PARA1007 Contemporary Approaches to Lifestyle Management

This topic is focussed on contemporary lifestyle issues relevant to emergency workers during their career in the health industry. It explores issues relating to shift work, stress (post traumatic stress disorder and chronic condition stress), health, nutrition, physical activity, core stability, injury prevention, and the psychological foundations of good mental health. Particular emphasis will be given to maintaining a healthy lifestyle while undertaking shift work within an emergency setting. Students will apply the principles learnt by participating in a variety of applied activities. Techniques for the safe application of manual handling during patient care will also be explored.

This topic aims to provide students with an opportunity to explore the management of lifestyle concepts and their relation to shift work relevant to the emergency worker (Paramedic).

Students will:

• Understand the associations of shift work in relation to stress, mental health, physical activity, core stability, nutrition and other lifestyle issues
• Be provided with the opportunity to measure and evaluate their own health and how to manage their good health during shift work in an emergency setting
• Investigate immediate and long term risks to personal health and strategies for maintaining a healthy lifestyle
• Be provided with the opportunity to develop manual handling techniques essential for safe patient and equipment movement in the workplace

1. Describe the key issues of lifestyle behaviour when working within an emergency setting
2. Explain the associations between shift work, physical activity, nutrition, stress, sleep and health
3. Describe a variety of ways to assess health behaviours and evaluate health status
4. Analyse personal health enhancing or harming behaviours and develop, implement and evaluate a personal health behaviour change
5. Discuss issues of workplace stress and identify stress management techniques
6. Identify the impact of shift work on health and strategies to ameliorate this impact
7. Demonstrate specific manual handling techniques for the health care provider