PARA302 - Paramedic Practice: Population Variances

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

PARA211 Paramedic Practice: Medical 2

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Paramedics encounter situations and problems that require expedient, insightful and competent decision making to achieve optimal patient outcomes. In this unit students will utilise the paramedic clinical assessment framework to apply individualized pre-hospital management plans for gynaecolcogial, obstetric, newborn and paediatric patients. This content complements the unit PARA301 Paramedic Theory: Population Variances: students will apply the theory both in the laboratory environment and during clinical placement. Skills developed in this unit assist students to start building an understanding of paramedic management of groups whose presentations, needs and management vary from the general population.

The aim of this unit is to assist student to achieve advanced assessment and management skills of groups whose presentations and needs vary from the general population.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Apply a paramedic clinical assessment framework to individuals from special populations presenting with a range of medical emergencies and describe an appropriate pre-hospital management plan for the care of these individuals (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA9) 

LO2 - Apply appropriate paramedic interventions to individuals from special populations presenting with a range of medical emergencies and describe an appropriate pre-hospital management plan for the care of these individuals presenting with a range of medical emergencies (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA9)

LO3 - Apply the principle of time criticality to the management of various patient presentations (GA5)  

LO4 - Think critically and reflectively to evaluate the effectiveness of various paramedic interventions applied to manage a particular presentation (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA10) 

LO5 - Participate in clinical placement activities in a professional manner (GA5, GA7, GA9, GA10)

LO6 - Use effective communication strategies to ensure they function within a team environment operating with the therapeutic objective (GA5, GA7, GA9, GA10) 

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

COUNCIL OF AMBULANCE AUTHORITIES PARAMEDIC PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY STANDARDS 

Content

Topics will include: 

• Special populations 
• Disability 
• Bariatric clients 
• Individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds 

• Geriatrics 
• Common presentations in the elderly 

• Special Other 
• Common presentations in key sociocultural groups 

• Obstetrics  
• Assessment of pregnant woman 
• Anatomical and physiological changes in pregnancy 
• Trauma and the pregnant woman 
• Normal birthing 
• Complicated obstetric presentations 
• Placenta Previa, Abrupto Placenta 
• Inversion of the uterus 
• Cord prolapsed 
• Breech presentation 
• Shoulder dystocia 
• Preeclampsia / eclampsia 
• Post-partum haemorrhage 
• Multiple births 
• Abortion / miscarriage / stillbirth  
• APGAR assessment 
• Care of the newborn 
• Neonatal resuscitation 
• Associated pharmacology  

• Neonatal Assessment 
• Values (vital signs) 
• APGAR 

• Paediatrics 
• Paediatric Assessment 
• Values (vital signs) 
• Perfusion Status Assessment 
• Respiratory Status Assessment 
• Conscious State Assessment 
• Pain assessment  

• Paediatric burn assessment and management 
• Burn assessment tools  
• Paediatric drug dose calculation and administration 

Emergency presentations associated with the male and female reproductive systems 

• Special other 
• Pain assessment and management  
• Non-pharmacological interventions  
• Airway management 
• Neonatal 
• Paediatric  
• Oxygen therapy and ventilation 
• Nebulised medications 
• Resuscitation 
• Neonatal  
• Paediatric 
• Associated pharmacology and fluid therapy 
• Drug administration 
• Route 
• Dose 
• Calculation 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Modes of delivery in this unit include lectures, tutorials, online activities and self-directed study. Consistent with adult learning principles, the teaching and learning strategies used within these modes of delivery will provide students with advanced knowledge and skills relevant to professional paramedic practice. These strategies will also support students in meeting the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit and the broader course learning outcomes. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively with peers.  

To guide students in their learning, feedback is required to identify what is being done well, what requires additional work and to identify progress toward required learning outcomes. Practicum assists students to link theory with its application. Located in the final year of the programme, this clinical unit includes face-to-face teaching hours to assist students in linking theory with practice.  

A selection of clinical case scenarios will be used to place student learning in the real world. Lectures are utilised to convey content and central principles while laboratories and simulation deliver interactive learning sessions which assist students in applying theory to clinical practice.  

The supervised clinical placement provides a safe environment where students can provide assisted person-centred care essential for successful graduate practice. Students will undertake a clinical placement of 80 hours within an emergency or other appropriate environment. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures consistent with University assessment requirements will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes.  

There are two hurdles in this clinical practice unit; the hurdles assess knowledge that is so essential to the unit that the student cannot progress in the course unless a pass is achieved in each hurdle. In real world practice it is a requirement that the paramedic student demonstrates professional competence on clinical placement. Achieving pass as a standard for the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is also mandatory. The online quizzes are marked as Pass/Fail. To pass this unit, all three assessment tasks need to be completed successfully. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Australian Resuscitation Council (2010). Australian resuscitation guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.resus.org.au/guidelines/. 

Ambulance Victoria (2016). Ambulance Victoria clinical practice guidelines for Ambulance and MICA Paramedics. Doncaster: Ambulance Victoria. 

Ambulance Victoria (2015). Clinical work instructions. Doncaster, Victoria: Ambulance Victoria. 

Copstead, L., & Banasik, J. (Eds). (2013). Pathophysiology (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders. 

Guyton, A.C., & Hall, J.E. (2016). Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology (13th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier. 

McCance, K., & Huether. S, (2014). Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (7th ed.). St Louis: Mosby. 

Queensland Ambulance Service (2017). Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) and clinical practice procedures (CPP). Brisbane: Queensland Ambulance Service. 

Queensland Ambulance Service (2017). Drug therapy protocols (DTP). Brisbane: Queensland Ambulance Service. 

Samuals, M. & Wieteska, S. (Eds). (2017). Advanced paediatric life support: A practical approach to emergencies (6th Aust. & NZ ed.). Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Chatswood, N.S.W. : Elsevier.  

Weiner, G.M., Zaichkin, J., & Kattwinkel, J. (Eds). (2016). Textbook of neonatal resuscitation. (7th ed.). Elks Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Paediatrics.