Overview
This unit introduces you to clinical practice through your first supervised placements in both non-ambulance and ambulance settings. You will begin applying foundational paramedicine knowledge and skills in authentic healthcare environments while developing confidence, professionalism, and reflective capacity. The initial placement is within a diverse (non-ambulance) healthcare setting such as an aged-care facility, providing interprofessional education. This placement will be a minimum of 70 hours, rostered across two weeks with a placement provider local to you, where possible. You will work alongside and learn from other health professionals and patients in non-emergency contexts, building skills in teamwork, communication, and person-centred care that will support future clinical practice within the ambulance and collaborative care settings. The second minimum 150-hour placement rostered across four weeks with an ambulance service, extends your learning into the prehospital environment, where you will observe and participate in emergency care under direct paramedic supervision. Across both settings, you will engage in guided reflection and feedback to support clinical reasoning, self-awareness, and ongoing professional growth. Preparation and support activities before and during placement develop workplace literacy and support your student-mentor relationship, ensuring you enjoy a positive and successful first clinical placement unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: PMSC12001 Co-requisites: PMSC11004 or PMSC12007 BMSC12014 MPAT12001 Please note: Any student who has not successfully completed a PMSC residential school within the preceding 12 months or undertaken a clinical placement unit, should consult with the Head of Course to discuss completing a PMSC12001 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).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
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).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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.
Feedback from SUTE data.
A disconnect between unit intent and student expectations in a clinical placement unit.
Acknowledging that this unit will undergo further change for the 2026 offering, ensure students understand that clinical placement units also address relevant professional capabilities in addition to facilitating clinical placement opportunities.