CSB363 Paramedic Practice - Skills and Application
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | CSB363 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | CSB332 or CSB362 |
| Equivalent(s): | CSB333 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | (CSB330 or PUB180) and (CSB332 or PUB280) and LSB182 and LSB282 is assumed knowledge. |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $1,164 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,356 |
| International unit fee | $4,848 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2025, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | CSB363 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | CSB332 or CSB362 |
| Equivalent: | CSB333 Foundations of Paramedic Practice 3 |
| Assumed Knowledge: | (CSB330 or PUB180) and (CSB362 or CSB332 or PUB280) and LSB182 and LSB282 is assumed knowledge. |
| Coordinator: | Steve Owen | stevan.owen@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Through practical workshops and clinical simulations, contemporary fundamental paramedic skills and procedures common to paramedic practice are acquired. This unit builds upon the knowledge, skills and values developed during year one or prior study, providing opportunities for you to consolidate their knowledge into practice. You will initially develop discrete skills, such as interprofessional communication, cultural safety, and human factors, which are applicable to contemporary paramedics. This unit allows you to consolidate non-technical skills through interprofessional community-based placement/s.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Communicate and apply understanding to underpin cultural safety and human factors applicable to contemporary paramedic practice to ensure optimal patient care and outcomes.
- - Apply knowledge and understanding to common fundamental paramedic skills and procedures that are directly aligned with and applicable to contemporary practice.
- Accurately interpret ECG rhythms utilising the 5-step method to help determine the clinical presentations of patients.
- Reflect and communicate professionally with dignity and understanding within a community environment to consolidate your non-technical skills.
Content
The unit will focus mostly on the following to develop and advance paramedic students' skills and application
- Advanced airway management (i.e. supraglottic airways).
- Medication safety - Safe handling, administration and documentation of medications.
- Access and route of administration (for example, but not limited to intravenous, intramuscular, sublingual, oral, subcutaneous and infusions).
- Pain, pain assessment and pain management.
- The clinical application and interpretation of the electrocardiogram and its relevance to clinical presentations.
- Professional, interpersonal and interprofessional communication.
- Communicating for cultural safety and human factors (patient handover, clinical documentation, patient care and referral techniques).
- Clinical simulation.
- Professional and ethical conduct, interpersonal skills and communication.
- Patient, personal and team safety is achieved through ongoing risk assessment and the implementation of mitigation principles.
- Human factors and cultural safety.
- Through interprofessional community-based placement/s:
- Professional communication
- Reflective practice
- Use of paramedic non-technical skills
Learning Approaches
In this unit, you will engage in online learning modules, practical workshops and clinical simulations. In this unit, you will develop the critical skills for your professional development in the paramedic field. You will have opportunities to apply skills taught to you during supervised practical workshops. This will allow you to transfer procedures, interventions, and clinical problem-solving skills into the simulated clinical environment. You will have access to the CSB363 WILS activities - Paramedic practice skills and application Canvas community site to provide information about the interprofessional community-based placement/s. The interprofessional community-based placement/s provides a unique and vital component of your paramedic education and development. Content is designed to assess progress in the unit and the course and for you to demonstrate evidence of meeting unit learning outcomes.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
Feedback is provided in the following ways:
- Opportunity to receive formative feedback exists during all learning activities (for example, but not limited to peers, academic professional).
- Formative feedback is provided during and after clinical simulation activities.
- In addition to the assessment marking rubrics, specific feedback is provided on summative assessment items.
- General feedback on summative assessments is provided during learning activities and/or via online platforms.
Assessment
Overview
There are three (3) pieces of assessment to be completed in this unit.
Each assessment item must be completed to a satisfactory standard to achieve an overall passing grade in this unit. All three assessment items are required to be threshold assessments for you to progress successfully in subsequent units, including placement units.
Threshold Assessment Conditions
In this unit, for you to be eligible to receive a grade of satisfactory, threshold assessment conditions apply. You must achieve a satisfactory result for all assessment items to receive an overall S (satisfactory) grade for the unit.
Where a student receives an unsatisfactory result for an assessment task (e.g. practical assessment/reflection), they may receive one (1) resubmission attempt. To receive a resubmission attempt, a student must meet all of the following criteria:
The student is not eligible for a deferred assessment (MOPP E/6.3.8);
The student demonstrated a meaningful first attempt, AND
The assessment is not a placement performance assessment type.
