Course Coordinator:Chantal Perera (cperera@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Paramedicine
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Paramedic practice requires an understanding of the effect that substance use has on individuals and the community. You will investigate the social, ethical and legal aspects to drug use at an individual, family and community level. Harm minimisation strategies including detoxification will be studied, and students will develop an understanding of their role in caring for individuals with alteration in health due to drug toxicity or drug withdrawal. You will also investigate the assessment and care of poisoned patients, including cases of envenomation. This course contains mature content (drug use, violence, and adult themes).
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Online | |||
Online – 3 modules, 5 hours per week directed learning through Canvas | 5hrs | Week 1 | 8 times |
A whole person approach to assessment, diagnosis and management of:
Political, cultural, social, legal and ethical dimensions of drug use and the effectiveness of harm minimisation strategies.
Drug and alcohol rehabilitation processes and the risks associated with rapid detoxification.
Pathophysiology of addiction, dependence and tolerance.
The influence of health provider beliefs on the assessment and care of individuals with a history of drug use.
Drug use (for non prescription and/or non medical purposes) within the healthcare industry.
300 Level (Graduate)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Paramedicine Board of Australia | |
1 | Investigate drug use and harm minimisation strategies in the community and health professions |
Knowledgeable Ethical |
1, 1.1.g, 1.1.j, 1.1.k, 1.4.a, 1.4, 3, 5.3.f, 5.4.e, 5.6.b, 5.3 |
2 | Explore and present public health interventions to facilitate health behaviour change |
Creative and critical thinker Ethical |
1, 1.1.g, 1.1.j, 1.1.k, 1.4.a, 2, 2.2.b, 3, 5.3.f, 5.6.b, 5.3 |
3 | Appraise evidence to assess and manage the physiological and social effects of drug use and envenomation | Knowledgeable |
1, 3, 4.6.a, 5.3.f, 5.4.e, 5.6.b, 5.3 |
CODE | COMPETENCY |
Paramedicine Board of Australia | |
1 | Domain 1: The professional and ethical practitioner |
1.1.g | Demonstrate understanding of the basic principles underpinning bio- ethics in paramedicine practice. |
1.1.j | Operate within the current legislation applicable to paramedicine practice. |
1.1.k | Practise in accordance with the applicable legislation governing the safe use of scheduled medicines by paramedics in the jurisdiction of practice. |
1.4.a | Demonstrate understanding of the principles of patient advocacy and their application to paramedicine practice. |
1.4 | Advocate on behalf of the patient, when appropriate in the context of the practitioner’s practice as a paramedic |
2 | Domain 2: The communicator and the collaborator |
2.2.b | Demonstrate an understanding of professional roles and responsibilities of healthcare team members and other service providers and how they interact with the role of a paramedic. |
3 | Domain 3: The evidence-based practitioner |
4.6.a | Demonstrate the principles, application and need for quality control and quality assurance in paramedicine practice. |
5.3.f | Understand the clinical sciences underpinning paramedic practice, including physiological, pharmacological, behavioural and functional. |
5.4.e | Demonstrate an applied knowledge of the indications and contra-indications of using specific paramedic interventions including their modifications. |
5.6.b | Demonstrate sensitivity to the factors which shape lifestyle that may impact on the individual’s health and affect the interaction between the patient and registered paramedic. |
5.3 | Understand the key concepts of the bodies of knowledge which are specifically relevant to paramedicine practice |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
BIM263 and HLT221 and enrolled in Program SC395 or SC306
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
In week 2 students will be able to undertake an online formative quiz which will provide feedback.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1 | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 20% | 45 minutes |
Week 4 | Online Submission |
All | 2 | Report | Individual | 40% | 2500 word document |
Week 6 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 3 | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 40% | 90 minutes |
Week 8 | Online Submission |
All - Assessment Task 1:Examination | |||||||
Goal: | This task assesses your understanding of the key knowledge areas of this course including social effects of drug addiction, drug addiction knowledge, drug and alcohol recovery, and risks associated with rapid detoxification. |
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Product: | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | ||||||
Format: | Multiple choice exam (mid-session) |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving |
All - Assessment Task 2:Report | |||||||
Goal: | The aim of the report is to investigate a specific topic relating to drug use in the community or the management of overdose, poisoning or envenomation. The report should inform the audience of contemporary evidence-based practice in the required area of investigation. |
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Product: | Report | ||||||
Format: | Electronic format in Word or PDF format submitted via Turnitin. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: |
All - Assessment Task 3:Examination | |||||||
Goal: | This task assesses your understanding of the key knowledge areas of this course including social effects of drug addiction, drug addiction knowledge, drug and alcohol recovery, and risks associated with rapid detoxication. |
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Product: | Examination - not Centrally Scheduled | ||||||
Format: | Multiple choice test (end of session) |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication |
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
Recommended | Kate Curtis,Clair Ramsden,Margaret Fry,Ramon Z. Shaban,Julie Considine | 2019 | Emergency and Trauma Care for Nurses and Paramedics | 3rd | Elsevier |
Not applicable
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
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