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Unit of Study NURS2002 - Clinical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (2022)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

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Unit description

Develops assessment, clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills. Students will build upon knowledge and skills in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and evidence based-practice to demonstrate skills in clinical reasoning and diagnosis. Students will identify, collate and comprehend clinical data, including laboratory and radiology, with which to make clinical decisions.

Unit content

  • Introduction to clinical reasoning
  • Hypothesis building
  • Inductive and deductive reasoning
  • Contemplating options and consequences
  • Narrative reasoning
  • Collaborative reasoning
  • Diagnostic and laboratory results
  • Cardiac and respiratory diagnostic procedures and laboratory results
  • Renal and urinary diagnostic procedures and laboratory results
  • Gastrointestinal and endocrine diagnostic procedures and laboratory results
  • Musculoskeletal and nervous system diagnostic procedures and laboratory results
  • Health information and technology
  • Documenting and communicating clinical reasoning and decisions
  • Accessing diagnostic and expert systems
  • Formulation, assessment and diagnosis in mental health nursing contexts

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour
Session1,2
Session1,2
Gold Coast
Session1,2
Session1,2
Lismore
Session1,2
Session1,2

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:

describe and discuss the components of diagnostic reasoning, differential diagnosis and clinical decision making

differentiate the various forms of clinical reasoning and demonstrate their use in identifying solutions to a problem

analyse clinical diagnostic and laboratory results with which to form diagnostic and care plans in clinical settings

integrate evidence, clinical judgement, inter-professional perspectives and patient preferences in planning and evaluating care

analyse and create appropriate approaches to documentation and communication in clinical settings.

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • Levett-Jones, T, 2018, Clinical Reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse, 2nd edn, Pearson, Sydney.

Prescribed Texts
  • Levett-Jones, T, 2018, Clinical Reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse, 2nd edn, Pearson, Sydney.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.