Students

PSYN8904 – Clinical Neuropsychology Practical Placement IV

2021 – Full year 1, Weekday attendance, On location at placement

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

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Vincent Oxenham
Carolyn Schniering
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
PSYN849 or PSYN8849
Corequisites Corequisites
(PSYN902 or PSYN8902) and (PSYN903 or PSYN8903)
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit enables students to further develop the skills acquired in PSYN8849, PSYN8902 and PSYN8903. The unit, with an overall workload of approximately 250 hours, provides students with supervised practical experience in conducting neuropsychological assessments including case formulation, interviewing, testing, scoring, test interpretation, report writing and (where appropriate) verbal feedback. By the end of this placement, the student should be relatively independent and capable of handling routine cases with minimal assistance from the supervisor. In cases which are unusual, or conditions which they have not encountered before, they should demonstrate the ability to collect the appropriate data (i.e., history from whatever sources are available, seeking information about the condition from the literature), and be able to formulate suitable differential diagnoses. . 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, using a variety of formats, 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
Case log book 10% Yes End of placement
Weekly Supervision (WIL) 20% Yes Throughout placement
Mid-placement review (MPR) 20% Yes Midpoint of placement
Long Case Book 20% Yes End of placement
End of placement review (EPR) 30% Yes End of placement

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 12-14 cases, these must be compiled into a log book and presented to the Placement Coordinator.


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, using a variety of formats, 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: 40 hours
Due: Throughout placement
Weighting: 20%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

Students participate in case management and intervention under close supervision of field supervisors appointed as Macquarie University Adjunct Fellows. 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. At the end of placement, a declaration form confirming hours is also required.


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, using a variety of formats, 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.

Mid-placement review (MPR)

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Midpoint of placement
Weighting: 20%
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 9 out of 10 in at least 2 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, using a variety of formats, 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.

Long Case Book

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: End of placement
Weighting: 20%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

At the end of all four placements, a long case analysis of 10 of the fifty cases completed across all four placements, must be presented to the Placement Coordinator. These case reports should include the referral question, literature review, details of past developmental, medical and psychological history and any other relevant background material. Results of tests administered and highlights of the assessment should always be included. A summation with interpretations and recommendations for management or other investigations, treatment options and follow up recommendations, is required. The case report is expected to contain more detail than the original report of neuropsychological assessment and should cover a range of clinical conditions and a reflective paragraph per case. Itis very important that patient/client anonymity be maintained throughout.


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, using a variety of formats, 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 (EPR)

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 9 in all 4 of the 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. The field supervisor provides recommendation to the placement co-ordinator who reviews the evaluation form including approximately 12 case log books, long cases and log book to determine the awarding the final grade.


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, using a variety of formats, 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 2021.02 of the Handbook