Unit Outline

Pathophysiology in Paramedicine 1 builds on your knowledge of anatomy and physiology to develop an understanding of the principles of pathophysiology and alterations in the health of the nervous, respiratory, renal and musculoskeletal 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 nervous, respiratory, renal and musculoskeletal 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 nervous, respiratory, renal, and musculoskeletal systems.
3	Communicate using scientific and clinical terminology relevant to alterations in nervous, renal, respiratory, and musculoskeletal health.

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:	Clinical Scenario	See the MyLO site for the due date	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Complex Cases	See the MyLO site for the due date	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Exam	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Clinical Scenario

Task Description:

There will be case scenarios and questions based on the content of weeks 1 - 4
Part A - TWO written answers related to the case scenario (15% weighting)
Part B - an online quiz with a variety of question types (10% weighting)

Task Length:

Part A 500 words Part B 50 minutes

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explains the pathophysiological basis for patients’ health condition using physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms, relevant to patient cues.	LO1, LO3
2	Explains rationale for therapeutic approaches for the patients using clinical reasoning.	LO1, 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

Assessment Task 2: Complex Cases

Task Description:

There will be case scenarios and questions based on the content of weeks 5 – 9 and application of the content of week 1.
Part A – Up to FOUR written answers related to the scenarios. (25% weighting)
Part B - an online quiz with a variety of question types (10% weighting)

Task Length:

Part A – 1000 words Part B – 50 minutes

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explains the pathophysiological basis for patients’ health condition using physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms, relevant to patient cues.	LO1, LO3
2	Explains rationale for therapeutic approaches for the patients using clinical reasoning.	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

Assessment Task 3: Exam

Task Description:

This is an invigilated online exam that will consist of a series of questions similar in structure to those in the in-semester quizzes and clinical scenarios. This exam will assess all unit content including the tutorial workbooks.

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

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.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

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.