Undergraduate Course Guide Fremantle 2020

FREMANTLE CAMPUS 76 SCHOOL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY A leading School of Physiotherapy Notre Dame’s School of Physiotherapy provides a comprehensive foundation in the sciences from anatomy and physiology to behavioural science, communication and movement sciences, equipping you with the skills to make an effective transition to the workplace. According to the results of nationwide student surveys commissioned by the Federal Government (see qilt.edu.au) , Notre Dame is the #1 university in WA in the learning area of Rehabilitation for the following Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching: ›› Overall quality of educational experience ›› Overall satisfaction ›› Learner engagement Fully accredited by the Australian Physiotherapy Council, Notre Dame’s School of Physiotherapy provides a comprehensive program of specialised Physiotherapy. You will draw on and apply knowledge learned in foundational courses to learn more specific clinical skills of assessment, clinical reasoning and management. These skills are applied and consolidated on clinical placements. The vision of the School is to graduate physiotherapists who have the ability to apply their knowledge sensitively and critically to meet the current and future needs of the community in Australia and internationally. Professional experience At Notre Dame we explore every avenue of practice, and then we let you discover your own special niche by giving you 1,200 hours experience in the workplace. If you choose to study the double degree, you will complete 1,400 hours of practicum across the five-year program. You are introduced to clinical practice and contact with patients in Year One through Pre-Clinical Experience, where you begin to apply communication and other skills learnt in the formal teaching environment. Clinical Practice Placements in physiotherapy practices, hospital and community health settings in both urban and rural settings commence in Year Two with a five-week full time placement. In Year Three you complete another five-week placement. In your final year you undertake almost full-time clinical practice. Notre Dame has the highest graduate median salary ($67,200) and graduate employment rate (85.7%) in WA (learning area of Rehabilitation – qilt.edu.au). Critical thinking Critical thinking and good clinical decision making are hallmarks of the effective physiotherapist. As a Notre Dame Physiotherapy student, you will be taught to review and analyse, to challenge assumptions and to evaluate evidence and opinions to enable you to make considered judgements. Provision of excellent healthcare is about making sure the people with whom you are working receive the right management, at the right time, in the right dosage, delivered by the right person. Facilities The School’s facilities include a state-of-the-art gymnasium. The bespoke 125-square-metre exercise teaching facility is designed to fully prepare you to meet the increasing focus on exercise for the prevention and treatment of many modern health issues. Other facilities include lecture theatres, purpose-built laboratories and the Galvin Medical Library which holds print and digital resources, computer workstations, study rooms, and printing facilities. Accreditation Although each country has its own registration processes, the standard of an Australian physiotherapy education is highly regarded internationally. Qualifying with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy or Bachelor of Physiotherapy/Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science you are eligible to register as Physiotherapists with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) allowing you to work across all States and Territories in Australia, with mutual recognition also permitting registration in New Zealand. Honours The Honours program is embedded within the standard four years of the Physiotherapy program and the five years of the double degree. Students with high levels of achievement (Distinction average) may be invited to consider the Honours program. The Honours program comprises the design and development of a research project and the completion of a research dissertation, all supervised by a member of the University’s Research staff. Honours students enrol in a specific Honours research course in Semester 2 of their third-year and in their final year. Burn & Trauma Rehabilitation Postgraduate studies are also available in Burn & Trauma Rehabilitation. See notredame.edu.au/burnandtrauma. “Our vision is to graduate physiotherapists who are respected and sought after in the public and private sectors, both nationally and internationally, and who have an acknowledged potential to be future leaders in our profession and in healthcare in general.” Professor Sarah Love / Dean, School of Physiotherapy Find out more notredame.edu.au/freo/physiotherapy