Course Title: External Practicum 1

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: External Practicum 1

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

BESC1323

Bundoora Campus

Research

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013

BESC1340

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 2 2013,
Sem 1 2014

BESC1340

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

173H School of Health and Biomed

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2019,
Sem 1 2020

Course Coordinator: Dr Melissa Monfries

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7722

Course Coordinator Email: melissa.monfries@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 201.03.14C


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

System Enforced Pre-requisites (Enforced by SAMS)

Assumed Knowledge

 

 


Course Description

External Psychology Practicum 1 is undertaken in Semester 1 of the second year of the Master of Psychology program. External Psychology Practicum 1 is designed to enable you to practise and apply clinical psychology skills and therapeutic techniques with clients in an external setting. You will work with and be supervised by clinical psychologists in a range of clinical settings. Placements are allocated in line with the accreditation guidelines of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) College of Clinical Psychologists.

Work Integrated Learning

Students need to be able to meet the inherent requirements of the program.  At any time prior to or during your placement if there are concerns raised related to your fitness to practice the WIL/clinical coordinator can request that you gain full medical clearance to continue your placement. Students enrolled in this course will be required to undertake placement as part of the assessment of the course. A number of requirements must be met by students to ensure eligibility for placement.

Further details on each of these are available in Part B of the Course Guide and on MyRMIT.

  • National Police check
  • Working with Children Check

There is no flexibility with these requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE COMPLETED. Any student who has not provided this information will not be able to attend placement and will receive a fail grade for the placement course.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for MC002 Master of Clinical Psychology

  • PLO 3: Design, analyse, synthesise and communicate information from a wide variety of psychological assessments and techniques appropriate to the developmental stage, cognitive level and cultural background of the client, and appropriate to the purpose of the assessment.
  • PLO 4: Demonstrate the ability to design, apply, and evaluate appropriate evidence-based empirically-validated interventions individualised to the client’s diagnosis, case formulation, and personal or organisational characteristics.
  • PLO 6: Demonstrate the ability to undertake effective communication across a range of individual and organisational contexts to engage clients and to convey, appraise and interpret information relevant to professional practice and the client population.


On successful completion of this course you should be able to: 

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of, and adherence to, the clinical and professional procedures of an external clinical agency/institution.
  2. Work collegiately and effectively within the multidisciplinary team of an external clinical agency/institution.
  3. Systematically evaluate all psychological interventions using an N=1 methodology.
  4. Perform to a professional standard across the range of clinical competencies in an external agency/institution, as specified in a Placement Agency performance contract.
  5. Reflect on your professional practice with a view to continuous quality improvement.

 


Overview of Learning Activities

Learning activities include on-placement supervision meetings to provide a solid theoretical and practice-driven basis to help achieve professional practice proficiency. The skill development activities will support entry into professional psychological practice. During this course you will be required to undertake a minimum period of 40 working days in an external psychology setting, as arranged by the placement coordinator. You will be expected to read widely in areas related to clinical practice placement.

Teacher Guided Hours: 36

Learner Directed Hours: 84


Overview of Learning Resources

The learning resources associated with this course will include targeted readings taken from a range of both primary and secondary sources. Skill development activities will be provided in a variety of ways, including simulated learning activities during supervision. RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.


Overview of Assessment

All hurdle requirements for this course are indicated clearly in the assessment regime that follows, against the relevant assessment task(s) and all have been approved by the College Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching).

The assessment associated with this course will comprise a formative and summative performance assessment. It is a requirement of the course that you undertake a minimum of 40 working days of clinical placement. Your assessments will be undertaken over this time using an industry wide External Placement Evaluation protocol.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task 1: Satisfactory completion of the External Placement assessed mid placement by external and internal placement supervisors/coordinator

Weighting 50%

This assessment task supports CLO 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

Assessment Task 2: Satisfactory completion of the External Placement assessed at end of placement by external and internal placement supervisors/coordinator (HURDLE Requirement)

Weighting 50%

This assessment task supports CLO 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5