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Unit of Study NRS20005 - Nursing Practices (2020)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    Students are required to attend intensive classes every day of the two week block, held in the period between session 1 and session 2, as published on the nursing calendar, at Gold Coast and Coffs Harbour. Students who are not able to attend this intensive block should not enrol in the unit. This unit contains laboratory activities and/or professional experience learning that require students to fulfil certain vaccination and compliance requirements prior to attending. As some of these can take up to 5 months to complete, you must prepare now. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in you being unable to undertake the stipulated Laboratory Activity and/or Professional Experience Learning which may result in failure of the unit. Full details are available at www.scu.edu.au/clinicalplacements

Unit description

Explores nursing responses to changes in health status. Builds upon knowledge and skills relevant to a wide range of primary care cases. Through case-based learning students will problem solve, build upon and apply knowledge and skills, promote independence and wellbeing related to chronic illness and disability. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of comprehensive functional assessment and the application of pharmaco-therapeutics in chronic disease and disability.

Unit content

  • Addressing national health priorities
  • Principles of disease and models of disease prevention
  • Models of health education and promoting health literacy
  • Community needs assessment and capacity building
  • Functional assessment:
    • cardiac and respiratory function
    • renal and gastro-intestinal function
    • cardiac and respiratory function
    • central nervous system
    • skin and musculoskeletal  system
  • Introduction to palliative care
  • Pain theory
  • Pharmacological concepts in pain management
  • Pharmaco-therapeutics and technologies in:
    • palliative care
    • chronic respiratory disease
    • chronic renal, urinary and gastro-intestinal disorders
    • chronic nervous and musculoskeletal disorders
  • Nursing care strategies in caring for sufferers of a chronic illness
  • Medication calculation and administration
  • Principles of intravenous medication administration

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour
Session2
Session2
Gold Coast
Session2,3
Session2,3

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 conduct a comprehensive health history, including assessment of individuals with chronic illness and/or disability
2 evaluate principles and strategies to conduct an integrated and comprehensive assessment of the client at home and in the community
3 demonstrate integration of knowledge, medication management, and nursing skills relevant to chronic illness and appropriate to scope of practice
4 apply the principles of evidence-based nursing to devise strategies to promote independence and wellbeing for individuals with chronic illness and/or disability
5 critically analyse the principles of health education, health promotion, and primary health care.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. conduct a comprehensive health history, including assessment of individuals with chronic illness and/or disability
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  2. evaluate principles and strategies to conduct an integrated and comprehensive assessment of the client at home and in the community
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  3. demonstrate integration of knowledge, medication management, and nursing skills relevant to chronic illness and appropriate to scope of practice
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  4. apply the principles of evidence-based nursing to devise strategies to promote independence and wellbeing for individuals with chronic illness and/or disability
    • GA4:
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  5. critically analyse the principles of health education, health promotion, and primary health care.
    • GA6:
    • GA7:

Prescribed learning resources

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Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.