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Unit outline_

NURS5100: Interprofessional Engagement With Families

Semester 1, 2022 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Professionals from varied backgrounds routinely encounter families of clients/students/patients. Engagement with families may be crucial to improving our understanding and for optimising outcomes; however, this process can also be challenging and complex. This unit of study explores ideas and practices for working with families and other systems drawing on systemic, dialogical and reflective practice approaches. Students are invited to consider the relevance of the unit of study content to their own professional practice and draw on their professional and personal contexts to learn with and from each other. Due to Course structure, NURS5100 may only be taken as a Semester 2 elective, unless academic advice and permission is sought from the Director, Postgraduate Advanced Studies.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Nursing and Midwifery
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

Completion of a clinical undergraduate qualification if not a postgraduate student in Sydney Nursing School

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Andrea McCloughen, andrea.mccloughen@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Andrea McCloughen, andrea.mccloughen@sydney.edu.au
Ben Ong, benjamin-hai.ong@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Assessment 3: Online Discussions
Online Discussion Board
10% STUVAC
Due date: 03 Jun 2022 at 23:59
12 posts in total
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Assignment Assessment 1: Reflective Essay
Written assignment
40% Week 07
Due date: 08 Apr 2022 at 23:59
2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Assignment Assessment 2: Case Study
Written Assignment
50% Week 13
Due date: 27 May 2022 at 23:59
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Assessment summary

  • Assessment 1: Reflective essay: Students will submit an essay discussing and reflecting on three (3) key ideas presented in the unit relevant to engaging with families in professional work. They will drawn on the prescribed literature and readings, and may refer to other relevant experiences and materials inluding participation in online discussions and content presented and discussed in study days.
  • Asssessment 2: Case Study: Students will present and discuss a de-identified case study of their engagement with a family (encountered in a professional capacity) which they experienced as difficult or challenging. They will include a genogram; a relationship triangle; two systemic hypotheses; and a discussion of family challenges and strengths; and will draw on the relevant literature and evidence base to make recommendations for the family.
  • Assessment 3: Online Discussion Board: Students will contribute 12 posts to the online discussion board. Six posts will be a direct response to a question/issue posted by the Unit Coordinator in weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and six posts will comprise of reflective responses to a peer’s post in each of these weeks.

Please note: Each student is required to submit all assessment items to be eligible to pass this unit. Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 05 Study Day 1: Overview of systemic family therapy and principles for practice Block teaching (6 hr) LO1 LO4
Study Day 2: Overview of systemic family therapy and principles for practice Block teaching (6 hr) LO1 LO4
Week 11 Study Day 3: Overview of dialogical and reflective practice when working with families Block teaching (6 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Study Day 4: Overview of dialogical and reflective practice when working with families Block teaching (6 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: Students undertaking this unit of study are required to participate in all four study days which complement online activities.
  • Referencing style: The Sydney Nursing School has adopted the American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing Style. This is an author-date style of referencing. You are permitted to use the7th Edition.
  • Assignment formatting guidelines: Unless the unit coordinator has indicated otherwise, please make sure your submitted assessments are formatted as follows:
    • font: use Calibri or Times New Roman in 11 - 12 point
    • double line spacing
    • margins: 2.5cm each side
    • use page numbers
    • refer to assessment instructions for use of title and headings

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. draw on selected theoretical frameworks (including systemic and family therapy approaches) and reflection in order to understand the individual in the context of relationship especially as this relates to professional engagement with individuals and their families
  • LO2. demonstrate understanding of how your context can affect clinical and other professional relationships
  • LO3. demonstrate a developing capacity to engage with families where there is a range of different perspectives
  • LO4. demonstrate early development of an approach, informed by reflection, ethical principles, theory and other forms of evidence, for responding to complex relational issues that arise in families and networks encountered by professionals.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Amendments have been made to assessment tasks, recommended readings and some unit-related activities based on feedback from students.

Please note that in this Unit of Study sensitive or potentially disturbing content may be discussed from time to time. This may include reference to for example, illness, death and dying, family conflict or culturally sensitive issues that may arise when working with families in healthcare contexts. These topics, when raised by students or academic staff, are discussed in the context of your learning in this unit of study and your knowledge and skill development for working with families. If you are participating in a teaching session/activity online, and sensitive or disturbing issues are raised for discussion, you are advised to use headphones and ensure that anyone in your vicinity not participating in the session cannot hear the discussion taking place on your device. If the nature of the content makes you feel uncomfortable or distressed, you may contact the unit coordinator or another member of the teaching team to discuss this with them.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.