Overview
This unit will enable you to complete detailed clinical assessments and examination of cardiac patients, focusing on the use of 12-lead electrocardiograms as a diagnostic tool in emergency care. You will study the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of a range of cardiac and cardiorespiratory conditions, including acute coronary syndromes, cardiac failure, and cardiac arrest. Practical coronary care skills such as defibrillation and 12 lead ECG acquisition will be taught in this unit. Problem-based case management and clinical interventions are practised in the high-fidelity simulation environment during the residential school, allowing you to contextualise your knowledge of coronary care in preparation for decision-supported thrombolysis in paramedic practice.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite - PMSC11002 and BMSC11002 Co-requisite - PMSC12001
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Have your say & Self Review
A number of students enjoyed the Clinical Practice Discussion forums and felt that they were very beneficial and relevant, however, they commented that there were too many of them and they felt like the marking rubric was not clear.
The clinical practice discussion forums will be kept in the next offering, however, some refinements will be made to the number of forums and a new marking rubric will be developed.
Feedback from Have your say
The residential schools were highlighted as enjoyable and the students like putting into practice everything they had learnt but they felt like there were inconsistencies in teachings by casual staff and that the residential school needs to be longer.
Will explore the possibility of increasing residential school length, however, this will incur an increase in costs for students. All casual staff were provided with a document outlining requirements of residential school and were briefed daily on the importance of consistency. This will continue to be monitored at each offering. A group discussion was held at the end of each day with all students to clear up any inconsistencies in teaching or to clarify any points, this will continue in the next offering.
- Apply evidence-based knowledge of pathophysiology to differentiate between a broad range of cardiorespiratory conditions
- Accurately interpret ECGs to diagnose coronary conditions including dysrhythmias and acute coronary syndromes
- Integrate comprehensive knowledge of current evidence-based practice to articulate and/or undertake clinical assessment, skills and interventions in the management of cardiorespiratory conditions.
Justification for this unit is strongly influenced by industry feedback on first CQUniversity graduate paramedics. By increasing the paramedic-specific focus of this unit the graduates will be better prepared for independent on-road practice without additional educational support from the ambulance services.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 0% | |||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 0% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Huszar's ECG and 12-Lead Interpretation
5th Edition (2017)
Authors: Keith Wesley
Elsevier
St Louis St Louis , Missouri , USA
ISBN: 978-0-323-35575-9
Binding: Paperback
The 12-Lead ECG in Acute Coronary Syndromes
3rd Edition (2012)
Authors: Tim Phelan; Barbara Aehlert
Elsevier
Maryland Heights Maryland Heights , Missouri , USA
ISBN: 978-9-323-08063-7
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Access to University Library System
- Access to Zoom
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.triffett@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Anatomy & Physiology review, ECG basics, Resuscitation and Defibrillation review.
Chapter
Prescribed Text - Chapter 1-4
| Supplementary Text - Chapter 1 |
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
12 Lead ECG Introduction
Chapter
Prescribed Text - Chapter 12
| Supplementary Text Chapter 2 & 3 |
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Sinus & Atrial Rhythms
Chapter
Prescribed text - Chapter 5, 6 & 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Junctional & Ventricular Rhythms
Chapter
Prescribed text - Chapter 7, 8 & 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Written assignment proposal due Friday 5 pm
Module/Topic
Break Week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Atrioventricular Blocks & Bundle Branch Blocks
Chapter
Prescribed text - Chapter 9, 11 & 13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Coronary Heart Disease & Acute Coronary Syndrome Part 1
Chapter
Prescribed text - Chapter 15,16 & 17
Supplementary Text Chapter 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assignment Reply due Friday 5 pm
Module/Topic
Coronary Heart Disease & Acute Coronary Syndrome Part 1
Chapter
Prescribed text - Chapter 15,16 & 17
Supplementary Text Chapter 5, 6, & 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Other ECG findings
Chapter
Prescribed text - Chapter 14
Events and Submissions/Topic
Written assignment due Friday 5 pm
Module/Topic
Congenital Heart Defects
Chapter
Nil reading from prescribed text this week.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Self orientated unit revision
Residential School Prep
Chapter
Prescribed text - Appendix B & C
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Self-orientated unit revision
Residential School Prep
Chapter
Prescribed text - Appendix B & C
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Exam revision
Residential School Prep
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
There is a compulsory residential school in Rockhampton for all students enrolled in this unit.
1 Written Assessment
There are three (3) separate parts to this assessment task.
Part A- Assignment Proposal
You are required to choose one of the topics provided on the Moodle page and you are required to post a proposal (250 words +/- 10%) for your assignment topic on the assessment forum by the end of week four. This should be a brief description of your topic, how you will source your literature, and any other relevant comments. The latter may include potential problems with sourcing relevant literature, relevance to paramedic practice etc.
Part A is due Friday at 5 pm in week four of the term. All posts to the assessment forum will be anonymous and students will not be able to see other student’s posts until they have made an initial post on the assessment forum.
Part B- Proposal Reply
You are required to respond to at least one other student's proposal. You may comment on their topic, suggest databases, journals or articles which may be relevant, additional search strategy potential difficulties you can see with their proposal etc. Replies should be a minimum of 150 words. Your comments should be professional and of a standard consistent with the profession and year two undergraduate education. References are not required, but please ensure your academic writing is of a high standard. You are encouraged to reply to more than one proposal.
