You will be required to complete two (2) online quizzes; the first will close in Week 7; the second will close in Review/Exam Week (Week 13). The quizzes will open in the preceding week to when the quiz is due, and each will have a specific time limit.

The quizzes will be made up of multiple-choice questions exploring content based on the previous weeks of content (including lecture materials, online modules, links & required readings). Quiz 1 will cover content from Weeks 1 – 5, and Quiz 2 will cover Weeks 6-11.

The quiz will assess your ability to identify the concepts and theoretical underpinnings, including the anatomical and pathophysiological reasons, for the application of critical care skills and interventions in the management of a critically ill or injured patient, identify the indications, precautions, risks and contraindications of the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice and employ critical thinking and clinical decision making for the use of critical care skills and interventions.

There are two quizzes; each quiz is worth 20%. Marks are awarded if the multiple-choice question is answered correctly and the total marks are tallied after each attempted quiz. Non-attempts will score a zero mark. Quizzes may not be re-attempted.

Quizzes are open book, so the use of Clinical Practice Guidelines, book chapters and journal articles etc., are allowed.

Please take note that this is an individual assessment with no collaboration allowed. Each quiz will have a specific time limit imposed to complete the quiz.

In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete the task after the due date, and there will be no opportunity to apply a late penalty of five per cent per day.

You would have witnessed firsthand some of the critical care skills undertaken by critical care clinicians during your career. By reflecting upon these skills, you will see how appropriate management plans are established from assessment findings such as history and physical examination; how critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and medical evidence are used for the employment of critical care skills and interventions; the effect these skills and procedures have on the patient’s homeostasis and our ability to manage these patients at a critical care level.

Within your current practice, you will be required to directly observe critical care skills performed by clinicians on at least two (2) patients. You will be required to complete a case report on these patients and critically discuss the skill(s) observed (one report per patient).

Each case report must include the following:

-A description of the patient's clinical presentation and diagnosis

-Discussion of the clinical reasoning undertaken for the use of this skill in the management of this critically ill or injured patient, as well as the evidence-based support behind the skill's application

-Articulation and justification of why this skill is clinically significant at a critical care level

-Discussion of changes in the patient’s clinical presentation (positive or negative) resulting from the application of the skill, providing reasons for this occurrence.

All patient management must be discussed in conjunction with the latest evidence. All sources of evidence must be provided and appropriately referenced.

For this assessment, you will be required to attend a compulsory 5-day residential school for this unit. There will be several assessment pieces, each designed to assess your declarative knowledge and application of the practical skills acquired during this unit.

Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) sheets for specific skills will be provided on the unit's Moodle page.

This is a PASS/FAIL assessment task. You will have a maximum of two attempts for each skill assessed.

The assessment will be based on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory marking criterion based on the following key points:

-Successful completion of the skill

-Demonstration of skill in a timely matter

-Ability to minimise missed steps or minor mistakes

-Completion of the skill without making a critical error (a critical error will result in a failed attempt).

If a critical error occurs during your assessment the assessment will immediately cease, no marks will be given for that item and will result in a failed attempt.

A critical error includes:

-An action or inaction which causes immediate harm to yourself, your partner, patient or bystanders

-Unsafe use of the defibrillator

-No or incomplete drug check

-Incorrect sharps disposal

-Performing a skill and/or procedure outside the scope of practice of a Critical Care Paramedic.