Overview
This unit provides you with the physical examination skills and knowledge of pharmacology needed for functioning as a paramedic with a primary healthcare focus and the assessment of patients with chronic diseases and non-acute complaints. You will learn advanced physical examination techniques, clinical treatments and procedural skills for the diagnosis and continual management of patient's medical care. Critical thinking and analysis focused on evidence-based medicine and best practice will be covered to integrate decision making and clinical judgement into the use of clinical procedures. Additionally, the unit introduces you to the concepts and decision making for the use of short term pharmacology treatments and how to safely conduct a review of in-home patient medications for referral to the patient's primary health provider.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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 1 - 2017
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 Postgraduate 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.
- Demonstrate advanced clinical physical examination and assessment skills for the diagnosis of common chronic and low acuity disease states
- Apply critical thinking to determine an appropriate management plan for patient care
- Perform advanced clinical treatment including procedural skills in the management of common chronic and low acuity disease states
- Identify and integrate pharmacology in patient care as required
- Explore a patients medications to identify potential issues for referral to the patients primary healthcare provider
A Graduate Diploma is now the standard requirement for many State ambulance services for advanced positions in the paramedic field. An emphasis has been placed on preferred candidates exceeding this requirement with a Masters degree for many new positions such as the Paramedic Practitioner.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 40% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 20% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - 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 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Murtagh's General Practice Companion Handbook
6th Edition (2015)
Authors: Murtagh, JE
McGraw Hill
North Ryde, Sydney North Ryde, Sydney , NSW , Australia
ISBN: 9781743763131
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
The supplementary text by Murtagh is a general medicine companion - a smaller version of a much larger text, but a handy guide for this unit as well as PMSC20008.
I will offer information regarding skills and pharmacology throughout the unit on the Moodle page, however, access to a pharmacology text is recommended. Suggestions include Rang and Dale's Pharmacology (8th edition) or Bryant and Knights Pharmacology for Health Professionals.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Access to eMIMs through the university library Paramedic Science Resource Guide
- Access to Zoom (session log-in details will be provided)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
k.shearer@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
General assessment & management 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
General assessment & management 2
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Focused assessment & management - HEENT 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Focused assessment & management - HEENT 2
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Focused assessment & management - cardiac & respiratory
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Focused assessment & management - GIT/renal/endocrine
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Focused assessment & management - integumentary/musculoskeletal
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Wound assessment & management
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Infection assessment & management & immunity/immunisation
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Pharmacology - pain management
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Residential School
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Pharmacology - patient's own medications
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
You are to select two (2) clinical cases that you have personally been involved in during your current clinical practice (or clinical placements associated with this program) that have a primary care or low acuity perspective.
You are to write up, for each case, a comprehensive reflective case study, encompassing (but not limited to) the following components:
- Background – age, gender, clinical & social history
- A review of patient presentation, including chief complaint
- Physical assessment findings
- Review of medications (prescribed & over-the-counter)
- Treatment offered at the time of your attendance
- Potential alternate assessment and/or treatment interventions
- Patient disposal (actual) versus potential alternate referral options (from a primary care/low acuity expanded scope of practice viewpoint)
Suggested word count is difficult, but would suggest no less than 1500 words per case review.
Week 8 Friday (5 May 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (19 May 2017)
Each reflective case review will be worth 20% of your overall mark for this unit. All assessments must be submitted to pass this unit.
Each reflective case review will be assessed on the following criteria:
Overall presentation
- Organisation of presentation/layout
- Writing mechanics
- Formatting
- Referencing
Content
- Thoroughness of history (background & patient presentation)
- Thoroughness of physical examination
- Discussion of current pharmacology
- Treatment administered
- Recommendations regarding potential assessment/treatment interventions
- Discussion of patient disposal
- Apply critical thinking to determine an appropriate management plan for patient care
- Identify and integrate pharmacology in patient care as required
- Explore a patients medications to identify potential issues for referral to the patients primary healthcare provider
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
2 Practical Assessment
During the compulsory residential school for this unit, you will need to complete a practical assessment where you will be evaluated on your procedural and declarative knowledge of the various assessments, skills and pharmacology learnt throughout this unit. You will be assessed via a structured scenario involving comprehensive assessment and management of a patient presenting with a primary care or low acuity issue/s.
The practical assessmnet must be completed by 1700hrs on the final day of the residential school (Saturday Week 11 - 27 May 2017).
Review/Exam Week Friday (9 June 2017)
The practical assessment will be marked in accordance with the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. In the event of a critical error or fail grade in your first attempt, you will be allowed a second attempt. A critical error or fail grade in the second attempt will result in a fail for this assessment.
If a critical error occurs during your assessment the assessment will immediately cease; no marks will be given resulting in a failed attempt. Critical errors in this assessment will be classed as any action or inaction which causes immediate harm to yourself, partner, patient or bystanders; failure to assess or address issues of primary survey; unsafe use of monitor/defibrillator; unsafe drug administration; unsafe work practices or incorrect treatment for patient presentation.
This assessment is worth 40% of the overall mark for this unit. All assessments must be completed to pass this unit.
In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete this assessment after the compulsory Residential School for this unit.
- Demonstrate advanced clinical physical examination and assessment skills for the diagnosis of common chronic and low acuity disease states
- Perform advanced clinical treatment including procedural skills in the management of common chronic and low acuity disease states
- Identify and integrate pharmacology in patient care as required
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Self-management
3 Written Assessment
Following on from your practical assessment, you will be required to document a comprehensive case report (attendance record), outlining your patient assessment, management and disposal. It should be written in an organised manner as though it is a document that you would fax to the patient’s GP.
This should encompass (but not be limited to) the following components:
- Background – age, gender, clinical & social history
- A review of patient presentation, including chief complaint
- Physical assessment findings
- Review of medications (prescribed & over-the-counter)
- Treatment offered at the time of your attendance
- Patient disposal including referral options (from a primary care/low acuity expanded scope of practice viewpoint)
Week 12 Friday (2 June 2017) 11:45 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Friday (9 June 2017)
The case report will be marked according to the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page.
The case report will be assessed on the following criteria:
Overall presentation
- Organisation of presentation/layout
- Writing mechanics
- Formatting
Content
- Thoroughness of history (background & patient presentation)
- Thoroughness of physical examination
- Discussion of current medications
- Details of assessment/treatment interventions
- Plan for patient disposal
This assessment is worth 20% of the overall mark for this unit. All assessments must be completed to pass this unit.
- Demonstrate advanced clinical physical examination and assessment skills for the diagnosis of common chronic and low acuity disease states
- Apply critical thinking to determine an appropriate management plan for patient care
- Explore a patients medications to identify potential issues for referral to the patients primary healthcare provider
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
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?
