Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Psychology School
Professional experience in field placements under supervision. Aims are to gain depth in clinical psychology skills or to consolidate skills in specialist areas.
Course requirements
Restrictions
Restricted to students in the MCNPCP program.
Course contact
Course staff
Placement manager
Ms Andrea Richardson
Aims and outcomes
Each externship should:
1) provide a unique learning experience for the student
2) offer the student an opportunity to develop clinical skills and professional confidence
3) further expertise in an area of professional psychology
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
apply the scientist-practitioner model in “real world” settings
LO2.
confidently work as part of a multidisciplinary team
LO3.
have consolidated your clinical skills in addition to developing your professional and organisational skills
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Portfolio - Folio provides a sample of student's work | Folio reflects a brief summary of work completed |
Due two weeks after completion of externship hours |
| Notebook/ Logbook | Log - All hours (clinical, supervision, general) | This is required throughout placement. |
Due two weeks after completion of externship hours |
| Placement | Review at mid-placement and end-placement | This is the most important part of the assessment |
24/02/2025 - 30/05/2025
Mid Placement review must be submitted mid-way through placement. End placement review must be submitted at the end of placement. |
Assessment details
Portfolio - Folio provides a sample of student's work
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Portfolio
- Weight
- Folio reflects a brief summary of work completed
- Due date
Due two weeks after completion of externship hours
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Students should refer to the Externship handbook for full details and relevant forms required.
The folio must be accompanied by an Externship Folio Cover Sheet and signed by the supervisor to confirm that all coursework included in the folio has been viewed, the coursework is the product of work undertaken as part of this clinical placement and that the coursework is of an acceptable standard for the student’s stage of training.
A copy of all clinical reports in the folio must be co-signed by the supervisor and a copy of all reports in the folio must be provided to the supervisor if requested. The Reflective Statement may also be submitted separately, if the student does not wish this part to be available for others to read.
The folio must include the following sections:
Section 1
Presentation of the placement site and your role during the placement. Statement of how placement objectives were met with reference to the type of experience gained at the placement.
Section 2
Logbooks of clinical contact hours, supervision and other clinically related activities (with hours spent on Organisational or Special project specified), with a summary table.
Section 3
Any formal documentation of client contact completed in the course of the placement is to be included in this section. This may include psychological reports, discharge summaries, and case notes. If many clients are seen during the placement, mainly include the more comprehensive reports and a representative sample of other types of documentation. All types of documentation must be signed by both student and supervisor, and all client identifying information must be removed. Whereby at certain placements students are unable to photocopy notes and/or reports, then the student is required to type up the case notes as needs to be included in the folio.
Due to the different practices at different placements, it may be difficult to determine the type and quantity of documentation required to meet the criteria in this section. If you are unsure, please confer with the supervisor and Externship Officer at the start of the placement.
Section 4
The only psychological report specifically compiled for the folio, is the Comprehensive Psychological Report in Section 4 (a few students might be required to complete this type of report in the natural course of their placement, especially in neuropsychology placements). A comprehensive psychological report (min. 2000 words) on the case that has contributed most to the student’s learning is to be included in this section. An N=1 format may be used (with emphasis on assessment or literature review if the student is not treating the client), or alternatively a professional report format covering the following topics: referral source, referral problem including precipitating and perpetuating factors, previous treatment/solution attempts, history, current life circumstances and important relationships, assessment, diagnosis, case formulation, treatment plan and rationale, description of the treatment process, treatment outcome and recommendations. The case for Section 4 should be selected early in the placement.
Section 5
Reflective Statement (2-3 pages): addressing key learning experiences in the professional development during placement and outlining further professional development goals. The Reflective Statement may be submitted separately, if the student does not wish this part to be included in the folio which will be available to students in the Resource Centre.
Section 6
a) Organisational task/project(Standard Placement)OR
b) Special Project (Extended Placement – DCP)
(refer to Externship handbook for full details)
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Log - All hours (clinical, supervision, general)
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Notebook/ Logbook
- Weight
- This is required throughout placement.
- Due date
Due two weeks after completion of externship hours
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Students keep a record of all their activities while on externship palcements.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
For full details please review the School of Psychology Student Guidelines - Extensions and Deferred quiz/exam.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Review at mid-placement and end-placement
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Placement
- Weight
- This is the most important part of the assessment
- Due date
24/02/2025 - 30/05/2025
Mid Placement review must be submitted mid-way through placement. End placement review must be submitted at the end of placement.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
The site supervisor reviews student's progress using criteria as outlined in Externship handbook. Students may negotiate final submission date with the supervisor/external placement manager as necessary.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
If you are unable to attend your review meeting as schedule you should submit your appropriate documentation (as per the extension policy) to the external placement manager to arrange for an alternate time to complete your interview
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Pass/Fails | Description |
|---|---|
| Pass |
Course grade description: All work has been completed to a satisfactory standard. |
| Fail |
Course grade description: The student did not meet the required standard of clinical practice. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Fieldwork |
Clinical work at externship sit Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Additional learning activity information
Students are expected to attend externship information sessions before commencing their placements. All students must contact the Externship Officer as appropriate to confirm enrolment in their externship course. For Externships, submission of a placement preference form is vital.
Externs work (unpaid) under supervision. The student, in conjunction with their supervisor, should identify targeted learning objectives at commencement of the placement contract.
Client contact is the most essential part of the placement and students should try to maximise client contact hours achieved.
Supervision individually and in groups is an important aspect of the placement, as is participation in multidisciplinary team case conferences and involvement in other non-clinical activities of site (eg., meetings).
Students are expected to comply with the UQ Fitness to Practise Policies and Procedures and Placement Policies and guidelines All placement participants are expected to remain compliant with relevant legislation and students are required to adhere to placement-specific requirements, including:
- legislative requirements;
- occupational health and safety and security requirements;
- workplace confidentiality requirements;
- other workplace policies and procedures; and
- their rights within the placement organisation.
The student is responsible for immediately notifying their placement supervisor in the case that they have a concern regarding their health and safety or in the instance of an incident, injury or illness.
The University’s Fitness to Practise policy reaffirms the University’s commitment to early intervention (where possible) whilst also providing a framework within which the University will manage Fitness to Practise concerns. Fitness to practise at UQ encompasses a broad range of factors including:
Conduct: Conduct outside the bounds considered acceptable or worthy of the membership of the profession
Performance: Performance that is not consistent with the profession’s established standards at a student’s respective stage of their program
Compliance: Disregard for, or are unable to meet, the rules, regulations or standards for practising as a member of the profession or for undertaking practical placement with a placement provider
Health: A disability or health condition that impairs their capacity to practise as required by the profession
It is important to note that if your performance, behaviour or condition poses a serious concern for the welfare of others, or is unreasonably disruptive to the community in which they are learning, or results in an inability to meet the requirements of a program, the University may require that your studies be interrupted or, in cases where remediation is impracticable, discontinued.
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:
- Fitness to Practise Policy
- Vaccinations and Immunisation Procedure
- Work Integrated Learning and Work Experience Policy
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: