Community Health

• Email the School
• General Inquiries

Narelle joined Charles Sturt University in 2005 and entered academia from a career point as a senior physiotherapy clinican with extensive administrative, clinical and leadership experience. Narelle’s  physiotherapy clinical experience encompassed practice in acute metropolitan hospitals, specialist sports private practices, establishment and operation of a successful private physiotherapy practice and a community health setting in a regional centre. Narelle also has extensive experience in the co-ordination and supervision of physiotherapy students’ workplace learning  experiences. 

Narelle’s primary areas of interest include workplace learning, development of professional practice capabilities and interprofessional practice.  Narelle is currently undertaking PhD study exploring the manner in which context frames physiotherapy students’ learning while undertaking clinical placements. To date, Narelle has presented her doctoral research findings at several National and International conferences and has also published several book chapters as well as a peer reviewed journal article.

Positions and Roles

• Lecturer in Physiotherapy
  

Teaching

Narelle has a broad range of teaching experiences including academic teaching (lectures, tutorial and practical classes), supervision of honours students, workplace learning student supervision and development and implementation of multidisciplinary clinical supervisor workshops. Within the academic environment Narelle also has a wide range of teaching experiences including teaching and coordination of distance and internal student cohorts as well as interprofessional subjects, development and implementation of traditional and problem based learning approaches as well as teaching in a range of subject areas.

Narelle adopts a student-centred approach to all of her teaching. Underpinning all of Narelle’s teaching is her view of teaching as a dynamic activity and an experiential journey towards expertise. Narelle constantly seeks to enhance her teaching practices through reflection both in action (during classes) and on action (after classes), discerning use of information and communication technologies, timely incorporation of student feedback (aimed at improving educational experiences for both current and future students), ongoing professional development including exploration of educational theories, attendance at conferences, discussions with colleagues, and utilisation of services offered by educational designers.

Subject Delivery

• PHS400 Transition to Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
• HIP100 Introduction to Health and Rehabilitation
• PHS100 Introduction to Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
• PHS250 Evolving Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
• PHS423 Physiotherapy Clinical Practice
• HIP420 Reflective Practitioner
• PHS323 Physiotherapy Professional Practice and Community Development
• PHS322 Family Health
• PHS413 Health Promotion
• PHS221 Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy 1
• PHS310 Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy 2
• PHS223 Electrophysical Agents

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.

Research and Publications

Narelle is in the final phase of doctoral research that explored the manner in which context framed 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.

The findings from Narelle’s doctoral research have broken new ground in workplace learning and have enhanced understanding in this field. Narelle’s research findings have also informed the development of clinical supervisor training workshops, undergraduate physiotherapy curriculum, and introduction of a framework that facilitates a broader approach to the establishment of appropriate learning experiences for students while undertaking workplace learning.

Narelle also has research interests in the area of interprofessional learning and interprofessional practice.

List of Publications

Community Engagement

Memberships and Affiliations

• Australian Physiotherapy Association
• Australian Physiotherapy Association Education Advisory Committee Chair