinical practice. To assure a thorough grasp of essential clinical procedures required for year 4 clinical internship
Weighting:	All three threshold tasks must be completed to the satisfaction of the subject coordinator. Any missed task, for whatever reason, will be substituted with an appropriate assignment.
Criteria:	Tasks 1-3 will be discussed in class and student should be present. Task 4 - procedures exam requires a 95% pass mark

Assessment Item 3: Clinical Management Plan

Intent:	The following graduate attributes are addressed: Professional skills and appropriate application. Engagement with the needs of society. Communication skills. Initiative and innovative ability.
Objective(s):	To develop a management plan for the 4th year internship clinic. To provide an awareness of the intricacies involved in running a clinic To encourage group thinking and cooperation and create an awareness of potential problems from a group/peer management perspective. To examine and produce an innovative advertising strategy which can be extended into the graduate practitioner setting
Weighting:	Pass/Fail
Criteria:	Meet the coordinators approval Meet the completion deadline

Assessment Item 4: Personal Management (VISION) Plan

Intent:	This assignment is designed to meet the following graduate attributes: Professional skills and appropriate application. Enquiry-based approach. Communication skills. Initiative and innovative approach.
Objective(s):	To examine the future direction of the new graduate practitioner. To develop a set of personal clinical practice goals and visions. To examine the potential problem areas of running a conventional clinic or implementing the personal “vision”. To detail solutions to the potential problem areas. To call upon the experiences and insights gained from the Learning Contract and implementation of the Clinical Management Plan to inform the decision-making and solution processes.
Weighting:	Pass/Fail
Criteria:	Meet the completion deadline. Demonstrate creative and critical thinking.

Assessment Item 5: Resource Portfolio

Intent:	The following graduate attributes are addressed within the portfolio: Enquiry-based approach Communication skills
Objective(s):	To develop a convenient, quick reference resource portfolio that will answer the inevitable questions that arise during clinical practice in both the student and post graduate clinics.
Weighting:	Pass/Fail
Criteria:	Thoroughness. On time submission.

Assessment Item 6: Learning Contract

Intent:	To address graduate attributes of: Disciplinary knowledge and its appropriate application. Professional skills and appropriate application. Enquiry-based approach. Engagement with the needs of society. The ability to be a lifelong learner. Communication skills. Initiative and innovative approach.
Objective(s):	Develop a personal learning research project to be applied in the final year of clinic. To negotiate a design for a personalised research project dedicated to the acquisition of new knowledge in a specialty or extensively expand upon a pre-existing knowledge base. To assess the practicality of the choice of topic To assess the capability to accrue sufficient “evidence of learning” (eg. patient numbers) which will be implemented in year four clinic To consider innovative approaches to this self learning assessment To conduct at least one face-to-face meeting with the coordinator
Weighting:	Pass/Fail
Criteria:	To schedule and attend a face-to-face negotiation meeting with the coordinator. On time submission of the Final completed form.

Assessment Item 7: Disease States Module

Minimum requirements

To pass this subject, students must:
• complete all threshold tasks or equivalent assignments to the satisfaction of the subject coordinator,
• submit proof of completion of a Senior First Aid Certificate,
• attend 80 % (minimum) of tutorials,
• Attend threshold task discussions sessions
• Complete and pass all modules

An X grade (fail), regardless of the final mark, will be awarded where the minimum criteria are not met.

In relation to clinical placements and practice workshops, students are expected to:

• behave in an ethical manner;
• observe University clinical policies and procedures;
• observe relevant State and Federal regulations;
• maintain a duty of care to patients and fellow students, and
• demonstrate an acceptable level of professional conduct.

Where a student fails to comply to minimum standards or a reasonable direction from an officer of the University, they may be asked to cease attendance at clinic or practical workshops and/or be awarded an X grade (fail).

Recommended texts

UTS College of TCM, Clinical Policy and Procedures Manual, Sydney: UTS. (current)

References

Additional material as advised.