You will be required to complete two (2) online quizzes. The first will close in Week 7, and the second will close in Review/Exam Week (Week 13). The quizzes will open in the week before the quiz is due, and each will have a specific time limit.

The quizzes will be made up of multiple-choice questions exploring content based on the previous weeks of content (including lecture materials, online modules, links & required readings). Quiz 1 will cover content from Weeks 1 – 5, and Quiz 2 will cover Weeks 6-11.

The quiz will assess your ability to identify 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, identify the indications, precautions, risks and contraindications of the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice and employ critical thinking and clinical decision making for the use of critical care skills and interventions.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use Al 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. 

There are two quizzes; each quiz is worth 20%. Marks are awarded if the multiple-choice question is answered correctly and the total marks are tallied after each attempted quiz. Non-attempts will score a zero mark. Quizzes may not be re-attempted.

Quizzes are open book, so the use of Clinical Practice Guidelines, book chapters and journal articles etc., are allowed.

Please take note that this is an individual assessment with no collaboration allowed. Each quiz will have a specific time limit imposed to complete the quiz.

In the absence of an approved extension, there will be no opportunity to complete the task after the due date, and there will be no opportunity to apply a late penalty of five per cent per day.

Paramedics operating at a critical care level are expected to apply advanced clinical reasoning, evidence-based decision-making, and leadership in the management of critically ill or injured patients. This assessment provides you with the opportunity to analyse complex critical care scenarios and reflect on the application and impact of critical care interventions.

You will be provided with two case studies via the Moodle page. Each case will describe a critically ill or injured patient, including clinical presentation, interventions applied, and outcomes. You are required to complete two (2) individual case reports, each based on one of these case studies.

Each report will critically analyse a key critical care skill or intervention highlighted in the scenario.

Each Case Report Must Include:

Clinical Scenario Summary and Diagnosis:

Provide a concise summary of the case study, including the patient’s clinical presentation, background, diagnosis, and relevant context.

Clinical Reasoning and Justification:

Discuss the clinical reasoning behind the use of the identified critical care intervention. Explain why it was selected, including reference to current clinical guidelines and evidence-based practice.

Significance of the Skill in Critical Care Practice:

Articulate the clinical importance of the skill or intervention at the critical care level. Explain the anatomical and pathophysiological rationale underpinning its use.

Impact on Patient Outcomes:

Evaluate the patient's response to the intervention and discuss any observed changes (positive or negative) in their condition. Support your analysis with current literature.

Integration of Evidence:

Incorporate and critically engage with relevant literature, clinical practice guidelines, and evidence-based sources throughout your discussion. All sources of evidence must be provided and appropriately referenced.

Level of GenAI use allowed:

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

For this assessment, you will be required to attend a compulsory 5-day residential school for this unit. There will be several assessment pieces, each designed to assess your declarative knowledge and application of the practical skills acquired during this unit.

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

Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) sheets for specific skills will be provided on the unit's Moodle page.

This is a PASS/FAIL assessment task. You will have a maximum of two attempts for each skill assessed.

The assessment will be based on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory marking criterion based on the following key points:

-Successful completion of the skill

-Demonstration of skill in a timely manner

-Ability to minimise missed steps or minor mistakes

-Completion of the skill without making a critical error (a critical error will result in a failed attempt).

If a critical error occurs during your assessment, the assessment will immediately cease, no marks will be given for that item and it will result in a failed attempt.

A critical error includes:

-An action or inaction which causes immediate harm to yourself, your partner, patient or bystanders

-Unsafe use of the defibrillator

-No or incomplete drug check

-Incorrect sharps disposal.