Leader: Ms Andrea Wyatt

Offered

Peninsula First semester 2008 (Day)
Peninsula Second semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

The focus of this unit is to provide the theoretical underpinnings required to develop in the student an appropriate level of knowledge, understanding and skill related to the provision of MICA Paramedic trauma care and care of patients with emergency environmental conditions. The unit is underpinned by a MICA Paramedic clinical approach, clinical problem solving and clinical decision making model.
Trauma care is approached from the contextual perspective of trauma systems, time critical guidelines and in-field triage criteria.
Clinical sciences content is integrated with clinical management protocols developed from evidence based practice principles and the clinical approach used to manage the trauma patient. In depth consideration of the shock process and the patient with hypovolaemia is combined with skills development in perfusion status assessment and fluid resuscitation. Specific traumatic injuries including chest injuries, head injuries, spinal injuries, musculo-skeletal injuries, burn injuries and crush injuries are discussed in depth and practice in the related skills of airway management, pain relief, emergency sedation and management of tension pneumothorax is provided. The student is provided with the opportunity to attend morbid anatomy sessions to support the necessary anatomical knowledge required for relevant skills development.
This unit also identifies the specific MICA Paramedic interventions for environmental emergencies such as environmental hazards, and underwater diving emergencies. The students' previous clinical experience is used as the basis for identifying key differences in the advanced life support measures appropriate to these conditions.

Objectives

By completion of this unit the student should be able to:

1. demonstrate an ability through self appraisal and supervised clinical experience, to continue the process of developing as an interactional professional within the context of managing patients with trauma emergencies;
2. understand the application of evidence-based practice to the MICA Paramedic management of emergency trauma and environmental conditions;
3. describe the structure of trauma systems and define the related in-field triage criteria;
4. recall the pharmacology of relevant drugs included in the trauma Clinical Practice Guidelines;
5. relate the pathophysiology of common traumatic and environmental injuries to their management;
6. demonstrate the advanced trauma life support clinical skills required of MICA Paramedics to be able to implement the adult trauma Clinical Practice Guidelines;
7. demonstrate the ability to integrate the theoretical knowledge and clinical skills to the management of trauma and environmental emergencies in 'real time' work simulation using the MICA Paramedic clinical problem solving and clinical decision making model; 8. describe the benefits of pre-hospital advanced trauma life support and the related role of the MICA Paramedic;
8. discuss the epidemiology of trauma and environmental injury;
9. describe the ongoing management of patients with trauma in hospital critical care units within the framework of a trauma system;
10. discuss how a MICA Paramedic relate to and co-ordinate with hospital critical care units.

Assessment

Exams: 75%, Advanced trauma life support simulation: 25% Professional development assessment: Pass/Fail.

Contact hours

104 hours comprising lectures, tutorials, practical sessins and clinical scenarios, self-directed learning materials and WebCT, 20 hours supervised hospital clinical practice, 32 hours independent work.