Course specification for NUR1299

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NUR1299 Foundations of Nursing Practice

Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Ipswich
Short Description: Foundations Nursing Practice
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences
School or Department : School of Nursing and Midwifery
Student contribution band : National Priority - Nursing
ASCED code : 060301 - General Nursing
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: NUR1100

Rationale

The consistent provision of quality fundamental nursing care has been recognised nationally and internationally as pivotal to better patient outcomes across all settings and age groups. The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards identify areas of practice, which are directly linked to safe nursing practice. In this the first clinical placement course, nursing students apply learnt theory and are introduced to additional nursing care concepts and skills that serve as a basis for ongoing practice development across the program. Registered Nurses are required to think through the different aspects of patient care to arrive at a reasonable decision regarding the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a clinical problem for the person in their care. Patient care includes history taking, conducting a physical exam, interpreting laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures, designing safe and effective treatment regimens or preventive strategies, and providing patient education and counselling. Due to an increasing expectation from the wider healthcare sector, student nurses are now required to develop the processes of cognition or thinking as an expected component of competent practice.

Synopsis

This course includes the theoretical and practical foundations of clinical practice and the nursing process in the clinical environment. Nursing students will develop an understanding of the process of applying knowledge and expertise to a clinical situation to develop a solution. This course includes clinical placement experience aimed at developing fundamental assessment and practice skills applicable to all settings and age groups. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) standards for practice for the registered nurse are used as a framework to guide students in relation to person-centred care, patient safety, cultural and contextual competence, and developing practice.

At a beginning level, student nurses will develop effective clinical reasoning skills that enable the collection of data, an ability to solve problems, make decisions, and provide quality patient care. Students will explore the application of the clinical reasoning process to fundamental patient assessments. Intensive clinical simulation and laboratory practice are used in this course to expand knowledge, skills, and confidence in safe medication calculation and administration, and demonstrate proficiency with various routes of medication administration, including topical, rectal, oral, subcutaneous medications and oxygen therapy.

This course contains a mandatory residential school for external students and mandatory laboratories for on-campus students.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

  1. Implement the principles of infection control, holistic nursing assessment, and nursing care to support activities of daily living.
  2. Develop an understanding and demonstrate at a beginning level elements of the clinical reasoning process and clinical decision making in practice.
  3. Understand the basic principles of human development across the life span and adapt basic care, communication, and assessment techniques accordingly.
  4. Explain the principles of safe medication administration and various routes of medication administration, including topical, rectal, oral, subcutaneous medications and oxygen therapy.
  5. Demonstrate accuracy in calculating a range of medication calculations.
  6. Apply the principles of a person-centred approach when practicing basic nursing skills.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Clinical practice in a simulated environment of fundamental nursing practice principles including safe medication and fluid administration, health assessment and collaborative care planning, therapeutic communication, hygiene, nutrition, activity and exercise, manual handling, nutrition, elimination, and wound care. 50.00
2. Clinical practice in a health care setting in accordance with NMBA standards of practice for a Registered Nurse. 50.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=NUR1299)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Berman, A., Snyder, S. J., Levett-jones, T., Burton, P. and Harvey, N 2017, Skills in Clinical Nursing, 8th edn, Pearson, Melbourne, Australia.
Berman, A., Snyder, S., Levett-Jones, T., Dwyer, T., Hales, M., Harvey, N., Stanley, D. (Eds.) 2018, Kozier and Erb’s fundamentals of nursing, 4th edn, Pearson Australia, Melbourne, Victoria.
Brotto, v., Rafferty, K 2019, Clinical Dosage Calculations, 3rd edn, Cengage, Melbourne, Australia.
(Expected publication date is November 2019.)

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Assessments 30.00
Clinical Experience 80.00
Directed ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 30.00
Laboratory 18.00
Online Engagement 5.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
ASSIGNMENT 50 30 24 Mar 2020 (see note 1)
LAB/RES SCH ATTEND&CLINICAL 100 67 20 May 2020 (see note 2)
FINAL ANSAT CLINICAL EVALUAT 1 1 05 Jun 2020 (see note 3)
INTERIM ANSAT CLINICAL REPORT 1 1 05 Jun 2020 (see note 4)
TIMESHEET 1 1 05 Jun 2020 (see note 5)

Notes
  1. Clinical Placement assignment consists of the induction of students to expectations for entering clinical practice environments.
  2. 100% laboratory attendance is mandatory. Lab Attendance and Clinical Skills consists of attendance and participation in lab learning and completion of defined clinical skills worksheets, psychomotor development activities and a medication management assessment.
  3. Final ANSAT Evaluation is to be signed by student and preceptor and is due on completion of the student's allocated clinical placement.
  4. Interim ANSAT Evaluation is to be signed by student and preceptor after the student has completed 5 clinical shifts.
  5. Timesheet is to be signed by student and preceptor and due on completion of the student's allocated clinical placement .

