Monash Medical Centre – Physiotherapy Students

Campuses
Monash Medical Centre has two campuses. Your placement may be at Moorabbin or Clayton, and may even be at both campuses. All students report to the Clayton campus for orientation, unless advised otherwise prior to clinic.

Parking
There is no free parking at either campus. Students can access the staff parking areas for the same cost as staff members. On your first day either park in the public car park (at cost), or a 2 hour park in a side street. On the first morning a physiotherapy staff member will organise access to staff car parking areas. Once an access card is obtained you will be permitted to move your car on the first morning in to the staff car park. You will need to bring a $20.00 refundable deposit for a parking access badge, plus $1.20 per day for parking. Bring this on your first day i.e. approximately $62.50 for a five week clinic.

Public Transport
Both campuses are served by bus and train. Victrip website has details of timetables http://www.victrip.com.au 

Shuttle Bus
There is a free shuttle bus that runs between the campuses. Departs Clayton at ¼ to the hour, and Moorabbin at ¼ past the hour, with a break for lunch

Uniform
Wear your Latrobe University uniform, including name badge. Some clinics may involve aquatic physiotherapy. Please bring bathers, and thongs if required.

Clinical Placement Hours
Report at 9.00am to the physiotherapy department at Clayton on your first day, unless advised otherwise. Clinic hours will vary depending on the type of placement you are undertaking. As a guide most students will start at 8.30 or 9.00am and finish between 4.00 and 5.00pm. Some clinics will involve early or late attendance at ward rounds, and classes. If you have employment hours that may impact on your clinical attendance please contact the student co-ordinator at least a week prior to your clinical placement, to discuss your requirements. There is some flexibility in clinical hours of attendance, but this must be negotiated prior to commencement of the clinic.

Contact prior to clinic
All students must make contact with the department at least one week prior to clinic. Preferably email the student co-ordinator at mmcptstudents@southernhealth.org.au or ring the physiotherapy department (9594 2250).

Police checks
Police checks are required for this clinical placement. Please present current police check on your first day to Student Supervisor or Physiotherapy Manager.

Lockers
Lockers are available in the student room. Please bring a small padlock.

Specific Information for various clinical blocks

1st and 2nd Year Clinics
Bring a pen, and notepaper

3rd Year Clinics

This is an acute hospital. No matter which 3rd year clinic you are undertaking there will be some overlap in skills required. Please remember to bring your stethoscope for all 3rd year placements, as well as a pen and notepaper.

Cardiorespiratory
Students will have a varied program across medical and surgical wards, and are likely to be working with patients under cardiothoracic surgery, gastrosurgery, respiratory, and general medical units. Some time will also be spent in the ICU, and also participating in the running of the weekly Cardiac Rehab class, and possibly with paediatric CF patients. Ensure that you know your subjective assessment questions and the objective assessment routine, for both surgical and medical patients, prior to commencement of the clinic. Further revision would be well directed toward the conditions/surgical procedures likely to be encountered in the above-mentioned units. All 3rd year cardiorespiratory theory is assumed knowledge for the clinic.

Musculoskeletal
All students will spend time with acute inpatients, and outpatients. It would be helpful to have revised the following prior to the placement commencing: management of acute inpatients, including fractures and joint replacements; assessment routines for all peripheral and spinal joints; and subjective assessment questions both inpatients and outpatients. Acute inpatients will also require cardiorespiratory knowledge and management.

Neurology
Students will spend the majority of time on the acute neuroscience ward, treating patients under stroke, neurosurgery and neurology units. You may also spend some time on the geriatric and general medicine units. You will need to revise your neurological assessments routines (both subjective and objective), balance assessments (including assessing falls risk factors) and have an understanding of neuroanatomy and the management of acute neurological conditions (e.g. Stroke, subarachnoid haemorrhage, brain tumours, spinal surgery, MS, Parkinson’s disease). You should also revise patient transfers. As this is an acute placement, you will also need to assess and treat basic cardiorespiratory conditions.

4th Year Clinics

Acute Strategic Selective
You will usually be assigned to one or two areas for the clinical placement. This may be at either campus. Areas could include cardiorespiratory, neurology, musculoskeletal, paediatrics, women’s health, oncology, emergency department, or aquatic physiotherapy. Be prepared for a variety of acute patients. However you may also be treating outpatients. Please remember to bring your stethoscope for all 4th year placements, as well as a pen and notepaper.

Paediatrics
Students can expect to treat both inpatients and outpatients under respiratory, neurology and orthopaedic units. Whilst a general understanding of the differences between management of paediatric conditions and those seen and treated in the adult population is desirable, students are expected to have a basic understanding of common paediatric orthopaedic conditions. This placement is structured to develop the student’s ability to proactively treat children of all ages, irrespective of their condition, within a family focus. It is expected that the student will quickly be able to prioritise treatment for inpatients and time manage a reasonable case load including outpatients. Students will be provided with the opportunity to observe treatment in the Newborn Services Unit. Students are also expected to develop group leadership skills in the hydrotherapy environment and as well as land programs. Students will need to provide their own bathers, towel, toiletries, and thongs.
. Hydrotherapy groups run from 4.00 – 5.00 pm so if work commitments make this time difficult please discuss this with the student co-ordinator when you make contact prior to clinic commencing.

Women’s Health
Students will spend time at both Moorabbin and Clayton campuses treating inpatients under gynaecological, breast surgery and obstetric units. Time will also be spent in outpatients learning basic assessment and treatment skills for the prevention and treatment of lymphoedema and incontinence. It is also expected that students participate in and develop group leadership skills in both ante-natal and post-natal class education. Ante-natal education classes are held after hours between 6.30-8.30pm Monday evenings (some weeks) and 6.30-8.30pm Tuesday OR Wednesday evenings. Some late morning starts will be arranged to allow for these late finishes. If work commitments or travel arrangements make attending such classes difficult, please call the student coordinator to discuss this prior to attending the clinic. Prior to the placement, you will need to revise your cardiorespiratory management of the post-surgical patient, basic pelvic anatomy, physical and physiological changes of pregnancy, stages of labour and basic components of ante and post-natal education classes.

Acute Medical Care Unit / Accident and Emergency
Students will spend the mornings on AMCU (Acute Medical Care Unit) which is a short stay ward with a fast turn over of patients. Physiotherapy has an integral role in assessment, treatment and discharge planning of patients with a variety of medical conditions in the multidisciplinary team. The high turnover of patients enable students to further develop their assessment skills of patients with multiple medical problems, as well as efficient, effective and timely discharge planning skills. The afternoons are spent in the Accident and Emergency Department). A variety of conditions are encountered - however the most frequent conditions encountered are acute LBP, falls, ankle and knee soft tissue injuries. There is also a strong emphasis on timely management of patients and discharge planning with the care co-ordinators.

Aquatic Physiotherapy
Students will have the opportunity to treat adult patients in the onsite hydrotherapy pool. A knowledge of the physiological effects of immersion will be required, as well as the physical properties of water. Students will also participate in paediatric aquatic physiotherapy sessions, which are timetabled from 4.00 – 5.00pm. An ability to develop group leadership skills with various paediatric age groups will be an advantage. Students will need to provide their own bathers, towel, toiletries, and thongs.

Page last Updated: December 20, 2008