CSB352 Paramedic Principles of Advocacy


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 Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:CSB352
Credit points:12
Pre-requisite:CSB347 and CSB341
Coordinators:Stephen Bartlett | stephen.bartlett@qut.edu.au
Ryan Barker | rg.barker@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

As paramedicine continues to evolve, it is critical that paramedics have the knowledge, skills and values to effectively advocate with, and for an individual, community or population. This unit focuses on health advocacy theory, frameworks and transferable skills. It also encourages students to look beyond a deficit or biomedical model of health, enabling the integration of individual strengths, the social determinants of health, health inequalities and vulnerability in health planning and response. Furthermore, while completing this unit, students will apply knowledge of the health care system, human rights and legislation, ethical conduct, social inclusivity, cultural safety, acknowledging intersectionality and the inalienable right to culture, values and beliefs when collaborating with patients and their support network, bystanders and health professionals. 

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Describe advocacy, associated theoretical frameworks and its impact on health outcomes.
  2. Assess information and compare and contrast approaches to advocacy.
  3. Collaborate with others through advocacy to create person-centred, evidence-informed and culturally safe health responses.
  4. Implement an advocacy response that positively impacts the health outcomes of individuals, communities and populations.
  5. Critically evaluate health responses in terms of advocacy theory and evidence-informed practice.

Content

  • Theoretical frameworks, definitions and techniques of advocacy.
  • Reinforce and extend prior learning about the social determinants of health (non-medical) and medical factors that influence health outcomes.
  • Review personal and system factors that influence engagement and disengagement with health services and practitioners.
  • Exploration of conscious/unconscious bias, privilege and power in health.
  • Explore the concept of vulnerability and at-risk populations and strategies to stratify risk.
  • From the perspective of paramedicine, understand the Queensland, Australian and International context and apply the principles of advocacy in areas such as:
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
    • National Agreement on Closing the Gap
    • Domestic and family violence
    • Sexual assault and abuse
    • Community violence
    •  Polyvictimisation
    • Child and elder safety/abuse
    • Victims and survivors of crime
    •  Exploitation
    • Multi-type maltreatment
    • Modern slavery
    • Patient safety
    • Cultural, linguistic and religious diversity
    • Refugee health
    • Chronic conditions
    • Alcohol and other drugs
    • Persons with a disability
    •  LGBTIQA+
    • Mental health
    • Poverty and healthcare
    • Loss and grief
  • Models of negotiation and communication strategies to enhance a student's ability to advocate for/with an individual, community or population.
  • Tools, frameworks, checklists and systems to assist in advocacy
  • Reinforce and extend prior knowledge, skills and values associated with ethics, the Australian legal system, the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights, expectations or professional bodies and cultural safety.
  • Personal and professional strengths and limitations, and the role of consultation and referral
  • Lived experiences, the consumer voice and shared decision-making
  • Patient-led discursive opportunities created by delays at a health service.

Learning Approaches

Students will engage with the content while working collaboratively through an increasingly complex array of presentations (ie. exploitation, domestic and family violence, etc). Student development is supported through the use of access to an array of lived experiences, interprofessional expertise, case-based learning activities, online learning modules, group activities and reflection.  Sharing and applying the knowledge gained as collaborative learners builds confidence while developing interpersonal and professional communication skills. Formative online and in-class activities will allow for continuous feedback.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback is provided in the following ways:

  • Opportunity to receive formative feedback exist during all learning activities.
  • Verbal, formative feedback is provided during and after 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 Canvas.

Assessment

Overview

There are two assessments to be completed as part of this subject.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Project

As a paramedic, you will collaborate with your peers to:

  1. Create a contextualised, holistic, person-centred, evidence-informed and culturally safe advocacy response; and culturally safe advocacy response to a theme taught between weeks 2 and 5. You will create a policy document and present a policy justification to appropriate stakeholders that details the stratification of the solution as it relates to your safeguarding and advocacy theme.
  2. Following submission of the work, undertake a structured peer review of a group's advocacy response.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Weight: 50
Length: This is an assessment for the purpose of assessing a group oral project presentation (anticipated duration 5-7 minutes) as well as a written project proposal (anticipated word limit 1000-1500 words)
Individual/Group: Group
Due (indicative): Week 7
Mid-semester
Related Unit learning outcomes: 2, 3, 4

Assessment: Examination (Written)

A variety of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions will assess your knowledge of advocacy principles in the paramedic care setting.

Weight: 50
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Central Examination Period
Central exam duration: 1:40 - Including 10 minute perusal
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 5

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

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.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Students will be provided all prescribed and recommended resources via QUT Readings.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no exceptional risks associated with this unit. This unit may raise concerns of some students. Students are provided contact details and resources for support services.

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

CS43 Bachelor of Paramedic Science

  1. Apply scientific knowledge and skills from paramedicine and related disciplines that focus on the needs and holistic care of the individual.
    Relates to: Project, Examination (Written)
  2. Perform reflective and safe evidence-based paramedic practice, that informs clinical decision-making across diverse paramedic care settings.
    Relates to: Examination (Written)
  3. Access, evaluate, and utilise digital health information that informs holistic paramedic care and assists in intra- and inter-professional communication and clinical decision-making.
    Relates to: Project, Examination (Written)
  4. Develop and apply critical thinking and clinical reasoning and evaluation skills, that promote and achieve person-centred care.
    Relates to: Project, Examination (Written)
  5. Practice and promote the qualities of ethical conduct, social inclusivity, reflexivity and reflection, and bearing responsibility for risk management and quality assurance across a range of community settings.
    Relates to: Project, Examination (Written)
  6. Practice within a framework of human rights and cultural safety, acknowledging intersectionality, and the inalienable right to culture, values, and beliefs.
    Relates to: Project, Examination (Written)
  7. Communicate appropriately and with sensitivity to all persons, their families, carers, interprofessional teams and community leaders, to professional standards, both independently and collaboratively, to ensure safe and coordinated care, based on consensual agreement.
    Relates to: Project, Examination (Written)