Response to other students posts is due Friday at 5 pm in week 6.
Part C- Assignment
You are required to expand on your initial proposal and write a 1500 word clinical essay/review of current research for your chosen topic. You must research and use evidence-based data to discuss your chosen topic. Topics will be available on the Moodle page at the start of term. You may tailor the assignment slightly, however, you must ensure I have approved the proposal you posted to the forum before you proceed.
Part A is due 5-pm Friday of Week 4, Part B is due 5-pm Friday of Week 6, Part C is due 5-pm Friday of week 8.
Week 10 Friday (25 Jan 2019)
PART A & B - Assignment Proposal & Reply
Part A & B are worth 10 marks in total. There will be no part marks awarded (there will be a penalty of 5% each day late submissions). If you post an appropriate proposal and reply as per the guidelines above, you will receive the full 10 marks. If you fail to post a proposal or reply, you will receive 0 marks for part A & B. You still need to post a proposal, however, to get approval for your topic.
PART C- Assignment
Part C is worth 40 marks in total. The assignment should be of a high academic standard in line with the professional standards and in line with a higher education submission. The emphasis should be on the use of credible, recent and scholarly journal articles. Papers will be marked in line with the rubric which will be posted on the Moodle page at the start of term.
All assignments must be put through Turnitin. The word count for the assignment is 1500 words ( + / - 10%) excluding references.
This is due by 5 pm, Friday, week eight. A marking rubric will be provided on the Moodle page at the start of term.
Please note that you should select and use at least SIX (6) recent peer-reviewed scientific journal articles on your topic. These articles should be dated after 2010. You may also use expert textbooks and websites, however, please note that you are not to use your prescribed textbook or lectures from this unit and references from the website http://www.wikipedia.org will not be accepted. In this assessment, you are required to demonstrate and develop your research skills.
Your assignment MUST be in your own words. It is expected that you to include AT LEAST 10 references in total.
- Apply evidence-based knowledge of pathophysiology to differentiate between a broad range of cardiorespiratory conditions
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
2 Practical Assessment
For this assessment, students will be required to attend a compulsory residential school. This assessment task will consist of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE's) which will take place during the residential school. The format of the OSCE's will be CME (Case Management Exercise), Viva Voce or a Clinical Skill assessment which relates to the learning outcomes of this unit.
There will be a total of three (3) assessment tasks each designed to assess the knowledge and practical skills acquired during this unit.
There will be one (1) long case CME's where students will be allocated 30 minutes to complete this part of the assessment.
This long case CME will be in the format of a structured scenario looking at the following areas :
Patient assessment and history taking
Evidence gathering and patient treatment
Implementation of interventions, procedures and skills
Overall patient and scene management
There will also be two (2) short case assessments where students will be allocated 15 minutes to complete each of these assessments.
These short case OSCE's will be in the format of either a viva voce or a clinical skill assessment.
Week 12 Monday (4 Feb 2019) 11:45 pm AEST
Assessments will take place during residential school
Exam Week Monday (11 Feb 2019)
2 weeks after conclusion of residential school
This practical assessment is a pass/fail assessment. Students must achieve a cumulative pass mark of greater than 50% for the three (3) OSCE assessments in order to pass this assessment.
Each long case OSCE will be worth 50% of the overall mark and each short case will be worth 25% of the overall mark for this assessment piece.
There will be varied scoring tools used based on the type of OSCE assessment. The scoring tools for each station are validated and reliable and will be available to students via the Moodle page at the commencement of term.
During these assessments, if there are any errors performed which would cause immediate harm to yourself, partner, patient or bystanders this will result in a critical error being recorded.
Critical errors in this unit will be classed as anything, by act or omission, that causes immediate harm or has the potential to cause harm, to yourself, partner, patient or bystanders or any procedure that is performed outside your scope of practice. During any form of assessment, if any of the following are witnessed the assessment will immediately cease, and no marks will be given for that assessment. Furthermore, any critical error discovered on review or moderation will also result in no marks being given for that particular assessment.
- Unsafe defibrillation
-
Incorrect joule delivered during defibrillation
- Defibrillation of a non-shockable rhythm
- Failure to recognise a cardiac arrest within 1 minute
- Failure to defibrillate a shockable rhythm within 2 minutes
- Failure to perform a complete drug check
- Incorrect sharps disposal or unsafe practice with a sharp
- Performing a skill or procedure outside the scope of practice taught to you in PMSC11002, PMSC12001 or PMSC12004
- Administering pharmacology that is outside your scope of practice, or administering an incorrect drug or drug dose.
- Any grossly unsafe practice, as determined by the assessing academic
If you do not understand any of the above, please do not hesitate to clarify with your unit coordinator.
No submission method provided.
- Accurately interpret ECGs to diagnose coronary conditions including dysrhythmias and acute coronary syndromes
- Integrate comprehensive knowledge of current evidence-based practice to articulate and/or undertake clinical assessment, skills and interventions in the management of cardiorespiratory conditions.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Ethical practice
Examination
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
