Osteopathy Stakeholders
Advisory Committee
Weds 8th May 2019, 7.00am – 8.30am
Unitec Mt Albert Campus, Building 111, Room
2037
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1. Welcome and Introductions [
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s 9(2)(a)
, Head of School]
Brief introductions from attendees:
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Head of School
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Osteopathy Lead
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Clinical Tutor & employer of Unitec graduates
s 9(2)(a)
– Osteopathy Pukekohe; graduate of programme
s 9(2)(a)
- Unitec Clinical Tutor & employer of Unitec graduates
s 9(2)(a)
– Osteopathy Pukekohe & employer of Unitec graduates
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s 9(2)(a)
– Auckland Osteopath; graduate of programme
s 9(2)(a)
- Unitec Clinical Tutor & employer of Unitec graduates
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s 9(2)(a)
– Queenstown (Zoom)
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Lecturer (Zoom)
s 9(2)(a)
– Wanganui Osteopathy (Zoom)
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Academic Quality Administrator
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2. Apologies
s 9(2)(a)
–Dunedin osteopath; recent graduate
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s 9(2)(a) acknowledged that the programme has been taught at Unitec
for the past 20 years and also noted that it is important that staff
look after themselves (self-care) and each other during the teaching
out period.
Question re students needing to re-sit. s 9(2)
(a)
mention that the
normal programme regs had been amended with transitional
arrangements being put in place. These arrangements include
consideration of re-sits but with the required “checks and balances”
in place for integrity and quality.
Question re reversing Unitec’s decision for the programme. This
had been brought up at the Monitor’s visit considering AUT’s
decisions to halt their development. Unitec is open to conversations
about osteopathic education. There are current barriers at the
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stage. This is due to Unitec’s changed category, which means that
programme development is stalled across the institution. Also, with
the combining of the polytechnics and the major reforms that are
happening in the sector, how we will operate in the future is
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unknown at this time. Unitec would likely be at the table for these
conversations.
ARA is just starting its programme and cohorts are approx. 12
students per intake.
Question from s 9(2)(a) - Why such small numbers of students coming
into the profession. It was mentioned that only about 400
Osteopaths are practicing within NZ. (Many of the more mature
practitioners will be retiring over the next few years). Was stated
that NZ does have more Osteopaths per head of population than
Australia and UK. s 9(2)(a)
spoke on how Osteopaths operated
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more individually and there was an overall lack of working together
and promoting the profession. Covered that the demand was
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increasing especially in rural areas and the need to encourage more
students to move from urban to rural.
Discussed the exploring of building up relationships with other
countries, partnering with another organisation, setting up a private
college. Growth mainly coming from overseas graduates.
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Discussed about government funding from TEC that supports
student fees and that now the first year of study is available free
and that the government is aiming to have the first three years of
study free.
5. Graduate outcomes in the first few years working as osteos.
How well prepared are students for work? What is working
well? What could we do better?
Discussed whether students were work ready
. Many spoke about
the need for students to be more realistic to the amount of
earnings they could expect. The need to have business awareness
such as the skills to set up and run a small business.
s 9(2)
(a)
mentioned that ACC did come into the programme at different
stages and that students gained knowledge in this area.
In the final year perhaps more mentoring and practice visits. Was
pointed out that students only take note if it counted towards an
assessment.
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It was noted that graduates needed to work more within a team
(most practices were small) and help out behind and in front of
house. The need for them to realise that all of the little details are
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important if they want clients to come back to them/or the
practice. s 9(2)
(a)
mentioned that the students did learn these skills
e.g. did laundry, set up rooms, customer service and booked in
clients, etc.
s 9(2)(a)
(note taker) spoke from her perspective as a patient that
she had noticed that many of the newer osteopaths that she had
visited were very keen to explain in much more detail what they
were doing and appeared a lot more helpful that she fully
understood the treatment and the effects/benefits.
It was spoken that overall students were doing very well with their
Clinical work and stacked up excellently with othe
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graduates.
