PMSC13012 - Paramedic Medical Emergencies 3

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit, you will study the pathophysiology, presentation, and pre-hospital management of various environmental, toxicological and toxinological emergencies. You will learn how to discriminate between similar conditions and confounding presentations. Through case-based learning, you will develop the critical thinking and clinical judgement skills to confidently reach diagnoses and determine the most appropriate clinical management in accordance with contemporary industry guidelines and protocols. A residential school consolidates knowledge with practice in high-fidelity simulation case management exercises.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites:

  • PMSC12005 Paramedic Medical Emergencies 2
  • PMSC12004 Advanced Electrophysiology and Coronary Care

Please note: Any student who has not successfully completed a PMSC residential school within the preceding 12 months or undertaken a clinical placement unit, must complete a PMSC12001 Procedures & Skills 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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2024

Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Mixed Mode
Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online

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 Undergraduate 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. Written Assessment 50%
2. Online Test 50%
3. Practical Assessment 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 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 75.56% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 30.82% 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: SUTE Unit Comments Report. Many similar comments received in-person, via email, and during Zoom tutorials.
Feedback
"The one aspect of this unit that stood out the most that in my opinion made the learning experience so much better then others, was the ability to download audio files. This made studying for me so much easier as I was able to listen through lectures whilst driving or at work."
Recommendation
It is recommended that audio versions of all lectures continue to be provided, as well as for the tutorial sessions. Where some lectures were longer, or covered multiple conditions or focus areas, the audio files were split into parts for easier navigation. It was very simple to add these additional resources for students, and I received very positive feedback on this initiative throughout term from students who appreciated the flexibility of audio content delivery.
Action Taken
Audio versions of lecture and tutorial resources were again provided to great feedback both informally (verbal, and in emails) and formally through unit feedback.
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report; forum request during term.
Feedback
Requests for self-test question sheets and quizzes weekly to help with study and revision.
Recommendation
Self-test revision prompt questions were provided for those weeks at the start of term that covered a larger number of conditions that were easy to confuse. Towards the end of term, a practice online quiz was also provided to help with both assessment preparation and revision. It is recommended that these resources are expanded to cover all weeks, and that consideration is given to providing additional practice quizzes as well. To avoid a sense of overwhelm in a unit that does already cover a huge number of conditions and at sometimes great depth, it is further recommended that labels explicitly state that these are not core content resources but optional review material for use at any time.
Action Taken
Two full-length practice and review quizzes were provided, each covering half of the term's content. These quizzes gave the students revision activities and familiarised them with the form and style of the summative Online Quiz, and were very well-received.
Source: SUTE Unit Comments Report; similar comments received in-person, via email, and during Zoom tutorials.
Feedback
"PME3 was a well presented unit. The lectures were very well done with an extensive amount of high quality peer-reviewed content which was presented effectively. Having to deliver a time-intensive research assignment during placement was annoying, however, the fact that Lisa has clearly put a lot of work into delivering similar content in her lectures made me feel better about it as everyone was being held to the same high standard."
Recommendation
Based upon the extremely positive student feedback, it is recommended that the remaining content is also with new green screen lectures. Consider also restructuring and re-recording any new lectures that ran longer than thirty minutes. Most content lectures were created fresh for this year, and utilised greenscreen technology for a cleaner presentation with increased sense of transactional presence without extraneous clutter. Students provided very positive feedback on the lecture content and presentation, and appreciated that all slides were supported by citations with a full reference list. I do take the time to ensure that all citations and the references are presented to the exact high standard we demand of our students in their written reports, and I can also point to my own work as examples of citing and referencing various material.
Action Taken
Further content was produced using the green screen technology.
Source: Self-reflection; student comments received in-person.
Feedback
Video responses to forum questions.
Recommendation
It is recommended to continue the practice of providing video responses in addition to text responses to forum questions. I introduced short video responses to student questions or comments posted in the forum to provide greater transactional presence to students and a more engaging interaction. This worked very well and was well-received by students. Initially this did feel like it took a bit more time, but with hindsight I realised that I often spend a lot of time ensuring clarity and comprehensive information within my written responses anyway. Videos allowed me to talk to the student in a direct (albeit asynchronous) sense, and I also added text dot-points as a summary or for those unable to view video.
Action Taken
Video responses were again provided on suitable forum topics that benefited from more in-depth responses.
Source: SUTE Unit Evaluations chart; SUTE Comments Report
Feedback
Request for more real-life examples; request for video examples of case management.
Recommendation
The request for video examples of case management (or staff demonstrations during residential schools) was received during residential school, as well as later within SUTE comments. I explained at the time that it would be difficult to choose which (of several dozen) conditions to provide an example of case management for, given how specific clinical management is for each presentation. Examplars could also create assessment issues and a perception of disparity if that case type were used to assess some students, whilst other students were assessed on a condition for which I did not create a case management video. I recommended further consideration around providing video exemplars for the general approach to the poisoned patient. These could support continued use of real-life examples of case management for tutorial discussions, and will continue to source case reports as reading material for the eReading List.
Action Taken
Real-life examples for case management tutorials were continued and expanded upon, with many weeks using two case examples. Discussion of case management also included how to manage residential school scenarios and included examples of prior practical assessments.
Source: CQU Success; SUTE data.
Feedback
Comments state that the volume of content is too high when students also have a five-week placement unit in the same term.
Recommendation
It is recommended that content is reviewed prior to next offering and that lectures are also streamlined and shortened when updated. The content volume this year was no different to last year, and remains within established time commitment expectations, yet this cohort made several comments that all invoked the fact that they had placement this term as a reason to reduce content volume in other units. It is therefore also recommended that study expectations are reiterated to students at the start of term so that they understand that workloads for one unit cannot be reduced simply because they have work-integrated learning in another unit that term.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Verbal feedback; emails; SUTE data.
Feedback
The residential school received excellent feedback, with students commonly stating that the scenario practice enabled them to translate theory into practice. Students stated that the practical scenarios helped them to better understand the theory, to the extent that they would have performed better on the quiz had they taken than after, rather than before, the residential school.
Recommendation
It is difficult to derive a recommendation from this feedback as the 2025 offering shall have its residential school removed, with the practical assessment replaced with another theoretical task. The strongly positive feedback is of course gratifying though, and whilst many students lamented the removal of the residential school there was also feedback expressing that the financial savings for future students would be welcomed. In lieu of a practical component the weekly tutorials will continue to discuss real-world management of cases, and I recommend that these are expanded to include a larger number of example cases beyond the one or two currently covered in tutorials. I am also designing a teaching component involving conversations with paramedics around real cases that they have attended that are relevant to and/or best representative of that week's topic. Whilst students will lack practical application of this unit in the lab, they can still learn skills and ponder considerations of practical case management from other experienced paramedics through applying social learning methodology.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Verbal feedback; emails; SUTE data.
Feedback
Many very positive comments were received around the quality of the lecture and tutorial content, and for the provision of the additional formative quizzes and formative feedback on the written task. Whilst many students noted correctly that this final PME unit is the most complicated of the group, they felt well-prepared for the quiz and practical assessment.
Recommendation
Content is due for redevelopment, so it is recommended that I continue to use the green screen when producing the new content and also that I explore the inclusion of polling technology available in Echo360 to create an interactive component that is value-added and engaging. This will bring a immediate knowledge check into the lecture instead of leaving it seperately in weekly learning objectives and the practice quizzes. I will continue to provide audio-only versions of all content, and will again provide the two large formative quizzes to help students revise and prepare for that assessment task.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection.
Feedback
There remains an unacceptable level of poor paraphrasing and outright plagiarism in the written report assessment task that is far below the standard expected of third-year students.
Recommendation
The best recommendation is to directly include ALC and other resources on writing skills into this unit, and to produce a video for students talking through this issue and presenting examples of de-identified student submissions. I will discuss the issue with ALC staff and will consider embedding this content into the unit as mandatory tasks.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE data.
Feedback
Students' perception of having learnt from their assessment tasks decreased this year from the 2023 unit evaluation. There was a decline also in student evaluation of the clarity of unit requirements.
Recommendation
For the 2025 offering it is recommended that short videos are produced that directly explain why each assessment task has been developed to further their learning and test their performance, and how students will learn from their assessments along the way. I do already provide videos explaining how to best complete these tasks and achieve a great mark, but these have not best explained the full value of these tasks for their learning and development. As aforementioned all tasks this year did again have videos explaining their relevant task requirements, but these should be reviewed to determine if I could better convey alginment to Learning Outcomes and to better explicate requirements.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Evaluate patients systematically and comprehensively to formulate a provisional diagnosis associated with toxicology, toxinology and environmental emergencies
  2. Justify the provisional diagnosis by integrating knowledge of underpinning physiological changes associated with acute toxicology, toxinology and environmental presentations
  3. Practice critical thinking in case management to justify clinical decisions with an evidence-based rationale
  4. Develop and implement clinically appropriate management interventions through comprehensive knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practice, incorporating the principles of safe, culturally sensitive, and ethical practice.

