NURSING 7203 - Introducing Professional Nursing
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2020
General Course Information
Course Code NURSING 7203 Course Introducing Professional Nursing Coordinating Unit Adelaide Nursing School Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 4 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N Restrictions Available to M.Clin Nurs students only Assessment Referencing module, literature search strategy, essay Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Mrs Pam McCrorie
Course Coordinator: Paul McLieshPhone: +61 8 8313 6286Email: Location: Level 4, AHMS, Adelaide Nursing School, University of AdelaideCourse Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
Course Learning Outcomes
1 Discuss the historical and contemporary factors influencing health care systems 2 Differentiate health care services based on primary, secondary and tertiary categories 3 Articulate and communicate to others the role of the professional nurse and the scope of nursing practice 4 Identify the purposes of nurse practice Acts and standards for nursing practice 5 Adopt a beginning level of evidence-based practice as it is used to inform critical thinking and decision-making in practice 6 Develop skills in reflection to support ongoing development through learning experiences 7 Debate the ethico-legal frameworks of nursing 8 Apply foundational and factual knowledge of occupational health & safety 9 Discuss quality and safety issues within nursing practice and the health care system University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Deep discipline knowledge
- informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
- acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
- accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
1,2,4 7&8 Critical thinking and problem solving
- steeped in research methods and rigor
- based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
- demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
1,2,4,5&6 Teamwork and communication skills
- developed from, with, and via the SGDE
- honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
- encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
3&4 Career and leadership readiness
- technology savvy
- professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
- forward thinking and well informed
- tested and validated by work based experiences
1,4,5,6,7&9 Intercultural and ethical competency
- adept at operating in other cultures
- comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
- able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
- demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
2&4 Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
- open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
- able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
Brown, D, Edwards, H, Seaton, L & Buckley, T (eds) 2015, Lewis's medical-surgical nursing: assessment and management of clinical problems, 4th Australia and New Zealand edn, Elsevier, Chatswood.
Chang, E & Daly, J 2016, Transitions in nursing preparing for professional practice, 4th Edition, Elsevier Australia
Crisp, J, Douglas, C, Rebeiro, G & Waters, D 2017, Potter and perry's fundamentals of nursing, 5th Australian and New Zealand edn, Elsevier, Chatswood.
Daly, J, Speedy, S & Jackson, D 2017, Contexts of nursing: an introduction, 5th Edition, Elsevier Australia.Recommended Resources
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2016 National competency standards for the registered nurse
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2006 Code of EthicsOnline Learning
Some reading materials and course content will be provided through the Canvas Learning Platform via MyUni and assessments will be submitted through the appropriate portal point on MyUni. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
This course uses a blend of lectures, tutorials and workshops to identify situations that impact the daily environment of nursing practice. Students are encouraged to consider their ‘arrival’ at the career of nursing and to actively reflect on what they consider to be the professional skills and attributes. Role plays and self -directed learning opportunities help to facilitate the reflective nature of this course.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
- 1x 2 hour lecture
- 1x 2 hour tutorial
Learning Activities Summary
The tables below indicate the lecture and tutorial outlines for Introducing Professional Nursing. Please refer to the timetable above for details on class and time. Other tutorials may be provided as required.
Introducing Professional Nursing Lecture Series Professional issues
1. History of nursing
2. The role of the professional nurse
3. Primary, secondary and tertiary care within the Australian health care system
4. Scopes of practice
5. Legislation in nursing
6. Consent and negligence
7. Professional standards and guidelines
8. Ethical theories
9. Ethics issues in health care
10. An introduction to evidenced based practice
11. Introduction to critical theory
Safety and quality / OHS
12. Core principles of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
13. OHS in the health care setting
14. Safety and Quality Systems
Introduction to death and dying
16. Introduction to palliative care
17. Death and dying -
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning Outcome(s) being addressed Pre Quiz Scope of Practice Formative 0% 1,3 & 4 Quiz Series x 3 Summative 20% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 & 9 Critical Thinking PortfolioSummative60%3,4,5,6,7,8 & 9 Summative 60% 3,4,5,6,7,8 & 9 Professional Practice Reflective Essay Summative 20% 3, 4, 5, & 6 Assessment Detail
Scope of Practice Quiz
Within MyUni students will be required to successfully complete a quiz relating to the content covered during your lectures, tutorials and readings in the first two weeks of semester based on their responsibilities regarding Scope of Practice which will guide care they are allowing to provide at the varying stages of their studies when out on clinical practice.Quiz SeriesWithin Canvas students will be required to successfully complete a series of quizzes relating to the content covered during lectures, tutorials and readings. A range of professional, legal and ethical topics will be assessed to determine student progress in the course and highlight their knowledge and areas for improvement in these fundamental concepts.Professional Practice Reflective EssayThis essay serves as a reflection on your first clinical placement
In the first written paper you identified a range of strategies that you planned to use to shape your professional practice
during placement. These were based on the relevant standards and scope of practice by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia.
