NUR9203

Palliative care nursing practice

Ms Susan Lee

12 points · distance education · First or second semester · Peninsula/distance

Objectives On completion of this subject, students should be able to analyse the difficulties faced by persons when they encounter death dying and bereavement; critique the philosophies which govern palliative care and the hospice movement as the means for improving care; conceptualise the philosophy of caring as it applies to nursing and palliative care; deveop a personal construct of spirituality and contrast this with the spiritual construct of others; analyse the collaborative interdisciplinary team approach to palliative care; apply the principles of crisis intervention to prevent, identify and alleviate caregiver stress and burnout; design appropriate patient assessment tools for holistic assessment in palliative care; discuss the role of the multidisciplinary team in the provision of effective symptom control and prevention; analyse a range of innovative approaches to palliative nursing care that enhance the quality of life of palliative care clients; identify resources for all aspects of palliative care in a range of health care setting; demonstrate the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team to provide nursing care to a range of palliative care clients and their families.
Synopsis NUR9203 offers students an opportunity to analyse the nature of the specialist role of a palliative care nurse. The first module of the subject examines the philosophical and developmental trends of the hospice and palliative care movement, interdisciplinary team roles and the family, cultural and spiritual aspects of death and dying. The second module of the subject explores the medical, nursing and complementary therapies utilised in the care of patients with terminal illnesses. Specific assessment and symptom management strategies will be explored in the areas of mental status, pain control and other common physical symptoms. Students will be encouraged to seek out current research in symptom management and the development of palliative care through field work, literature review, and computer conferencing discussions.

Assessment Written assignment: 40% · Fieldwork report: 30% · Literature review: 30% · Contribution to computer conferencing activities: 10%

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