Please note:
- Where the assessment type is a placement performance (e.g. Work-integrated learning) and the result is unsatisfactory, the student will not receive a resubmission attempt and an unsatisfactory grade will result.
- Where a resubmission attempt is approved, students are advised to seek feedback on their initial submission or performance from the unit coordinator prior to the resubmission.
Unit Grading Scheme
S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: ECG Interpretation Assessment
The ECG Interpretation assessment will examine the knowledge associated with procedural skill application. You will demonstrate a systematic approach using the systematic five-step method to ECG interpretation.
Threshold Assessment:
You are required to interpret 15 out of the 20 ECG rhythms correctly.
Assessment: OSCE
As a student paramedic, you will demonstrate competency in common fundamental paramedic skills and procedures that are directly aligned with and applicable to contemporary practice. You will utilize communication skills that underpin cultural safety and human factors to ensure optimal patient care and outcomes in the presence of your paramedic assessor.
You will be required to demonstrate any two skills or procedures related to a component of ACLS, such as:
Insert a supraglottic airway device.
Demonstrate Intravenous cannulation on a simulated mannikin.
Demonstrate intra-nasal drug administration.
Demonstrate Intramuscular drug administration.
Safely use a defibrillator on a simulated mannikin
Prepare an Intravenous fluid administration set.
Prepare an Advanced Cardiac Life Support drug for administration.
Prepare an opioid drug for administration.
Threshold Assessment:
You must demonstrate the skill or procedure safely and satisfactorily to best practice standards.
Assessment: Community Based Placement
You will complete one or more interprofessional community-based placement/s that offer you the opportunity to develop interpersonal communication skills within communities, taking you beyond the paramedic clinical environment and immersing you in real-world situations where communication and observation are as critical as clinical knowledge. During this placement, you'll engage directly with community members, allowing you to build trust, understand diverse perspectives, and enhance the ability to communicate effectively in many scenarios. You will submit a record of your community-based placement/s, including details of the total number of hours and the nature of the activities undertaken. You will also complete a written reflection on how your placement/s offered you an opportunity to refine your non-technical skills and enhance your ability to be a compassionate and effective communicator.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Requirements to Study
Requirements
Appropriate and professional clinical activity clothing: torso covering shirts including shoulders and upper arms, bare below the elbows. Furthermore, covered shoes, and trousers to the ankles must be worn during workshops. There is no exception to this rule. No singlets, shorts and/or open footwear permitted to be worn during workshops and/or unit associated self-directed (SDL) and other examples of simulation.
Risks may be associated with:
• construction tasks (including art work)
• laboratory work
• hazardous materials or tools
• field trips or industrial visits
• handling animals
QUT has a formal risk assessment process which can be used to determine the types of risks and how you should handle them.
The following equipment will be required for tutorial throughout the course. Advice will be given by your lecturer at the beginning of the semester:
Stethoscope
Watch with second hand or display
Blue Card
A blue card is required to complete this unit. A blue card confirms that you have passed a screening of your criminal history (the Working with Children Check) and have been approved to work with children and young people. For more information on the blue card and how to apply please visit the QUT website.
Costs
All costs associated with undertaking the unit.
Resources
You must supply and bring to every tutorial:
- Time telling device with second-hand display
- Stethoscope
Resource Materials
Prescribed text(s)
Talley & O'Connor's clinical examination : a systematic guide to physical diagnosis
Talley, Nicholas J., author.; O'Connor, Simon, author.
9th edition.
2022
Clinical skills for paramedic practice
Inglis, Dianne, editor.; Kenneally, Jeffrey, editor.
2021
Recommended text(s)
Wesley, K. (2021) Huszar's ECG and 12 Lead Interpretation, (6th Edition). Mosby JEMS Elsevier.
Risk Assessment Statement
The role of student paramedic can be hazardous. There is regular exposure to body fluids, medical sharps and defibrillators. During the on campus phase the risk is minimised and only simulated exercises are conducted. While undertaking this unit you should review the industry Health, Safety Environment (HSE) guidelines that protect qualified staff and students in day-to-day practice.
Students must successfully complete the following before commencing this unit:
- Mandatory requirements as outlined at QUT.
Mandatory safety requirements
Closed in shoes, long trousers to ankle and shirt covering torso including shoulders
If necessary, please register via this link https://www.whatsinaname.net.au/my-account/ to order replacement uniform or safety kit items.