Students will undertake supervised practice in clinical settings including clinic based, rest home and hospital. Students will prepare for the clinical setting and integrate learning from musculoskeletal, acute care, exercise rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation and community rehabilitation into patient and whanau-centred care. Students will develop competencies in assessment of clients' problems, analysis of findings, goal setting and implementation and evaluation of interventions.

This course comprises 200 hours of supervised clinical practice undertaken in a hospital, private practice or community setting and sits within one of the three following areas: acute care; rehabilitation; or primary care. Students are required to integrate foundation biomedical and behavioural knowledge, physical and technical skills, and the applied skills of evidence based practice to allow the development of entry-level physiotherapy competencies. Students are required to demonstrate developing competence in specific clinical skills required for the placement as well as the generic skills and attributes of registered physiotherapists, e.g. professionalism and communication. Further, students will develop competencies in assessment of clients' problems, analysis of findings, goal setting and implementation and evaluation of interventions.

The course promotes the understanding of appropriate professional ethical and social attitudes, interprofessional roles and facilitates the development of effective and appropriate communication. There is an emphasis on the rehabilitation of patients, across the lifespan, presenting with a variety of conditions involving the musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and nervous systems.

The practicum courses will focus on providing a wide range of activities and clinical contexts for the students. These will include:

• Cardiopulmonary/Acute - This is an acute placement where students are expected to use their specific acute/cardiopulmonary assessment, reasoning and management skills for a variety of patients across the lifespan.
• Neurology/Rehabilitation - These placements could be in acute, sub-acute or long-term neurological/rehabilitation settings and could also include paediatrics. Students will be able to treat patients with a range of conditions requiring rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is broadly defined and could include general or specialist neurological, geriatric, paediatric, amputee, orthopaedic, hand, spinal injury, cardiopulmonary and workplace-related rehabilitation.
• Musculoskeletal - This unit allows the student to integrate theory and practical skills in musculoskeletal physiotherapy. Placements may be in a public or private setting, either inpatient orthopaedics or an outpatient area of practice. Students will be able to apply examination and intervention skills and demonstrate the application of clinical reasoning and decision making in patients with musculoskeletal disorders across the lifespan.
• Community - This includes any physiotherapy service provided to, and/or in, the community outside a major institution. This could include the following: community centres, aged care facilities, post-acute care/hospital in the home, outreach teams, domiciliary, paediatric services, disability services, health promotion, exercise classes and private practices.
• Integrated / general - This covers clinical placements across a broad range of settings including rural/regional placements, private practice, orthopaedics, women’s health, paediatrics, palliative care, amputees, hydrotherapy, workplace rehabilitation etc.

200 supervised clinical practice hours within the musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapy setting. Students will 

• Demonstrate basic knowledge and skills in the examination, evaluation, and treatment of common musculoskeletal impairments of MSK tissues (i.e. muscle, connective tissue, nerve, bone), where impairments include illness, injury, trauma, overuse, postural, genetic, developmental, and post-surgical issues.
• Apply knowledge of anatomy, pathology and histopathology of MSK tissues through the stages of healing.
• Demonstrate the ability to generalize therapeutic principles discussed in Module 5 to other, less common MSK conditions.
• Interpret and critically review the MSK literature while incorporating the concepts to the examination, evaluation, and treatment of common MSK impairments.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply prospective clinical reasoning using a two stage hypo-deductive reasoning model where a probing subjective history and patient observation skills are used to develop differential diagnoses and MSK examination and reasoning skills are used to confirm or disprove these diagnoses.
• Rationalize the selection of and demonstrate the safe performance of appropriate MSK assessment skills, and be able to accurately interpret examination data, including: postural evaluation, palpation of articular & soft tissue structures, upper and lower quadrant scan exams, selective tissue tension testing, ligament stress tests, assessment of ROM and strength, selected passive accessory mobility tests, integumentary system (e.g. skin, hair, nails), proprioception, balance and gait analysis.
• Determine a primary differential diagnosis at the level of impairment that takes into account stage of healing, nature of the pain, tissue / system pathology, level of irritability and considers both patho-anatomic and patho- mechanical causes of MSK dysfunction.
• Identify concerns at the levels of activity and participation.
• Discuss how to identify danger signs and common syndromes of non musculoskeletal origin ('red flags').
• Understand the basic concepts of various common medical & surgical investigations in MSK impairments as they relate to the physiotherapy primary differential diagnosis.
• Demonstrate the ability to rationalize and design an MSK intervention plan for common MSK dysfunctions that includes (i) specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based (SMART) functional goals developed in collaboration with the patient / client, (ii) SMART impairment goals that support each functional goal, (iii) appropriate interventions to achieve these goals, and (iv) appropriate outcome measures to evaluate treatment effects.
• Demonstrate the ability to implement a comprehensive, reasoned intervention plan that is matched to both patient / client needs and the SMART goals (functional, impairment), is safe, cost effective and efficient, and includes re- assessment criteria with subsequent treatment modifications, and discharge criteria.
• Address concerns at the levels of impairment, activity and participation
• Integrate the multiple determinants of health which influence patient prognosis.
• Demonstrate safe, ethical practice, skill and competence in common MSK interventions including soft tissue techniques, therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, devices /aids/ tape, gait and posture re- education, functional training, basic  adaptations to home, work, and sport techniques or environments, and patient education.
• Demonstrate the ability to document relevant aspects of the assessment, evaluation and intervention processes, including informed consent, standardized assessment forms, clinical reasoning, SOAP notes, and communications to patients / clinicians.
• Demonstrate communication and interpersonal skills conducive to effective interaction with patients / clients (and their social support group), peer clinicians, support personnel, and other various health care providers.
• Understand the process and rationalization of referring patients/clients to other health care providers and/or community/government agencies for treatment and/or support while respecting the patient’s / client’s right to confidentiality.

Students are expected to participate to participate across the two semesters, with approximately 120 hours per semester. 

Attendance is mandatory and the assessment of students consists of a cumulative performance appraisal.

To complete this course students must enrol in EXERSCI 751 A and B, or EXERSCI 751