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

Contemporary registered nurses practice across a variety of settings and in numerous contexts. Consequently, registered nurses require a range of professional nursing skills including collecting, using and documenting information about a person's health care, clinical problem solving and decision making and applying this evidence to plan and evaluate nursing care. The knowledge and skills you will develop in this unit set the foundation to establish yourself as a professional practitioner capable of providing holistic nursing care.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to enable you to begin to apply clinical problem solving skills, decision-making skills and the application of evidence in order to plan safe, competent, holistic nursing care for people with cardiovascular and respiratory nursing care needs in the settings in which a Registered Nurse might practice.

Objectives

1. Describe key elements of primary health care, acute care and chronic disease self- management and their implications for nursing practice;



2. Demonstrate developing level clinical knowledge of key health alterations, assessments, treatments and nursing therapeutics related to cardiovascular and respiratory health care in a range of client situations;



3. Apply problem solving, decision making and evidence-utilisation frameworks to nursing practice in relation to promoting cardiovascular and respiratory health in a range of client situations;



4. Demonstrate sound skills in critical thinking, using information effectively and professional writing; and



5. Demonstrate the ability to assess, plan and prioritise nursing interventions including effective and accurate documentation of health care information.

Content

Key areas of content in this unit include the promotion of wellness and restoring health as addressed in the modules of applied clinical judgement, cardiovascular and respiratory health care.

Each module will assist your development of applied clinical judgement through the application of evidence in supporting your decision-making. Key approaches in each module will include: epidemiology, risk factors, health issues across the lifespan, culturally safe approaches, the patient experience, acute/chronic management and holistic care planning, key evidence based interventions, health promotion and health education.

Module: Introduction to applied clinical judgement: the application of evidence in supporting decision making; factors that influence/support nurses' clinical judgement in the context of the patient journey particularly in primary health care settings, chronic and acute care settings.

Module: Cardiovascular health*

Module: Respiratory health (including asthma*)

* National Health priority

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit is based on the approach of student directed and centred learning where you are expected to collaborate with staff in setting and reflecting on your own learning goals. You are responsible for your learning by seeking evidence, and, with support and guidance, actively practicing critical thinking and reflection.

The unit will be offered in a manner to actively engage you in learning. Blended approaches will be used where teaching modalities include a combination of student centred workshops and online materials. Workshops are highly interactive and structured activities which are complemented and extended by materials on Blackboard QUT's Learning Management System. This distributed learning environment provides flexibility for how you engage with the unit.

Assessment

There are three summative assessments in this unit. You will also have the opportunity to receive formative feedback regarding your progress throughout the semester.The unit coordinator and tutors are available for consultation throughout the semester by telephone, email and in person. Feedback will be provided as part of tutorial discussions throughout the semester. You are also encouraged to develop peer networks to support your work in the unit. On line quizzes will also be available for you to check your understanding of key concepts and principles. An in-tutorial feedback session will also be offered following the first summative assessment to discuss challenging aspects and provide you with advice on how to improve.

Assessment name: Presentation
Description: This assessment requires you to facilitate the learning of your peers through a tutorial learning session. You and your group will develop a patient scenario from the cardiovascular and respiratory cases provided. In the tutorial session you will assist your peers to explore health alterations, assessment, management, health promotion and nursing therapeutics related to this case and clinical context.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3 & 5.
Weight: 20%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group
Due date: Mid/End semester

Assessment name: Case Study
Description: You are required to demonstrate the application of problem solving, decision making and evidence utilisation frameworks to a patient/client scenario in order to determine priorities of care and appropriate nursing interventions.
Relates to objectives: 2-5.
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid semester

Assessment name: Examination
Description: This assessment requires you to demonstrate your understanding of key aspects of this unit in relation to cardiovascular health and respiratory health.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3 & 5.
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of semester

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

Crisp, J., & Taylor, C. (2009). Potter & Perry's fundamentals of nursing (3rd ed.). Sydney: Elsevier Mosby.

Brown, D., & Edwards, H. (2007). Lewis's medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical problems (2nd ed.). Marrickville: Mosby.

Hockenberry, M.J., & Wilson, D. (2009). Wong's essentials of pediatric nursing (8th ed.). Mosby Inc.

Lewis, P., & Foley, D. (2011) Weber and Kelley's health assessment in nursing. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins: Broadway.

Risk assessment statement

You are advised that if you are distressed by the issues explored in the content of this unit you should approach staff in this unit or contact the University counselling service.

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: 17-Dec-2012