Postgraduate Public Health and Tropical Medicine

Ability to interact with verbal communication in English to a standard that allows clear and comprehensible two-way interactions for professional performance.

Effective interaction with spoken English from university, professional and clinical staff as well as peers is required for effective learning and to provide safe and effective professional performance.

• Understand and respond accurately and appropriately in a time-constrained environment when provided with additional verbal information impacting on a work process e.g. changes to disease control protocols;
• Engage with peers, supervisors and teaching staff to explore relevant issues around a developing team task/ a tutorial simulation exercise, e.g. discuss current literature and plan a new research project;
• Present information and results formally to a wider audience.

Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others to meet professional performance.

The ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication are required for safe and effective professional interactions.

• Use non-verbal behaviour that is respectful of others and consistent with the nature of the discussion during work team discussions, presentations;
• Recognise cues in facial expression, appearance, behaviour, posture, movement in people and in animals (e.g. when talking the public about public health issues).

Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication, with a language usage and style that is tailored to the targeted recipients.

Effective communication in English text is required to demonstrate applied skills in academic writing conventions and in sustained and organised academic argument and provide safe and effective professional performance.

• Communicate complex academic and scientific perspectives in writing;
• Summarise and appropriately reference a range of literature in written assignments;
• Read, understand and use precise and appropriate language to contribute clearly to handwritten and electronically-produced records in a time-constrained environment.

Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments and to meet professional performance needs.

Elements in the teaching, learning and working environment are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective professional performance.

• Respond to colour differences in specimens under a microscope;
• Set-up and use equipment and tools including sterilisers, microscopes, petri dishes and culture plates;
• Process visual information from wall-posted information, equipment gauges, and handwritten and electronic documents;
• Process the visual information required to add precise quantities of medication e.g. drawing up correct vaccine dosages in a syringe;
• Set-up and safely use medical equipment and technologies;
• Monitor the broader environment for patient safety.

Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments and to meet professional performance.

Elements in the learning and working environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective professional performance.

• Interact with verbal communications that provide additional information impacting on a work process (e.g. discussing setting up and using a new piece of equipment);
• Follow developing discussions with colleagues which will modify practice (e.g. changes to an infection control protocol);
• Detect, discriminate and respond to equipment alarms at different frequencies, emergency calls over PA systems, and urgent verbal information for professional practice.

Ability to respond to tactile input sufficiently to meet professional performance needs.

Elements in the working environment are detected and measured by tactile means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required for safe and effective professional performance.

• Apply appropriate pressure when drawing up and administering medication such as vaccines;
• Apply a range of pressures at critical time points to accurate determine blood pressure or palpate a peripheral pulse.

Strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility sufficient to meet professional performance needs.

A range of physical actions in a time-constrained environment is required to provide safe and effective professional performance.

• Move and maintain balance and body position around practice areas to access, transport and use ingredients and equipment on varying surfaces and levels, to complete tasks within constrained timeframes;
• Reach and work across sterile areas without contaminating surfaces or materials;
• Position and tighten a tourniquet on a limb for collecting blood;
• Safely mobilise and competently practice in challenging environments – e.g. practicing in extreme environments such as mountainous terrain and jungle environments.

Manual dexterity and fine motor skills sufficient to meet professional performance needs.

A wide range of fine-motor manual tasks in a time-constrained environment are required for safe and effective professional performance.

• Position and insert a needle into a vein for collecting blood;
• Precisely apply scientific/diagnostic procedures, e.g. operating a defibrillator;
• Unscrew medication bottles, hold syringes and release small quantities of dosage – e.g. vaccines,;
• Maintain sterile technique during medication administration – e.g opening a bottle one handed;
• Manipulate medical equipment such as forceps and scissors during medical procedures;
• Contribute to both handwritten and electronic scientific records.

Sustained physical, cognitive and psychosocial performance sufficient for safe and complete professional performance in a time-constrained environment.

A range of complex, multi-component or extended practice tasks carried out over a period of time and in a time-constrained environments is required for safe and effective professional performance.

• Sustain study practices and professional performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload for a study period, and for the degree, within a timeframe;
• Sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of a practice process e.g. sustained performance in disaster management.

Behaviour that adapts to changing situations sufficiently for safe and complete practice, and instigates self-care consistent with professional expectations.

Behavioural adaptability is required to manage personal emotional responses as an individual and within teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Students will also be required to adapt their behaviour appropriately during times of additional stressors in their own lives, whether this adaptation involves ways of continuing to engage with their role or withdrawing for self-care for a period.

• Adjust ways of working within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds and clinical opinions to facilitate effective practice decisions;
• Cope with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with multiple and/or changing demands in the practice setting including working in public health emergency situations – e.g. graphic health images, emotionally challenging situations such as humanitarian emergencies; unsanitary environmental situations involving blood, urine, faeces following a disaster or disease outbreak.
• Maintain respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads;
• Be receptive and respond professionally to constructive feedback;
• Adjust to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care while maintaining a professional-level focus on practice needs.