You are required to watch the provided video of a simulated prehospital patient encounter, that demonstrates a thorough clinical examination of the patient. This encounter lacks any clinical interventions and has deviations from the expected professional conduct of registered paramedics. Take notes throughout the video, listing any observations of abnormal clinical findings and unprofessional conduct. The clinical assessment data required for this task is available within the provided video. You are then required to create a recorded video presentation with supporting slides and verbal narration, drawing upon your observations from the provided video. Your presentation must be supported by appropriate literature to substantiate your claims and discussion.

Your video presentation must address the following components, in relation to the provided simulated prehospital patient encounter:

1. Discuss culturally safe communication and rapport building strategies.
2. Discuss any deviations from the expected professional conduct of registered paramedics, related to safe, ethical and professional paramedic practice. Support this discussion with links to the professional capabilities for registered paramedics and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s shared code of conduct.
3. Evaluate the clinical assessment data and discuss any observed abnormal findings.
4. Formulate a provisional diagnosis, justified by an explanation of the associated pathophysiology.
5. Develop and discuss a patient care plan in accordance with contemporary evidence-based practice.
6. Develop a meaningful evidence-based practice clinical research question using the PICO framework (patient, intervention, comparison, outcome), relevant to the proposed patient care plan and contemporary paramedicine.
7. Use this developed clinical research question to find and review three evidence-based practice journal articles and provide a summary of the key findings from this literature.

The expected presentation length is 10-15-minutes. Your submission will be assessed in accordance with the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. The assessment criteria include:

Overall Presentation:

• Presentation delivery.
• Layout and structure.
• Spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Presentation length and submission requirements (as per the unit Moodle page).

Safe, Professional and Ethical Paramedicine:

• Discusses culturally safe communication and rapport building strategies, relevant to the simulated patient’s culture.
• Discusses deviations from the expected professional conduct of registered paramedics.
• Links professional conduct deviations to the professional capabilities of registered paramedics and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s shared code of conduct.

Clinical Assessment Evaluation, Provisional Diagnosis Formulation and Pathophysiology:

• Evaluates the clinical assessment data and discusses the observed abnormal findings.
• Formulates a provisional diagnosis with support from the provided clinical assessment data.
• Justifies the provisional diagnosis with support from the associated pathophysiology.

Patient Care Plan and Evidence-Based Practice:

• Develops an evidence-based patient care plan, in accordance with contemporary prehospital evidence-based practice.
• Develops a meaningful evidence-based practice clinical research question using the PICO framework (patient, intervention, comparison, outcome), relevant to the proposed patient care plan and contemporary paramedicine.
• Uses the developed clinical research question to find and review three evidence-based practice journal articles and provides a summary of the key findings from this literature.

Referencing and Literature Use:

• Supports discussion with contemporary and appropriate literature (as defined on the unit Moodle page).
• APA 7th edition in-text referencing.
• APA 7th edition reference list.

This presentation assessment is worth 60% of your overall grade. You must achieve a minimum grade of 50% to pass this assessment item.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

• Level 2: You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

Any use of GenAI tools must be acknowledged in a statement within the cover slide of this presentation assessment.

You are required to provide a written response to the associated questions of three case studies. These case studies will incorporate various medical emergencies that have been presented throughout the learnings of this unit. Your written response should explore focused clinical assessments, formulation of a provisional diagnosis justified by an explanation of the associated disease pathophysiology, and the development of patient care plans in accordance with contemporary evidence-based practice. Ensure that you address all the case study questions within your written response.

Case Study One

You are called to a 68-year-old male that is complaining of recurrent episodes of dizziness with associated nausea and vomiting. The dizziness is described as sudden and intense, specifically when changing the head position. Each episode lasts approximately 20-30 seconds, and the patient describes hearing loss, tinnitus, ear pain, double vision and difficulty mobilising. The patient denies constant dizziness between the episodes. The first episode started two mornings ago when the patient rolled over in bed.

You are required to write a response addressing the following components:

1. Discuss any additional focused clinical assessments you would consider for this patient.
2. From the clinical assessment data provided, formulate a provisional diagnosis for this patient.
3. Justify your provisional diagnosis with an explanation of the associated pathophysiology.
4. Develop and discuss an effective pre-hospital patient care plan, supported by contemporary evidence-based practice.

Case Study Two

You are called to a 25-year-old female that is complaining of an 18-hour history of abdominal pain. The pain started vaguely around the periumbilical region, described as cramping, uncomfortable and intermittent. Over the past six hours the pain has shifted towards the right lower quadrant (RLQ) of the abdomen, now described as constant and sharp. The patient reports associated nausea, non-bloody vomiting, decreased oral intake, and a subjective fever. The patient denies diarrhoea, dysuria, vaginal discharge, or changes to menstrual cycle.

You are required to write a response addressing the following components:

1. Discuss any additional focused clinical assessments you would consider for this patient.
2. From the clinical assessment data provided, formulate a provisional diagnosis for this patient.
3. Justify your provisional diagnosis with an explanation of the associated pathophysiology.
4. Develop and discuss an effective pre-hospital patient care plan, supported by contemporary evidence-based practice.

Case Study Three

You are called to a 58-year-old female complaining of a 36-hour history of worsening shortness of breath and profound lethargy. The patient’s family reports she has been feeling unwell for one week, with generalised malaise, poor appetite and nausea, but no vomiting or diarrhoea. Over the past 24-36 hours, the patient’s breathing has become laboured, and she is difficult to arouse. The patient denies chest pain, fever, cough or pain. The patient also has a history of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus and stage 4 chronic kidney disease, with the patient admitting to non-compliance of her prescribed medication.

