PARA9004 Advanced Primary Health Care for Paramedics 2

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

While students will work in a range of practice settings, their practice will share much commonality between the settings. This topic will investigate the provision of care in the workplace with reference to the constraints imposed by legislation and organisational policy. Students will also explore the role that they may take in the palliative care team managing the dignity and comfort of the dying patient. Interdisciplinary health care and referral pathways provide an important component to the student learning to allow effective holistic health care for the patient.

This topic builds on the learning from the previous semester in Advanced Primary Health Care for Paramedics 1 to develop themes related to specific arenas of care; the workplace and palliative health care. The students will explore the constraints which impact on their scope of practice and strategies which assist the provision of effective care in the community or workplace. Students will explore the evidence supporting their practice and examine opportunities to implement practice improvements. The topic will also investigate issues related to scope of practice and identification of cases which should be referred to other health care providers, including the emergency department.

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

• Analyse legislative and organisational constraints related to the provision of health care in the workplace and formulate care strategies, specifically in reference to:
  a. fitness to work decisions
  b. hazard management
  c. using telemedicine
  d. drug and alcohol screening

• Analyse the role of the paramedic in the provision of palliative care, specifically in reference to:
  a. the aims, goals and strategies for achieving high quality palliative care
  b. the impact of anticipate directives on management decisions
  c. the effective use of analgesia

• Employ advanced evidence based principles to clinical decision making in the context of the student’s practice setting

• Formulate health care pathways applicable to the student’s practice setting

• Critically explore the interprofessional approach for providing health care and analyse the factors which dictate the need for referral and/or hospital admission