You are to select two (2) clinical cases you have personally been involved in during your current clinical practice with a primary care or low acuity perspective.

For each case, you are to write up a comprehensive reflective case study encompassing (but not limited to) the following components:

• Background – age, gender, clinical and social history.
• A review of patient presentation, including chief complaint.
• Physical assessment findings.
• In-depth review of medications (prescribed and over-the-counter).
• Treatment offered at the time of your attendance.
• Reflection upon and recommendation of potential alternate assessment and/or treatment interventions.
• Patient disposition (actual) versus potential alternate referral options (from a primary care/low acuity expanded scope of practice viewpoint).

While much of the information you present will be straightforward, reflecting on key areas of the cases is essential. For instance, while reviewing the medications – how do you think they correlate with the past medical history? Are there any overlapping medications? Are there any unnecessary ones? Were there any issues with patient compliance? When it comes to your treatment, in particular, you need to consider whether there may have been suitable alternatives to care that, given your new scope of practice, would have been more suitable for the patient's presentation. If you are introducing a new product or skill, support your justification with evidence from the literature. Finally, when reflecting on the patient's disposition, where did you take the patient, and may there have been suitable alternatives in light of your new knowledge?

The expected word count is 3000 words per case study (6000 words total), excluding references. You will be assessed in accordance with the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. Criteria include:

Overall presentation

• Organisation of presentation/layout.
• Writing mechanics.
• Word count.
• Referencing (in-text and reference list).

Content

• Thoroughness of history (background & patient presentation).
• Thoroughness of physical examination.
• Discussion of and reflection upon current pharmacology.
• Discussion of and reflection upon treatment administered.
• Recommendations regarding potential assessment/treatment interventions.
• Discussion of patient disposition.

This assessment is worth 70% of your overall mark for this unit.

During the compulsory residential school for this unit, you will need to complete a practical assessment to evaluate your procedural and declarative knowledge of the various assessments, skills and pharmacology learned 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 or issues.

The practical assessment will be assessed in line with the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. In the event of a critical error or fail grade on your first attempt, you will be allowed a second attempt. A critical error or fail grade on 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 the primary survey.
  
• Unsafe use of monitor/defibrillator.
• Unsafe drug administration.
  
• Unsafe work practices, or
  
• Incorrect treatment for patient presentation.

This assessment is a PASS/FAIL task.

In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete this assessment after the compulsory residential school for this unit.

Following on from your practical assessment, you will be required to document a comprehensive case report (attendance record), outlining your patient assessment, management and discharge from your care. It should be written in an organised manner as though it is a document that you would send to the patient’s general practitioner (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 and over-the-counter).
  
• Treatment offered at the time of your attendance.
  
• Patient disposition including referral options (from a primary care/low acuity expanded scope of practice viewpoint).

A case report template and completed exemplar are provided on the unit Moodle page.

The case report should be succinct and be of no more than 1000 words. You will be assessed in accordance with the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. Criteria include:

Overall presentation

• Organisation of presentation/layout.
  
• Writing mechanics.
  
• Word count.

Content

• Thoroughness of history (background & patient presentation).
  
• Thoroughness of physical examination.
  
• Discussion of current medications.
  
• Details of assessment/treatment interventions.
  
• Plan for patient disposition.

This assessment is worth 30% of the overall mark for this unit.