Leader: TBA

Offered

Gippsland First semester 2008 (Day)
Mildura First semester 2008 (Day)
Peninsula First semester 2008 (Day)
Peninsula First semester 2008 (Flexible)

Synopsis

This unit builds upon the epidemiology of aging populations, pandemics, and sociology introduced in the first year of the course. The context of health services on determining emerging practice for health professionals is explored. Students are introduced to issues of management in healthcare, care planning, discharge planning and global health care considerations. Issues with reference to: patients' rights, ethical theories and principles, and ethical reasoning are explored as applied to clinical situations where, moral obligation, moral responsibility, moral distress and ethical dilemmas are likely to arise. Critical thinking skills will be developed.

Objectives

On completion of this unit the student will be able to:

1. discuss the Australian Healthcare context and the influences driving change;
2. describe the challenges faced by state and federal government related to large scale emergencies requiring immediate medical care;
3. demonstrate an understanding of health management as it applies to risk management in clinical practice;
4. apply principles of health management to the clinical practice;
5. discuss the application of ethical principles to clinical issues related to privacy, consent and advocacy, veracity, trust, limits of care and moral responsibility;
6. describe the ethical issues that arise in relation to commencing and terminating nurse-patient relationships; and
7. compare and contrast the various theoretical approaches to ethical reasoning in the context of ethical and clinical decision making.

Assessment

Case study assignment (3500 words): 50%
On-line short answer quizzes: 30%
Reflective exercise: 20%

Contact hours

This unit will be offered as on campus flexible delivery mode consisting of three (3) hours lectures per week supported with one (1) hour of online guided learning activities per week for 10 weeks.