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Covered the individualism “live in a cave” of the work environment
for most Osteopaths. The need for a mind shift to network better,
promote themselves and the profession.
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The main points for employability were:
• Business Acumen
• Front of House Skills
• Full engagement with work colleagues and clients
Learn to work well in a team so that the practice runs smoothly. Another
skill mentioned was Public Speaking.
Discussed the involvement of students with perhaps college sports/
marathons. Some issues were that they would need to be supervised as
not yet registered and mainly due to safety.
If they were to be involved in such events perhaps count some of the
outside hours towards their clinical hours (this has happened in the past).
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Mentioned an upcoming Unitec event that they could get students
involved in.
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6. Supporting students as we teach out. What do we need to be
concerned about and how can we ensure they are
employable?
Deferred to next meeting
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7. Date of Next meeting
All agreed to date and time.
7th August 2019 (W
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7am to 8.30am
Osteopathy Stakeholders
Advisory Committee
Weds 7th Aug 2019, 7.00am – 8.30am
Unitec Mt Albert Campus, Building 111, Room 2037
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1 Welcome and Introductions
s 9(2)(a)
–the chair opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to the second Industry Advisory
Committee for the Osteopathy programmes.
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The chair welcomed s 9(2)(a)
from Osteopaths New Zealand to the committee.
There was a round of self-introductions.
2 Members in Attendance and Apologies
Members in Attendance:
s 9(2)(a)
– Queenstown
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Clinical Tutor & employer of
(Zoom video conferencing)
Unitec graduates
s 9(2)(a)
- Unitec Clinical Tutor & employer of s 9(2)(a)
– Osteopathy Pukekohe; graduate
Unitec graduates
of the programme
s 9(2)(a)
- Unitec Clinical Tutor & employer of s 9(2)(a)
– Osteopath (Unitec graduate)
Unitec graduates
(Zoom video conferencing)
s 9(2)(a)
– Osteopaths New Zealand
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Head of School
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(Zoom video conferencing)
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s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Osteopathy Lead
s 9(2)(a)
– Administrator Academic Quality
Members Not in Attendance
s 9(2)(a)
– Unitec Lecturer
s 9(2)(a)
- Wanganui Osteopathy
MOTION: The chair proposes that the apologies for the committee members listed in the table below be
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accepted.
MOTION CARRIED. The committee accepts the apologies for the committee members.
s 9(2)(a)
– Auckland Osteopath; graduate of
the programme
3 Matters Arising
3.1 s 9(2)(a)
resignation
The Committee notes that the committee member s 9(2)(a)
(Osteopathy Pukekohe & employer of Unitec
graduates) has formally resigned from the committee.
3.2 Review our online discussion re patient representative
s 9(2)(a)
informed the committee that there was some discussion in the last meeting and afterwards
an online discussion as to whether we should have a patient representative in the meeting or not. There were
some mixed views regarding the matter; hence, the matter is brought to the committee to discuss and decide
if we should have a patient representative for the meeting or not.
The members recognized that a patent’s representative could only provide input for the clinical aspect,
whereas the Committee needs to consider the broader perspective.
The committee decided not to have the patient representative for the time being.
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3.3 Work readiness – disseminating feedback; increased hours for practice visits
s 9(2)(a)
provided feedback of some of the actions taken after discussion at the last meeting around
the committee members’ concern that graduates do not always have an awareness of ‘back of house’ aspects
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of running a practice.