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all scheduled course activities.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    It is the students' responsibility to: a) attend 100% mandatory on campus labs, b) attend and participate in 100% of the clinical placement period (80) hours within the assigned weeks which have been allocated through the clinical placement allocation system. c) attend all shifts as allocated/rostered at the beginning of the clinical placement by the preceptor or mentor (these may involve day shifts, evening shifts, night shifts, weekend shifts and public holidays). Changes to rostered shifts will only be considered for compelling compassionate circumstance (as outlined within USQ policy and procedures) and require the student to follow the shift change process in collaboration with the health care facility and Professional Experience Placement Office. d) Attend and participate in all activities scheduled for them as part of this practicum either on campus or at the clinical venue including completion of preclinical mandatory requirements, orientation, briefing sessions, debriefing sessions, tutorials and in service. It is the students’ responsibility to maintain a standard of professional and clinical practice that meets the ethical and legal requirements of a registered nurse, risk management principles and common law. e) electronically submit Interim Assessment, ANSAT Clinical Performance evaluation and Timesheet.

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must attempt all assessment items and obtain at least 50% of the total weighted course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdles (Proficiency), i.e. the Interim Clinical Report, Clinical Performance Evaluation and Timesheet by achieving a mark of (1) for each of those assessment items.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative items for the course and on satisfactory completion of the proficiency hurdle assessment items.

  6. Examination information:
    NO EXAM: There is no examination in this course.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    NO EXAM: There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations. There is no supplementary clinical time. If unforeseen circumstances occur resulting in incomplete hours in relation to the placement, deferred clinical participation may be granted in accordance with the USQ Compelling and Compassionate Circumstances Policy or in the event of a facility closure or relocation at the discretion of placement availability and suitability with respect to course objectives. Other than when compelling and compassionate circumstances are evident, the objectives for clinical practice must be satisfactorily completed within the allocated time or a failed grade will result.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. Students must familiarise themselves with the USQ Assessment Procedures (.

  2. The dates and location of the mandatory residential school are available from the Residential School Timetable (.

Evaluation and benchmarking

In meeting the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app’s aims to establish quality learning and teaching for all programs, this course monitors and ensures quality assurance and improvements in at least two ways. This course:
1. conforms to the USQ Policy on Evaluation of Teaching, Courses and Programs to ensure ongoing monitoring and systematic improvement.
2. forms part of the Bachelor of Nursing and is benchmarked against internal USQ accreditation/reaccreditation processes which include (i) stringent standards in the independent accreditation of its academic programs, (ii) close integration between business and academic planning, and (iii) regular and rigorous review.
3. forms part of the professional accreditation standards of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) through an external accreditation process.

Other requirements

  1. Computer, e-mail and Internet access:
    Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .

  2. Students of clinical courses must submit the following mandatory documents to the Professional Placements Experience Office by the due date to be allocated a clinical placement.

  3. These mandatory documents include:
    Applicants must be willing to undertake and submit the requirements of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland and Queensland Health for practical placement. Please refer to the applicable Professional Practice Experience Handbook for Nursing and Midwifery Students

  4. Mandatory Reporting with AHPRA
    It is the student's responsibility to notify the course examiner if they have a health impairment, which may result in conditions being placed upon their student registration with AHPRA. Education providers, such as USQ are required by law to report certain notifiable conduct (see and students must be aware of their responsibilities under this legislation. Administrative action may occur if a student fails to notify the course examiner of an APHRA notification made in relation to their practice.

  5. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed of course related activities and administration, access and obtain all material provided to complete course objectives and activities and maintain a standard of professional and clinical practice that meets the ethical and legal requirements of a nurse, risk management principles and common law.

Date printed 19 June 2020