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Unit of Study NRS71005 - Essentials of Nursing and Care (2019)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    Please be advised that this unit includes Professional Experience Placement which has pre-placement provisions and associated expenses as detailed on the School of Health and Human Sciences Professional Experience page and in the Unit Information Guide. Failure to comply with these pre-placement requirements will result in you being unable to undertake the stipulated Professional Experience Learning. The laboratory activities within this unit require students to fulfill certain vaccination compliance requirements prior to attending laboratory classes. As some vaccination protocols can take up to 5 months to complete, we encourage you to prepare now. SCU has incorporated a combined NSW and QLD vaccination procedure as students may need to attend laboratory classes in both states. Full details of vaccination compliance requirements for this unit are available at https://www.scu.edu.au/school-of-health-and-human-sciences/course-options/professional-experience/

Unit description

Provides students with both the philosophical understanding and practice in the construction of thinking, knowledge, and ways of reasoning and concepts of care. Students examine ways in which nurses use knowledge, inquire, make assumptions and form values in nursing practice. With this knowledge the student is provided with the opportunity to acquire, practise and demonstrate foundational communication, observation, concepts of care and assessment skills that underpin nursing, care practice and therapeutic relationships.

Unit content

  • Reasoning, knowledge and logic
  • Thinking, knowing and reasoning (thinking processes)
  • Critical thought and reflection
  • Knowing self and understanding others
  • Cognition: ages and stages
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Building self-resilience
  • Stigma and marginalisation
  • Biases and racism
  • Concepts of Care
  • Development of nursing knowledge and theories
  • Communicating to care (empathy)
  • Communication techniques including verbal/non-verbal/documentation/transcultural communication
  • Communication in difficult situations – language difficulties
  • Health assessment – the interview, documentation techniques, principles and skills.
  • Manual handling, falls assessment and ambulation
  • Hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, universal precautions
  • Personal hygiene, sleep and rest, pressure care
  • Preparation for PEP 1

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour Session 1 Session 1
Gold Coast Session 1 Session 1
Lismore Session 1 Session 1

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 investigate the development of knowledge that informs and constructs conceptual-thinking in nursing care
2 demonstrate the principles and strategies of communication, developing therapeutic relationships and interview techniques related to nursing practice, cognisant of the need for cultural sensitivity and awareness
3 demonstrate beginning and safe competence in a range of nursing skills
4 reflect on individual cultural awareness about Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander members of Australian society

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

  1. investigate the development of knowledge that informs and constructs conceptual-thinking in nursing care
    • GA1:
  2. demonstrate the principles and strategies of communication, developing therapeutic relationships and interview techniques related to nursing practice, cognisant of the need for cultural sensitivity and awareness
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  3. demonstrate beginning and safe competence in a range of nursing skills
    • GA7:
  4. reflect on individual cultural awareness about Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander members of Australian society
    • GA1:
    • GA7:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.