The staff use opportunities in the class and clinic to give feedback that potential employers value people who
are a team player. Discussions around what a ‘team player’ looks like have taken place in Profressional
Practice classes.
s 9(2)(a)
informed the committee that we will be increasing the allowable hours external observation
practice visits in reponse to feedback from the last meeting. Students wil be allowed an additional four hours
of external observations.
s 9(2)(a)
raised concern that the hours, which are counted toward the clinical hours, are mostly
observational and not practical experience and can therefore be very passive. He also suggested that the new
clinical opportunities should be developed by sending out the letters to the Osteopath in Auckland and asking
them to open and share their profession with the students.
s 9(2)(a)
added that this promotion activity could be done after the programme has developed the
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guidelines for the practices and the students. However, the students are not allowed to do any hands-on work
as this is not covered in Unitec’s insurance. s 9(2)(a)
also suggested that external observations are not
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restricted to the Auckland area, and students use external observations as an opportunity for networking.
s 9(2)(a)
and s 9(2)(a)
commented that only observation is also valuable, and both the students
and the osteopath can get benefit from these practice hours.
s 9(2)(a)
suggested that there can be an opportunity to develop a system whereby clinics that provide
educational training to the students have an education provider endorsement based on standards and
guidelines. This would mean that when a patient sees the endorsement sign, he/she is aware that there might
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be some students present for observations and learnings purposes.
ACTION: s 9(2)(a)to raise the idea of a training endorsement at the next OKSS(Osteopathic Key Strategic
Stakeholders) meeting.
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s 9(2)(a)
commented that Unitec, ONZ and OCNZ are not much connected as one group in terms of
where we are going with this teach-out process.
s 9(2)(a)
commented that at ONZ there is a general disappointment, but there have been no specific
discussions within their membership regarding the closure of the Untiec programme
s 9(2)(a)
added that since Unitec has a 5-year programme hence it has set a high education standard, while
ONZ has brought down to 4 years programme with no research component. Therefore it would be critical to
see what the market needs are, as for some people 4-years are appropriate while for others, the research is
the fundamental component of the profession. s 9(2)
(a)
asked regarding the changes in the accreditation standards
for 4 years programme as the drop is from level 9 to level 7, making it a degree. s 9(2)(a) was not aware of it.
s 9(2)(a)
commented that in Australia the programme is also of level 7. s 9(2)(a)
suggested that it
can work like a step-up programme followed by level 9 qualification, and then accompanied by certification
programmes. s 9(2)
(a)
commented that this would be for the council to decide.
s 9(2)(a)
commented that Unitec has served in the osteopathic education space for more than 20 years,
and since 2010, our clinic has served more than 55000 patient making it one of the biggest osteopathic clinics
in New Zealand. She pointed out that within the next two - three years, all the expertise and knowhow could
disappear. s 9(2)
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(a)
commented that we are receiving more concern from our patients about the closure of the
programme than from the profession.
s 9(2)(a)
asked s 9(2)(a)
if this might be a topic for the upcoming ONZ conference next month.
s 9(2)(a)
reposnded that she would go back to the conference committee to see if there might be
space in the rpgoramme for such a discussion.
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There was some discussion about whether overseas institutions (eg BSO, RMIT) might be interested in
developing a NZ offshoot. s 9(2)(a)
commented that if there is a programme which is approved by NZQA
and the same programme is offered by an international institute in an ITP, then it would be possible, but
otherwise it would need to be approved by NZQA first. The process would be different again if a PTO were
involved.
s 9(2)(a)
commented that it might be beneficial not to restrict to Australasia region, suggesting that the
profession is more developed in Europe and North America.
7 How do we prepare our students for working in multidisciplinary practices and
working collaboratively with other health professionals?
s 9(2)(a)
talked about ONZ involvement in a recent multi-disciplinary competition run by AUT and noted
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that there was poor interdscipinary awareness of what each discipline offers. There was a suggestion that we
help address this by inviting professionals from different healthcare disciplines to speak to the students. Some
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disciplines can be chiropractor, Maori healer, etc.
s 9(2)(a)
inquired if there is any possibility that an orthopaedic specialist might work at the Unitec clinic.
s 9(2)(a)
responded that previously s 9(2)
(a)
has tried contacting Waitakere Hospital, but there was no traction
as the focus is on physiotherapy.
