Unit rationale, description and aim
The unit provides students with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate specialised skills, knowledge and attributes required to care for a person with renal disease. Students will gain and develop advanced knowledge through exploration of evidence-based principles and practices in nursing that underpin renal disease and associated nursing care.
In this unit, students will explore the pathophysiology and treatment of acute kidney injury disorders. Individuals with acute kidney injury are at an increased risk of subsequent long-term effects including development of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease requiring advanced treatment such as dialysis and renal transplantation. Students will examine the complexities involved in renal transplantation. Issues around live and deceased donor, ABO compatibility and paired exchange will be discussed. The unit will also focus on person-centred nursing care and management of patients requiring renal transplant pre and post operatively and will address ethical, psychological and psychosocial issues experienced by individuals with end-stage renal failure and the impacts on their families/carers.
The aim of this unit is to provide nurses with advanced theoretical knowledge and critical thinking skills on the complexities of renal disease including ethical, psychological, and psychosocial issues around renal transplantation.
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.
Critically evaluate and demonstrate specialised kn...
Learning Outcome 01
Synthesise and apply the best available evidence f...
Learning Outcome 02
Demonstrate a person-centered approach required to...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically analyse and discuss potential ethical, ...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
Pre-renal Acute Kidney Injury
- Renal hypoperfusion
- Sepsis
- Cardiorenal syndrome
Intrarenal Acute Kidney Injury
- Tubulo-interstitial disorders
- Peritonitis
- Nephrotoxins
- Acute Tubular Necrosis
- Acute and chronic bacterial pyelonephritis
- Myeloma kidney
- Adult polycystic kidney disease
- Medullary cystic disease
Postrenal Acute Kidney Injury
- Urinary Tract revision
- Ascending urinary infection
- Cancer of the urinary tract
- Pelvo-ureteric junction obstruction
- Renal calculi
Advanced treatment options
- Renal transplantation
- Immunological aspects of transplantation
- Deceased donor
- Live donor
- ABO incompatible transplant
- Human Leucocyte Antibody sensitivity
- Paired exchange
Care of the kidney transplant recipient
- Pre and post operative care requirements
- Patient survival
- Medications and immunosuppressive therapy
- Advancements in science
Ethical, social, and family issues
- Donors with issues
- Organ priority, allocation, processes and payment
- Society, family, and religion in kidney donation
- Patient education
- Health literacy
- Patient decision making
- Quality of life
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy used in this unit encourages depth of learning and provides the students the opportunity to develop their capacity to interpret, translate, apply and evaluate evidence-based care provision in renal settings. To develop renal nursing knowledge and skills required to achieve the learning outcomes and graduate attributes, students first demonstrate the ability to critically analyse a case study and prepare a care plan providing the assessment findings, pathophysiological findings and the nursing (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) care required by an individual with renal disease. Specialised nursing care and clinical knowledge is vital for the holistic care of individuals undergoing renal treatment. Knowledge and skills gained in this assessment task are then further developed in the final assessment where students apply learned knowledge to critically analyse and evaluate strategies in relation to contemporary issues in management and treatment modalities for patients with renal conditions and their families/carers. To pass NRSG535 Renal: Advanced Renal Care, students must demonstrate achievement of every learning outcome and obtain a minimum mark of 50% for the unit.
Overview of assessments
Case Study Enables students to demonstrate an a...
Case Study
Enables students to demonstrate an ability to critically analyse a renal nursing case study that guides the creation of a care plan for the holistic care of individuals undergoing renal treatment.
50%
Discussion Paper Enables students to explore a ...
Discussion Paper
Enables students to explore a contemporary issue related to the complex and advanced management of patients with renal disease.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is offered in online mode and uses an active and collaborative learning approach to support students to analyse and critically evaluate approaches to providing evidence-based, ethical nursing care within a renal nursing setting. Students will engage in readings and reflections, e-Learning activities and opportunities to collaborate with peers in an online environment. This can involve, but is not limited to, online discussion forums, chat rooms, guided reading and webinar sessions. In addition, e-Learning and links to electronic readings will be provided to guide students’ reading and extend other aspects of online learning.
Through an online learning platform, students will have the opportunity to reflect on the complexity of delivering person-centred care to patients in dynamic healthcare environments and renal settings. Online learning in this unit will be supported by the provision of opportunities for students to attend online webinar sessions that allow synchronous exchange of information and facilitate responses to queries generated by students in relation to unit content. For those unable to participate in synchronous webinar sessions, recordings will be available.
Students are required to complete online activities and assessments to demonstrate the application of knowledge. The learning and teaching strategy used in this unit allows flexibility for students while ensuring they have expert support. These modes of delivery assist students in linking knowledge and skills to the renal nursing context, and to develop shared meanings through online experiential reflections and discussions.