PARA9002 Advanced Health Care Assessment and Diagnosis

2019

4.5

1 x 120-minute seminar weekly
1 x 1-day intensive workshop once-only

Admission into MPARA-Master of Paramedic Science

Assignments

Practitioners working autonomously with an expanded scope of practice must rely on advanced levels of health care assessment. This topic will explore the advanced role of the practitioner in performing holistic health assessment of their clients. Critical decisions about whether an individual needs to attend the emergency department of other service, or can safely perform their role in the workplace are dependent on accurate health assessments. The topic will develop these themes in context with the student’s own work place requirements.

This topic aims to equip the student with the skills and underpinning reasoning behind an advanced health assessment of client groups, relevant to the student’s practice setting. Students will explore comprehensive methods of health assessment, taking into account the physical examination, health history, social situation and, if required, fitness to work. A system approach to the health assessment forms the basis of the topic, with emphasis on the cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, musculoskeletal and integumentary systems. The topic will develop the holistic health assessment theme in context with the practice setting of the student.

On completion of this topic students will be expected to be able to:

• Demonstrate a systems approach to conducting an advanced physical assessment

• Rationalise the necessity for comprehensive health and social assessments in context with the practice setting of the student

• Identify and evaluate the spectrum of prevalent lifestyle behaviours which create health risks for client groups under the care of the student’s practice

• Demonstrate the use of various point of care testing methods relevant to the student’s practice and appraise the significance of test results on the client health assessment

• Demonstrate the use of drug and alcohol screening within the workplace and evaluate the role these tests have in within the students practice

• Formulate an appropriate guideline to appraise a client’s health in terms of fitness to work and/or the need for referral to other health services

• Demonstrate the appropriate assessment of clients with infectious diseases, such as ear, nose and throat infections or sexually transmitted infections

• Demonstrate the assessment and appraisal of skin injuries and disorders

• Demonstrate an advanced level of clinical assessment of musculoskeletal injuries