Health science

These inherent requirements apply to the following course: Bachelor of Health Science.

Prospective and current students who are concerned about their capacities in relation to inherent requirements are strongly encouraged to contact the CDU Access and Inclusion team to discuss possible adjustments or alternative courses.

E: inclusion@cdu.edu.au

These inherent requirements should be read in conjunction with other course information.

There are eight domains of inherent requirements for the Bachelor of Health Science.

Each domain has five levels: 

1. Introduction
2. Description
3. Justification
4. Adjustments
5. Exemplars 

Acting in ways consistent with the recognised values of society and avoiding activities that do harm.
In the context of inherent requirements, students undertaking a course of study may be governed by practice standards and codes of ethics.

1. Introduction
   Students need to understand and act in ways consistent with the recognised values of society and in line with health sector standards.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates knowledge of and engages in ethical behaviour.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Compliance with the recognised values of society facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must support the recognised values of society and ensure that legislation, policies and procedures are not compromised or result in unethical behaviour.
5. Exemplars:
   • Student demonstrates ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and to take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour.

The maintenance of conduct that is acceptable and appropriate, according to the recognised norms of society over a given period.

1. Introduction
   Behavioural stability is required to function and interact effectively and sensitively in academic and work integrated learning settings.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates behavioural stability to work constructively in diverse and changing academic and work integrated learning settings.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. When undertaking course requirements, students will need to work constructively with peers and academic staff. Behavioural stability is required to manage these relationships.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must support stable, effective and professional behaviour in academic and community settings. 
5. Exemplars:
   • Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
   • Effectively managing own emotions and behaviour when interacting with individuals or teams in academic and work integrated settings.

1. Introduction
   To enable the delivery of health services, the health sector is mandated by legislation at both the Federal and State/Territory levels such as the National Health Reform Act 2011, Home and Community Care Act 1985, and the Northern Territory Health Service Act 2021.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates knowledge of relevant Australian legislation, as it applies to health science.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   In order to manage the risk of harm to self and others, as well as achieving learning outcomes and knowledge, understanding legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary prerequisites for future health professionals. Compliance with relevant laws ensures that students are professional, responsible and accountable for their practice.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must be consistent with legislation requirements.
5. Exemplars:
   • Complying with relevant legislation.

Verbal communication: Conveying messages, ideas, or feelings through speech.

1. Introduction
   Effective verbal communication, in English, is an essential requirement to enable the successful completion of the Bachelor of Health Science.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences
   • The ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner
   • The ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation
   • The ability to give and receive timely clear verbal reports and feedback
   • The ability to deliver clear presentations to groups.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others develops trusting relationships. Adequate communication with team members is necessary for the completion of academic team assignments. Effective communication is necessary for building successful teams and professional relationships. Timely, and effective delivery of feedback is critical to academic team tasks. Academic assessment may require verbal presentation of work to peers.
4. Adjustments 
   Adjustments must address effectiveness, timeliness and clarity issues. 
5. Exemplars:
   • Participating in presentations or discussions during learning activities
   • Responding appropriately to feedback during presentations
   • Establishing rapport with community organisations and teams.

Non-verbal communication: Communication other than speech that conveys meaning including gestures and facial expressions, body posture, stance, touch, eye movements, eye contact and distance from the person/s with whom you are communicating. Non-verbal cues can provide significant additional information to the person with whom you are communicating.

1. Introduction
   Effective non-verbal communication contributes to the successful participation in group activities in academic and professional contexts and needs to be respectful, clear, attentive, empathetic, and non-judgemental.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues
   • Displays consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours
   • Displays sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships. Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships. Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships in academic and professional settings. The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues contributes to the successful execution of learning activities in both academic and professional contexts.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must enable the recognition, initiation of, or appropriate response to, effective non-verbal communication in a timely and appropriate manner.
5. Exemplars:
   • Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in academic learning activities
   • Recognising and responding appropriately to cues when participating in relevant work integrated learning activities.

Written communication: Communication by written symbols including electronic means, print or handwriting.

1. Introduction
   Effective written communication, in English, is a fundamental requirement of the Bachelor of Health Science. Students must be able to acquire, understand, apply, and convey information in a written format.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The capacity to construct coherent written communication appropriate to the circumstances
   • The capacity to use a range of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to complete academic assessment requirements. 
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Responding to written assessment tasks demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the course subject matter. Accurate written communication is vital when participating in work integrated learning activities.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must meet necessary standards of clarity, accuracy, accessibility, and portability to ensure effective recording and transmission of information in both academic and professional settings.
5. Exemplars:
   • Constructing an essay or report to academic standards in English.

