Course Title: Transitioning to Radiation Therapy Clinical Practice

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Transitioning to Radiation Therapy Clinical Practice

Credit Points: 48.00

Flexible Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

RADI1204

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

173H School of Health and Biomed

Face-to-Face

UGRDFlex22 (ZZZZ)

Course Coordinator: Katherine Metzger

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 3399

Course Coordinator Email: katherine.metzger2@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 201.08.20


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Required Prior Study

You should have satisfactorily completed following course/s before you commence this course.

Alternatively, you may be able to demonstrate the required skills and knowledge before you start this course.

Contact your course coordinator if you think you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning.


Course Description

Experience in clinical departments is vital to developing clinical competence. This WIL course is designed to fully develop your clinical, reflective practice and interpersonal skills as you move towards independent clinical practice.

On completion of this course, you should be able to perform the full range of clinical procedures and be able to demonstrate that you meet all the capabilities required of a medical radiation practitioner within your scope of practice, and organise your clinical learning in relation to your future personal and professional development. This course consolidates academic and clinical learning.

This course includes a work integrated learning experience in which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a real or simulated workplace context and where feedback from industry and/ or community is integral to your experience. 

Work Integrated Learning:

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
• Immunisation Declaration Form
• Hand Hygiene certificate
• First Aid Certificate
• CPR Certificate
• Manual Handing certificate
• Cultural Safety certificate

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.

Students are responsible for any expenses associated to attending professional placement.  These costs may include, but are not limited to the following: uniform, police check application, first aid training, travel, accommodation and vaccinations.

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability you should contact the Program Manager or the Equitable Learning Services team for further advice. Students with an Equitable Learning Plan must notify the Medial Radiations clinical coordinator (MRCC) BEFORE placements are released, and students need to be able to meet the inherent requirements of the program.

Students must also be aware of their legal obligations under the AHPRA legislation. At any time prior to or during your placement if there are concerns raised related to your fitness to practice the Course/WIL coordinator can request that you gain full medical clearance to continue your placement.

Further details on each of these are available on MyRMIT.

Placement Agreements:
Placement agreements between RMIT and the placement organisation are in place.  Any information required by students contained in the agreement is available on MyRMIT or InPlace. All WIL placements for Medical Radiations will be arranged by RMIT.

National Police check:
Students are required to apply for a National Police Record Check in each year that a placement is to be undertaken.  In some cases, students may be required to obtain an additional police check during the year where an organisation stipulates a shorter time period for the issue of the police check. 

Where a student has a disclosable outcome recorded on their police check certificate, the Clinical Coordinator or Med Rad WIL Coordinator will make contact with the relevant placement organisation to confirm eligibility to attend the placement.  It is important to note that a disclosable outcome may prevent a student from accessing suitable, or any, professional placement(s) and may therefore be delayed or prevented from satisfactorily progressing through the program.

Students are required to advise the School in a timely manner of any change to their criminal record during the academic year.  In the case of a change, students are required to apply for a new National Police Record Check if placements for that year are still to occur.

Working with Children Check:
A current Working with Children Card (WWCC) must be held by the student.  Students are required by law to list RMIT as an organisation with who you will be undertaking child related volunteer work.  Where a student receives a negative notice for their WWCC, the Clinical Coordinator or Med Rad WIL Coordinator will make contact with the relevant placement organisation to confirm eligibility to attend the placement.  A negative notice means you cannot engage in child-related work under any circumstance.  It is important to note that a negative notice may prevent a student from accessing suitable, or any, professional placement(s) and may therefore be delayed or prevented from satisfactorily progressing through the program.

Immunisation Declaration form:
Students are required to submit the School’s Immunisation Declaration Form as evidence of vaccinations and immunity.  This form must be completed and signed off by a medical practitioner.

Hand Hygiene:
Students are required to provide evidence of completion of a hand hygiene course.

First Aid Certificate:
Students are required to provide evidence of completion of a first aid course.  This is valid for three years.

CPR Certificate:
Students are required to provide evidence of completion of a CPR course.  This is required to be updated annually.

