PMSC12002 - Clinical Paramedic Practice 1

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit is the first of three (3) clinical placement units within the Bachelor of Paramedic Science course, with a maximum of five (5) weeks clinical placement in a clinical setting with an approved provider. You will apply clinical knowledge, reasoning and practical skills at a novice level in the clinical environment, whilst engaging in reflective practice activities to support self-directed learning. Preparation activities will increase workplace literacy and provide guidance on navigating the student-mentor relationship, ensuring you enjoy a positive and successful first clinical placement.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite:

  • PMSC11004 Paramedic Medical Emergencies 1
  • PMSC12001 Procedures and Skills in Paramedic Care.

Please note: Any student who has not successfully completed a PMSC residential school within the preceding 12 months or undertaken a clinical placement unit, must complete a PMSC12001 Procedures & Skills refresher. This ensures currency with all contemporary skills and procedures in line with industry standards and professional capabilities

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2023

Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Mixed Mode
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Mixed Mode

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).

Assessment Overview

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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 0%
2. Professional Practice Placement 0%

This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 73.68% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 23.31% response rate.

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.

Source: SUTE
Feedback
In terms of the reflection during placement, I think a fairer grading method would be useful as it is not representative of progress that can be made within 4 shifts of placement if that's the first 2 weeks for example. A 3 and a 4 for the mentor reports means they think you essentially have no need for improvement. A 2 rating would be fair as someone progressing well. However it is deemed at risk. I think some thought should go into how this is perceived with the mentors of QAS and how accurate this is at representing the student and perhaps a mandatory further detailed response from mentors would be useful in conjunction rather than just the extra comments or feedback. It could be specific to the areas they are marking.
Recommendation
Have changed the existing 4-point Likert to a 5-point Likert approach as well as a descriptor to assist the student and mentor understand what impact the score provides. This is to minimise confusion and avoid unnecessary negative scores by either the student or the mentor.
Action Taken
Recommendations implemented for this offering.
Source: SUTE & Emails
Feedback
The portfolio was useful to consolidate information and skills utilised during prac however the quiz did not seem useful or necessary. The information received prior to prac and expectations was clearly outlined.
Recommendation
2023 offering to have the quiz removed as frequent feedback from students identified that they did not feel that the quiz offered any value.
Action Taken
Recommendations implemented for this offering.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Have a PowerPoint dedicated to the policy and code of conduct so that students are clear on what is right and wrong. As being told that placements are cancelled for a mistake made, 4 shifts before finishing placements is very upsetting even whilst showing remorse and disappointment in myself.
Recommendation
2023 offering to have a pre-term compulsory activity that will focus on Code and Conduct, patient privacy and social media. This activity will need to be completed by the student prior to the modules of the unit being made visible to the student.
Action Taken
Policy and code of conduct had their own Tiled section.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Unfortunately, getting in contact with a unit coordinator became increasingly more difficult as the unit continued.
Recommendation
Request an increase in staff allocation to this unit to account for emergency sick leave, mandatory study leave and annual leave. The addition of another permanent lecturer be attached to this unit to allow the UC to prioritise student contact and responses.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Unit co-ordinators unavailable to answer queries regarding assessment via email or forum.
Recommendation
Responses to forum questions and concerns will be responded to within 2 business days for future offerings. With the availability of more teaching staff to access this forum and provide support in times of unscheduled lecturer absences.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Apply clinical reasoning and practical skills at a novice level whilst working within a collaborative clinical setting with allied health professionals
  2. Employ reflective practice principles associated with clinical reasoning and conduct whilst supporting diverse client groups in the health care setting
  3. Discuss legal responsibilities and requirements, ethical and professional responsibilities and the legal and ethical boundaries of paramedicine practice.

It is a requirement of the Paramedicine Board of Australia that units align with the AHPRA professional capabilities for registered paramedics. These are broken down into five (5) domains. Below aligns the learning outcomes with these domains. In addition, the learning outcomes have also been aligned with the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.

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 registered paramedics document. The learning outcomes of this unit are matched to the relevant capabilities.

Standard/Attribute/Criteria Learning Outcomes
Domain 1: The professional; and ethical practitioner - 1.1.2, 1.1.4, 1.1.5, 1.1.8, 1.1.9, 1.1.10, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.4, 1.2.7, 1.2.8, 1.2.9, 1.2.10, 1.3.1, 1.4.1 and 1.4.2 LO1, LO2, LO3
Domain 2: The communicator and the collaborator - 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.5, 2.1.6, 2.1.7 and 2.2.1. LO1, LO2, LO3
Domain 3: The evidence-based practitioner - 3.1.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.4, 3.2.5, 3.2.6, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.3.4, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, 3.4.4 and 3.4.5. LO1, LO2, LO3
Domain 4: The safety and risk management practitioner - 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.2.1, 4.2.2, 4.2.4, 4.3.1, 4.3.3, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 4.4.4, 4.5.2, 4.6.5, 4.6.6, 4.7.2 and 4.7.4. LO1, LO2, LO3

Domain 5: The paramedicine practitioner - 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.3, 5.1.4, 5.1.5, 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 5.3.1, 5.3.5, 5.4.1, 5.4.2, 5.4.3, 5.4.4, 5.4.6, 5.6.1, 5.6.2, 5.6.3 and 5.6.4.

 LO1, LO2, LO3

National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality Health Care Standards developed in this unit are:

Standard Learning Outcomes
Partnering and Consumers LO1, LO2, LO3
Preventing and Controlling infections LO1, LO2, LO3
Medication safety LO1, LO2, LO3
Comprehensive care LO1, LO2, LO3
Communicating for Safety LO1, LO2
Recognising and responding to Acute Deterioration LO1, LO2

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Portfolio • • •
2 - Professional Practice Placement • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
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 • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10