Program Overview

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PARA328 - Paramedicine and Complex Care

Year

2022

Credit points

10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

• PARA318 Paramedic Theory and Practice: Lifespan Health
• PARA320 Paramedic Theory and Practice: Population Variances

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

Given the contemporary demographic and epidemiological health trends worldwide, a paramedic must be well-versed in assisting diverse and vulnerable people with complex needs, navigating the healthcare system, and making independent and multidisciplinary decisions. Underpinned by the understanding of health determinants, body systems, evidence-based practice, as well as the skills in clinical decision-making and emotional intelligence, this clinical capstone unit utilizes existing knowledge and skills to further broaden students' ability to evaluate practice, differentiate diagnosis, identify risk, apply sophisticated care in dynamic environments, and refer patients to appropriate healthcare pathways.

The aim of this unit is to impart a high level of knowledge and skills in advanced clinical decision-making, collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, working in dynamic environments, and providing holistic healthcare, all within the context of paramedicine.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, you will be able to demonstrate that you have achieved the learning outcomes detailed in the table below. Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination, and impact.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate appropriate clinical assessments and therapeutic, social, and cognitive skills that are required to provide care for individuals affected by complex health aetiologies.
2. Create a people-centered care plan to assist people affected by complex health aetiologies that is underpinned by an interdependent paramedic clinical reasoning framework, clinical assessments, the healthcare system, cultural awareness, therapeutic, and social skills that respect the individual's and their community's wishes.
3. Evaluate clinical decisions and the ability to provide independent and interdependent compassionate care for complex aetiologies and dynamic environments.

Graduate Attributes

• GA1: Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity.
• GA2: Recognize their responsibility to the common good, the environment, and society.
• GA3: Apply ethical perspectives in informed decision-making.
• GA4: Think critically and reflectively.
• GA5: Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession.
• GA6: Solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account.
• GA7: Work both autonomously and collaboratively.
• GA8: Locate, organize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information.

Professional Capabilities for a Registered Paramedic

The Paramedicine Board of Australia is responsible for assessing, consulting on, and setting the standards for paramedics practicing in Australia. These standards and relevant domains are articulated in the Professional Capabilities for a Registered Paramedic document. The learning outcomes of this unit are matched to the relevant capabilities, in order to align your development with the requirements of a paramedic.

Content

Topics will include:

• Special Populations and Complex Care
  • People with disabilities
  • Chronic illness, including pediatrics
  • Chronic mental health
  • Co-morbidities
  • Oncology complications
  • Frequent re-presenting populations to healthcare services
  • Cultural and linguistic diversity
  • Palliative care and dying
  • Palliative care approach
  • First people's and indigenous' experiences and perspectives
  • Passive and active euthanasia
  • Children and infants
  • Caring for and maintaining dignity of the deceased and their family/community including cultural and ritual considerations
• Applied Models of Practice
  • Paramedicine and connecting care
  • Salutogenesis
  • Extended Care Paramedicine
  • Applied interdisciplinary approach
  • Embedding referral pathways
  • Extended consultations
  • Technology
  • Post-discharge care
  • Preventing hospital admissions
• Environments
  • Metropolitan
  • Rural
  • Digital
  • Developing paramedic work environments

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

PARA328 Paramedicine in Practice: Complex Care provides teaching and learning strategies that engage students with materials, concepts, and experiences that will support their achievement of the aims and objectives of the unit, as well as relevant graduate attributes and professional capabilities.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

A range of assessment items consistent with University assessment requirements and policy will be used to ensure students achieve the unit learning outcomes, attain the graduate attributes, and meet the professional capabilities required in paramedicine.

Overview of Assessments

• Practice Portfolio: Allows students to showcase and collaborate on their learning experiences in a professional manner, ensuring that their understanding and skills meet the professional requirements for practice.
• Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE): Enables students to demonstrate their competency and incorporation of therapeutic, psychomotor, social, and cognitive skills into paramedic practice to address presenting clinical challenges.
• Capstone Reflection Portfolio: Enables students to demonstrate their ability to self-reflect on the skills and abilities obtained throughout the degree program while maintaining strong record management skills.

Representative Texts and References

• Bryant, B., & Knights, K. (2015). Pharmacology for health professionals (5th ed). Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier Australia.
• Bullock, S., & Hales, M., (2018) Principles of Pathophysiology (2nd ed.). Melbourne, VIC: Pearson Australia.
• Curtis, K., & Ramsden, C. (2019). Emergency and trauma care for nurses and paramedics (3rd ed.). Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier Australia.
• Hall, J.E., (2015). Guyton And Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology. (13th ed.). Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.
• Talley, N.J. & O'Connor, S. (2018). Talley & O'Connor's Clinical Examination. (8th ed.). Volumes 1 and 2. Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier.
• Tortora, G., & Derrickson, B. (2016). Principles of anatomy and physiology (15th ed). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons.
• Townsend, R., & Luck, M. (2019). Applied paramedic law and ethics (2nd ed.). Australia and New Zealand. Sydney: Elsevier.