NUR3106 - Introduction to high acuity nursing - 2017

12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Organisational Unit

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Coordinator(s)

Ms Karen Missen

Not offered in 2017

Synopsis

This unit will incorporate an introduction to high acuity nursing of severely ill patients. Using a systematic approach to patient assessment, students will develop skills in caring for patients with, altered circulation, multi-organ failure, shock states and trauma. The focus will be on high acuity care and include other specialist areas of nursing practice such as critical care, perioperative, coronary care, acute medical surgical, emergency nursing and paediatric nursing with an emphasis of caring for patients across the lifespan.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

Educational Objectives:

  1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a range of complex health problems experienced by clients throughout the lifespan;
  2. Explore and evaluate the clinical application of nursing research and theoretical literature to acute and high acuity care;
  3. Incorporate culturally relevant, age specific, nursing therapeutics to address problems experienced by seriously ill clients;
  4. Review an appropriate disaster management plan, building upon existing knowledge of disaster management;
  5. Apply a systematic approach to patient assessment and implementation of management strategies in team-based simulation environment;

    Clinical Objectives:

  6. Apply pathophysiological principles to the care of clients with serious and life threatening illness;
  7. Apply clinical reasoning to selected pathophysiological and psychosocial nursing phenomena;
  8. Demonstrate safe clinical practice based on current theoretical and pharmacological knowledge.

Assessment

  • Essay exploring the management of a high acuity patient (3,000 words) (30%)
  • Written examination (3 hours) (60%)
  • Online activities (10%)
  • Clinical assessment (Pass / Fail)

Hurdle:

  • Students must attend 100% of all scheduled laboratories, unless a medical certificate is provided - refer to school clinical guidelines for details.
  • Students must obtain a pass grade in the examination in order to obtain an overall pass grade for this unit.

Workload requirements

7 hours a week (lectures, tutorials, labs) plus 160 hours clinical. Guided Learning: One (1) hour per week for self directed reading.

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Prerequisites

NUR2002, NUR2004, NUR2104.

Co-requisites

Must be enrolled in course 4514.