12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL
Postgraduate - 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
Chief examiner(s)
Coordinator(s)
Unit guides
Synopsis
The emergency nurse requires a diverse knowledge and skill base to appropriately and effectively assess and manage patients in the emergency department. This unit will enable the student to develop an understanding of the pathophysiology of disease processes, which will underpin the assessment and emergency management of disease processes including respiratory, cardiac, renal, endocrine, and mental health emergencies, and shock. The principles of ventilation will be examined. Preparation for mass casualty events will be explored. The unit also encompasses the development of skills which will enable the student to provide support for patient's families and significant others in the emergency department.
Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- Discuss the pathophysiological processes underpinning complex disease states.
- Plan and implement appropriate, age specific, culturally relevant, therapeutic interventions for patients experiencing complex disease states.
- Plan and execute the assessment and management of an adult patient with a complex illness or injury.
- Articulate and demonstrate the principles used to manage a medical emergency in all age groups within an emergency department.
- Communicate professionally and with empathy with patients, their families and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
- Identify the needs of the patient's family and significant others in the emergency department and plan appropriate nursing interventions to address these needs.
- Explore and evaluate the clinical application of nursing research and theoretical literature to selected problems related to the above groups in emergency care.
- Identify and critique emergency nursing resources and strategies to respond to mass casualty events.
- Outline the purpose and scope of the Australasian Triage Scale.
Fieldwork
Students must be working in an emergency department a minimum of 3 days/week.
Assessment
- Written Assessment: case study (3,000 words) (30%)
- Participation in discussion board (10%)
- Online invigilated quiz (10%)
- Exam (3 hours) (50%) (Hurdle)
- Clinical Assessments (Pass/Fail Hurdle)
- Clinical Performance Appraisal (Pass/Fail Hurdle)
Workload requirements
56 hours lectures / workshops, 144 hours self-directed work (including guided online learning), 288 hours clinical practice.
See also Unit timetable information