Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Practice as a new graduate registered nurse requires the application of knowledge from nursing and related sciences to client care, a range of practice-based skills which include problem solving, evidence-based decision making, multi-modal communication and care co-ordination, and professional attributes regarding the delivery of high quality nursing care in the health workplace. This first clinical unit focuses on the development of foundational knowledge and skills in the on-campus setting that are needed to begin your clinical development journey.

Aims

The aims of this clinical unit are to enable you to develop beginning-level knowledge and skills necessary for the delivery of safe nursing care in a supervised context, and professional and workplace capabilities that inform your future practice role as a registered nurse in a health workplace.

Objectives

To complete this unit successfully it is expected that you are able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of safety and quality in health care;



2. An understanding of the basic principles of comprehensive health assessment for clients across the lifespan;



3. An understanding of basic principles of communication within the context of professional nurse-client interactions; and



4. Apply basic principles of teamwork within the context of a groupwork task undertaken with peers.

Content

The capabilities that you develop in this unit represent initial building blocks of nursing practice that will serve as a basis for your future development in the off campus health agency setting. Unit concepts begin your clinical development and include basic principles of patient safety and quality; infection control; prevention of patient falls; fundamental health assessment to inform care planning, teamwork and communication for nursing practice.

Key areas of knowledge and skill development in this unit include:

• Safety and quality in health care: safety concepts and principles - medication safety; how mistakes can be made; risk identification and management; responding in emergency situations; quality improvement; the Australian Quality and Safety Framework for Health Care;



• Infection control: chain of infection; standard and additional precautions; five moments for hand hygiene;



• Health assessment: fundamental health assessment skills and physical examination practices; obtaining a multi-dimensional / bio-psychosocial health history; vital signs; modifications to suit developmental lifespan factors and implications; context factors and implications;



• Falls prevention: falls and fall injuries in hospital and community settings; fall risk assessment; standard fall prevention strategies;



• Communication within nurse-client interactions; basic elements of the communication process; simple interviewing strategies; verbal and non-verbal communication; professional context of communication; and



• Teamwork: teamwork concepts and principles; teamwork and nursing practice.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit will be presented using an active learning delivery format on-campus that is supported by an online component. This delivery pattern is designed to support first year students' development of expected capabilities and is consistent with recent research regarding first year experience in higher education. You will be expected to engage in a variety of learning experiences in order to meet the outcomes of this unit. These will include lectures, skills development workshops and simulated nursing situations which provide you with real world practice in relation to the key concepts and principles being developed. Self-directed learning will be facilitated through access to online resources and exercises that can be completed individually or with a group of your peers. One aspect of this will be a series of quizzes that reflect the unit content and provide formative feedback on your understanding of the key concepts. Regular worksheets will also be used to monitor your progress and provide feedback on your work.

Assessment

There are two summative assessments to be completed in this unit. It is essential to be aware that all assessments must be completed successfully in order to achieve an overall Pass Grade for this unit.As part of the on-campus learning activities for this unit, you will be assessed on your ability to perform clinical skills relevant to the learning outcomes of this unit. Feedback on your performance will be provided during the Clinical Simulation Centre (CSC) sessions.

Further formative learning opportunities and feedback will be provided through:

1. Your participation in simulated clinical learning experience which will be undertaken in a small group. Following the simulation activity you will write a brief reflection on the key areas of learning you have derived from the experience; and



2. Your completion of a workbook containing case-based scenarios and questions focusing on the development of knowledge and skills associated with the planning of nursing care.

Assessment name: Case Study
Description: : This assessment task requires you to comment critically on the patient safety aspects of a given scenario and the role of the registered nurse as regards risk minimisation and prevention of harm. A set of 'key questions' will provide a scaffold within which you will structure your commentary.
Weight: Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory
Relates to objectives: 1 & 3.
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 5

Assessment name: Critique
Description: This assessment task will take place in the Clinical Simulation Centre and will require you to demonstrate your ability to successfully perform a variety of clinical skills.
Weight: Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory
Relates to objectives: 1-4.
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 9 CSC session

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Required texts
Lewis, P.A., & Foley, D. (Eds.). (2011). Weber and Kelley's health assessment in nursing (Australasian version) e1. Broadway, NSW: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Tollefson, J. (2010). Clinical psychomotor skills: Assessment tools for nursing students (4th ed.). Melbourne: Cengage Learning.


Recommended resources
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (2009). Preventing falls and harm from falls in older people: Best practice guidelines for Australian hospitals 2009. Available at www.activeandhealthy.nsw.gov.au/assets/pdf/Hospital_Guidelines.pdf

Nicole, J., & Walker, S. (2007). The language of medicine. Sydney: Elsevier.

Shihab, P., Hillman, E., Stolic, S., & West, C. (2012). Numeracy in nursing and healthcare calculations and practice. (Australian Ed.). French's Forest: Pearson, Australia.


Websites
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. www.safetyandquality.gov.au

Hand Hygiene Australia. Available at www.hha.org.au

Risk assessment statement

During the learning activities associated with this unit, you will be exposed to situations in the Clinical Simulation Centre (CSC) that are deemed to be low risk. You will also be required to participate in period of clinical practice in a health care facility. In order to minimise risks during the on/off-campus components of this unit it is essential that you:

• Act in accordance with supervisor instruction during the designated clinical practice sessions; and


• Act in accordance with the guidelines provided for student practice in the Clinical Simulation Centre (CSC) including the usage of equipment; and


• Undertake required theoretical preparation prior to practice sessions in the Clinical Simulation Centre (CSC).

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 29-Nov-2012