POD5202 · Podiatry and medicines

Overview

Podiatrists work with people who experience a range of medical conditions affecting the lower limb. This unit is designed to develop your understanding of systemic and local medical conditions that can affect the foot and lower limb. You will also be exposed to more complex health issues experienced by people seeking podiatry management, such as chronic pain and polypharmacy. The theoretical component will also include a range of pharmacotherapeutics used to manage medical conditions and will support you in evaluating and treating patients in a holistic manner. You will also be exposed to inter-disciplinary practice and learn how to work in a culturally sensitive and safe way. You will develop an understanding of a range of medical conditions, and their physiological impact to the body across the lifespan. This hands-on unit will include practical sessions where you will perform a range of assessments of the lower limb in a simulated setting. You will learn to treat a range of pathological high-risk foot conditions using pharmacological therapies (injectables, wound care products), orthoses, exercise and other treatments relevant to the management of your client. This unit will highlight the role of the podiatrist as part of a multidisciplinary team. You will also use evidence-based practice in the decision-making process of managing a client with medical conditions affecting the lower limb.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.

Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Critically evaluate the risk factors, clinical features and pathological processes of a range of medical conditions that can lead to disorders in the lower limb.
2. Critically analyse clinical cases and synthesise appropriate short- and long-term management plans for a range of medical conditions.
3. Assess patient needs, including consideration of appropriate measures of health indicators and outcomes.
4. Communicate appropriately and effectively with patients, their care team and other health care stakeholders.
5. Justify a range of management options to prevent and manage medical conditions affecting the lower limb, including pharmacological therapies, soft tissue therapies, exercise, orthomechanical therapies and related technologies.
6. Appraise the principles of inclusive, and culturally safe podiatry practice and apply it in a multidisciplinary clinical setting.
7. Implement evidence-based practice in the management of the patient with medical conditions affecting the lower limb.

Workload

The average time required for the dedicated contact hours and private study hours is equivalent to 24 hours per week during a regular semester. There will be 12 hours of on-campus directed learning and 12 hours of self-directed learning per week.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.