Students

PHTY8204 – Health and Wellbeing Across Lifespan A

2025 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Kelly Gray
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Level 5, 75 Talavera Road
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Clinical Educator and Tutor
Kate Moss
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Level 5, 75 Talavera Road
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Tutor
Ashley Woodbury
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MQ Health
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Lecturer and Tutor
Verity Pacey
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75T, Ground Floor
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Tutor
Bec Sampson
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MQ Health
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Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(PHTY8200) and (PHTY8201) and (PHTY8202)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit focuses on the delivery of physiotherapy services to promote and enhance health and wellbeing in paediatric populations. In this unit, you learn about paediatric conditions commonly managed by physiotherapists. Learning activities include online interactive modules and practical classes. Within an integrated clinical component you will apply extended knowledge and skills to interact with infants, children and adolescents within community settings specific to paediatric populations, such as the education sector. 

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: Demonstrate how knowledge of biological processes during paediatric years impact on health and physiotherapy care. (Scientist and Scholar)
  • ULO2: Perform and analyse age and stage appropriate assessments of infants, children and adolescents with complex health conditions. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • ULO3: Develop, implement and evaluate safe and effective physiotherapy management strategies appropriate for an infant, child or adolescent that considers the individual's goals and preferences, as well as their family, social and cultural context, to optimise and enhance health and wellbeing across the lifespan. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • ULO4: Communicate effectively with infants, children, adolescents as well as their family/carers and other professionals, to provide information about the individual's health status and to support optimal participation in age and stage appropriate activities. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • ULO5: Apply legal and ethical principles within professional practice to ensure the privacy, autonomy and safety of all children, whilst optimising health and wellbeing. (Professional)

General Assessment Information

To pass this unit, you must have demonstrated sufficient evidence of achievement of the unit learning outcomes and obtained a minimum pass grade for the clinical placement logbook assessment as this is a hurdle assessment.

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure.

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Grading of Assessments

You will receive a grade for each assessment within this unit. The grades awarded will reflect a holistic evaluation of the work against the criteria outlined within the corresponding assessment rubric. Numerical marks will be calculated for each assessment based on the following percentages, and rounded to the nearest full mark:

  • High distinction (HD) – 95%
  • Distinction (D) – 80%
  • Credit (C) – 70%
  • Pass (P) – 60%
  • Pass minus (P-) - 50%
  • Fail (F) – 40%

Submission of an incomplete assessment task may result in the Fail (F) grade to be awarded a numerical grade below 40%.

Hurdle Assessment

The PHTY8204 Clinical Placement logbook is a hurdle assessment task. A hurdle requirement is an activity for which a minimum level of performance or participation is a condition of passing the unit in which it occurs. A student who has obtained a SNG over 50, yet failed the hurdle assessment, fails the unit. Please see Macquarie University's assessment policy for more information about hurdle assessment tasks.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks

Applications for assessment task extensions may be considered for short-term, unexpected, serious, and unavoidable circumstances affecting assessment. Applications must be submitted via https://connect.mq.edu.au/s/. For further details please refer to the Special Considerations Policy. You can also find out more on the MQ Student Portal at the following link: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Should you encounter any personal issues or concerns in regard to health and wellbeing during your studies you can also gain personal support and advice on campus. Please see the following link for further information: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/personal

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) may be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. However, failure to submit an assessment task may reduce your ability to demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the unit learning outcomes. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.

For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours)

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

 

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled viva's, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Clinical assignment 30% No 07/04/2025
Case study analysis 30% No 20/05/2025
Viva examination 40% No Exam Period
Clinical placement logbook 0% Yes 12/06/2025

Clinical assignment

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 07/04/2025
Weighting: 30%

 

You will submit a report that will relate to the Community Clinical Placement component of this unit. Your report will include providing recommendations to a specified target audience.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate how knowledge of biological processes during paediatric years impact on health and physiotherapy care. (Scientist and Scholar)
  • Perform and analyse age and stage appropriate assessments of infants, children and adolescents with complex health conditions. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Develop, implement and evaluate safe and effective physiotherapy management strategies appropriate for an infant, child or adolescent that considers the individual's goals and preferences, as well as their family, social and cultural context, to optimise and enhance health and wellbeing across the lifespan. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Communicate effectively with infants, children, adolescents as well as their family/carers and other professionals, to provide information about the individual's health status and to support optimal participation in age and stage appropriate activities. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Apply legal and ethical principles within professional practice to ensure the privacy, autonomy and safety of all children, whilst optimising health and wellbeing. (Professional)

Case study analysis

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 20/05/2025
Weighting: 30%

 

This assessment will be based on a case/s and will test your understanding of content delivered during flipped content learning activities and tutorials through the application of skills and knowledge.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate how knowledge of biological processes during paediatric years impact on health and physiotherapy care. (Scientist and Scholar)
  • Perform and analyse age and stage appropriate assessments of infants, children and adolescents with complex health conditions. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Develop, implement and evaluate safe and effective physiotherapy management strategies appropriate for an infant, child or adolescent that considers the individual's goals and preferences, as well as their family, social and cultural context, to optimise and enhance health and wellbeing across the lifespan. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Communicate effectively with infants, children, adolescents as well as their family/carers and other professionals, to provide information about the individual's health status and to support optimal participation in age and stage appropriate activities. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Apply legal and ethical principles within professional practice to ensure the privacy, autonomy and safety of all children, whilst optimising health and wellbeing. (Professional)