This paper is designed to act as a reflective piece of assessment where you identify your practice and performance throughout the
The essay can be written in the first person. Avoid using the real names of any staff or patients in the paper. Instead describe the relevant staff member (ie senior RN) if discussing a specific event or comment/feedback in relation to your practice.
Address the broad scope of the feedback you received, you can use specific comments or examples
if needed to demonstrate or illustrate a point.
A tradition essay and thus should include a BRIEF introduction, main body and BRIEF conclusion.
Use the topics below (highlighted in bold) the structure the main body of the assessment.
Describe your performance/practice: Provide a brief comment that summarises your overall practice performance during placement- this should address the quality of your performance and any potential issues that arose or were identified.
Identify 2 specific areas for improvement: Based on feedback from staff, both verbal/informal and formal/written, describe two specific areas where you can improve your practice for future placements.
Reflection on action: briefly outline why you think you struggled in those two areas of practice. Was it related to
communication, knowledge, confidence, skills development etc.
Strategy for Improvement: Briefly outline and discuss how you plan to address those limitations in your future placements. Include specific information about what steps you will take in your personal and professional development to strengthen your practice in the future. Briefly identify how you will measure success or improvement in these areas during the next placement.
As you are discussing your own experience there is no need to provide any references unless you discuss a particular
treatment etc. You should then reference that element.Critical Thinking Portfolio
1 Standards of Practice
Utilising the NMBA Registered Nurses Standards for Practice (2016) [PM1] document and any other relevant documents, address the following.
Briefly outline each of the seven standards for practice.
For each standard also include how your practice as a student may assist you in achieving those standards in
terms of your reflection, development of skills and your actions in practice.
For each standard include a potential practical strategy that you may use once on placement to assist you
developing those standards
2 Professional Practice
As a RN student you will need to demonstrate professional practice is these three areas (among others):
Autonomy, Accountability, Advocacy.
Provide an explanation of what these terms mean in relation to professional nursing practice.
Provide practical examples (identify and explain) of how you will ensure that your practice as a student
RN will achieve these concepts once you begin clinical placement.
3 Code of Conduct
Utilising the NMBA Code of Conduct for Nurses (March 2018) choose two principles (from the seven) within the 4 Domains. One must be ‘Cultural Practice and Respectful Relationships’.
For each describe how Registered nurses are required to ensure their practice meets this Code of
Conduct. Briefly describe each Principle and how it is achieved/maintained.
Then include 2 potential practical examples of practice (for each) of where these codes of conduct have
not been meet. In other terms identify some existing (or potential) practices by RNs where they have failed to meet the codes of conduct in practice.Submission
Unless otherwise indicated all submission of assignments is to be through the assignments portal of MyUni. TurnItin will be used to check student assignments. Students MUST keep an electronic copy of all assignments submitted.
Extensions are generally awarded for no more than 10 working days unless there are exceptional circumstances.
To apply for an Assessment Extension, a student must submit an application for extension form prior to the assessment deadline. You will find this on the School of Nursing Website or use the link provided here.
See the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303/Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Past Selt feedback from 2018b indicates that the lecture content is "dry" with little interaction being had during the lecture to engae students. In an attempt to rectify this the lecture will instigate a new lecture format in 2019 using tools from the canvas system to allow students more hands on experiences and opportunities to duscuss they opinions gained from their prereading. Another comment form 2018 is in regard to back to back lectures and tutorials leading to learners fatigue at the end of four hours. Attempts will be made to make changes to the current timetabling and if this is unable to be facilitated breaks will be instigated for students. -
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
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