This unit provides students with an understanding of the major theoretical perspectives, concepts and vocabulary of psychology. Psychology is concerned with the science of human behaviour - how individuals perceive, think about, and behave in the world. It is concerned with identifying how internal determinants (characteristics unique to the person, and part of physical or psychological make-up) and external determinants (physical environment and social context) impact upon the individual. It is also concerned with the way in which people change over time, as well as explaining and predicting what they might do at any one time. The unit aims to position psychology as an essential ingredient in understanding health behaviour. This unit is only available to students who have no undergraduate studies in psychology.

This unit studies human ageing from biological perspectives. The unit is designed to address issues relevant to health care service provision and the promotion of quality of life in ageing. It is not directed at a specific professional group, and addresses issues related to ageing in a generalist way. The emphasis is on understanding the main features of 'normal' ageing or senescence as distinct from disease processes and the contribution of environmental factors to ageing. It has three modules: the first addresses the processes underlying the process of ageing, the second addresses how health service interventions can modify the response to ageing in beneficial and detrimental ways; and the third focuses on the roles of nutrition and exercise in improving the wellbeing of the ageing population.

This unit of study introduces the basic concepts in musculoskeletal anatomy prior to a more detailed study of the gross anatomical structure of the upper limb and vertebral column as they relate to functional activities. Material will be presented in lectures, practical and tutorial sessions and online. Students will also be expected to undertake some independent learning activities. This unit includes laboratory classes in which human cadavers are studied; attendance at such classes is strongly encouraged.

The subject has a major emphasis on the responses of skeletal muscle metabolism to the acute stress imposed by exercise, and how muscle metabolism is altered by endurance training. Respiratory gas analysis of whole body metabolism is used to investigate muscle metabolism, and students will gain skills in both practical aspects of collection of gas exchange data and in the calculation and interpretation of data in terms of oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and fuel oxidation. In addition, the acute cardiovascular and respiratory responses to exercises are examined and cardiovascular adaptations to training are discussed.
Recent discoveries in the area of molecular signalling pathways are used to integrate topic areas of muscle fatigue, improved endurance capacity following training and the health benefits of regular exercise.

This unit aims to develop student's knowledge and insight into the motor control and learning principles underpinning Exercise Physiology practice. The lecture and tutorial structure reflects a transition from acquisition of knowledge, to consideration of the implications, to practice. Thus, the first five weeks of the unit follow a pattern of lectures to provide the background knowledge, readings of papers that explore the efficacy of therapeutic practices or interventions, and accounts of 'real world' experience of working with patients using case-study reports and/or guest speakers. Weeks six to 10 enable students to develop a program of therapy or rehabilitation based on evidence-based strategies that emerge from the knowledge base and further exploration of extant literature. The final phase is the development of an instructional video that can be used as a guide for practitioners in the treatment of neurological disorders.

Cultural practices, disease patterns and healthcare systems are vastly different in different countries around the globe. This unit provides students with the opportunity to gain international experience in a health services setting in a developing country. Students will participate in a 4-6 week health or care placement with a community-based organisation in South or Southeast Asia. As part of the unit, you will be expected to participate in local development programs, live within the community you are visiting, and document and reflect on key health and development issues facing local populations. The unit will require you to demonstrate project management skills, cultural sensitivity and an ability to adapt to new environments, a capacity for critical reflection and awareness of complex global health and development issues.

This unit aims to prepare students to work with Aboriginal people, families and community. It provides theoretical and practical knowledge about relevant models of community development in Aboriginal communities. The unit will expand students' understanding on Aboriginal cultures and equip students with foundation skills to work with Aboriginal communities on localised projects. The course begins by introducing students to philosophies and practices of cultural competence in an Aboriginal community health service environment, and completion of 6 online modules on cultural competence. Students will be introduced to key concepts of Aboriginal health service delivery and apply these to local Aboriginal communities. Historical and political contexts (determinants) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health will be explored. Students will build on these skills and knowledge by working with an Aboriginal community on a 4 week community development project.
Students will gain experience in working with Aboriginal communities through their placement in a health service organisation or similar. The placement options include Aboriginal Community Controlled organisations, and the Unit of Study endeavours to match the location of the project placement with that required by student, however this may not always be feasible. The Faculty provides no financial support for attendance at the project placement and you are expected to cover the costs for travel, accommodation and incidentals.

The aim of this unit is to provide future health professionals with a strong foundation in e-Health on which they can make evidence-based decisions. In particular, this unit will provide students with opportunities to examine:
. How technology can affect health care in different Australian health contexts
. Ethical issues surrounding e-Health
. Innovations in e-Health
. How emerging technologies affect patient-centred communication between health professionals, and health professionals and their clients/patients
. Strategies for interacting with patients and clients using different technologies
. Strategies for engaging in multi-disciplinary e-Healthcare delivery
. The relationship between technologies, data and the wider information network
Students will develop their skills in critically thinking about eHealth and its potential to support healthcare. Students will use and evaluate an e-Health intervention, and generate an idea for a new eHealth tool, to showcase these skills. This unit will also enable students to be lifelong learners by providing them with reflective learning skills. Reflective learning skills are identified as essential for lifelong learning.

Cancer is a highly prevalent health issue in the community and survival rates are increasing for many cancers. Because of its impact, cancer is also a national health priority and is a key research area at the University. This unit of study will introduce students to a range of issues and topics related to the entire cancer trajectory including prevention, detection, diagnosis, interventions, rehabilitation, survivorship and palliative care. Topics to be covered will include an overview of the pathophysiology of cancer and the medical management of this condition, detection of cancer (imaging), effective rehabilitation interventions and roles of health professionals, long term survivorship issues, communication strategies for people living with cancer and their families, and an overview of services available to support people living with cancer. for the cancer community, including the patient. Key issues that will be addressed include person-centred care informed by current evidence.

This unit provides the opportunity for health professionals from any background to increase their knowledge and experience of stroke rehabilitation. The aim of this unit is to develop student understanding of the long-term nature of stroke recovery and rehabilitation after stroke. Topics will include stroke epidemiology, brain plasticity, person-centred goal setting, mobility, travel and driving, upper limb and cognitive retraining, communication, mood changes and self-management.

This unit introduces students to issues relating to the management of public offenders for both adults of young offenders. Students will consider the major theories of criminality and their implications for rehabilitation in correctional settings. They will examine and comment on the different approaches to males/females/young offenders. Attention will be paid to incarceration policy and issues relating to those with mental health problems and with problems of addiction. Students will also be introduced to the range of correctional alternatives within and outside jails, e.g., community service options, weekend jail, work release and probation and parole, etc. In addition, students will examine the role of professionals in and out of jails. They will examine and assess the role of health professionals in the area of addiction, mental health, and HIV counselling within the jail system and the ethical issues surrounding these services. Also covered will be the role of health service professionals working with offenders in non-jail programs: e.g., probation and parole, community service and civil rehabilitation.

This unit introduces students to basic statistical principles relevant to the manipulation and analysis of clinical data. Students will be exposed to concepts of sampling, distributions of scores, summaries of data, and treatment of categorical and quantitative data. This last topic will include chi square analysis, calculation of confidence intervals, tests for differences in the locations of samples (including t-tests and tests for non-normally distributed data), correlation and regression, sample size estimation and an introduction to survival analysis. It is expected that at the conclusion of the unit students will be able to: appraise published statistical analyses; perform simple statistical tests by hand and with the assistance of a computer package SAS or SPSS; and present statistical data.

This unit focuses on qualitative research methodologies, including the disciplinary traditions that contribute to qualitative methodologies and the construction of knowledge using qualitative methods. The implications of methodology for research design will be examined, as will approaches to data collection and analysis. Activities to build skills in research design, data collection and data analysis will be included. Students will work on a research project of their choice throughout the semester.

Students will undertake a supervised research project in an area relevant to the discipline of occupational therapy. This unit is designed to assist students with the development and completion of an independent research study usually in the form of a structured / focused literature review on a specific topic. Students will develop an understanding of the strengths of different evidence relating to their topic and will develop their skills in critical review. Students will effectively communicate the aims, methods, findings and implications of their project in a written assignment.