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Unit outline_

NURS6032: Professional Practice (MN)

Semester 2 Early, 2020 [Normal day] - Mallett Street, Sydney

This unit of study extends students' knowledge and skills in a clinical nursing environment of their choice in preparation for practice as a registered nurse. It provides students the opportunity to consolidate prior learning and expands their knowledge base across a variety of health care settings for example: aged care, palliative care, mental health, perioperative, high acuity, paediatrics or primary health care. The framework of the nursing practice thinking cycle will guide the teaching learning strategies and focus on clinical decision making in a range of settings.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Nursing and Midwifery
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
NURS5085 and (NURS5043 or NURS5086) and NURS6018 and NURS6019
Corequisites
? 
NURS6022
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Elizabeth Cleary, elizabeth.cleary@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Astrid Frotjold, astrid.frotjold@sydney.edu.au
Taneal Wiseman, taneal.wiseman@sydney.edu.au
Sophie Isobel, sophie.isobel@sydney.edu.au
Belle Bruce, belinda.bruce@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Skills-based evaluation hurdle task group assignment Health collaboration challenge (HCC)
Attendance Pass/Fail
0% -
Due date: 19 Aug 2020 at 23:59
10-12 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4
Placement Off-campus clinical assessment
Professional experience placement
0% Week 06 160 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO2
Assignment Clinical resource education e-portfolio
Portfolio
45% Week 06
Due date: 13 Sep 2020 at 23:59
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Assignment Patient Safety essay
Essay
45% Week 12
Due date: 01 Nov 2020 at 23:59
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Assignment Quiz
quiz
10% Week 13
Due date: 05 Nov 2020 at 09:00

Closing date: 05 Nov 2020
20 mins
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • Health Collaboration Challenge: attendance at the Health Collaboration Challenge (1 day) is mandatory. There are 5 elements of the HCC.
  • Clinical Resource Education Portfolio: students will develop an education resource for a newly graduated registered nurse working in their specialty clinical area. The resource should have an aspect of orientation to the area and should also include current resources and information that would enhance the registered nurses’ knowledge base with a focus on evidence-based practice and professional practice.
  • Practice Development Essay – Interprofessional Collaboration: this essay will discuss student experiences of interprofessional collaboration whilst on clinical placement. Students can choose either a patient/client’s case or a specific event that they have observed. Using the evidence-based literature to support discussion, describe models/frameworks of communication and interprofessional collaboration and explain how the working relationships impact the patient/clients/families and or communities’ optimum health outcomes.
  • Off-campus Clinical: placement in a specialty setting during these clinical days provides students with the opportunity to refine, reinforce, and relate the nursing activities associated with patient/client care.

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
Multiple weeks Off campus clinical Individual study (160 hr)  
Week 01 Welcome and introduction to unit; Trauma nursing frameworks: A holistic approach for practice Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 02 Electronic Medical Records: requirements and professional practice Lecture (2 hr)  
No Description Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 03 Risk assessment for patients who present with mental health or drug and alcohol symptoms: A framework for practice ( pre-recorded ) Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 04 Professional practice: Complexities of the new graduate role and readiness for practice Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 05 Integrated care: Collaboration and professional practice Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 11 Advanced skin integrity management to ensure a safe culture for practice and Maintaining a professional profile and breaches of ethical and legal guidelines ( pre recorded ) Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 12 Electronic medical record for professional practice Lecture (2 hr)  
Week 13 Infection control for professional practice Lecture (2 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: School regulations for pre-registration students require attendance at 90% of learning activities in this unit of study, including lectures and tutorials. Students must also attend 100% of all clinical simulation laboratories and off-campus clinical, which are supplemented with online and group activities.
  • Referencing style: The Sydney Nursing School has adopted the American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing style, 6th Edition, 2010 as its official referencing style.  This is an author-date style of referencing.

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.

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. demonstrate a beginning practitioner's level of safe, efficient and effective health assessment, and nursing practices associated with patients and families relevant to the chosen stream
  • LO2. integrate and apply pathophysiological and psychosocial underpinnings of a clinical specialty, and plan appropriate strategies/interventions for patient/client care
  • LO3. critically discuss the impact of selected health problems on individuals and their families, including nursing practice concepts and environmental factors
  • LO4. explore current issues and trends arising in contemporary nursing practice in a selected clinical specialty environment, and critically analyse the concepts that underpin your practice
  • LO5. apply ethical and professional responses within a variety of patient care settings and employ key questions from the Framework for Practice Thinking; what could be done? what should be done? what is done? so what?
  • LO6. discuss professional practice in a chosen specialty area and link it to the registered nurses’ standards for practice.

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.

HCC no longer weighted at 10%

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.