It is a requirement of the Paramedicine Board of Australia that units align with the AHPRA professional capabilities for registered paramedics. These are broken down into five (5) domains. Below aligns the proposed learning outcomes with these domains. In addition, the learning outcomes have also been aligned with the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.
Professional Capabilities for a registered Paramedic
The Paramedicine Board of Australia is responsible for assessing, consulting on and setting the standards for paramedics practising in Australia. These standards and relevant domains are articulated in the Professional capabilities for registered paramedics document. The learning outcomes of the unit are matched to the relevant capabilities.
Standard/Attribute/Criteria Learning Outcome
Domain 1: The professional and ethical practitioner 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.1.4, 1.1.8, 1.1.9, 1.1.10, 1.1.11, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 1.2.5, 1.2.5, 1.3.1, 1.3.3, 1.4.1, 1.4.2 LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Domain 2: The communicator and collaborator 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.5, 2.1.6, 2.1.7, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 2.2.5, 2.2.6 LO3, LO4
Domain 3: The evidence-based practitioner 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 3.2.4, 3.2.5, 3.2.6, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.3.4 LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Domain 4: The safety and risk management practitioner 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3 LO3, LO4
Domain 5: The paramedicine practitioner 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 5.2.5, 5.3.1, 5.3.4, 5.3.6, 5.4.1, 5.4.2, 5.4.3, 5.4.4, 5.4.5, 5.4.6 LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Standards developed in this unit are:
Standard Learning Outcomes
Clinical Governance LO3, LO4
Partnering with Consumers LO3, LO4
Preventing and Controlling Infections LO3, LO4
Medication Safety LO3, LO4
Comprehensive Care LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Communicating for Safety LO3, LO4
Recognising and Responding to Acute Deterioration LO3, LO4

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - Online Test • • • •
3 - Practical Assessment • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
5 - Team Work •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • • • •
8 - Ethical practice • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10