Students

PSYN8849 – Clinical Neuropsychology Practical Placement I

2021 – Session 1, Weekday attendance, North Ryde

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Vincent Oxenham
Carolyn Schniering
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MClinNeuro
Corequisites Corequisites
(PSYN8840 or PSYN840) and (PSYN8853 or PSYN853) and (PSYN8855 or PSYN855)
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This is the first Supervised Practical Placement unit and comprises an overall workload of approximately 250 hours under the close supervision of a qualified field supervisor at the Macquarie University Psychology Clinic. As such it provides the opportunity to put theory/techniques gained in coursework units into practice. In this unit students will be developing their knowledge of relevant clinical conditions, and the advantages and disadvantages of particular neuropsychological assessment procedures. Students should have the ability to seek the relevant knowledge, if this is not already available, and to begin to generate hypotheses about what to expect. Students will also begin to develop interviewing, interpretation and report writing abilities, providing them with solid foundational skills to pursue external placements. Students are required to complete at least a thousand hours across all placements in the program to meet accreditation requirements.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Apply neuropsychological knowledge and scholarly understanding to determine client needs and design and implement evidence based interventions.
  • ULO2: Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, taking into account developmental and cultural considerations
  • ULO3: Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical neuropsychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics.
  • ULO4: Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical neuropsychologists, including the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Mid-placement review 30% Yes Mid-point of placement
Weekly Supervision (WIL) 30% Yes Throughout the placement
Case log book 10% Yes End of placement
End of placement review 30% Yes End of placement

Mid-placement review

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Mid-point of placement
Weighting: 30%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

This is a mid-placement assessment of competency, conducted In the placement setting with the supervisor using an online tool. Feedback is on developing competency to a Pass level. An average score of at least 2 out of 10, in at least 2 of the 4 overall skill domains (i.e. assessment skills, clinical skills, report writing and professional skills) is required to pass. A score below this will result in the unit being failed.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply neuropsychological knowledge and scholarly understanding to determine client needs and design and implement evidence based interventions.
  • Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, taking into account developmental and cultural considerations
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical neuropsychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics.
  • Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical neuropsychologists, including the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs.

Weekly Supervision (WIL)

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 90 hours
Due: Throughout the placement
Weighting: 30%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

Students participate in case management and assessment under close supervision of supervisors in the Macquarie University Psychology Clinic. Students will be assessed on formative assessment and testing skills; professional conduct; self-reflection via log book; ethics and communication skills including professional report writing.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply neuropsychological knowledge and scholarly understanding to determine client needs and design and implement evidence based interventions.
  • Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, taking into account developmental and cultural considerations
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical neuropsychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics.
  • Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical neuropsychologists, including the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs.

Case log book

Assessment Type 1: Log book
Indicative Time on Task 2: 7 hours
Due: End of placement
Weighting: 10%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

At the completion of 10 cases, these must be compiled into a log book and presented to the Supervisor.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply neuropsychological knowledge and scholarly understanding to determine client needs and design and implement evidence based interventions.
  • Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, taking into account developmental and cultural considerations
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical neuropsychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics.
  • Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical neuropsychologists, including the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs.

End of placement review

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: End of placement
Weighting: 30%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

This is an end of placement assessment of competency, conducted In the placement setting with the supervisor. This review is conducted using an online tool. An average score of at least 2 in at least 3 of 4 overall skill domains (i.e. assessment skills, clinical skills, report writing and professional skills) is required to pass the placement. A score below this will result in the unit being failed.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply neuropsychological knowledge and scholarly understanding to determine client needs and design and implement evidence based interventions.
  • Communicate effectively across a wide range of client groups, colleagues and other professionals, taking into account developmental and cultural considerations
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the legislative frameworks relevant to clinical neuropsychologists and undertake practice according to professional standards and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of ethics.
  • Demonstrate the entry level capabilities required of practising clinical neuropsychologists, including the professional and personal skills for assessing continuous development needs.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Delivery is in the placement setting with a range of resources including supervision, readings, and other assessment and treatment tools. 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.


Unit information based on version 2021.01R of the Handbook