Unit Outline

Pathophysiology in Paramedicine 2 builds on your knowledge of anatomy and physiology to develop an understanding of the principles of pathophysiology and alterations in the health of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, sexual and reproductive, and immune systems, as well as complex disease states affecting multiple systems. It will explore current evidence-informed approaches used by paramedics to help re-establish homeostasis, including pharmacotherapy. Clinical reasoning will be used to analyse clinical scenarios to inform the delivery of evidence-informed health care. Students will be expected to develop written and oral skills that will facilitate intraprofessional, interprofessional, and patient communication of biological and therapeutic information.

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.	Explain pathophysiological processes, signs and symptoms of acute and chronic health conditions affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, sexual and reproductive, and immune systems, as well as complex disease states affecting multiple systems.
2.	Integrate biological information to explain common diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions used in the management of patients with acute and chronic health conditions affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, sexual and reproductive, and immune systems, as well as complex disease states affecting multiple systems.
3.	Communicate using scientific and clinical terminology relevant to alterations in cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, sexual and reproductive, and immune health, as well as complex disease states affecting multiple body systems.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CZZ102 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1B and CZZ101 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1A

Alterations as a result of student feedback

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:	x	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Team Based Learning	Refer to Assessment Description	10 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	x	Refer to Assessment Description	20 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 4:	x	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: x

Task Description:

This is an open-book open-web online exam that will consist of a series of questions similar in structure to those in the in-semester quizzes and clinical scenarios.

Questions will be grouped under major topic headings and there may be some choice in the short answer section. The questions will examine the knowledge of pathophysiological processes of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, sexual and reproductive, and immune systems, as well as complex disease states affecting multiple systems, their manifestations, progression, outcome prediction and rationale for therapy. Applied knowledge will be examined by framing the questions within Clinical Case Scenarios. Appropriate use of clinical and biological terminology to facilitate communication adequate to the health setting will be evaluated, whether communicating with health professionals or patients.

Task Length:

2 hours

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explains pathophysiological processes underlying acute and chronic health conditions and their manifestations.	LO1, LO3
2	Describes common diagnostic procedures and therapeutic interventions appropriate to individuals with acute and chronic health conditions, and their possible outcomes	LO2, LO3
3	Applies clinical reasoning to the identification of pathophysiological processes, therapeutic interventions and their possible outcomes appropriate for individuals with acute and chronic health conditions described in clinical case scenarios.	LO1, LO2, LO3
4	Writes in a clear and concise academic style that is succinct, logical and coherent, using scientific and clinical terminology	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Team Based Learning

Task Description:

Team Based Learning.

In this assessment task you will attempt two online quizzes related to the content of a workshop and the online content that you are required to engage with before attending it.
The first quiz (Individual Readiness Quiz, IRQ 3% of final mark) must be attempted individually before the day in which workshops are scheduled. It will comprise 10-15 questions related to a related case scenario.
During the intensive workshop, you will be allocated time for discussion with your peers about the case study, and the quiz questions. Group discussion and problem solving are integral aspects of working in a health care team. Following the discussion, you will undertake the same quiz (Team Readiness Quiz, TRQ, 2% of final mark), a second time.

The case study and quiz answers will be discussed by your tutor during the session and/or during an online session when all groups have completed the relevant intensive workshops. A schedule will be provided on the unit MyLO site.

This structure will be repeated for two face-to-face workshops. Not-attending students are also required to submit the TRQ, preferably after discussion with their peers.

Task Length:

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Applies knowledge to identify pathophysiological processes related to the case scenario and/or the possible outcomes in absence of therapeutic intervention.	LO1, LO2
2	Relates patient cues and presentation to the underlying pathophysiological processes experienced by the individual.	LO1, LO2
3	Apply knowledge to identify the rationale for therapeutic approaches based on the description in the case scenario.	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 3: x

Task Description:

This assessment consists of a series of four (4) quizzes on the pathophysiology and management of acute and chronic health alterations of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, sexual and reproductive, and immune systems, as well as complex disease states affecting multiple systems. The questions require you to demonstrate understanding of the pathophysiology, manifestations and treatment by applying them to one or more short case scenarios. The question types include Multiple Choice, Multi-Select, Ordering and Short Answer (1 or 2 words) questions, among others.

The quizzes are 5% each.

Task Length:

45 minutes per quiz

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Describes pathophysiological processes related to the case scenario and/or the possible outcomes in absence of therapeutic intervention.	LO1, LO2
2	Relates patient cues and presentation to the underlying pathophysiological processes experienced by the individual.	LO1, LO2
3	Describes therapeutic interventions appropriate for the individual based on the description in the case scenario.	LO1, LO2
4	Describes possible outcomes of therapeutic interventions based on the clinical data provided and the underlying pathophysiological processes.	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 4: x

Task Description:

Clinical Case Scenario.

Two quizzes containing a series of multiple choice questions and/or short answer questions assessing deep understanding of the pathophysiology of a complex case scenario: basic physiology and its alterations, development or progression of signs and symptoms, and therapeutic rationale.

Each quiz will comprise up to 30 multiple choice and/or short answer questions. Short answer questions will require 100-200 words each to answer them. Task length will be 72h from the moment of opening of each attempt or until the assessment deadline, whichever is shorter

Task Length:

Submission must be completed within 72h of opening the quiz. Estimated real time to complete this quiz is 3h, including researching and answering the questions.

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explains underlying pathophysiological processes related to the case scenario in relation to patient cues and presentation.	LO1, LO3
2	Describes therapeutic interventions appropriate for the individual in the case scenario and their possible outcomes.	LO2, LO3
3	Uses appropriate scholarly literature, contemporary evidence-based practice documents and clinical guidelines to substantiate findings and clinical decision making.	LO1, LO2
4	Writes in a clear and concise academic style that is succinct, logical and coherent, using scientific and clinical terminology.	LO3

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, and pass any hurdle tasks.

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.

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.