Handbook

Required reading

General information

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

International

Handbook sitemap

Organisation of the Faculty

Division of Allied Health

The Division of Allied Health offers professional courses in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics, orthoptics, social work, speech pathology, deaf studies and family therapy. In addition, the Division offers a wide range of coursework master degrees, professional doctorate degrees, research training degrees, and discipline-specific short courses for postgraduate allied health professionals. For further information, contact the Division.

School of Human Communication Sciences

The School of Human Communication Sciences is the only provider of speech pathology educational programs in Victoria. Speech pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and provide management and advocacy services to people of all ages with communication or swallowing disorders. People with communication disorders may have difficulties in speech, language, voice, fluency, or reading and spelling. Speech pathologists also work in the broader community to prevent people from developing communication problems.

School of Occupational Therapy

The School of Occupational Therapy offers quality undergraduate and postgraduate courses and undertakes research and community service activities in related fields. Occupational therapy addresses people’s occupational needs and the loss of daily living skills that follow physical, emotional, psychological, and social disorders. Occupational therapists assist individuals to make the transition from dependence to independence, maximising personal productivity, wellbeing, and quality of life. For further information, contact the School.

School of Physiotherapy

The School of Physiotherapy at La Trobe University is the oldest and largest physiotherapy education provider in Victoria. The School offers quality entry-level and postgraduate courses and undertakes research in physiotherapy and other health-related areas. Clinical schools in which students undertake core clinical education are located at The Alfred, Barwon, Bendigo, Eastern and Northern Health networks. A sixth clinical school is comprised of a network of private and public hospitals in metropolitan and rural Victoria, and in Tasmania.

Physiotherapists assess and treat patients with temporary or long-term physical injuries, movement disorders or disability, aiming to achieve the highest possible degree of recovery, activity, participation and quality of life. They may work independently or as members of health care teams. Physiotherapists are active in the prevention of illness and injury and in the promotion of health. Physiotherapists are also involved in clinical research, movement rehabilitation, ergonomics and the management of health care organisations.

The entry-level programs, offered by the School of Physiotherapy, are currently in transition between the Bachelor of Physiotherapy, which had its final intake in 2008, and the new double degree Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Physiotherapy, which had its first intake in 2009.

For further information, contact the School.

School of Social Work and Social Policy

The School of Social Work and Social Policy prepares undergraduate and postgraduate students for the practice of professional social work and work in the human services in accordance with current and likely social conditions, occupational opportunities, intervention strategies, and key value principles. The aim is to stimulate students to develop a substantial knowledge about and critical analysis of the nature of society, its patterns of distribution of opportunities and resources, its range of beliefs and customs and the relationship of individuals to each other and to the wider society, and an understanding of the nature of social policy and in particular its aims, range, politics and value bases.

In 2010 the School of Social Work and Social Policy will offer a Graduate Entry Master of Social Work at the Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo and Melbourne (Bundoora) campuses. The Bachelor of Social Work (Advanced Standing) degree will continue to be offered at the Mildura campus until 2012. The Bachelor of Human Services and Master of Social Work double degree will be offered at the Mildura campus for the first time in 2010.

Department of Clinical Vision Sciences

The Department of Clinical Vision Sciences provides one of only two tertiary education programs in the discipline of orthoptics in Australia. The Department offers high quality undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as undertaking research in areas related to clinical vision sciences. The undergraduate degree qualifies graduates for registration as an orthoptist - an allied health professional who undertakes clinical evaluation and non-surgical management of eye disease, disorders of the eye movement and visual systems, and vision rehabilitation.

Department of Podiatry

Podiatry is an allied health profession that deals with prevention, diagnosis, and management of foot and ankle pathology across a broad range of client populations.

The Department of Podiatry offers a four-year Bachelor and Master program with a pass and honours stream available. It also runs a fully functional podiatry clinic on campus, which provides a service to the surrounding areas plus an opportunity for students to become involved in patient care under supervision. The Department undertakes research and provides community service in related areas.

National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics

The National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics (NCPO) offers the only undergraduate and postgraduate educational programs in Australia and New Zealand in prosthetics and orthotics. Staff also undertake research and community service activities in related fields and provide clinical prosthetic and orthotic services.