We already have guest speakers from different disciplines and utlise some interdisciplinary connectiosn within
Unitec (with Nursing and Medical Imaging). This had resulted in some overlap between these groups and the
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related learning of each other profession. But we can work a bit more to link the existing groups within Unitec
so that cross-disciplinary learning can happen among themselves. s 9(2)(a)
supported the idea.
s 9(2)(a)
suggested that contacting hospitals for letting osteopathy students link and observe might be an
area to be looked at. s 9(2)(a)
added that for Unitec it had been one of the most difficult things to do.
s 9(2)(a)
added that we could learn lessons from European counterparts as they have started their work
to penetrate mainstream healthcare sector 2 to 3 decades ago. s 9(2)(a)
commented that partnering
with an occupational therapy programme in New Zealand can be better suited as compared to Physiotherapy
or any other profession.
s 9(2)(a)
suggested that it would be valuable if ONZ have a ‘welcome to the profession’ type of package,
giving some guidelines as to what you might be expected to have to do when you set on practice, like
researching the building, making sure that its viable, accessible and it has building regulation, through to
interacting with your local GP, paying the GST, and contracts etc. s 9(2)(a)
commented that at ONZ it
was felt that all of these guidelines are available online; however, we try to link the fresh graduates with the
profession in the field as their mentors so that practical guidance can be given to them. s 9(2)(a)
suggested that if this package can be developed, it can be given to all the osteopath graduates at the time of
graduations bringing in some marketing for ONZ also.
8 Date of Next meeting
All the committee members agreed to the following date and time.
7am to 8.30am on Wednesday 12th February 2020.
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• 90% of graduates think they were well supported
• 97% of graduates think the teaching was effective
• 100% of graduates think their learning needs were met
o Stakeholder/industry engagement has been strengthened across the School
• Sport Waitakere agreement
• Auckland Council relationship
• ARA Taiohi, Youth Development
• Play Therapy in ECE
• Osteo:
• OKSS
• Engagement with Ara
o Teach-out
• Staff are searching for the next step. The future of the profession is unclear.
This saddens Unitec and our patients who greatly benefit from our service.
• Every teach-out programme has had resignations. This is a management
challenge.
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• There is a staff teach out plan for Osteo as we work to ensure minimal
impact on student experience.
• Transition arrangements are in place for students
• 2020 sees the final year of the BASHB
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o We continue to celebrate our student successes and we’re redefining student
success beyond simply course completions.
A member of the Committee asked about osteo student responses on the NPS survey. s 9(2)
responded that local issues raised included feedback around the practical teaching space
(a)
and about comms. s 9(2) added that course survey results were generally very high.
(a)
A member asked how osteo student feedback was tracking. s 9(2) responded that we do not
have specific data for an osteo trend.
(a)
b.
Osteopathy (programme) update [s 9(2)(a)
, Osteopathy Leader]
Students:
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o Transitional arrangements for students started to take effect in 2019. The arrangements
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are working well with several students being supported to complete year two through the
transitional arrangements.
o 2019 BASHB completions:
• 15 students completed BASHB, of whom 11 have been offered places in MOST.
One student didn’t meet the GPA and had opted to pursue osteo studies in
Europe. Two students had repeated yr 3 to improve their GPA but unfortunately
stil did not meet the requirements for MOST. One student has left to pursue a
different career.
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o Three students are returning to MOST after gaps of 1 – 2 years for personal reasons.
These students are being supported to transition back into clinic
o MOST: one final year student is repeating the OSCE, all others successfully completed
the taught and clinical elements of the programme. Several are stil working on their
thesis and by the end of summer it is anticipated that approximately half of the students
wil have submitted.
o We are ramping up for the start of semester
• Welcome back BBQ scheduled for first day back
• Two-week orientation is planned for the new MOST students
Staff:
o s 9(2)(a)
is moving on but wil continue his commitment to supervising his current
students to completion
• We are currently recruiting a replacement
o A new clinic tutor started late last year and is settling in well
o We are continuing to manage staff changes across clinic and classroom teaching and
research.
