Professional Issues and Practice (HEASP6021)

This unit provides students with a deeper understanding of the attributes and workplace issues associated with speech pathology practice. The unit discusses ethical reasoning as applied to caseload and service delivery decision-making. The unit will also equip students with knowledge and skills to support the advancement of their clinical practice. The unit introduces students to several selected areas of specialised speech pathology practice. The areas of practice have been chosen to develop advanced skills or introduce students to areas of specialised practice they may not have encountered during clinical placement. This unit will promote professional development relevant to a variety of specialist and emerging speech pathology practice domains. The learning activities within the unit will extend students' knowledge of clinical decision making, clinical reasoning, and professional judgement by applying it to complex care situations in both contemporary and emerging speech pathology clinical practice. The complexity of the cases may reflect the body structures/functions that are impaired, the activities/participation that are restricted, the environmental (physical/social) barriers that exist, personal factors and/or an integration of one or more of these. Students will incorporate research principles and practices relevant to the assessment and management of communication and/or swallowing, with socio-cultural, ethical and holistic frameworks to justify their clinical practice and reasoning in different contexts. Students will also engage in targeted critical reflection of their capabilities against the Speech Pathology Australia professional standards. This reflective process will form the basis of a personalised development plan to support their future professional growth. This unit can be co-taught with HEASP4021.

For further information regarding the course please refer to the Course Outline found at the following link (PDF, 178kB).

Credit point 15
EFTSL 0.125
Band 2

Commonwealth supported place (CSP)

A CSP is subsidised by the Australian Government and students pay a contribution amount. Each unit is classified into a student contribution band, depending on the study area of the unit (this discipline may be different from the study area of your course).

2024 contribution amount* - $1,118
2024 contribution amount - continuing student who commenced before 1 Jan 2021* - $1,118

* for Clinical Psychology (Clin Psych) & Professional Pathways (Prof Path) bands the contribution amount is determined by accredited course. Students in Postgraduate Clinical Psychology, Professional Pathway Psychology or Professional Pathway Social Work accredited courses should visit our CSP page for further information.

Note: The Job-ready Graduates Package introduced new funding clusters and contribution amounts from the 2021 academic year. If you are a continuing student who commenced before 1 January 2021 studying units in disciplines with increased contribution amounts, you will continue paying the same amount (indexed each year) as you would have. For further information visit the Australia Government's Study Assist website.

Domestic Full Fee-paying

These places are offered for postgraduate studies or to CSP ineligible students and tuition fees are not subsidised by the Australian Government. Domestic postgraduate tuition fees are course-based annual fees and the unit fee you pay will vary according to the degree you are studying. To find out more about domestic tuition fees and view the relevant fee schedule visit our fees website.

International Full Fee-paying

International tuition fees are course-based annual fees and the unit fee you pay will vary according to the degree you are studying. To find out more about international tuition fees and view the relevant fee schedule visit our fees website.

Semester census dates

It is important to check unit delivery details including location and census date, prior to making decisions about enrolment. Detailed semester and census date information can be found on the Important Dates page.