Observational prehospital placement abroad (MPH220)

Content

In this course, the student participates in a clinical and organizational observational placement in an emergency medical system (EMS) service abroad for a minimum of four weeks. Students will choose a topic of interest based on observations of the selected clinical practice which they will describe and discuss in a final report/term paper. The selected topic may be a treatment protocol, a clinical pathway, or organizational issues, e.g., quality system, supervision, clinical governance, or similar.

As an aim of the M-PHCC programme is to supply prehospital care providers with the academic ability to critically appraise the knowledgebase in their field, the course aims to make students acquainted with, and gain first-hand knowledge of, emergency medical systems in other parts of the world in order to use this knowledge to challenge established concepts and practices, reflect on how to further improve the quality of patient care, as well as to further challenge the scope of practice of the field of prehospital critical care.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student:

• Has thorough knowledge of a foreign emergency medical system
• Has advanced knowledge of the system’s elements such as organization, medical and operational elements, and quality improvement systems
• Can apply this knowledge in the student’s own organization
• Can analyze this knowledge on the basis of the distinctive character of the field of prehospital critical care

Skills

The student:

• Can analyze, appraise, and compare the differences between different emergency medical systems
• Can identify the pros and cons of different elements and issues in the different systems
• Can reflect on their clinical experiences and identify areas for personal and professional development

General competence

The student:

• Can critically appraise and analyze an emergency medical system’s strengths and weaknesses
• Can identify and discuss an emergency medical system’s possibilities for improvement
• Can contribute to new thinking and further development of the field of prehospital critical care

Required prerequisite knowledge

Exam

Coursework requirements

The practice period must be of minimum four weeks duration in total.

A reflective essay must be submitted during the practice period.

Course teacher(s)

Study Program Director:

Course coordinator:

Method of work

Observational practice

Open for

Course assessment

Literature