Clinical Conditions 1 (11545.2)
Please note these are the 2027 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
Skills development
The conditions covered in this unit are common clinical health conditions that students will encounter during their clinical practicum, and in practice as a graduate exercise physiologist. They are areas with a strong evidence-base for exercise being an important part for prevention, management and recovery for people experiencing these health conditions. The learning activities in the workshops and assessments also integrate key areas of professional practice covered in earlier units, to support students developing applied practice knowledge. The integrated on-campus workshops provide students with opportunity to explore, discuss and deepen their understanding of the theoretical content (delivered through online learning modules), and its application to the scope of practice of an exercise physiologist. Workshops are a mix of case-study intervention planning and discussion, and practical skill development.
This unit has a strong emphasis on developing clinical reasoning, person-centred care, evidence-based practice and EP intervention planning as a health professional. The unit assessments require students to build and apply their theoretical knowledge, clinical evidence, and individualised, person-centred strategies to case-based learning and professional skill development. Students are required to analyse and interpret clinical and client-based case information in order to create, present and evaluate safe and effective exercise physiology interventions for people experiences a range of clinical health conditions.
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. Any required readings will be provided to you within the Reading List on your Canvas site for each topic area.
- Gordon, Visich & Keteyian. Clinical Practice in Exercise Physiology, 5th Edition. Human Kinetics.Human Kinetics. 2023 - This text is also relevant and used in other units in the 4th year of 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
Extensions & Late submissions
Assessment 1 (Online Quiz Portfolio) does not require any submission. It does require online access to the quiz within a specified time window on the due dates in Weeks 7 and 13.
Assessment 2 (Client Intervention Plan) requires submission of video files. Some formats may record in large file size, and students are able to provide an accessible link (e.g. OneDrive, Google) for shared access to their file as an alternative to submitting large files directly to Canvas. The shared file must be made accessible so that it can be marked. The student must not access and update the file after the due date, or it will be counted as late submission.
Files should be saved as a student number for moderation, however (for obvious reasons) the video format of this assessment means that the assessment cannot be de-identified for marking by the unit convener.
Assessment 3 (Oral Viva final exam) requires students to upload a copy of their presentation file for the exam to Canvas prior to their exam time. This can be done any time up to 5 minutes before their individual exam time. The presentation file itself is not marked as part of the exam - it is a only guide to support the student in their case presentation.
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 this unit. 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 supplementary exam. If successful, the grade for the exam can be a maximum of 50% based on the UC Assessment Policy for supplementary assessments. 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, students are strongly encouraged to engage with the following components:
Core content provided within the weekly online learning modules: Each module will have the 'Core Learning' content, as well as a section called 'Optional - 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 practical 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, and come prepared with questions or specific areas of the online learning module that they would like to revise/discuss.
- For each clinical topic area, there will also be an online chat forum where students can post questions, share resources and ideas, provide topics they would like to be discussed in the on campus tutorial session.
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 assumed knowledge 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.
Work placement, internships or practicums
This unit does not formally contain placement or work-integrated learning (WIL). However, students are strongly encouraged to engage/monitor their InPlace record through this unit and semester to ensure they are fully verified and have completed all pre-placement requirements for clinical placements.
For any student interested in commencing an early clinical placement over summer (late November/December 2025, January 2026 - prior to Semester 1 commencing), please arrange to meet with the Unit Convener of this unit to discuss this on a case-by-case basis.
Additional information
Students in this unit will be required to follow ACT Health/Canberra Health Services(CHS) procedures for COVID-19, 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.
In the current environment of ongoing COVID waves and high circulating levels of respiratory viruses, including influenza and RSV, 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.
