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Unit of Study NURS1004 - Narratives of Health and Illness (2022)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

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Unit description

Examines the meaning of narrative and the health consumer’s narrative through sociological analysis linked to historical, cultural, social, structural and individual constructs.  How these constructs influence narratives and meaning of health, illness and disease are explored. The consumer narrative across the lifespan is explored with a particular focus on vulnerable groups.

Unit content

  • The social construction of health and illness: historical, cultural, structural and individual factors, the social determinants of health, gender and social class, the social model of health
  • Health inequalities in Australia
  • The construction and meaning of narratives related to health, illness and disease; the health consumer’s narrative
  • Culture, ethnicity, health and illness
  • Cultural awareness and competence
  • Indigenous health and illness: The effect of colonization on the health outcomes of Indigenous Australians
  • Key social determinants of health and their trends for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including access, funding, housing, employment, infrastructure and education
  • Narratives of mental health
  • Narratives of gendered health
  • Ageing and ageism, health and illness
  • Attitudes to terminal illness, dying and death
  • Health perception, stress and coping
  • Acute and chronic illness
  • Skills of conducting a narrative
  • Narratives in Living Libraries
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ history, cultural identity, beliefs and values with a particular focus on the burden of disease

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour
Session2
Session2
Gold Coast
Session2
Session2
Lismore
Session2
Session2

Learning outcomes

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:

investigate the social construction of health and illness in relation to historical, cultural, structural and individual factors and the social determinants of health

describe and discuss the construction and diverse meanings of health, wellness, illness and disease for the health consumer’s narrative in local and global settings

investigate and establish creative responses to provide health care to multiple narratives of health and illness in relation to vulnerable populations

describe the principles of cultural competence and cultural safety in order to provide culturally competent, person-centred nursing care to consumers with an emphasis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.