You are required to write a response addressing the following components:

1. From the clinical assessment data provided, formulate a provisional diagnosis for this patient.
2. Justify your provisional diagnosis with an explanation of the associated pathophysiology.
3. Discuss the expected abnormalities of the patient’s acid-base balance.
4. Develop and discuss an effective pre-hospital patient care plan, supported by contemporary evidence-based practice.

The expected word count for this case study is 2250 words (750 words per case study). Your submission will be assessed in accordance with the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. The assessment criteria include:

Overall Presentation:

• Writing mechanics.
• Spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Structure and submission requirements (as per unit Moodle page).
• Appropriate word count.

Case Study One:

• Discusses focused clinical assessments that are relevant to the patient presentation and can be used to confirm a provisional diagnosis.
• Formulates a plausible provisional diagnosis from the provided clinical assessment data.
• Justifies the provisional diagnosis with an explanation of the associated pathophysiology.
• Develops and discusses an effective pre-hospital patient care plan, supported by contemporary evidence-based practice.

Case Study Two:

• Discusses focused clinical assessments that are relevant to the patient presentation and can be used to confirm a provisional diagnosis.
• Formulates a plausible provisional diagnosis from the provided clinical assessment data.
• Justifies the provisional diagnosis with an explanation of the associated pathophysiology.
• Develops and discusses an effective pre-hospital patient care plan, supported by contemporary evidence-based practice.

Case Study Three:

• Formulates a plausible provisional diagnosis from the provided clinical assessment data.
• Justifies the provisional diagnosis with an explanation of the associated pathophysiology.
• Discusses the expected abnormalities of the patient’s acid-base balance.
• Develops and discusses an effective pre-hospital patient care plan, supported by contemporary evidence-based practice.

Use of Literature and Referencing:

• Supports discussion with contemporary and appropriate literature (as defined on the unit Moodle page).
• APA 7th edition in-text referencing.
• APA 7th edition reference list.

This case study assessment is worth 40% of your overall grade. You must achieve a minimum grade of 50% to pass this assessment item.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

• Level 2: You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

Any use of GenAI tools must be acknowledged in a statement within the cover page of this case study assessment.

During the compulsory residential schools, you are required to complete two objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) for this practical assessment. The practical assessment will allow you to apply your theoretical learnings within a simulated practical environment. This assessment task is designed to assess your systematic clinical patient assessment, provisional diagnosis formulation, evidence-based patient treatment and pharmacological management; and safe, professional and ethical paramedic practice. The practical assessment will include one 10-minute (short case) and one 20-minute (long case) OSCE.

The 10-minute OSCE will involve a handover provided from a clinician that is already on scene with the patient. You will be required to evaluate a patient’s clinical assessment data that will be provided to you on paper. You are then required to formulate a provisional diagnosis, develop and initiate a patient care plan in accordance with evidence-based practice and industry guidelines; and demonstrate safe, ethical and professional paramedic care. All monitoring will be connected to the patient, and you are only required to demonstrate the clinical interventions required for the clinical management of this simulated patient.

The 20-minute OSCE will involve a typical paramedic attendance as a primary responder. You will be required to perform a systematic clinical patient assessment, evaluate the clinical assessment data and formulate a provisional diagnosis, develop and implement a patient care plan in accordance with evidence-based practice and industry guidelines; and demonstrate safe, ethical and professional paramedic care. You will be required to assess all aspects of the primary and secondary surveys to gain all clinical assessment data.

Your performance throughout the OSCEs will be assessed in accordance with the rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. The assessment criteria include:

Clinical Assessment:

• Primary survey.
• Vital signs survey.
• Respiratory status assessment.
• Neurological status assessment.
• Clinical history taking.
• Head-to-Toe assessment.
• Systematic approach.

Provisional Diagnosis:

• Formulation of the correct provisional diagnosis.

Patient Care Plan:

• Identifies immediate life-threats and implements the clinical interventions within a timely manner.
• Incorporates appropriate procedures, skills and holistic healthcare considerations for the management of the patient.
• Administers pharmacology in accordance with industry protocols, and national safety and quality standards.

Safe, Ethical and Professional Paramedicine:

• Interacts, behaves and communicates professionally, in accordance with the professional capabilities of registered paramedics and shared code of conduct.
• Applies the ethical framework of principlism throughout care, including autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice.
• Safe paramedic practice in accordance with National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards.
   

Unsafe practice is defined as any treatment, act, behaviour or omission that could result in harm to the patient, bystanders or student paramedic. In the event unsafe practice is observed, no marks will be awarded and a fail grade will be achieved for that OSCE. Examples of unsafe practice include:

• Failure to identify and treat immediate life-threats.
• Insufficient and/or inappropriate management of the patient’s presenting condition.
• Defibrillation of a non-shockable rhythm.
• Failure to perform a complete drug check, including date, dose, volume, indications and contraindications.
• Failure to apply appropriate medication labelling standards.
• Incorrect sharps disposal or unsafe handling of sharps.
• Failure to apply appropriate infection control standards.
• Failure to recognise and respond to patient acute deterioration.
• Administering a skill, procedure or medication outside of your scope of practice.
• Any unsafe practice as determined by the assessor and academic lead. 

The practical assessment is a pass/fail assessment task, and you must pass both OSCEs to pass this assessment item. One reattempt OSCE will be offered for the practical assessment if a single OSCE is failed upon first attempt. If both OSCEs are failed, no reattempts will be offered and a fail grade will be awarded for the practical assessment.

You must pass this assessment item to pass the overall unit.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

• Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.