Inherent requirements for Podiatric Medicine

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Compliance with professional codes and policies facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all.

Exemplars:

» Demonstrating appropriate behaviour with medico legal requirements relating to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality in academic and clinical settings.
» Demonstrating ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.

Justification of inherent requirement:

»Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Podiatry students will be exposed to challenging situations and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage these events.

Exemplars:

» Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback.
» Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals in the clinical setting.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Knowledge, understanding and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary pre-requisites for UniClinic and clinical placements settings in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.
» Compliance with these professional regulations and the Australian Law in the clinical setting ensure that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice.

Exemplars:

» Complying with the requirement for student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
» Complying with relevant child protection and safety legislation.

Student demonstrates:
» Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences.
» The ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner.
» The ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation.
» Timely clear feedback and reporting. 

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships.
» Communication may be restricted to verbal because of physical limitations of the individual (e.g. injury, disease or congenital conditions).
» Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety or treatment.
» Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety, treatment and management.

Exemplars:

» Participating in tutorial, simulation and clinical discussions.
» Responding appropriately to a care request in the clinical setting.
» Providing a clear verbal summary of a case in the clinical environment. 

Justification of inherent requirement:

» The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building a rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships.
» Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.
» Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships.
» The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for the safe and effective observation of patient symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and treatment of patients.

Exemplars:

» Recognising and responding appropriately in classroom situations.
» Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in the clinical environment.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Construction of written text-based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice.
» Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and patient notes, is vital to provide consistent and safe patient care.

Exemplars:

» Constructing an essay to academic standards.
» Constructing clinical reports and medical letter/reports in a timely manner that meets professional standards.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Safe and effective delivery of podiatry care is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately.

Exemplars:

» Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items.
» Applying knowledge of policy and procedures in the clinical setting.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and delivery of care.
» The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective delivery of podiatric care.

Exemplars:

» Demonstrating the ability to listen to information.
» Demonstrating the ability to convey a spoken message accurately.
» Demonstrating the ability to paraphrase, summarise and reference in accordance with appropriate academic conventions.
» Providing accurate, concise and clear podiatry documentation. 

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in podiatry to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of podiatric care.

Exemplars:

» Performing accurate drug calculations.
» Calculating and reviewing accurate safe dosages of scheduled and over-the-counter medicines.
» Demonstrating accurate recording of measurements in clinical notes.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe care to self and to others.
» Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective podiatric practice.

Exemplars:

» Accurately drawing up medication to administer.
» Observing and detecting subtle changes in wounds. 
» Observing and detecting subtle changes in posture and gait during assessment and treatment.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage an individual's health needs consistently and accurately.
» Auditory assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective podiatric practice.

Exemplars:

» Accurately undertaking an ankle brachial index measurement.
» Accurately undertaking a diagnostic vascular doppler assessment.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to monitor, assess and detect patients' physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide thorough podiatric care.
» Tactile assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective podiatric practice.

Exemplars:

» Detecting any changes in circulation observations e.g. temperature and pulse palpation.
» Detecting differences in skin integrity, hyperkeratosis and nail structures during scalpel and ingrown nail debridement techniques. 
» Conducting a musculoskeletal assessment and detecting any anatomical or movement anomalies.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Exemplars:

» Maintaining own and patient's balance while safely mobilising and transferring individuals.
» Able to safely retrieve and utilise stock and equipment.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that include fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects and individuals. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others.

Exemplars:

» Performing a aseptic wound dressing.
» Performing effective techniques such as scalpel debridement, local anaesthetic injections, soft tissue techniques, padding and strapping and orthoses fabrication.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective care.

Exemplars:

» Participating in tutorials, lectures and practicals.
» Providing consistent care over a negotiated time frame.
» Demonstrated sustained physical and mental resilience during clinical assessments over the required time frame.