DESCRIPTION

 

This unit focuses on the person as the centre of the health care experience. Health and wellness will be explored from a biopsychosocial and lifespan perspective. Psychological concepts and theories underpinning human behaviour, health behaviour acquisition, therapeutic communication and health behaviour change will be introduced. These concepts will be applied to the personal and professional self and then to practice. This content will assist health students in understanding the people they will interact with in clinical practice and will consequently assist them in their interactions with these individuals.

UNIT RATIONALE

Health care is focused on the person – generally at a time of great vulnerability. It is a requirement that health care professionals perform person centred care and focus on the outcomes which are best for the person and/or groups they are care for and interact with. This aim of this unit will assist health students in understanding the people they will interact with in clinical practice and will assist them in their interactions with these individuals through an understanding of human behaviour.

Mode: Modes of delivery in this unit include online lectures, resource sessions, tutorials, online activities and self-directed study. The Working with Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults module is an online module that will take approximately two hours to complete. Successful participants will be given a record of completion.

Attendance pattern: The unit incorporates face –to-face lecture resource sessions, tutorials and online learning materials including pre-recorded lectures.

Duration: This unit incorporates 10 weeks of face-to-face teaching. This unit requires students to undertake 150 hours of focused learning to achieve the unit learning outcomes. This includes class attendance, readings and assignment preparation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

LO1 Demonstrate understanding of the person from a lifespan perspective, taking into consideration biopsychosocial factors and the person’s life experience; (GA1, 5)

LO2 Describe the role of resilience in human behaviour; (GA5)

LO3 Demonstrate an understanding of psychological concepts and theories of human behaviour, health and wellbeing; (GA6)

LO4 Apply the psychological concepts and theories of human behaviour, health and wellbeing to health behaviour change; (GA6)

LO5 Explain the theoretical and professional dimensions of communication and demonstrate the ability to work respectfully with others. (GA9)

LO6 Demonstrate an understanding of the importance, policies and strategies for building safe and supportive environments for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults (GA1, GA5)

GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

Each unit in your course contributes in some way to the development of the

ACU Graduate Attributes which you should demonstrate by the time you complete your course. All Australian universities have their expected graduate attributes – ACU’s Graduate Attributes have a greater emphasis on ethical behaviour and community responsibility than those of many other universities. All of your units will enable you to develop some attributes.

On successful completion of this unit, you should have developed your ability to:

GA1  demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA5  demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline

and/or profession

GA6  solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA9  demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and

visual media

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND STUDENT FEEDBACK

SELT surveys are usually conducted at the end of the teaching period. Your practical and constructive feedback is valuable to improve the quality of the unit. Please ensure you complete the SELT survey for the unit. You can also provide feedback at other times to the unit lecturers, course coordinators and/or through student representatives.

LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGY AND RATIONALE

Consistent with adult learning principles, the teaching and learning strategies used within these modes of delivery will provide students with foundational knowledge and skills relevant to professional health care practice. These strategies will also support students in meeting the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit and the broader course learning outcomes. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively with peers.

Students entering university need significant support to transition into the learning and teaching environment where they are required to drive their own learning. To guide students in their learning, feedback is required to identify what is being done well, what requires additional work and to identify progress toward required learning outcomes. Located in the first year of the programme, this theory unit includes significant face-to-face teaching hours and a directed online component to introduce students to managing their study off-campus. Lectures are utilised to convey content and its central principles while tutorials deliver interactive learning sessions which include formative feedback to build foundational tertiary study skills while also providing an opportunity to establish group-work and learning community skills. Online materials are introduced to provide students with a foundation for ongoing, directed, self-motivated study.