Community Optometry PG (10331.1)

Required texts

Bowling, B. (2016). Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology : A systematic approach (Eighth ed.). London: Elsevier.
This book is available for purchase at the School Locker online-shop and for loan at the library (including online).

Bagheri, N., Wajda, B., Calvo, C., Durrani, A., Friedberg, M., Rapuano, C., & Wills Eye Hospital. (2017). The Wills Eye Manual : Office and Emergency Room Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Disease
This book is available for loan at the library (including online).
 
Bruce AS and Loughnan MS. ‘Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics', Butterworth-Heinemann, 2nd edition, 2011
This book is available for loan at the library (including online).

Submission of assessment items

Special assessment requirements

To achieve a passing grade or higher in this unit, students must:

• Attempt all assessment items;
• Attend the full 10 week clinical placement. This includes placement at the Health Hub, external practices, vision screenings, community projects and specialty Optometry clinics.
• Participate in 4 hour pre-placement workshop
• Achieve a mark of at least 50% in the compulsory work samples
• Keep a deidentified record of your compulsory work samples through your placement log. This must be completed daily for every placement. Submit your work samples via Smartabase to the Clinical Coordinator daily (or as required) during relevant clinical placement. Failure to do so may result in a failure of the clinical placement or a loss of 5% of the total unit marks per day.
• Complete the E-portfolio submission via Mahara. The assignment must be completed satisfactorily for you to pass the clinical placement. In the case of an inadequate or incomplete e- portfolio you will fail the placement and need to repeat the unit it is attached to.

The Unit Convener reserves the right to question students orally on any of their submitted work.

Students are required to submit an absence form (available via the unit's UC Learn Canvas site) and appropriate documentary evidence for every absence. The Unit Convener will assess your application; however, this will not guarantee that your application will be successful.

Students are required to cooperate in (laboratory classes, workshops or remediation sessions) where students may be asked to practice optometry skills on each other, so each student is the patient and practitioner in turn and in approximately equal duration. By both conducting the clinical procedures and participating in the tests, you will gain an insight and empathy into the issues associated with testing visual function, both from the point of view of both an optometrist and patient. 

As stated earlier, this course aims to develop your professional and communication skills in preparation for your journey towards being a health professional. During classes and placements, you will be required to demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict. Any action or omission that affects the safety of your patient or peers or is deemed disrespectful to your patients, fellow students or the teaching staff can result in failure of a patient assessment task regardless of the aggregate mark for the assessment. Virtual classes have additional requirements where you will further develop communication skills in the virtual environment. While in a virtual environment, students are required to present themselves and communicate with peers, staff and invited speakers in a professional way. Hence the default for all virtual classes is for all student web cameras to be turned on during virtual classes. Instructors may require students to interact either verbally, through polls or the shared chat function. Students who do not participate in this way will be marked as absent for the class. Students who need guidance on expected behaviors and participation may consult with the unit convenor and/or Study Skills. Instructors may request that cameras are turned off under certain circumstances.

Supplementary assessment

Students who have failed a single unit in their final semester with a final mark between 45-49%, where the unit is required for course completion, are eligible for supplementary assessment.
However, a Unit Convener may seek permission from the Associate Dean (Education) for an exemption from this requirement if it is impractical or inappropriate to offer supplementary assessment
(e.g. where the unit involves teaching practicums or professional placements).

Academic integrity

Students have a responsibility to uphold University standards on ethical scholarship. Good scholarship involves building on the work of others and use of others' work must be acknowledged with proper attribution made. Cheating, plagiarism, and falsification of data are dishonest practices that contravene academic values. Refer to the University's Student Charter for more information.

To enhance understanding of academic integrity, all students are expected to complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM) at least once during their course of study. You can access this module within UCLearn (Canvas) through the 'Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism' link in the Study Help site.

Use of Text-Matching Software

The University of Canberra uses text-matching software to help students and staff reduce plagiarism and improve understanding of academic integrity. The software matches submitted text in student assignments against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts.

Meeting external accreditation requirements across three placement units in the Master of Optometry course, including this unit.

You will be completing patient consultations during placements to meet external accreditation requirements in the units Optometry Residency PG (10412), Community Optometry PG (10331) and Assessment of Optometric Competence (10330). 

All (both formative and summative) consultations you see over these three units will count towards your requirements. You are required to see approximately 50% of your quota within the Optometry Residency unit, and 50% of your quota within the units Assessment of Optometric Competence and Community Optometry. At least 50% of your consultations must occur during internal placements at the UC Health Hub Eye clinic. 

In total, students must meet quotas across a range of patient categories. Specifically, students are required to independently manage (under supervision):

• At least 80 primary care consultations. Within those 80 consultations, there must be at least 60 consultations which are full and comprehensive consultations
• At least 15 contact lens consultations (a mixture of fits, deliveries and after care visits)
• At least 4 paediatric consultations
• At least 1 myopia management consultation
• At least 2 binocular vision consultations (at least one assessment, diagnosis and management, and at least one in-office vision training consultation)
• At least 4 geriatric consultations
• At least 1 low vision assessment (including prescribing and trialling of low vision aids)
• At least 5 ocular therapeutic consultations, with at least 2 of those consultations including prescription of Schedule 4 medication.
• At least 2 glaucoma consultations
• At least 4 medical retina consultations
• At least 3 anterior eye consultations
• At least 30 dispensing consultations

Students must receive a Satisfactory mark on at least 80% of their total consultations within each patient category across the three units and as listed above to pass that category. Satisfying OCANZ quota requirements is a hurdle for the unit Assessment of Optometric Competence.

