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NUR1299 Foundations of Nursing Practice

Semester 2, 2020 External
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=02&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. & Harvey, N (2017), Skills in Clinical Nursing, 8th edn, Pearson.
Berman, A., Snyder, S., Levett-Jones, T., Dwyer, T., Hales, M., Harvey, N., & Stanley, D. (2018), Kozier and Erb鈥檚 fundamentals of nursing, 4th edn, Pearson Australia.

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.
Brotto, V., Rafferty, K. (2019), Clinical dosage calculations, 3rd edn, Cengage.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Assessments 30.00
Clinical Experience 80.00
Directed 精东传媒app 30.00
Online Engagement 5.00
Residential Schools 18.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Objectives Assessed Notes
Assignment 50 30 11 Aug 2020 1,2,3,6
Lab/Res Sch Attend & Clinical 100 67 20 Oct 2020 1,2,3,4,5,6 (see note 1)
ANSAT Final Clinical Eval 1 1 23 Oct 2020 (see note 2)
ANSAT Interim Clinical Eval 1 1 23 Oct 2020 1,2,3,6 (see note 3)
Clinical Timesheet 1 1 23 Oct 2020 1,2,3,6 (see note 4)

Notes
  1. 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 and psychomotor development activities. External students will undertake this component during the mandatory residential school. The dates and location of the mandatory residential school are available from the Residential School Timetable (http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/current/resschoolsched.html).
  2. ANSAT - Final clinical evaluation and Clinical timesheet are to be signed by student and preceptor/facilitator and submitted electronically within 7 days after the student has completed the clinical placement.
  3. Interim Evaluation is to be signed by student and preceptor/facilitator and submitted electronically within 2 days after the student has completed 5 clinical shifts.
  4. Refer to ANSAT Final Clinical Evaluation notes

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    External students must attend 100% of the mandatory residential school and on-campus students must attend 100% of the mandatory on-campus laboratories or practical classes. It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them, to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. Students MUST attend 100% of the clinical placement hours required for the course.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete the Lab Attendance students must attend the mandatory laboratories and achieve 100% (a mark of 1). To satisfactory complete the clinical experience the student must participate in 100% of the clinical placement period (80) hours. To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks available for that piece of assessment. Refer to Statement 4 below for the requirements to receive a passing grade in this course.

  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 obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdles (Proficiency), i.e. 100% laboratory attendance and successful clinical placement achieving a mark of one (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.

  8. 精东传媒app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene 精东传媒app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

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

  2. 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.

  3. Students have signed to acknowledge understanding of, and a commitment to, abiding by the Professional Experience Placement Declaration Guide. The student directions outlined within this guide must be followed and complied by students. Failure to meet the student obligations as outlined within the USQ Clinical Placement Declaration guide, relating to professional conduct whilst on placement, may result in the termination of the clinical placement and a fail grade.

  4. American Psychological Association (APA) is the referencing system required in this course. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA referencing style to be used is defined by the USQ library鈥檚 referencing guide. These policies can be found at

Evaluation and benchmarking

In meeting the 精东传媒app鈥檚 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. The dates and location of the residential school are available from the Residential School Timetable (. On-campus students can follow the Class Timetables ( as a guide or enrolled students can refer to their student portal and navigate to Student Centre>Self Service>Timetables>My Weekly Schedule.

  3. Mandatory Documents
    Students of clinical courses must submit the following mandatory documents to InPlace by the date given for the Professional Placement Office to allocate the current semester's clinical placement or a clinical placement will not be offered. To complete these documents go to the Mandatory Documents information on the Professional Practice Hub 精东传媒app Desk (PPHub) and upload all forms to InPlace by the date specified each semester.

    Working with Children check (6-12 weeks to obtain)
    Pre filled application from the PPHub MUST be used to apply.
    All QLD applications MUST come through the Professional Placement Office to be sent to Blue Card.
    See the Mandatory Documents List on PPHub for other state WWC links.
    Upload: Copy of WWC card OR QLD Students ONLY can provide APHRA registration instead.

    Australian Police Certificate
    3 year expiry.
    There is a list of acceptable providers on the PPHub.
    Upload: Copy of certificate.

    USQ Student Declaration
    Document is located on the last page of the Professional Practice Handbook
    Upload: Signed and witnessed Signature page at the commencement of each academic year

    CPR Certificate (Can take 2- 3 weeks to obtain certificate)
    Must be renewed each year
    Must be nationally accredited face to face training course
    Upload: Copy of certificate

    Queensland Health Student Orientation Requirements
    Submit evidence only once
    Not required from GUC students (WA)
    Upload: Student Orientation Checklist (2 pages)
    Upload: Deed Poll (Signature page only)

    Queensland Health iLearn Certificates
    5 Certificates must be renewed annually
    Not required from GUC (WA) or Tasmania Students
    Upload: Copy of each certificate

    Immunisations
    Upload: USQ branded VPD form
    An accelerated Hepatitis B vaccination process (given in under 4 months) will NOT BE ACCEPTED
    Influenza vaccination must be obtained at the start of flu season each year (usually April) and must be for the flu season for that year
    Upload: Date of injection
    Tuberculosis Risk Assessment form
    Complete and submit prior to your first placement
    Upload: Completed TB Risk Assessment form and evidence of clearance if required

Date printed 6 November 2020