Cultural Safety Certificate:
Students are required to complete an online module outlined by RMIT regarding cultural safety and provide evidence of completion

Manual Handling:
Students are required to provide evidence of completion of a practical (people) Manual Handling course.

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) monitor:
Students are required to wear a current OSL at all times during laboratories and in clinical placement.  OSLs are provided by the School.  Students whose OSL is returned late or lost will incur a fine.

Uniform:
Students are required to purchase and wear the uniform for Medical Radiations.  The uniform must be worn at all times whilst in the Skills Lab and on placement


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for BP321 Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Radiations) (aligned to the Accreditation Standards of the Medical Radiations Practice Board of Australia):

Standard 1

  • Use clinical information management systems appropriately (1.b)
  • Understand and apply the different methods of imaging and treatment (1.c)
  • Assess the patient’s/client’s capacity to receive care (1.e)
  • Deliver patient/client care (1.g)
  • Perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1.i)^
  • Perform ultrasound imaging (1.j)^

Standard 1C

  • Perform localisation and pre-treatment imaging (1C.b)
  • Perform radiation therapy treatment according to approved radiation therapy prescriptions and treatment plans (1C.d)

Standard 2

  • Provide each patient/client with dignity and care (2.b)
  • Take responsibility and accountability for professional decisions (2.c)
  • Advocate on behalf of the patient/client when appropriate (2.d)
  • Seek opportunities to progress the profession (2.e)

Standard 3

  • Communicate clearly, sensitively and effectively with the patient/client and their family or carers (3.a)
  • Collaborate with other health practitioners (3.b)

Standard 4

  • Resolve challenges through application of critical thinking and reflective practice (4.a)
  • Identify ongoing professional learning needs and opportunities (4.b)

Standard 5

  • Perform and provide safe radiation practice (5.a)
  • Protect and enhance patient/client safety (5.b)
  • Maintain safety of the workplace and associated environments (5.d)

 

^ Due to factors outside of RMIT’s control that impact placement availability from time to time, one or more of the required imaging modalities and techniques (MRI, CT and ultrasound) required to meet the MRPBA professional capabilities, and normally completed as part of the capstone courses (RADI1203 Radiation Therapy Supervised Clinical Practice & RADI1204 Transitioning to Radiation Therapy Clinical Practice), may be undertaken in earlier clinical placements. Evidence of any competencies completed during earlier placements will need to be submitted as part of the assessment for these capstone courses to satisfy program completion requirements.


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

  1. Perform a wide range of routine pre-treatment and treatment techniques as an independent radiation therapist and assist with advanced techniques.
  2. Produce and evaluate a wide range of radiation therapy plans and images as an independent radiation therapist and assist with specialised studies.
  3. Analyse and critically evaluate safety requirements and considerations within a clinical setting and optimisation of patient care.
  4. Consistently demonstrate high standards of professional behaviour and high-level interpersonal and patient care skills.
  5. Critically reflect on a wide range of key learning experiences, as well as your personal and professional development throughout the program.


Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities such as lectorials, tutorials, practicals, laboratories, seminars, project work, class discussion, individual and group activities. Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both.

You are encouraged to be proactive and self-directed in your learning, asking questions of your lecturer and/or peers and seeking out information as required, especially from the numerous sources available through the RMIT library, and through links and material specific to this course that is available through myRMIT Studies Course.


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through myRMIT Studies Course.

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.


Overview of Assessment

This course contains hurdle requirements. 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 Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching).

Assessment Tasks

You are required to demonstrate clinical skills and patient safety congruent to the level of a beginning medical radiations practitioner. As this is your last placement block in the program, all hurdle requirements must be met.

Assessment Task 1: WIL Placement Progression Reports and reflections (HURDLE Requirement- Summative report)
Weighting 30%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1-4

Assessment Task 2: WIL End of Placement Report and reflection (HURDLE Requirement)
Weighting 20%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1-5

Assessment Task 3: MRPBA Portfolio (HURDLE Requirement)
Weighting 50%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1-5

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.