PARA9000 Principles of Industrial Health Practice

2020

4.5

1 x 2-hour seminar weekly
1 x 1-day intensive workshop per semester

1 Admission into MPARA-Master of Paramedic Science
2 1 unit(s) of PARA8004 - Principles of Intensive Care Paramedic Practice
Must Satisfy: (1 and 2)

PARA9001 has been successfully completed

Assignments

The paramedic profession is establishing important roles in the private sector, working in the industrial sector providing health care and work safety support for large and often remote workplaces. Concomitant with this role is an extended scope of practice, greater responsibilities and a requirement to practice autonomously in remote settings. Industrial paramedics will find themselves working closely with corporations running large scale, high risk operations. Issues of governance, primary health care promotion, occupational health and safety, and health assessment are fundamental to the industrial paramedic. The topic will develop these themes in context with the student’s own work place requirements.

This topic aims to introduce the student to the roles, responsibilities and corporate obligations of the industrial paramedic in the context of their own workplace. Students will explore the corporate, legislative and procedural constraints relevant to their practice. There is an emphasis on primary health promotion, occupational health, safety and delivery of care in the remote setting. The topic explores the regulations and procedures related to fitness to work, including drug and alcohol screening. Students will explore the economic and organisational impacts of workplace health care decisions in the setting of large corporates operating in remote locations.

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

• Explore and evaluate the role of the industrial paramedic in primary health care, health promotion and work safety

• Critically evaluate governance, professional competence and risk in relation to the practice setting

• Critically examine the risk management in the setting of the students workplace

• Demonstrate and appraise the use of health screening with reference to fitness to practice decisions

• Analyse the responsibilities of the paramedic with respect to the employee, employer and the Occupational Health and Safety legislation

• Formulate appropriate plans for incident management and hazard reduction in context with the students workplace

• Develop clinical practice guidelines for legal, ethical, organisational and clinical support for practice

• Develop a role statement describing the responsibilities of an industrial paramedic in a major incident response