Handbook home
Optometry Internship (OPTO90028)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 100On Campus (Parkville)
Please refer to the return to campus page for more information on these delivery modes and students who can enrol in each mode based on their location.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Year Long
Assoc Professor Anthea Cochrane
Assoc Professor Michael Pianta
Overview
Availability | Year Long |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
Note: This subject is only available to students enrolled in the Doctor of Optometry.
In this subject, students will integrate the optometric knowledge gained during their first three years of study with clinical work in a variety of clinical settings, in a way that will consolidate what they have learned and help them develop and improve the clinical skills necessary to practice optometry and serve patients in a safe and satisfactory way. The variety of clinical settings may include clinical rotations based in the University of Melbourne teaching clinics, public and private metropolitan practices, and hospital clinics. Other possible rotations include overseas placement sites, rural settings and specialist practices. Students will have the opportunity to gain experience in the areas of contact lenses, paediatrics, ocular disease, clinical therapeutic management of disease, low vision and binocular vision clinical areas during the year.
Intended learning outcomes
Optometric Knowledge and Skills: Students must demonstrate knowledge about established and evolving basic and clinical science, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care. At the end of the internship year they should be able to:
- demonstrate clinical competence through critical reflection over a broad range of patient experiences;
- select, perform and interpret appropriate clinical tests as part of a targeted, accurate and timely clinical examination;
- identify and evaluate resources that relate to the ethical, moral and legal foundations of optometric care; and
- articulate how physical, social and cultural background impact a patient's likelihood of developing a vision disorder or disease.
Patient Care: Students must be able to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective. At the end of the internship year they should be able to:
- use evidence-based practice to develop and justify an appropriate management plan, considering the best available research evidence, clinical expertise, the individual patient and the practice context;
- reflect on the provision of care with attention to benefits, risks and costs for individuals and the community;
- collaborate with other health professionals to ensure patient safety and to enhance the quality of care; and
- recognise and work within the limits of their competence and scope of practice.
Life-Long Learning and Improvement: Students must be able to continuously improve patient care based on self-evaluation and life-long learning. At the end of the internship year they should be able to:
- assess their performance using various internal and external sources of data, and identify opportunities for learning and improvement;
- develop, implement, monitor and revise a personal learning plan to enhance patient care;
- give and receive constructive feedback.
- critically appraise scientific evidence and translate research findings into practice; and
Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Students must be able to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange with patients, patients’ families, and professional associates. At the end of the internship year they should be able to:
- communicate effectively with patients and families from diverse backgrounds;
- demonstrate sensitivity in the care of patients by treating them as an individual;
- communicate perceptively in difficult situations; and
- communicate inter- and intra-professionally.
Professionalism: Students must demonstrate adherence to ethical principles, and a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities in the best interest of the patient and the community. At the end of the internship year they should be able to:
- demonstrate honesty, integrity, respect, reliability, responsibility, and confidentiality in all professional interactions;
- apply principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice, and work to resolve ethical dilemmas as they arise in clinical practice;
- demonstrate empathy, compassion and self-care; and
- show commitment to the role of primary eye care in the health and wellbeing of the community.
Generic skills
Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
- demonstrate written and oral communication skills;
- demonstrate leadership skills;
- work as part of a team to address a common goal;
- effectively manage time and competing demands;
- independently advance their professional expertise and knowledge in optometry;
- collect and record accurate and complete data; and
- keep up to date with the latest innovations.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
OPTO90026 | Clinical Optometry Practice | Year Long (On Campus - Parkville) |
100 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
A learning portfolio (see below) | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Hurdle requirement: 100% attendance at clinical placements. Satisfactory performance in OSCEs. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Additional details
Assessment is in the form of a learning portfolio, which is reviewed throughout the year and submitted at the end of Semester 2. The learning portfolio must include:
1. A personal reflective essay that demonstrates evidence of clinical practice experience, and of clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes at a level appropriate to a newly graduated optometrist, as outlined in the intended learning outcomes (4,000 words)
2. Evidence compiled throughout the year (expected to be based on over 1,000 hours of clinical practice, and to comprise over 10,000 words of documentation), such as:
- Clinical diary;
- Clinical case reports;
- Clinical feedback from local and external sites (e.g. clinical feedback system);
- Reports from external placements;
- Tables of signed patient examinations, feedback and clinical skills performed at placements;
- Evidence of non-clinical activity that pertains to the profession of optometry;
- Results from objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE); and
- Results from computer-assisted learning tasks.
This subject is assessed as Pass/Fail.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- Year Long
Principal coordinator Anthea Cochrane Coordinator Michael Pianta Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 27 hours of clinical practice per week; 22 x 1-hr tutorial / debate sessions (organised across the year). Plus attendance at the Doctor of Optometry Student Conference Total time commitment 1,632 hours Teaching period 1 March 2021 to 24 October 2021 Last self-enrol date 12 March 2021 Census date 31 May 2021 Last date to withdraw without fail 24 September 2021 Assessment period ends 19 November 2021 Year Long contact information
Assoc Professor Anthea Cochrane
Assoc Professor Michael Pianta
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Doctor of Optometry
Last updated: 31 January 2024