Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013

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

Rationale

Nurse practitioners must understand and negotiate the contemporary discipline- and speciality-specific trends and issues that affect their roles. Nurse practitioner students must successfully negotiate the transition to the next career stage by exploring these issues and preparing for leadership in the field. This unit is undertaken in the last semester of the course to enhance the transition from the course and into practice.

Aims

The purpose of this unit is to enable you to synthesise prior knowledge and learning across the nurse practitioner course. The unit will assist you to consolidate your specialist and discipline-specific knowledge and to apply your learning to contemporary social, cultural, professional and political contexts, with a view to developing a coherent overview of the achievements, competencies and capabilities of the nurse practitioner.

Objectives

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

1. Articulate options for nurse practitioner career development in a range of practice contexts and health service paradigms, incorporating health policies relevant to advanced practice;



2. Translate current legislation into contemporary nurse practitioner service models;



3. Demonstrate professional leadership through the completion of an independent scholarly piece of work designed to progress knowledge in the field; and



4. Demonstrate a commitment to continued professional growth through self-directed learning and the capacity for reflective practice related to professional and practice development in your specialty field of practice.

Content

The content in this capstone unit is generic to all nurse practitioner specialty models and focuses on four central themes:

1. Paradigms and options for nurse practitioner career development;



2. Translating legislation into contemporary nurse practitioner service models;



3. Clinical leadership that influences and progresses clinical care at the local, state national and international level; and



4. Monitoring performance and achieving excellence in clinical practice.

The modules and readings will explore selected contemporary topics such as MBS policy and other health policy, legislation that governs practice, state-based and Commonwealth requirements, the effects of fiscal policies on health service delivery, risk benefit and risk management, collaborative agreements and interdisciplinary practice, monitoring and evaluation of your practice, influencing health policy, and ethical considerations as a future nurse practitioner.

Successful completion of this unit contributes to attainment of the following course values, ANMC Nurse Practitioner Standards, QUT Capabilities and Australian Learning and Teaching Council expectations:

• Course Values:




1. Inquiring practitioners who value intellectual curiosity, the active pursuit of new knowledge and its incorporation within the provision of high-quality nursing care; and


2. Professionally aware practitioners who are prepared to challenge the status quo to achieve optimal health outcomes.




• ANMC Competency Standards:




1. Professional efficacy whereby practice is structured in a nursing model and enhanced by autonomy and accountability; and


2. Clinical leadership that influences and progresses clinical care, policy and collaboration through all levels of health service.




• QUT Graduate Capabilities:




1. Knowledge and skills pertinent to practice as a nurse practitioner;


2. Advanced levels of critical, creative and analytical thinking, and effective problem-solving;


3. Highly effective verbal and written communication;


4. An enhanced capacity for life-long learning;


5. The ability to work independently and collaboratively;


6. Heightened social and ethical responsibility; and


7. Enhanced self reliance and leadership.




• Australian Learning and Teaching Council Threshold Learning Outcomes for Health Graduates:




1. Demonstrate professional behaviours; and


2. Reflect on current skills, knowledge and attitudes, and plan ongoing personal and professional development.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit offers you the opportunity to implement a project of clinical relevance that will address some of the practical issues facing the nurse practitioner. You will have the opportunity to expand upon and integrate knowledge from the clinical and theoretical units into a scholarly report, which could also be of value to your current or prospective employer, and to the discipline. In this unit you will negotiate a learning contract, in consultation with your academic advisor (e.g. the Study Area Coordinator or the Unit Coordinator), prior to proceeding with the project described in Assessment Item 1. The learning contract should specify your learning outcomes and objectives, the relevance of the project to nursing practice, a description of the project, how it might be conducted in stages, and actions for disseminating the results or recommendations. Topics could include the development and implementation of an evaluation model for nurse practitioner practice; a critical analysis of the theoretical, evidential and practical components of a selected therapeutic intervention specific to your patient population; the development of an evidence-based policy, protocol or guideline for clinical practice; the development and implementation of an evidence-based practice change; a quality assurance project; the development and evaluation of a nursing protocol or education package; or a case study. Your project findings will be developed for dissemination in such media as scholarly peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, local, state or federal policy documents or position papers. The project will be completed under the guidance of an academic advisor.

You are advised to discuss ideas for a topic and its feasibility with your Study Area Coordinator or the Unit Coordinator during the semester prior to enrolment in NSN428 Transition to Nurse Practitioner Practice. You should note that some projects may require University ethical approval before the project can be undertaken and that requests for ethical clearence should be submitted prior to the semester of enrolment.

This unit is delivered in external mode. You will receive a comprehensive online study guide and a list of suitable readings and text books. The study guide will provide a framework for learning activities and encourage critical analysis of issues facing contemporary nurse practitioner practice. You should meet regularly with your supervisor and present regular drafts of your work by mutual arrangement with your supervisor.

Assessment

Assessment will be determined by the precise nature of your project and the learning outcomes specified in the negotiated learning contract.Feedback will be determined by the nature of your project.

Assessment name: Learning Contract
Description: Learning Contract for Leadership Project
You will devise an individual learning contract in consultation with an academic advisor. This allows you to develop an achieveable project with explicit objectives, milestones, meetings and critiera for assessment and reflection on outcomes.
Relates to objectives: 1 & 4.
Weight: 10%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 2

Assessment name: Report
Description: Self-directed Module Activities
You will submit learning activities completed from your work in the modules.
Relates to objectives: 1 & 2.
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 6

Assessment name: Project
Description: Leadership Project
Assessment will be determined by the nature of the project. However, it is anticipated that a significant component of the assessment will be a report of approximately 10,000 words.
Relates to objectives: 1-4.
Weight: 60%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 13

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 resources
ANMC National competency standards for the nurse practitioner. (2006).

Recommended resources
Willis, Reynolds, & Kelleher. (2009). Understanding the Australian health care system. Churchill-Livingstone/Elsevier: Sydney.

Pearson, A. (2007). Evidence-based clinical practise in nursing and healthcare: Assimilating research, experience and expertise. Oxford: Blackwell publishing.

You will be guided in accessing other appropriate and contemporary resources throughout the semester.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with undertaking this unit.

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: 27-Nov-2012