Clinical Conditions 1 (11545.2)
Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
| Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
|---|---|---|
| View teaching periods | On-campus |
Bruce, Canberra |
| EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
| 0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Health |
| Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
| Sport & Exercise | Level 3 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit | Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 3 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
This unit aims to develop core and applied knowledge and skills for working with clients that present with common clinical conditions that align with an Accredited Exercise Physiologist's scope of practice. Students build foundational knowledge on pathophysiology, risk factors, safety and special considerations, and evidence-based treatment and intervention approaches, as well as exploring biopsychosocial and health service contexts that shape a person's lived experience with common conditions. Students design safe and effective exercise interventions that consider their role as an AEP within the multidisciplinary care team and develop clinical reasoning and decision-making skills for providing evidence-based and value-based care in a person-centred philosophy.
1. Explain knowledge of the pathophysiological bases, risk factors and treatments, including exercise intervention, for common conditions that are core to the scope of practice of ESSA Accredited Exercise Physiologists;
2. Design evidence-based exercise intervention plans that implement safe and effective assessment, prescription and delivery, supported by behaviour change and collaborative care principles, for individual clients presenting with complex comorbidity;
3. Examine person-centred exercise intervention plans that demonstrate ethical and respectful practice that may be viewed as inclusive and culturally safe;
4. Justify approaches to exercise physiology interventions for common clinical conditions; with clinical reasoning that demonstrates decisions are informed by individual health history, referral and assessment information, biopsychosocial context, digital literacy and scientific evidence; and
5. Compare and critique different approaches to exercise physiology practice and broader health professional practices; reflecting on opportunities for contemporary, responsive and value-based health care for common conditions, in line with ESSA Accredited Exercise Physiology Professional Standards.
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Explain knowledge of the pathophysiological bases, risk factors and treatments, including exercise intervention, for common conditions that are core to the scope of practice of ESSA Accredited Exercise Physiologists;
2. Design evidence-based exercise intervention plans that implement safe and effective assessment, prescription and delivery, supported by behaviour change and collaborative care principles, for individual clients presenting with complex comorbidity;
3. Examine person-centred exercise intervention plans that demonstrate ethical and respectful practice that may be viewed as inclusive and culturally safe;
4. Justify approaches to exercise physiology interventions for common clinical conditions; with clinical reasoning that demonstrates decisions are informed by individual health history, referral and assessment information, biopsychosocial context, digital literacy and scientific evidence; and
5. Compare and critique different approaches to exercise physiology practice and broader health professional practices; reflecting on opportunities for contemporary, responsive and value-based health care for common conditions, in line with ESSA Accredited Exercise Physiology Professional Standards.
Graduate attributes
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways
Prerequisites
10070 Professional Practice in Exercise Physiology AND 8913 Motor Control and Skill AcquisitionCorequisites
This unit is only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation.Incompatible units
9383 Neuromuscular Conditions and Rehabilitation 10072 Exercise Management for Chronic DiseasesEquivalent units
9383 Neuromuscular Conditions and Rehabilitation AND 10072 Exercise Management for Chronic Diseases. Students need to have completed both of the above units for equivalence with 11545 Clinical Conditions 1 and 11546 Clinical Conditions 2.Assumed knowledge
Foundational knowledge in professional practice in Exercise Science and Exercise Physiology in Australia, including scope of practice, ethics and professional conduct, health care legislation.
Availability for enrolment in 2027 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
| Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 2 | 10 August 2026 | On-campus | Miss Angela Douglas |
| 2027 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 2 | 09 August 2027 | On-campus | Miss Angela Douglas |
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit
timetable.
Required texts
There are no required texts for this unit. There are required readings provided to you within the Reading List on your Canvas site for each topic area.
Below are useful texts that you can access to support learning in some topics for this unit, but they are not required.
- Gordon, Visich & Keteyian. Clinical Practice in Exercise Physiology, 5th Edition. Human Kinetics.Human Kinetics. 2023 - This text is also relevant for other clinical units in your degree, particularly Cardio-pulmonary Conditions and Rehabilitation (unit 9381) and Clinical Conditions 2 (unit 11546).
- Brukner & Khan's Clinical Sports Medicine: The Medicine of Exercise, Volume 2, 5e - access to this text as a resource will be provided through the 'Reading List' tab on your Canvas site for 11545, through McGraw Hill AccessPhysiotherapy.
Submission of assessment items
Special assessment requirements
Students must attempt all assessment items in this unit and receive an aggregate mark of 50% or higher to pass.
The final exam is a hurdle assessment. Students must gain an overall mark of 50% in the final exam and be assessed as safe to pass the hurdle assessment. Students who are assessed as unsafe in the exam, even with a passing exam mark of 50 or higher, will fail the exam. As a hurdle assessment, they will be offered a second attempt at the hurdle exam. If successful, the grade for the exam can be a maximum of 50% based on the UC Assessment Policy. If unsuccessful, the student will fail the exam, and fail the unit.
All assessments are moderated in accordance with the University's moderation policy.
Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.
Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.
UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).
UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.
Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.
Learner engagement
To be successful in this unit as a core clinical unit of study that prepares them for practice as an accredited exercise physiologist, students are strongly encouraged to engage with the following components:
Core content provided within the weekly online learning modules: Each topic will have 'Core Learning' content, as well as a section called 'Additional Learning Resources'. These additional resources are there to support student learning, and provide different or expanded range of learning resources on some key topics. They are not directly assessable within the unit's assessment item
On-campus workshops: Students should aim to attend the weekly on-campus workshop classes, unless they are unwell. They are encouraged to engage in small group and class discussions, share ideas and experiences with their peers to optimise their learning.
- For specific case-based learning workshops, students can optimise their learning by preparing the provided case study questions prior to attending their workshop.
- Students are expected to actively participate in reviewing the online learning modules, reading case studies prior to workshops and to come prepared with questions or specific areas of the online learning module that they would like to revise/discuss.
Participation requirements
Engagement with all online learning and campus-based classes is recommended to support learning not only for this unit, but also for performance on clinical placements later in the degree, and for professional practice as an accredited exercise physiologist. When students attend clinical placements, the areas covered in this unit, including practical skills, are all assumed knowledge and skill by the placement supervisors.
The recorded presentations and the key readings/resources in the learning modules present only a summary of key information. There are further readings, learning activities and reflections, supplementary learning resources and videos that can assist students in consolidating the topics covered in this unit. Students are also encouraged to undertake further self-directed learning for topics they are finding challenging or complex, and also to work with the unit convener to support their learning.
Required IT skills
None.
Work placement, internships or practicums
None
Additional information
Students in this unit will be required to follow any changes to the ACT Health/Canberra Health Services(CHS) procedures for infectious disease management, including screening and infection control procedures. The workshops for this unit are held within the University of Canberra Hospital building, which is CHS facility. Students may be required to wear a mask to enter UCH and throughout their practical class time, if specified by ACT Health/Canberra Health Services.
It is critical that students do not attend classes on campus if they are experiencing any symptoms of illness, regardless of how mild. Adjustments to class access and learning support can be made through discussion with the unit convener.
