Photo of Narelle Patton Narelle Patton

M HlthSc(OMT), BAppSc (Phys), Grad Cert Research Management

Narelle has extensive clinical experience in both public and private sectors across a variety of clinical areas including acute, musculoskeletal, women’s health and community health. Narelle has worked in regional and metropolitan settings. Narelle’s primary areas of interest include musculoskeletal, women's health, health promotion and workplace learning. Prior to embarking on her academic career Narelle co-ordinated and supervised physiotherapy student clinical placements in a regional health service. Narelle has developed a particular interest in inter-professional education and workplace learning and is currently undertaking PhD study exploring the influence of workplace factors on physiotherapy students' learning while undertaking clinical placements.

Roles
  • Physiotherapy Program Leader
  • Lecturer Physiotherapy Program


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Teaching

Narelle in her role as Physiotherapy Program Leader provides oversight of the physiotherapy curriculum across all four years of the physiotherapy program. This role includes mapping the curriculum against Australian Physiotherapy Standards to ensure the curriculum meets current Australian standards for practising physiotherapists. In addition, the curriculum is checked for consistency both within and between years with appropriate scaffolding of experiences between years.

Following a course review in 2009 a revised physiotherapy program was introduced from 2010 which is based on problem based learning philosophy. Therefore Narelle has developed expertise in implementation of a problem based learning approach for physiotherapy education.

Subject Delivery
  • HIP100 Introduction to Health and Rehabilitation
  • PHS100 Introduction to Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
  • PHS423 Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
  • HIP420 Reflective Practitioner
Innovations in Teaching

Implementation of Service Learning into an inter-professional first year subject. The service learning component of this subject represents the mandatory involvement of all enrolled students in the provision of 40 hours to a community service organisation. This program assists students to develop an awareness of community services and organisations, as well as develop their sense of self and experience a caring or helping role.

Collaborative design and implementation of an inter-professional clinical placement experience for physiotherapy and podiatry students. In this clinic physiotherapy and podiatry students collaboratively assess and provide treatment interventions for clients presenting with lower limb musculoskeletal problems.

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Research

Narelle is currently undertaking her PhD exploring contextual influences on physiotherapy students’ workplace learning. This research stemmed from Narelle’s clinical education experience and desire to improve learning outcomes for physiotherapy students undertaking clinical placements. Narelle has undertaken her research in the qualitative paradigm and in particular has used philosophical hermeneutics to guide her research. Through this research Narelle has developed a particular interest in photo-elicitation as a visual research strategy with the potential to enhance qualitative research projects through development of deeper and richer understandings of phenomena being explored and provision of an enjoyable and rewarding experience for research participants.

Key terms: Workplace learning; physiotherapy clinical education; philosophical hermeneutics; photo-elicitation

Current Research Projects
  • Dr Megan Smith, Professor Joy Higgs   
    Situated learning in physiotherapy clinical education
Current Research Higher Degree Students
  • Jennifer Barr    Hons   
    What are the characteristics and experiences of women who access regional continence clinics?
  • Stephanie Crowhurst    Hons   
    The Influence of Clinical Experience on Physiotherapy Students’ Perceptions of Professional Behaviour: A Qualitative Study
  • Georgie Tingle    Hons   
    Midwives' Perceptions of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) use in Labour: A Qualitative Study


 

 

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