The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through one's thoughts, experience, and senses.

Knowledge and cognitive skills: Cognitive skills include verbal and spatial abilities, concentration, memory, perception, reasoning, planning and organisation, flexible thinking, and problem solving.

1. Introduction
   Consistent knowledge and effective cognitive skills must be demonstrated to enable students to complete course academic requirements.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information
   • The ability to process information relevant to academic requirements
   • The ability to integrate, reflect on and implement theoretical knowledge, within the learning environment and professional settings.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Capacity to complete course requirements is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must ensure that a clear demonstration of knowledge and cognitive skills is not compromised or impeded. 
5. Exemplars:
   • Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge and theoretical concepts in response to academic assessment tasks.

Literacy (language): This relates to the ability to acquire, understand, and apply information in a scholarly manner.

1. Introduction
   Competent literacy skills are essential to develop and deliver professional, appropriate, and effective responses to academic assessment tasks.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The ability to acquire information and accurately convey appropriate, effective messages
   • The ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and information
   • The capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written text in a scholarly manner.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey ideas is fundamental to ensure the development of appropriate responses to academic assessment tasks.
   The ability to read, decode, interpret, and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental to ensure the development of appropriate and effective responses to academic assessment tasks.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must enable demonstration of a capacity to effectively acquire, comprehend, apply, and communicate accurate information. 
5. Exemplars:
   • Applying knowledge of both theory and practice in the development of an appropriate responses to academic assessment tasks
   • Paraphrasing, summarising, and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments.

Numeracy: This relates to the ability to understand and work with numbers.

1. Introduction
   Competent and accurate numeracy skills are essential for safe and effective calculations in delivery of services in the health care sector.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student interprets and correctly applies data, measurements, and numerical criteria.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in the Bachelor of Health Science to complete course requirements.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must enable demonstration of a capacity to interpret and apply concepts and processes appropriately in a timely, accurate and effective manner.
5. Exemplars:
   • Performing accurate mathematical calculations
   • Demonstrating accurate interpretation of mathematical calculations.

Actively listening to someone express their thoughts, feelings or experiences and showing understanding by consciously responding through skills such as paraphrasing, summarising or mirroring.

1. Introduction
   Bachelor of Health Science practice requires self-awareness and a capacity for reflectivity to consider the effect of one's own perspectives, actions, values and behaviours on all interpersonal interactions.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The ability to accurately reflect on their performance
   • The ability to accept and respond constructively to feedback about their interpersonal interactions.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Studying in learning environments involving teamwork requires a well-developed understanding of oneself to appropriately engage with others. Working in work integrated learning settings requires a well-developed understanding of oneself and the ability to effectively manage one's reactions to a variety of situations that may arise.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must not compromise the student's ability to demonstrate an acceptable minimum level of capacity in this area. 
5. Exemplars:
   • Identifying when a learning activity is outside one's scope or expertise or when one's practice may be negatively affected by personal experience and/or reactions.

Personal skills required to interact appropriately with others with the aim of building and maintaining healthy, productive relationships. Skills include empathy, trustworthiness, patience, active listening, approachability, and reliability.

1. Introduction
   The Bachelor of Health Science requires the ability to make and maintain strong relationships with a wide range of individuals, groups and communities.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • The ability to establish and maintain rapport with peers, academic staff, and work integrated learning supervisors
   • Ability to engage and relate appropriately to others in individual and group tasks
   • The ability to work effectively, sensitively and confidentially with a diverse range of people and in a diverse range of contexts.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Highly developed relational skills contribute to effective relationships in academic and learning environments. 
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must not compromise the student's ability to demonstrate an acceptable level of effective relational skills.
5. Exemplars:
   • Participating in a respectful manner in academic discussions
   • Collaborating, modifying and reflecting on one’s own interactions and behaviour in academic and work integrated learning settings.

The ability to undertake a task/s over a pre-determined length of time. This could include physical performance such as standing for a length of time, or cognitive (mental) performance such as concentrating for a particular length of time.

1. Introduction
   Health Science practice in the field placement or work integrated learning context requires both physical and mental performance at a consistent and sustained level.
2. Description of inherent requirement
   Student demonstrates:
   • Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time
   • The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period.
3. Justification of inherent requirement
   Sufficient physical and mental resilience is an essential requirement needed to perform tasks in an assigned period to provide effective, safe and professional support in the work integrated learning context.
4. Adjustments
   Adjustments must ensure that performance is consistent and sustained over a given period. 
5. Exemplars:
   • Participating in a variety of learning activities
   • Providing consistent field placement practice over a negotiated time frame.