While those are the minimal requirements for independent consultations, units may have additional requirements for shared consultations, according to specific guidelines that will be provided on CANVAS. This is to ensure that students benefit as a group in participating in the care of rarer patients e.g. during review clinics or specialty clinics. This quota will be monitored and recorded in the individual units.

The marking scheme rubric for your performance on consultations conducted while on placement in the individual units is provided in the related unit outlines. During the unit Assessment of Optometric Competence, quota from the 3 units will be considered as a whole to determine if students have met the minimal quota. Students who are marked unsatisfactory on more than 20% of a patient category are required to return to clinic and see additional patients until they are no longer marked unsatisfactory on more than 20% of a patient category. Meeting the minimal quota for independent and shared consultations satisfactorily is a hurdle requirement for Assessment of Optometric Competence.

Participation requirements

This Unit contains participatory elements which are vital to the Optometry Board of Australia entry-level competencies for optometrists (https://www.optometry.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Professional_support/Guidelines/Final_Entry-level-Competency-Standard-for-Optometry-2022.pdf). Except in the case of extenuating circumstances, 100% attendance and participation is required at all placements and workshops. Students are required to attend for the entire time scheduled for placements and workshops . Students who are late by more than 15 minutes without an adequate documented reason will be regarded as absent; students who leave before the end, unless all assigned work has been completed to the satisfaction of the clinical educator will be regarded as absent from the placement. It is expected that students unable to fulfil these participation requirements will inform the Unit Convener as soon as practical, by email. If attendance requirements cannot be regularly satisfied (e.g. timetable clash) it may be recommended that you schedule this unit for a future semester. Failure to adhere to these requirements may result in failure of the associated assessment piece. For inability to attend a scheduled clinical session, an ‘Absence from Clinic' form (available on UCLearn Canvas) with supporting documentation must be submitted to the Unit Convener; students may be required to attend an additional clinical session to complete the required tasks.  Consideration will be given for illness; however evidence such as a medical certificate will be required. The final decision will be at the discretion of the Unit Convener.

As stated earlier, this course aims to develop your professional and communication skills in preparation for your journey towards being a health professional. During classes and placements, you will be required to demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict. Any action or omission that affects the safety of your patient or peers or is deemed disrespectful to your patients, fellow students or the teaching staff can result in failure of a patient assessment task regardless of the aggregate mark for the assessment. Virtual classes have additional requirements where you will further develop communication skills in the virtual environment. While in a virtual environment, students are required to present themselves and communicate with peers, staff and invited speakers in a professional way. Hence the default for all virtual classes is for all student web cameras to be turned on during virtual classes. Instructors may require students to interact either verbally, through polls or the shared chat function. Students who do not participate in this way will be marked as absent for the class. Students who need guidance on expected behaviors and participation may consult with the unit convenor and/or Study Skills. Instructors may request that cameras are turned off under certain circumstances.

Required IT skills

The use of UCLearn Canvas, Smartabase, Mahara, library searching skills, word and data processing (Microsoft Office Suite) and electronic presentation skills are necessary for this unit.

In-unit costs

In-Unit costs for students include travel and accomodation costs for placements. 
Compulsory placement can include regional placement within Australia.

• Eligible students may apply for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Student Support Scheme for financial support.
• There are also subsidised placement accomodations for UC Health Students.

Further details  will be provided on CANVAS.

Students should already own the full Optometry uniform and Optometry kit.
Students have access to Optometry Equipment loans.
To arrange equipment loan, or if you have any concerns with meeting the cost requirements of this unit, please contact your unit convener. 

Work placement, internships or practicums

This unit involves work integrated learning: Placement. 
Students must adhere to University policy during WIL activities, including the Student Conduct Rules 2018, the WIL Policy and WIL Procedure, and the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedure.

This unit has pre-placement requirements (e.g. Working with Vulnerable People registration, immunisation/s). You must complete Pre-Place: Preparation for Work Integrated Learning prior to commencement of your Placement. You can self-enrol in this module through the UC Learn site here.

You are also required to complete details in InPlace, refer to inplace.canberra.edu.au. If you have any queries related to InPlace please contact placement@canberra.edu.au.

Contact your unit convener if you have any concerns with meeting the requirements of this unit.

Additional information

Complying with UC Graduate attributes of professionalism is a requirement for students enrolled in this unit.
Failure to comply and demonstrate these attributes will result in your practice placement being cancelled.
 

• Semester 2, 2023, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (215752)
• Semester 1, 2023, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (213306)
• Semester 1, 2022, On-Campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (209547)