Application

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to provide treatments and health care to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients. It requires the ability to review health assessments and contribute to the development of basic health care plans as part of a multidisciplinary primary health care team.
It covers skills to implement, monitor and review care plans for the care of clients with health conditions that are typically uncomplicated and require short term management. Implementation involves making referrals, administering clinical treatments and coordinating ongoing care.
This unit is specific to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people working as health workers or health practitioners. They work as part of a multidisciplinary primary health care team to provide primary health care services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.
No regulatory requirement for certification, occupational or business licensing is linked to this unit at the time of publication. For information about practitioner registration and accredited courses of study, contact the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia (ATSIHPBA).

What You'll Learn

Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:
• contribute to the planning of treatment and care for a total of five Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients with uncomplicated health conditions requiring short term management, to collectively include:
• females
• males
• people across the lifespan including children and adolescents through to the elderly
• for each of the five clients, and according to their individual needs and care plan:
• explain all aspects of their care plan
• administer clinical treatments within scope of practice, and collectively cover at least five different treatments across the five clients
• monitor the client’s ongoing health and evaluate, in consultation with the health care team, outcomes against their care plan
• document, in client records, accurate details of each client contact, referrals provided, treatments administered and the evaluation of health outcomes.

Knowledge Evidence

Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:
• organisational policies and procedures for recording care plans in client records
• organisational responsibilities and role boundaries of those involved in developing and implementing care plans:
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners
• medical practitioners, registered nurses and other members of the health care team
• how health care teams work together to coordinate treatments and care, and how to facilitate referrals
• the role of standard treatment protocols in implementing care plans:
• types that are used by primary health care organisations including Standard Treatment Manuals (STM) and how to access
• purpose, format and inclusions
• how to use to identify treatment options and administer treatments for short term uncomplicated health conditions
• the concept of holistic health care management, and the broad meaning of a ‘treatment’ within a care plan
• common types of treatments included in care plans and when the following are indicated:
• use of medications
• clinical treatments
• client self-care strategies
• formats and typical inclusions of written care plans for the management of short term and uncomplicated conditions:
• details of planned treatments and referrals
• schedules for follow-up care, monitoring and reassessment
• roles and responsibilities of health care team members
• the importance of developing care plans that involve the client, significant others and the health care team
• different types of infection control precautions and when these would be used for different types of clinical treatments
• equipment, standard treatment protocols and pharmacology for a range of common short term and uncomplicated health conditions:
• sprains and fractures including bandaging and splinting
• wounds including basic wound care cleaning and dressing
• respiratory tract infections
• eye and ear infections including cleaning and administering drops and ointment
• bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic skin infections including cleaning and dressing infected skin and treating parasites including head lice and scabies
• digestive and gastrointestinal conditions including gastroenteritis
• urinary tract infections.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must be demonstrated in a health service workplace within a multidisciplinary primary health care team.
Evidence of performance must be gathered:
• during on-the-job assessments in the workplace under live conditions while interacting with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, or
• during off-the-job assessments in the workplace, not under live conditions, using simulated activities while interacting with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Evidence of workplace performance can be gathered and reported through third party report processes. (Refer to the Companion Volume Implementation Guide for information on third party reporting.)
Evidence can be supplemented by assessments in a simulated workplace environment using simulated activities, scenarios or case studies only when:
• the full range of situations covered by the unit cannot be provided in the individual’s workplace, or
• situations covered by the unit occur only rarely in the individual’s workplace.
Assessment must ensure the use of:
• personal protective equipment for infection control
• medical equipment and consumables suited to the treatment of common short term and uncomplicated health conditions
• clinical waste and sharps disposal bins
• client records including results of health assessments
• template care plans
• standard treatment protocols used by the organisation which can include Standard Treatment Manuals
• organisational policies and procedures for recording care plans in client records.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations requirements for assessors, and:
• be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who has applied the skills and knowledge covered in this unit of competency through experience working as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker or practitioner, or
• be a registered health practitioner with experience relevant to this unit of competency and be accompanied by, or have assessments validated by, an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.

Foundation Skills

• {'skill': 'Reading skills to:', 'description': 'interpret sometimes complex and unfamiliar standard treatment protocols and client records involving medical terminology and abbreviations.'}
• {'skill': 'Writing skills to:', 'description': 'use fundamental sentence structure, health terminology and abbreviations to complete forms and reports that require factual information.'}
• {'skill': 'Oral communication skills to:', 'description': 'provide unambiguous information to clients using plain language and terms easily understood; ask open and closed probe questions and actively listen to elicit information from clients and determine understanding of information provided.'}
• {'skill': 'Numeracy skills to:', 'description': 'interpret sometimes complex medical numerical data and abbreviations in standard treatment protocols and client records; complete a range of calculations for treatments and care plan evaluations involving volume, percentages and ratios.'}

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