Inherent requirements for Paramedicine

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Compliance with the professional standards, codes of conduct, and guidelines facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all

Exemplars:

• Complying with medico-legal requirements relating to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality with patient information in academic and clinical settings
• Demonstrating ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Paramedicine students will be exposed to emergency situations and human suffering and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage these events objectively and professionally

Exemplars:

• Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
• Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals in the clinical setting
• Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when engaging in interactive simulated learning activities in the academic setting

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Knowledge, understanding and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary pre-requisites to clinical placements in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others
• Compliance with the Australian Law and professional regulatory requirements ensures that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice

Exemplars:

• Complying with relevant child protection and safety legislation
• Complying with the requirements for student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
• Complying with the policies of clinical facilities e.g. Work Health and Safety Act and uniform requirements

Student demonstrates:

• Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences
• Ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner
• Ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation
• Timely clear feedback and reporting

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others develops trusting relationships
• Communication may be restricted to verbal because of limitations of the individual (e.g. injury, disease or congenital conditions)
• Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety or treatment
• Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety, treatment and management
• Verbal communication equivalent to an IELTS level 7 or above is a requirement for student registration with AHPRA

Exemplars:

• Practicing verbal communication skills during practical classes when undertaking high fidelity simulation scenarios
• Responding appropriately to requests from patients, supervisors and other health professionals in the clinical setting
• Conveying complex clinical information and concepts to patients and their families

Student demonstrates:

• Capacity to recognise, interpret and respond appropriately to behavioural cues
• Consistent and appropriate awareness of own behaviours
• Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships
• Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships
• Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships
• The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for safe and effective observation of patient symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and treatment of patients

Exemplars:

• Recognising and responding appropriately to cues and activities in simulated teaching and learning activities
• Providing care to a patient in a loud environment such as a nightclub or sports arena where verbal communication may be compromised
• Conveying reassurance, understanding and empathy to patients who may be distressed or unable to communicate verbally

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Construction of written text based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice
• Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and patient notes, is vital to provide consistent and safe patient care

Exemplars:

• Constructing an essay to academic standards
• Constructing patient health care records in a timely manner that meets legal and professional standards

Student demonstrates:

• Capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information
• Ability to process information relevant to practice
• Ability to integrate and implement knowledge in practice
• Capacity to solve problems and think laterally with regard to clinical and logistical issues

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Safe and effective paramedic care is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately

Exemplars:

• Conceptualising and using appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items
• Appropriately applying knowledge of theory, research evidence, policies and procedures in a clinical setting
• Managing multiple tasks and priorities in distracting, dynamic and time-sensitive environments

Student demonstrates:

• Ability to acquire information and convey appropriate, effective messages
• Ability to read and comprehend a range of literature and information
• Capacity to understand and implement academic conventions to construct written text in a scholarly manner

Justification of inherent requirement:

• The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and delivery of care
• The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective delivery of paramedic care

Exemplars:

• Conveying spoken instructions to a client accurately and effectively in a clinical setting
• Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic conventions in written assignments
• Producing accurate, concise and clear documentation which meets legal requirements

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Competent application of numeracy skills is essential to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of paramedic care

Exemplars:

• Calculating the percentage of body surface area affected in a patient with burns
• Calculating the rate at which a volume of intravenous fluid is to be administered over a period of time
• Accurately calculating the required dosage of medications for paediatric patients based on their weight and age

Student demonstrates sufficient visual acuity to perform the required range of skills.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe care to self and others
• Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective paramedic practice

Adjustments must address the need to perform the full range of tasks involved in clinical practice. Any strategies to address the effects of the vision impairment must be effective, consistent and not compromise treatment or safety. Adjustments specific to the individual can be discussed with the campus Disability Advisor.

Exemplars:

• Recognising subtle changes in a patient’s skin colour during examination
• Determining respiratory rate by watching how many times per minute the patient’s chest rises
• Working in a safe manner on placement in poorly lit areas and at night

Student demonstrates sufficient aural function to undertake the required range of skills.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage individual health needs consistently and accurately
• Auditory assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective paramedic practice

Exemplars:

• Using a stethoscope to listen to the breathing sounds of a patient to perform a respiratory assessment
• Listening to instructions and feedback from multiple sources simultaneously for e.g. patient, other paramedics, and hospital staff

Student demonstrates adequate tactile function sufficient to undertake the required range of skills and assessments.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to monitor, assess and detect patients' physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide thorough paramedic care
• Tactile assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective paramedic practice

Exemplars:

• Detecting any changes in circulatory observations e.g. temperature and pulse palpation
• Palpating joints, muscles, and soft tissues, and detecting anatomical or movement abnormalities

Student demonstrates the ability to perform gross motor skills to function within scope of practice.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform the required level of care. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others

Exemplars:

• Maintaining balance while safely mobilising and transferring patients or resources
• Assisting patients, with varying physical capacities, to and from beds, chairs and standing, in a variety of environments
• Safely carrying medical equipment of up to 15kg

Student demonstrates the ability to use fine motor skills to function within scope of practice.

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform the required level of care. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects and individuals. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others

Exemplars:

• Connecting patients to monitoring equipment and recording events
• Inserting a small intravenous needle into a small vein to allow administration of medication
• Drawing up a precise measurement of medication from a glass ampoule into a plastic syringe

Student demonstrates:

• Consistent and sustained level of physical energy to complete a specific task in a timely manner and over time
• The ability to perform repetitive activities with a level of concentration that ensures a capacity to focus on the activity until it is completed appropriately
• The capacity to maintain consistency and quality of performance throughout the designated period of time

Justification of inherent requirement:

• Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective care

Exemplars:

• Maintaining consistent physical performance throughout an entire shift whilst on clinical placement
• Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) effectively for up to 5 minutes without rest
• Kneeling down on hard surfaces for prolonged periods of time when performing CPR or providing other treatment