Viva examination

Assessment Type 1: Viva/oral examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 40%

 

You will be required to describe and justify evidence based assessment and treatment choices using advanced clinical reasoning related to a complex case during a viva examination. This exam will test your understanding of content covered during flipped content learning activities and tutorials.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate how knowledge of biological processes during paediatric years impact on health and physiotherapy care. (Scientist and Scholar)
  • Perform and analyse age and stage appropriate assessments of infants, children and adolescents with complex health conditions. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Develop, implement and evaluate safe and effective physiotherapy management strategies appropriate for an infant, child or adolescent that considers the individual's goals and preferences, as well as their family, social and cultural context, to optimise and enhance health and wellbeing across the lifespan. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Communicate effectively with infants, children, adolescents as well as their family/carers and other professionals, to provide information about the individual's health status and to support optimal participation in age and stage appropriate activities. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Apply legal and ethical principles within professional practice to ensure the privacy, autonomy and safety of all children, whilst optimising health and wellbeing. (Professional)

Clinical placement logbook

Assessment Type 1: Log book
Indicative Time on Task 2: 3 hours
Due: 12/06/2025
Weighting: 0%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

 

You will submit a logbook where you will briefly describe your experiences during the Community Clinical Placement component of this unit. The logbook is a documentation of clinical education that is sufficient to produce a graduate competent to practice across the lifespan in a range of environments and settings for the assurance of physiotherapy practice registration.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop, implement and evaluate safe and effective physiotherapy management strategies appropriate for an infant, child or adolescent that considers the individual's goals and preferences, as well as their family, social and cultural context, to optimise and enhance health and wellbeing across the lifespan. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Communicate effectively with infants, children, adolescents as well as their family/carers and other professionals, to provide information about the individual's health status and to support optimal participation in age and stage appropriate activities. (Clinical Practitioner)
  • Apply legal and ethical principles within professional practice to ensure the privacy, autonomy and safety of all children, whilst optimising health and wellbeing. (Professional)

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

Assumed Knowledge

This unit assumes that you have a good understanding of all content delivered in Semesters A-C. This unit draws on knowledge related to musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurological physiotherapy, and then extends that knowledge to cover specific paediatric populations.

Unit Organisation

This is a ten credit point unit run over a 13 week session. Overall, it is anticipated that you will spend approximately 150 hours across the session on this unit. Within this session there will be approximately 24 hours of campus-based tutorials/workshops/seminars, 10 hours of clinical placement and 49 hours of online activities, including preparation for campus-based tutorials/workshops. You will also need to allow approximately 67 hours for assessment based work.

The clinical placement hours will involve you participating in the Community Clinical Program in paediatric settings. These will enable you to gain a much deeper understanding of the paediatric health care system and of the interactions with other sectors or organisations distinct to the paediatric population, such as the education sector. The assessments in this unit involve integration of experience gained during the Community Clinical Program.

Teaching and Learning strategy

This unit encompasses an active learning approach where you will be expected to actively engage in enhancing your own learning experience. A blended learning and teaching strategy is implemented within this unit with online resources providing content and interactive activities such as quizzes and forums, which is further built upon in campus-based tutorials and workshops. The teaching approach will be based on you developing a deep understanding of the principles and the ability to independently think critically and solve problems. The expectation is therefore that you can translate this knowledge to different scenarios eg. children with different presentations, ages and/ or family circumstances.

Recommended Readings

The following textbook is recommended but not essential. An electronic copy of this textbook is available through the library. 

Palisano, R. J., Campbell, S. K., & Orlin, M. (2014). Physical Therapy for Children. Philadelphia: Elsevier.

Recommendations about specific readings from these and other resources (such as research papers, books, websites and videos) will be listed on iLearn.

Technology Used

Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will require students to have access to a tablet, laptop or similar device. Students who do not own their own laptop computer may borrow one from the university library.

Consultation with staff 

All staff will be available for individual consultation. See iLearn for contact details.

Unit Schedule

Unit Schedule

Across the semester you will engage in the following modules:

  • Typical development 
  • Kids are not little adults
  • Birth and the early years
  • Standardised assessments
  • Normal variance
  • Paediatric cardiorespiratory physiotherapy
  • Paediatric neurological physiotherapy
  • Paediatric musculoskeletal and orthopaedic physiotherapy
  • Adolescent medicine
  • Rare disorders and NDIS

Detailed information pertaining to the unit schedule can be found on iLearn.

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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Changes from Previous Offering

The HAWC assignment has been changed to encompass the wider Community Clinical Program, to allow for broader inclusion of clinical experiences.

There has been a reduction in Community Clinical Placement hours from 20-10 hours. These hours have transitioned to prepatory work. 

Inclusion and Diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone. 

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., community clinical placements), and team-based learning activities. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.


Unit information based on version 2025.05 of the Handbook