PMSC13001 - Mental Health for Paramedics

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Within your role as a paramedic, you will encounter consumers experiencing many differing forms of mental health challenges that affect their presentation and recovery. During this unit, you will develop communication skills (including the ability to actively listen to consumer and family stories), recognise alterations in mental health as well as gain knowledge of therapeutic options and referral pathways available to assist consumers.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-Requisites:

  • PMSC12002 Clinical Paramedic Practice 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 Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2024

Term 1 - 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. Presentation 30%
2. Written Assessment 30%
3. On-campus Activity 40%

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

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 50.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 26.87% 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: Student Evaluation Data
Feedback
Significant student feedback reported that expectations were unclear for the written task, and marking was inconsistent.
Recommendation
The written task shall be completely redesigned for 2023. Assessment criteria shall be clearly explained, and a reliable validated rubric shall be developed with collaboration from Learning and Teaching staff.
Action Taken
The written task was completely redesigned and was reviewed by paramedic academics. The marking rubrics were also redesigned and developed in accordance with the Learning and Teaching templates.
Source: Student Evaluation Data and verbal student feedback.
Feedback
The scenario simulation videos were well received by students who enjoyed the real-life demonstrations and found they greatly enhanced the content. Several students made contact to say they experienced similar cases whilst on clinical placement and felt confident in handling the situation.
Recommendation
Continue creating more content of this nature and expanding the repertoire of examples.
Action Taken
Scenario videos are continuing to be used in this unit.
Source: Student Evaluation Data
Feedback
Students enjoyed using actors at their residential schools as it improved their real-world experience.
Recommendation
This unit has utilised actors, props, and moulage to deliver high-fidelity mental health scenarios for several years. The aim will be to continue high-fidelity residential experiences to prepare students to meet industry standards and expectations.
Action Taken
The unit continued to use actors for the high fidelity scenarios.
Source: SUTE unit report
Feedback
Was a good unit with concise and clear learning objectives. Students were glad it was noted mental health is such a large field, however the unit was able to simplify and stick to relevant aspects for the role of a paramedic.
Recommendation
Continue to set clear learning objectives.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE unit report
Feedback
The workbook was quite confusing and students felt as though there was a lack of guidance for it.
Recommendation
The workbook was a new style of assessment for this unit. A redesign and collaboration with Learning and Teaching staff will occur in 2024 to assist in the redevelopment.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE unit report
Feedback
Students loved being able to work with real people. The actors where exceptional. Students found this unit really interesting and loved the abilities of the actors and their resilience in such difficult scenes.
Recommendation
The unit should continue using actors to simulate real life cases.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE unit report
Feedback
The residential school was outstanding. It was the first res school students felt they were taught to do the job, instead of taught to pass the OSCE.
Recommendation
Residential schools should continue to use actors and run in a way that allows students to train in a way that is the same as in standard practice.
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: SUTE unit report
Feedback
Students found content sometimes repeated topics that were briefly covered in earlier weeks.
Recommendation
Weekly lectures to be reviewed and redone to go into more depth and to reduce the repetiveness. Additional 'real world' content will continue to be used and added to in 2024.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Assess, compare and treat different presentations of consumers experiencing mental health challenges
  2. Plan and deliver a range of evidence-based therapeutic options (using an individual and culturally specific context) to assist consumers experiencing mental health challenges
  3. Evaluate and explain mental health related legislation within the context of paramedicine
  4. Engage in interpersonal communication, ethical, and professional behaviours while collaborating with multiple agencies to the standards expected of a paramedic.

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 proposed 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 the unit are matched to the relevant capabilities
 
 
 
Standard/Attribute/Criteria Learning Outcome
Domain 1: The professional and ethical practitioner 1.1.1, 1.1.3, 1.1.5, 1.1.6, 1.1.8, 1.1.9, 1.1.10, 1.1.11 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.5 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 1.4.1, 1.4.2 LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Domain 2: The communicator and collaborator 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.5, 2.1.6, 2.1.7, 2.1.82.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 2.2.4, 2.2.5, 2.2.6 LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Domain 3: The evidence-based practitioner 3.1.1, 3.1.2 3.2.1 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.4, 3.2.5, 3.2.63.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3 3.4.3 LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
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, 4.2.3, 4.2.4 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3 4.4.4 4.5.2, 4.5.3 4.6.5 4.7.7, 4.7.9 LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Domain 5: The paramedicine practitioner 5.1.2, 5.1.3, 5.1.4, 5.1.5 5.2.15.2.2, 5.2.3, 5.2.4, 5.2.5 5.3.1, 5.3.3, 5.3.4, 5.3.5, 5.3.6 5.4.1, 5.4.2, 5.4.3, 5.4.5, 5.4.6 5.6.1, 5.6.2, 5.6.3, 5.6.4 LO1, LO2, LO3
 
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
 
 
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Standards developed in this unit are:
 
Standard Learning Outcomes
Partnering with Consumers LO2, LO3, LO4
Preventing and Controlling Infections LO1, LO2
Medication Safety LO1, LO2
Comprehensive Care LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Communicating for Safety LO1, LO2, LO4
Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration LO1, LO2

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Presentation • •
2 - Written Assessment • •
3 - On-campus Activity • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • •
4 - Information Literacy •
5 - Team Work • • •
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