PMSC20002 - Advanced Critical Skills Application

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit you will address the paramedic management of patients with medical and trauma conditions at the critical care level. Upon completion of this unit you will be able to identify the indications, precautions, risks and contraindications of the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice; employ critical thinking and clinical decision making; and demonstrate the skills and interventions required at a critical care level. The unit will include clinical skills laboratory and simulation scenarios designed to enable you to develop the essential communication, assessment, clinical problem-solving, decision making and management skills required at a critical care level.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 8
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites

PMSC20001 Advanced clinical assessment and decision making

PMSC20003 Pharmacological application in the critical care setting

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 3 - 2024

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Mixed Mode

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 Postgraduate 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. Online Quiz(zes) 40%
2. Off-campus Activity 60%
3. On-campus Activity 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 2 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 42.86% 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
Feedback
A student stated that they thought that the unit was well structured and complimented by the Residential School
Recommendation
We recommend that we continue to use the current unit structure and include a residential school to provide students with deliberate practice opportunities for clinical skills.
Action Taken
We confidently continue to utilize the previous unit structure and residential school schedule, recognizing that students have significantly benefited from targeted practice opportunities for clinical skills.
Source: Unit Coordinator self-reflection
Feedback
Considerations for recent graduates that enrol in the unit from 2024 onwards.
Recommendation
For students enrolling in the unit from 2024 onwards, we recommend providing additional context on critical care tailored to recent graduates with limited experience in treating high-acuity patients.
Action Taken
We provided additional context on critical care for recent graduates with limited experience in treating high-acuity patients, along with many examples to solidify their understanding of these critical care skills.
Source: SUTE Unit Comments
Feedback
Smaller group sizes during residential school were beneficial, allowing for more practice and meaningful discussions with lecturers. Additionally, the day off between this residential school and PMSC20005 was appreciated.
Recommendation
We recommend maintaining class sizes of fewer than 15 students per residential school to ensure the best student-to-lecturer and student-to-equipment ratios. We will also continue to schedule an "off-day" between residential schools.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE Unit Comments
Feedback
A student noted that they thought the written assessments were heavily loaded, while the practical assessments, which were the highlight of the course, were simply a pass/fail.
Recommendation
The practical assessment is a non-graded task, and students are evaluated using a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading system. To pass, students must demonstrate 100% competency in the assessed skills. This non-graded approach aligns with HMAS assessment requirements and will continue in future offerings of the unit.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Articulate 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
  2. Identify the indications, precautions, risks and contraindications of the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice
  3. Employ critical thinking and clinical decision making for the use of critical care skills and interventions
  4. Demonstrate the skills and interventions involved in critical care practice.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • •
2 - Off-campus Activity • • •
3 - On-campus Activity •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Knowledge • • • •
2 - Communication • • • •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • • •
4 - Research • • •
5 - Self-management • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility • •
7 - Leadership • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • • • • •
2 - Off-campus Activity • • • • • • •
3 - On-campus Activity • • • • • •