Other:
o Our annual accreditation monitoring visit is scheduled for March
o The CPD event proposed at the last Advisory Group Meeting is being planned
• The plan is to combine research dissemination, workshops and networking
• Date not yet set, but likely to be mid semester two
o Coronavirus: we are taking a proactive approach across the institution, including in the
osteo clinic. Clinic Lead and Practice Manager are working with students to ensure that
appropriate precautions are in place
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4.
Child & Adolescent Health – update from the subgroup meeting
o s 9(2)(a) updated about the sub-group meeting following concerns raised about Unitec’s
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decision not to continue development of CAH content
o s 9(2)(a)
added that OCNZ have extended the timeline for Unitec graduates to be able
to complete the recertification requirements
o A member asked about whether the price would remain the same; no-one was able to
answer
o s 9(2)(a) advised that ONZ are unhappy about the situation and plan to consult their
membership
o A member commented that the CAH is an additional requirement and is independent of
accreditation requirements
5. Other Business
A member asked whether the possibility of SCU operating a satellite programme at Unitec
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o s 9(2) responded that Unitec has made it clear that we are teaching out and that we need
to be c
(a)
areful about mixed messages to staff, students and patients. If there were a
realistic and sustainable opportunity then Unitec would consider it, but we are not
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actively pursuing such a possibility.
6. Date of Next meeting: 12th Aug 2020
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Osteopathy Stakeholders
Advisory Committee
Weds 17th Feb 2021, 7.45am – 8.45am
Via Zoom
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1. In attendance:
s 9(2)(a)
(Head of School); s 9(2)(a)
(Osteo Lead & Acting Chair)
2. Apologies:
s 9(2)(a)
(Chair); s 9(2)(a)
3. Updates
a)
Institutional update [s 9(2)(a) ]
• Te Pukenga and possibility of osteopathy programmes
o There was a question about whether or not Te Pukenga might
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develop or offer an osteopathy programme in addition to the Ara
programme
o
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This led to a discussion about the challenges faced in staffing a
programme and what can seem to be a lack of support from the
profession
o s 9(2)(a)
asked if this is something ONZ might help with
o It was suggested that there is a need for the profession to honour the
educators
o There was a suggestion that there might be some recognition of
‘giving back’ such as free ONZ membership
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o There was a suggestion that an active student osteopathy society
could help get across a message of service to the profession from the
start, recognising that there are different ways of contributing to the
profession beyond the clinical consultation
o ONZ could be well placed to provide the networking between the
educators and the rest of the profession
• Unitec in the media
o s 9(2)(a) acknowledged that there has been some negative publicity
around Unitec and outlined the concerns that have been raised, in
particular the lack of Māori consultation and the loss of our Tumu. A
commitment to students remains.
o Clinical tutors on the Advisory Group said that there has been no real
comment or discussion among students or patients
o s 9(2)(a) confirmed that s 9(2)
(a)
has reached out to a Māori Student to check
that she is OK.
b)
Osteopathy Update [s 9(2)(a) ]
• BASHB has now closed. All students in the final cohort passed, but three
students did not meet the admission requirements for MOST. s 9(2)(a) and s 9(2)(a)
met with all three students and offered support in seeking alternative career
pathways and/or in applying to transfer to Ara.
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• Seven students were eligible to apply for the MOST scholarships and we are
currently reviewing the applications
• We are working through plans for how students affected by the latest
lockdown will be supported to complete the required hours
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• We have a three week orientation planned for incoming 4th years.
• Staffing changes since last meeting: s 9(2)(a) has come on board as course
coordinator for the yr 4 clinic course; s 9(2)(a)
has been recruited as a
full time supervisor for research thesis.
4. Transitional Arrangements
• s 9(2)(a) outlined the planned transitional arrangements to support the final
cohort through MOST and in particular clinic, and sought feedback from
the Group.
o Student progress will be monitored even more closely than usual
and wrap-around support put in place if students seem to be at
risk of not succeeding in Clinical Osteopathy 1.
o
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Students who are identified as being at risk after the second ILC
will be rostered into the first summer clinic group. This will mean
that they complete all clinic assessments by Christmas.
