Graduate Certificate of Aeromedical Retrieval

Ability to interact with verbal communication in English to a standard that allows clear and comprehensible two-way interactions for professional performance.

Effective interaction with spoken English from university, professional and clinical staff as well as patients is required for effective learning and to provide safe and effective clinical care and professional performance.

• Understand and respond accurately and appropriately in a time-constrained environment when provided with additional verbal information impacting on a work process e.g. when a patient/family member or observer provides vital information for clinical management;
• Engage with peers, supervisors and teaching staff to explore relevant issues around a developing team task/ a tutorial simulation exercise, e.g. discuss current literature and plan a new research Project;
• Present information and results formally to a wider audience.

Non-verbal communication skills that enable respectful communication with others to meet professional performance.

The ability to recognise, interpret and respond to non-verbal cues, to communicate with congruent and respectful non-verbal behaviour, and to be sensitive to individual and/or cultural variations in non-verbal communication are required for safe and effective professional interactions.

• Use non-verbal behaviour that is respectful of others and consistent with the nature of the discussion during work team discussions, presentations, and clinical care;
• Recognise cues in facial expression, appearance, behaviour, posture, movement in people in a clinical environment (e.g. when talking to a patient about their level of pain).

Ability to produce English text to a standard that provides clear and professional-level communication, with a language usage and style that is tailored to the targeted recipients.

Effective communication in English text is required to demonstrate applied skills in academic writing conventions and in sustained and organised academic argument and provide safe and effective delivery of clinical care and professional performance.

• Communicate complex academic and clinical perspectives in writing;
• Summarise and appropriately reference a range of literature in written assignments;
• Read, understand and use precise and appropriate language to contribute clearly to handwritten and electronically-produced medical records in a time-constrained environment.

Ability to interact with visual inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments and to meet professional performance needs.

Elements in the teaching, learning and working environment are delivered by visual means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective clinical practice.

• Observe and detect subtle changes to clinical decision and response to interventions (e.g. colour change after oxygen administration);
• Process visual information from monitoring equipment and medical technologies, e.g. Monitors, infusion pumps and handwritten and electronic documents;
• Read medication labels and syringe graduations;
• Process the visual information required to add precise quantities of medication e.g. drawing up correct medications dosages in a syringe;
• Set-up and safely use medical equipment and technologies;
• Monitor the broader environment for patient safety.

Ability to interact with auditory inputs sufficiently to manage learning environments and to meet professional performance.

Elements in the learning and working environments are delivered by auditory means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required to provide safe and effective clinical practice.

• Interact with verbal communications that provide additional information impacting on a work process (e.g. discussing setting up and using a new piece of equipment);
• Follow developing discussions with colleagues which will modify practice (e.g. changes to an infection control protocol);
• Detect, discriminate and respond to equipment alarms at different frequencies, emergency calls over PA systems, and urgent verbal information for professional practice.
• Detect and discriminate changes in lung sounds or heart sounds with the use of a stethoscope;
• Detect and discriminate changes in patient breathing sounds or patient vocalisation.

Ability to respond to tactile input sufficiently to meet professional performance needs.

Elements in the working environment are detected and measured by tactile means, and the ability to learn from or respond to these inputs is required for safe and effective clinical practice.

• Detect and discriminate between changes in circulation e.g. temperature and pulses;
• Conduct primary and secondary assessments to detect any anatomical or physiological abnormalities;
• Apply appropriate pressure when drawing up and administering medication such as medications;
• Apply appropriate technique for invasive line placement
• Apply a range of pressures at critical time points to accurately determine blood pressure or palpate a peripheral pulse.

Strength, range of motion, coordination and mobility sufficient to meet professional performance needs.

A wide range of physical patient care actions and movement in a time/location-constrained environment is required to provide safe and effective clinical practice.

• Instigates and performs emergency lifesaving clinical procedures (e.g. cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR);
• Moves easily and readily in various indoor and outdoor spaces, including confined spaces;
• Move and maintain balance and body position around practice areas to access and transport patients, administer treatments and use equipment on varying surfaces and levels, to complete tasks within constrained timeframes;
• Reach and work across sterile areas without contaminating surfaces or materials;
• Position and tighten a tourniquet on a limb for collecting blood;
• Safely mobilise and competently practice in challenging environments – e.g. practicing in the pre-hospital environment.

Manual dexterity and fine motor manual skills in a time/location-constrained environment are required to meet clinical practice needs.

A wide range of fine-motor manual tasks in a time-constrained environment are required for safe and effective professional performance.

• Using a syringe and needle to draw up medications from vials/ ampoules;
• Position and insert a needle into a vein for collecting blood;
• Precisely apply scientific/diagnostic procedures, e.g. operating a defibrillator;
• Manipulate medical equipment such as forceps and scissors during medical procedures;
• Contribute to both handwritten and electronic scientific records.

Sustained physical, cognitive and psychosocial performance sufficient for safe and complete professional performance in a variety of unique environments.

A range of complex, multi-component or extended practice tasks carried out in a time and space-constrained environment is required for safe and effective clinical practice.

• Sustain study practices and clinical performance to sufficiently engage with the learning workload for a study period, and for the degree, within a timeframe in conjunction with personal activities;
• Sustain a working posture, associated manual tasks, cognitive engagement, performance level and emotional control for the full duration of a clinical assessment/procedure in unique environments e.g. sustained performance in complex aeromedical retrieval cases.
• Sustained clinical and physical performance for the duration of patient care

Behaviour that adapts to changing situations sufficiently for safe and complete patient clinical care, and instigates self-care consistent with professional expectations.

Behavioural adaptability is required to manage personal emotional responses as an individual and within teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Students will also be exposed to emergency situations and high workloads which will require behavioural stability and prioritisation skills to effectively manage these situations. Students will be required to adapt their behaviour appropriately during times of additional stressors in their own lives, whether this adaptation involves ways of continuing to engage with their role or withdrawing for self-care for a period.

• Adjust ways of working within teams of varied personal and professional backgrounds and clinical opinions to facilitate effective practice decisions;
• Cope with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with multiple and/or changing demands in the practice setting including working in situations of challenging emergency situations, competing priorities, in a confined environment with limited resources and exposure to bodily fluids;
• Maintain respectful communication practices in times of increased stressors or workloads;
• Be receptive and respond professionally to constructive feedback;
• Adjust to changing circumstances in a way that allows self-care while maintaining a professional-level focus on the patient and practice needs.