Unit Outline

This unit provides an introduction to the Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments. It starts by considering the characteristics of different types of remote populations and remote medical practice, the understanding of which is vital to providing appropriate health care. It continues by looking at a range of clinical, non-clinical, and logistical topics that underpin the delivery of remote health care and exemplify the broader set of roles undertaken by the remote practitioner. The unit considers topics such as: telehealth; point of care testing; planning for emergencies, disasters, and aero-medical retrieval; public, population, and environmental health; chronic disease management; leadership and teamwork, and work health and safety. The unit concludes with some case studies that illustrate how these topics can be brought together.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	describe the characteristics of health care provision, practitioners, and populations in remote and polar environments.
2	describe appropriate frameworks and strategies for leadership, teamwork, and management in remote settings, and synthesise these to provide solutions to real world problems.
3	describe frameworks for quality, safety, and risk management in remote practice and apply these in specific contexts.
4	describe approaches for the provision of telehealth and point of care testing services and describe how these may be integrated into a remote clinical practice setting.
5	apply principles, processes, and frameworks for disaster planning and aero-medical evacuation in a remote location.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

This is the seventh year that CAM 503 Operational Aspects of Healthcare in Remote and Extreme environments has been offered. Changes have been made each year following student feedback to continually strive for the best possible student learning opportunities. The most recent change has seen addition of material that directly teaches the methods for literature reviews in medical research, to assist in all assignments.

Student feedback will be an essential part of ensuring that this unit meets the learning needs and objectives of the Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environment students. Feedback is welcome at any time by emailing the unit coordinator and formal feedback will be sought at the conclusion of the semester.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Short Answer Written Tasks	Week 2	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Written Report	Week 8	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Assignment	Week 15	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Short Answer Written Tasks

Task Description:

This assessment task has four parts involving short written tasks associated with modules throughout semester. Each part is worth 5%.

Part 1 is due in week 2
Part 2 is due in week 5
Part 3 is due in week 7
Part 4 is due in week 10

Task Length:

Approximately 4 x 600 words = 2400 words in total

Due Date:

Week 2

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and demonstrate understanding of the remote health service and its context	LO1
2	Demonstration of principles of preparation of a risk matrix	LO1, LO2, LO3
3	Explain and provide rationale for point of care test choice	LO1, LO4
4	Identify and provide rationale for patient priority rating, and choice of retrieval platform and referral centre	LO5

Assessment Task 2: Written Report

Task Description:

Design a new service for a remote or extreme environment healthcare provider

Task: Provide a formal professional report that you can provide to your selected healthcare organisation.
The report should contain an executive summary, literature review, description of the new service and implementation plan, which contains timelines, consultation and evaluation plans.

Task Length:

3000 words

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Provides executive summary and literature review	LO1, LO4
2	Develops and demonstrates arguments for the new service	LO1, LO2
3	Describes the service and its scope	LO4
4	Develops an implementation and evaluation plan	LO2, LO4

Assessment Task 3: Assignment

Task Description:

Respond to a scenario, providing an overview of the project and including:
1. Human health and safety risk management plan.
2. Design a disaster management plan.
3. Design a medical evacuation plan.

Diagrams, flowcharts and links to appropriate supporting documents are expected.

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 15

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate the principles of human health and safety risk management planning	LO1, LO3
2	Employ principles of disaster management planning	LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
3	Demonstrate the principles of medical evacuation planning	LO2, LO3, LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, demonstrate engagement with the unit and pass any hurdle tasks (Assessment 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, Assessment 2, Assessment 3).

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.