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o If anyone fails they will be invited to come back for more clinical
hours in Jan, with a re-sit in late Jan. Again, there will be additional
support put in place.
o Under transitional arrangements in the programme regs we are
able to offer a second re-sit. Therefore if anyone fails the re-sit that
would be able to continue with additional support through Feb with
a second re-sit before the start of 5th year.
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o No third re-sit would be offered so if anyone is unsuccessful at that
stage, they would be withdrawn from the programme.
• Feedback from Group members indicated that the plan seemed fair and
reasonable
5.
Membership of the Advisory Group
• Terms of reference indicate that membership of the Group is for three years.
However, there have been staff changes over the last two years that mean that the
balance of membership has shifted and we have more staff in the Advisory Group
membership. There are also some external members who aren’t able to attend
meetings regularly.
• It was agreed that someone from Ara should be invited to join the Group.
Action: s 9(2)(a) to approach Ara
• It was agreed that we would look at the attendance and contact people who are not
able to attend to see if they wish to stay on the Advisory Group.
Action: s 9(2)(a) to review attendance
• Members were asked to think about possible people to suggest who we could invite
to join the Advisory Group.
Action: any suggestions to be sent
through to s 9(2)(a)
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Date of Next meeting: Wednesday 11th Aug 2021 at 7:45
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Osteopathy Stakeholders
Advisory Committee
Weds 28th Sept 2022, 7.30am
Via Zoom
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~ Opening Karakia ~
1. Members in Attendance and Apologies
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Members in At endance:
Chair: s 9(2)(a)
– Head of School, s 9(2)(a)
– clinical tutor
Community Studies & Bridgepoint
Minutes: s 9(2)(a)
– Osteopathy s 9(2)(a)
Leader
s 9(2)(a)
s 9(2)(a)
s 9(2)(a)
– President, ONZ
s 9(2)(a)
Members Not in Attendance
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s 9(2)(a)
s 9(2)(a)
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2. Welcome and Introductions
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s 9(2)(a) welcomed members to the meeting and noted apologies. s 9(2)(a) acknowledged that this
is the last formal meeting of the Advisory Group.
3. Actions from previous hui
• Disseminating information to the profession about our COVID response: s 9(2)(a) explained
that we’d planned a case study with a recent graduate, but were advised by Unitec’s
comms team not to proceed as it could backfire and highlight the disruption rather than
the success. However, OCNZ have put out comms in a recent newsletter acknowledging
how both Unitec and Ara have worked to ensure quality is maintained theough the
COVID disruptions.
• Advisory Group Feedback: we had a good response rate from the feedback survey -
thank you! Results indicated that the group feels that there is reasonably good
representation (good mix of ages, mix of Unitec staff, management and industry
representatives). It was noted that membership is quite AKL-centric. Respondents
acknowleged having limited input into programme development, but that this is
understandable given the teachout. It was identified that a key role has been in
supporting programme staff and the institution in ensuring that the quality of the
programme is maintained through the teach out.
4. Institutional Update
Te Pūkenga
s 9(2)(a) acknowledged that there has been a lot of media interest in Te Pūkenga. Consultation
on the high-level structural framework has taken place and the outcome is due to be
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published soon. Unitec wil officially merge with Te Pūkenga on 1st Oct. Osteo isn’t impacted
significantly because of the programme closure; students wil graduate with a Unitec
qualification.
Campus changes
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Changes to the campus continue, with land being cleared at the North end ready for
construction to begin. Clinic is well away from any building work.
s 9(2)(a) commented that several patients are concerned about the clinic closure. s 9(2)(a) advised that
we are currently putting together a communication plan, and this wil include suggestions for
referral to local practices. It has been suggested that we highlight where there are Unitec
graduates, so provide a sense of continuity for patients. However, there is nothing we can
do to mitigate the significant increase in cost for patients moving to private practices.
s 9(2)(a) asked if there is any appetite from Te Pūkenga to offer the Ara Programme anywhere
else. s 9(2)
s 9(2)(a)
(a)
suggested that industry could advocate for this. explained the role of Workforce
Development Councils and how Industry input can help to identify gaps. Realistically, the
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initial focus wil likely be on ensuring financial viability. s 9(2)(a) added that what is unclear is how
any decision to offer a Programme in different areas would be resourced (especially with
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regard to staffing). Osteopathic education expertise in Auckland has been lost.