The prosthetist-orthotist is responsible for the provision of prostheses (artificial limbs) to people with amputations, and orthoses (supportive devices) to people with musculoskeletal disabilities. The responsibilities of the prosthetist-orthotist include assessment of the client, the design, fabrication, fitting and alignment of prostheses and orthoses, and the monitoring and review of the devices used by their clients. The prosthetist-orthotist is an integral member of the health care team with a clinical, technical, advisory, and educational role.

National Institute for Deaf Studies and Sign Language (NIDS)

The National Institute for Deaf Studies and Sign Language (NIDS) is located at the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus. NIDS provides a national focus for research into the Australian deaf community, its language AUSLAN, its culture and the education of deaf students. The Institute is involved in the coordination of a wide range of teaching and research projects and works closely with the deaf community. NIDS offers undergraduate subjects, graduate and postgraduate courses in AUSLAN and deaf studies at the Bundoora and Bendigo campuses.

The Bouverie Centre

The Bouverie Centre, Victoria’s Family Institute, is a state-wide, integrated academic, clinical and community consultation agency, specialising in family approaches within mental health service provision. Clinical and community consultation services are targeted to deal with relevant adult, youth and child-related family difficulties, as well as providing some more specialised teams working with the impact of sexual abuse and acquired brain injury. The Centre has a long history of providing training to professionals working with families, offering award courses at the graduate certificate, master, PhD and professional doctorate levels, as well as a comprehensive continuing education program. Further information can be obtained from the website www.latrobe.edu.au/bouverie.

DIVISION OF HEALTH STUDIES

The Division of Health Studies comprises the Schools of Human Biosciences and Public Health. Its aim is to improve the health of individuals and communities through excellence in learning and teaching and research relevant to contemporary health professionals in clinical, administrative and research roles.

The Division offers the following undergraduate courses:

• the Bachelor of Health Sciences with streams in environmental health; ergonomics, safety and health; human anatomy and physiology; and public health (Bendigo campus only)
• the Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Health Information Management

The Division also offers the Bachelor of Pastoral Care (Graduate Entry), as well as a rich array of postgraduate courses, including the popular Master in Public Health and research training at both the master and doctoral levels.

An important part of the Division's role is to support clinical courses across the Faculty of Health Sciences through the teaching of core subjects in human anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, pathology, public health, health administration, and management and related areas. In this way, the Division contributes to the education of nurses, speech pathologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, prosthetists and orthotists, orthoptists, oral health professionals, social workers, counsellors, art therapists, as well as health sector managers, administrators and medical scientists.

School of Human Biosciences

The School of Human Biosciences offers subjects at all undergraduate levels, including honours, in a variety of basic and applied sciences that underpin the coursework of the clinical schools of the Faculty, and of the Bachelor of Health Sciences which is taught by the School of Public Health. The School also offers physiology and anatomy subjects to students enrolled in other faculties of the University.

School of Public Health

The School of Public Health, located at the Melbourne (Bundoora) and Bendigo campuses, is one of the largest in Australia and is recognised as a leader in health policy and management and for the distinct contribution made by its social and behavioural scientists. The School provides multidisciplinary education, research, consultancy and community service in the field of public health, health policy, health promotion, health administration and management, counselling, counselling psychology, art therapy, palliative care, rehabilitation, and research training both at the Masters and Doctoral levels. It also offer two double master courses - the Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration, and the Master of Public Health and Master of Health Administration.

For further information on courses, contact the School.

DIVISION OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY

The Division offers courses for entry into professional nursing and midwifery practice and a range of courses for registered nurses. Teaching is conducted at Melbourne (Bundoora), Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Mildura, and Shepparton campuses and the Division has clinical schools at the Alfred Hospital, Austin Health, the Royal District Nursing Service, Albury-Wodonga Private Hospital, and Bendigo Health Care Group where some specialist subjects are taught. For further information, contact the Division.

DIVISION OF RESEARCH

The Division encompasses the Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care, the Australian Institute for Primary Care, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, the Mother and Child Health Research Centre, and the Musculoskeletal Research Centre.

The Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care

The Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care (ACEBAC) is a multidisciplinary research and development unit of La Trobe University located at Bundoora Extended Care Centre in Melbourne. ACEBAC’s mission is to make a significant contribution to knowledge and practice in evidence based care and care delivery models related to the longer term health conditions of ageing.

ACEBAC focuses on ageing and associated care interventions and care delivery models, to:

• work collaboratively with key stakeholders to achieve our vision and mission
• promote and facilitate the integration of evidence into interdisciplinary practice
• develop, identify and disseminate evidence and translation strategies
• inform policy and practice
• achieve long term sustainability.

Further information can be obtained from www.latrobe.edu.au/acebac/.

Australian Institute for Primary Care

The Australian Institute for Primary Care (AIPC) conducts research, consultancy and education in community health services development, health promotion and social issues in health; in particular in the areas of primary health and aged care.

Its goal is to make a significant, positive and enduring impact on the way health and community care is delivered and accessed. The AIPC provides independent research, expert advice and practice resources to help build better health system and services. The following units are located within the AIPC:

• Centre for Health Systems Development
• Centre for Quality Improvement Research and Practice
• Lincoln Centre for Research on Ageing
• Centre for Health Communication and Participation and Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group
• Quality Improvement and Community Services Accreditation (QICSA)
• Quality Improvement Council (QIC)
• Health Issues Centre (HIC)

Further information is available from www.latrobe.edu.au/aipc.

Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health, and Society

The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) was established as the Centre for the Study of Sexually Transmissible Diseases, in 1992, as an independent research unit within the Faculty of Health Sciences. ARCSHS has a multidisciplinary team of staff with qualifications and expertise in psychology, anthropology, sociology, public health, health promotion, methodology, epidemiology, education, women’s health, consumer advocacy and health policy.

Further information can be obtained from www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/

Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors

The Centre for Ergonomics and Human Factors (CEHF) is located in the School of Human Biosciences, where it originated in 1987. It is currently under designation as a World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre in Occupational Health. Its purpose is to promote occupational and community health and safety by applying a systems-based approach to enhance physical, psychological and organisational aspects of system functioning. Current activities focus on:

• assessment and control of both physical and psychosocial hazards to prevent work-related musculoskeletal injuries and other stress-related disorders;
• implications of age-related differences in worker characteristics for human resource management, particularly occupational health and safety issues;
• design of occupational health and safety management systems to suit varying hazard profiles and socio-economic conditions; and
• analysis and evaluation of perceptual and cognitive aspects of car driver competencies in relation to road safety requirements.

Mother and Child Health Research Centre

Mother and Child Health Research (MCHR) – formerly Centre for the Study of Mothers’ and Children's Health – was established in 1991 with a program grant from the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation and research grants from a range of agencies. The Centre has been a part of the Faculty of Health Sciences at La Trobe University since 1994.

The primary research focus of MCHR is in the following areas:

• health services for pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period;
• perinatal and infant outcomes;
• cross-cultural issues around pregnancy, birth and early motherhood; and
• women’s health and reproduction.

MCHR has a broad public health and population focus taking account of the social aspects of health and medical care, valuing the contribution of a range of disciplines, seeing the health of mothers and babies as integrally related, and taking the health concerns of women themselves seriously. MCHR emphasises the need for research, service development, evaluation and policy to be linked.

MCHR has a strong interest in health services research, building on observational studies to design and implement intervention studies in hospitals, primary care and community settings. Evaluation methods include health outcome assessment, and process and impact measures, making use of both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Further information can be obtained from the website at www.latrobe.edu.au/mchr/

Musculoskeletal Research Centre

The Musculoskeletal Research Centre (MRC) draws together researchers, academics and clinicians from a range of schools at the University, the La Trobe University Medical Centre and other healthcare institutions in order to conduct research into the causes, impact and treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. The MRC provides a central focus for research and education to advance knowledge in this increasingly important area of healthcare. The MRC consists of six research groups:

• bone, cartilage and tendon
• gait, balance and falls
• knee orthopaedics
• foot and ankle
• prosthetics and orthotics
• muscle function and rehabilitation.

Further information can be obtained from www.latrobe.edu.au/mrc/.