Health Care in Context (PHTY90124)

Healthcare in Context will develop students’ knowledge and skills through community engagement. This will include campus-based and online learning as well as face-to-face engagement with a community.  

Students will work in small groups with an identified community to build on their knowledge of the determinants of health and to complete a health needs analysis. Students will specifically learn theory relating to the selection of ethically and culturally safe ‘needs analysis’ instruments that will inform them on the health and wellness priorities of the community. Students will critically apply this knowledge to their community engagement to implement the needs analysis instruments with key stakeholders from their community. Students will join their community for three-weeks of face-to-face engagement to complete elements of the health needs analysis and support a health promotion activity.  Communities may have a local, rural, remote and/or global footprint. 

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Discuss the determinants of health including historic, political, economic, cultural and legislative influences within healthcare contexts
• Build respectful relationships with colleagues and community members that are underpinned by the value of reciprocity and shared purpose
• Source and synthesise findings from resources for evidence-informed community engagement
• Critically appraise and select strategies that identify the needs of a community and understand their health and wellbeing priorities
• Ethically implement a culturally safe needs analysis with key community stakeholders while working to promote optimal data collection
• Apply prior knowledge and skills to analyse the quantitative and qualitative data gathered with the needs analysis instruments
• Share findings gathered on community health and wellbeing priorities to community and propose appropriate health promotion initiative/s

Generic skills

• Awareness of social and cultural factors that may affect their professional career;
• An appreciation of the importance of, and skills in developing a team approach in working with colleagues;
• Recognition of diversity in health belief, lifestyles, culture and values.