5. Programme Update
Student Progress
s 9(2)(a) provided an update on progress for the final year cohort. Al students have successfully
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completed the first two clinical assessments. Most have compelted the OSCE, with two
students due to re-sit stations this week [update: both students successfully compelted the
re-sit].
Clinical Hours
s 9(2)(a) informed the group that C Oncil have approved a 7.5% reduction in clinical hours, as
was the case for the last two cohorts, as a result of COVID disruption.
Eight students are on track to complete the required hours by the end of semester.
Five students wil have hours to compelte over the summer, in Dec and Jan.
Impact of COVID and other il nesses
We’ve had contingency plans in place through 2022 which meant that the clinic was
technically overstaffed for all but one session each week. This has meant that in spite of
significant staff absence due to il ness, there has only been one session that we had to close
the clinic. There have been some sessions where the number of new patient slots were
restricted because of staffing.
There has been no transmission of COVID-19 within the clinic or practical classes, even
though most students have contracted COVID elsewhere. This is a testament to the
protocols we’ve had in place for safe operation of the clinic.
6. Closure of Programme and Clinic
s 9(2)(a) advised that the HR aspect of the programme closure is underway, and noted that she
was not able to discuss that in detail.
s 9(2)(a) advised that planning for the wrap up of clinic, including patient communications and
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archiving patient files is underway.
Plans are also underway for supporting students who wil stil be working on their research
in 2023.
Most students from the final cohort are on track to complete their resear
ACTch thesis by
March/April. Two students are expected to take longer. We are currently working through a
proposal for Council about how those two students might maintain their clinical currency,
and about refresher courses for those students from previous cohorts who are about to
complete their research thesis.
There are two students who have taken significantly longer to complete and these may need
alternative arrangements for re-establishing clinical currency.
s 9(2)
(a)
suggested that if any students would like additional support/mentoring as they transition
into practice, this could be something that ONZ could help with. There was some discussion
about how ONZ might help with facilitating contacts for practice visits and mentoring for
those students needing to demonstrate clinical currency during an extended period
completing their thesis.
ACTION: s 9(2)(a)
to meet with s 9(2)(a)
separately to discuss possibility
of mentoring
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s 9(2)(a)
asked what a plan to maintain currency would look like for those students who take a
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long time to complete their thesis, when there is no option for a refresher course. s 9(2)(a)
responded that it is for Council to determine if a student meets the requirements for clinical
currency, but the plan is to work with Council to put forward some suggestions of what might
be appropriate for students.
s 9(2)(a) asked if there would be something at Ara. s 9(2)(a) responded that she would imagine that
Council are in conversation with Ara about the return to practice course that used to be
offered at Unitec, and that could be a pathway that would suitable for those students.
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s 9(2)(a) asked what was going to happen to the various resources that have been gifted to the
programme over the years. s 9(2)(a) responded that it might be that such resources would be
offered to Ara in the first instance. s 9(2)(a) added that resources such as plinths are likely to be
auctioned.
s 9(2)(a) acknowledged the commitment of the staff to the students and the programme through
the teach out. She also thanked the Advisory Group for your support and ongoing
commitment.
s 9(2)
(a)
, on behalf of ONZ, acknowledged everyone who has been involved in the programme,
noting that over 50% of the profession are Unitec graduates.
s 9(2)(a) asked that members of the Advisory Group continue to support us; although this was the
last formal meeting, she asked that if issues arise, members keep in touch and let us know
of any concerns.
~ Closing karakia ~
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ACT
INFORMATION
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