PMSC20002 - Advanced Critical Skills Application

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit you will address the paramedic management of patients with medical and trauma conditions at the critical care level. Upon completion of this unit you will be able to identify the indications, precautions, risks and contraindications of the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice; employ critical thinking and clinical decision making; and demonstrate the skills and interventions required at a critical care level. The unit will include clinical skills laboratory and simulation scenarios designed to enable you to develop the essential communication, assessment, clinical problem-solving, decision making and management skills required at a critical care level.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites

PMSC20001 Advanced clinical assessment and decision making

PMSC20003 Pharmacological application in the critical care setting

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 - 2023

Term 2 - 2023 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 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.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 40%
2. Off-campus Activity 60%
3. On-campus Activity 0%

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 2 - 2022 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 50.00% 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: Informal student feedback and Unit Coordinator's self-reflection.
Feedback
The use of simulated scenarios helped to improve the student's ability to think critically and make the appropriate clinical decisions in the application of critical care skills.
Recommendation
It is recommended that we will continue to allocate one day at the Residential School for scenario-based teaching. This amalgamation of knowledge should allow each student the opportunity to address the gaps in their understanding and application of critical care skills, with the confidence that their decisions will be supported by evidence in clinical practice.
Action Taken
Multiple scenario-based teaching models are embedded in the residential school. These seem to be the most popular with students and will continue to be the mainstay of the residential school experience.
Source: Unit Coordinator's self-reflection.
Feedback
Students benefited from a national and international practice approach.
Recommendation
It is recommended that we will continue to cover a large range of skills in this unit to ensure that we adequately meet the needs of the high acuity scopes utilised across all the Australian State Ambulance Services and future proof our graduates with exposure to international and extended skill sets.
Action Taken
This unit continues to deliver a best practice evidence model to our national student base.
Source: Unit Coordinator's self-reflection.
Feedback
The use of low to high fidelity simulation equipment during the skills training helped to develop the students' knowledge and skills in a way that was as realistic as possible while mitigating ethical dilemmas and resolving practical dilemmas without patient risk.
Recommendation
It is recommended to continue to use both low and high-fidelity equipment in the training of critical care skills.
Action Taken
The continuation of providing relevant high-fidelity scenario training within this unit is the cornerstone of its success.
Source: SUTE Unit Comments
Feedback
With regards to the residential school, I thought it was a very good learning experience. However, I would have preferred a larger emphasis on applying the skills such as ETI and advanced airway management in a more realistic circumstance.
Recommendation
Supplying the most realistic circumstances in a training environment can be challenging. While every effort is made to ensure a high-fidelity scenario takes place, a review will be conducted of the surroundings to encompass a realistic situation as possible is presented.
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Articulate 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
  2. Identify the indications, precautions, risks and contraindications of the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice
  3. Employ critical thinking and clinical decision making for the use of critical care skills and interventions
  4. Demonstrate the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • •
2 - Off-campus Activity • • •
3 - On-campus Activity •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Advanced Level
• Professional Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Knowledge • • • •
2 - Communication • • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • •
4 - Research • • •
5 - Self-management • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • •
7 - Leadership • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Advanced Level
• Professional Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • • • • •
2 - Off-campus Activity • • • • • • •
3 - On-campus Activity • • • • • •