Enhancing Clinical Reasoning in Rehabilitation for Healthcare Professionals

• • Models of clinical reasoning
  • Clinical reasoning models used by novices vs. experts related to different presenting patients/conditions/setting (Hypothetico-deductive; pattern recognition; narrative reasoning; collaborative; novice vs. expert reasoning)
  • Decision making frameworks in rehabilitation practice
  • Reflective practice and its importance in the development of clinical reasoning, quality improvement and clinical expertise for health professions
  • Communication of clinical reasoning
  • Strategies to enhance reflective practice and clinical practice
  • Risk reduction and rehabilitation – person-centred approach to risk
  • Internal and external contexts influencing clinical reasoning including the triad of the patient, the Healthcare professional and the environment that underpins rehabilitation practice
  • Consumers
  • Disease specific
  • Contextual factors
  • Personal
  • Culture
  • Support
  • Healthcare professionals
  • Personal and professional knowledge, skills and attitudes
  • Environment
  • Health sector – structure, changes
  • Legislation and regulation
  • Work setting
  • Internal and external stakeholders
  • Funding models
  • Person centred care
  • Clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning
  • Clinical integration of clinical reasoning and clinical practice
  • Integration and application of self-management
  • Behaviour change – facilitators and barriers including risk management
  • Self-management principles and strategies
  • Motivational interviewing techniques and collaborative goal setting
  • Assisting people to make informed decisions, patient involvement in decision making

In order to enrol in this subject, you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:

Additional requirements

No additional requirements

This postgraduate subject is for health care professionals looking to enhance their clinical reasoning within rehabilitation practice. Health care professionals wishing to advance their rehabilitation practice will need to critically reflect on and apply enhanced knowledge of rehabilitation practice, to optimise holistic outcomes for clients.

Building on current practice, this subject will use collaborative and reflective activities, to critically evaluate and justify clinical decision making for a range of clinical cases in diverse rehabilitation contexts. Students are encouraged to critically evaluate personal and professional knowledge, skills and attitudes on holistic patient centred care, with a focus on integrating and applying concepts such as goal setting, self-management and evidence based practice. Students are encouraged to embrace reflective practice for long-life learning, as well as develop reflective practice in collaboration with colleagues. 

The subject aims to guide students in their critical analysis and enhancement of current practice, to optimise the professional management of clients across the continuum of care within a multicultural society and varied rehabilitation contexts.

ACU-HLSC672 assessments have been purposefully designed to replicate authentic reflection on reasoning, thinking and problem solving within personal clinical practice. The assessments incorporate a broad range of tasks aligned to andragogic principles of adult learning, facilitating choice and self-direction for the post graduate student. Unit assessments tools have been designed from an “Assessment for Learning” approach in order to not only provide evidence for judgement of learning, but also to reinforce, facilitate and support learning and application of learning. In the first assessment task students will be asked using a case study example from their clinical practice to identify and reflect on the factors influencing collaborative clinical reasoning and clinical decision making within their teams and workplace. In assessment task 2 students will video record their treatment of a client and provide a written critique of their application of clinical reasoning, critical thinking, clinical judgement, and evidence to practice when making the clinical decisions relevant for the client and treatment. Assessment tasks 3 seeks students to reflect on their personal and collaborative clinical reasoning practice and communicate these reflections relevant to their work setting using evidence based reasoning and decision making, to management and peers. (Seminar - Video Conference) The broad range of assessment activities encourages application of clinical reasoning, critical thinking, clinical judgement, and evidence to practice when solving simple to complex problems and making clinical decisions. These assessments have been specifically timed to provide optimal enhancement for learning. Assessment has been aligned to the emerging complexities as students learn, assimilate and apply progressively advanced levels of professional and theoretical knowledge and enhanced critical analysis skills with the aim of optimising each student’s ability to personally and professionally reflect, analyse and appraise clinical practice. Scheduling of assessments will be equitable for both modes of delivery. Assessment tasks may be delivered and assessed locally with moderation according to University Policies and Procedures. All assessments will be submitted electronically.

• Written Task - Case Study - Enables students to reflect on learning and factors that influence clinical reasoning and decision making (25%)
• Practice Video with Critique - Enables students to demonstrate learning through their analysis and critique clinical reasoning in relation to clinical practice (40%)
• Seminar - Self reflective Critique - Enables students to use clinical reasoning of self and peers to foster improvement in their future practice (35%)

For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).