NRSG265 - Principles of Nursing: Medical

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Unit rationale, description and aim

The Registered Nurse plays a central role in the provision of health care and education for people who experience both short and long term health alterations. Health alterations occur across a range of settings and it is a requirement that the nurse is able to provide care for people experiencing these alterations.

This unit is required by students to assist their ongoing development of theoretical knowledge, specifically in relation to medical nursing practice and assisting clients who manage their longer term illness.

The principles of medical nursing that underpin best practice will be demonstrated by the use of evidence-based case studies. Roles of the medical nurse across a variety of health settings, and within the context of multi-disciplinary care, will be explored across patient journeys. The content contained within this unit will inform nursing students' future clinical practice across a variety of settings.

This aim of this unit is to support students in development of knowledge and skills for person-centred, evidence-based nursing care of individuals experiencing acute medical health alterations.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

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

LO1 - demonstrate knowledge of pathophysiology to manage common health alterations in medical nursing; (GA4, GA5)

LO2 - outline the biopsychosocial, spiritual and cultural factors that impact on the person with a medical health alteration; (GA1, GA4, GA5)

LO3 - apply the Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing across the lifespan, to the principles of medical nursing; (GA1, GA4, GA5, GA9)

LO4 - implement the Levett-Jones’ Clinical Reasoning Cycle across a range of settings, to plan safe, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, person-centred nursing care for common medical health alterations; (GA3, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9)

LO5 - apply quality use of medicines, non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions and complementary therapies in medical nursing; (GA1, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8) 

LO6 - apply legal and ethical principles related to medical nursing. (GA3)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

NMBA Standards for Practice

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s Registered Nurse Standards for Practice developed in this unit are:

Content

Topics will include:

Medical nursing care

• Principles
• Alterations to health resulting from a medical condition
• Diagnostic procedures
• Risk factors and comorbidities
• Biopsychosocial, spiritual and cultural considerations
• Promoting independence and working collaboratively
• Rehabilitation and habilitation
• Safety and risk assessments
• Assessing for and managing deterioration
• Patient education
• Quality use of medicines
• Continuity of care
• Discharge planning
• Tools for planning care (e.g. care pathways)
• Legal and ethical issues

• Nursing the patient with common medical conditions
• Endocrine disorders
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Respiratory disorders
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Community acquired pneumonia
• Cardiac disorders
• Ischaemic heart disease
• Acute coronary syndromes
• Sepsis
• Neurological
• Stroke
• Chronic neurological problems
• Renal
• Renal and urological problems
• Acute kidney disease and chronic kidney disease

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Modes of delivery in this unit include lectures, tutorials, online activities and self-directed study. Consistent with adult learning principles, the teaching and learning strategies used within these modes of delivery will provide students with foundational knowledge and skills relevant to professional nursing practice. These strategies will also support students in meeting the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit and the broader course learning outcomes. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively with peers.

Students at university need to operate effectively as self-sufficient learners who drive their own learning and access the learning supports they require. To guide students in their learning, feedback is required to identify what is being done well, what requires additional work and to identify progress toward required learning outcomes. Located in the second year of the programme, this theory unit includes moderate face-to-face teaching hours and an increasing online component of learning to build life-long learning skills. Lectures are utilised to convey content and central principles while tutorials deliver interactive and student-driven learning sessions which require an increasing reliance on students to extend their community of learners and increase self-reliance. Online materials provide students with the opportunity to undertake directed, self-motivated study and continue to transition to independent study and life-long learning.

An optional formative online quiz for this unit will be made available to students in week 4 of semester to provide feedback on their progress and guide their unit learning. The formative quiz follows the same format as the online quizzes used in first year, however, will not contribute to the students’ grade for this unit. First year quizzes were summative and consequently contributed to students’ grades; second year quizzes are predominantly formative, do not contribute to the final unit grade and are thus optional. The formative quiz is designed to assist students to reinforce sound study patterns and their transition toward independent study and life-long learning.

This unit may also be offered on or off campus in intensive mode for sponsored / special cohorts, with the learning and teaching strategies being equitable with on campus mode offerings as endorsed by the Discipline Curriculum Implementation Committee. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment items consistent with University assessment requirements and policy will be used to ensure students achieve the unit learning outcomes and attain the graduate attributes.

In this unit, there are two 50% assessment items, therefore the importance of each item is higher in terms of achievement of unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes. Students’ transition from three lower weighted assessments to two more heavily weighted assessments is supported by mixed assessment styles. The oral assessment broadens students’ communication strategies. It engages students with the application of theory to practice and is designed to facilitate an understanding of the impact of long-term illness. The examination enables students to demonstrate a sound knowledge base in addressing content questions and an evolving understanding of this content to address the process related questions. 

These assessments are required to build student knowledge and skills which, by the conclusion of this programme, will enable the student to graduate as a safe and effective nurse.

Offshore intensive assessment of this unit will be transparently equitable with on campus mode offerings as endorsed by the relevant Course Implementation Committee.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Brown, D., Edwards, H., Seaton, L., & Buckley, T. (2015). Lewis’s medical-surgical nursing. Assessment and management of clinical problems (4th ed.). Chatswood, N.S.W.: Mosby/Elsevier Australia.

Bullock, S., & Hales, M. (2013). Principles of pathophysiology. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson.

Bullock, S., & Manias, E. (2014). Fundamentals of pharmacology (7th ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson.

Jarvis, C. (2016). Jarvis’s physical examination and health assessment (2nd Australian and New Zealand ed.). Chatswood, N.S.W.: Elsevier Australia.

Levett-Jones, T. (2013) Clinical reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse, Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson.

Martini, F.H., & Nath, J.L., & Bartholomew, E.F. (2015). Fundamentals of anatomy and physiology (10th ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson.