Course Title: Emergency Nursing Studies 1

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Emergency Nursing Studies 1

Credit Points: 12.00


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

NURS1031

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013

Course Coordinator: Ms Jane Mateer

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7546

Course Coordinator Email: jane.mateer@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 201.7.05

Course Coordinator Availability: By Appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

To be considered for admission the applicant should normally:
• Hold a Bachelor of Nursing degree, or equivalent, from an approved higher education institution;
• Be a Registered Nurse, or be eligible for registration, in Division 1 of the Register, Nurses Board of Victoria; and
• Have not less than two years acute nursing experience within the last five years;
• Have at least six months experience in the emergency environment;
• Be employed in an affiliated emergency department with clinical educational support;

Applicants who have not completed an undergraduate research course will normally be required to undertake an undergraduate research course.


Course Description


This course aims to provide the student with the knowledge base required to function at an early specialist level within the emergency department environment.  The delivery of foundational theoretical knowledge related to anatomy and physiology, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, health assessment and interventions, including evidence-based nursing practice, pharmacology and medical science, will also incorporate psychosocial and ethico-legal aspects of practice, enabling the student to assess and manage their patients’ biopsychosocial needs in a humanistic and expeditious manner at an early specialist level.  A skill-based clinical experience, undertaken within an appropriate clinical setting will complement the theoretical component, providing the post-graduate nursing student with the skills required to rapidly and accurately assess and apply nursing care in a way that prevents undue loss of life, loss of function or pain.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Students will be provided with a range of theoretical and experiential opportunities to acquire the essential knowledge and skills required to competently assess and manage patients and meet the varied challenges of emergency nursing.

To develop the identified dimensions of capability, the following knowledge and skills will be essential and need to be incorporated into the learning design:
• Anatomy and physiology pertinent to management of the emergency department patient
• Complex pathogenesis, pathophysiology, management of illnesses and alterations of vital body functions
• Advanced physical assessment
• Collaborative interventions and plans of care incorporating current research findings
• Advanced monitoring and interventional technology relevant to the emergency department specialty
• Awareness of potential psychosocial, spiritual and cultural issues relevant to care of the emergency department patient and their significant others
• Knowledge of legal and ethical issues
• Knowledge of professional role and identity in emergency nursing


At the completion of this course the students should be able to:
• Integrate knowledge of advanced physiology of various body systems and cellular mechanisms in order to understand maintenance of body homeostasis
• Describe the alterations to normal homeostasis of various pathophysiologies
• Synthesize knowledge of advanced physiology and pathophysiology to plan, implement and evaluate relevant collaborative interventions for the management of patients presenting to the emergency department
• Apply knowledge and skills of advanced monitoring and assessment appropriate to the emergency department environment
• Acquire and interpret assessment data and diagnostic interventions, including life-threatening electrocardiographic abnormalities
• Critically apply health assessment findings to correlate with specific clinical conditions and provide emergency nursing care at an early specialist level to a range of patients presenting to the emergency department
• Develop and utilise critical thinking processes and problem solving skills in order to effectively prioritise management and to practice as a competent emergency nurse


Overview of Learning Activities

Student learning experiences will incorporate a variety of techniques to enable achievement of the required capabilities. Students will be provided with lecture content, additional readings from relevant literature, directed learning exercises and case scenarios, which they will be expected to review both before and after the delivery of face-to-face content. This will enable students to synthesize the content provided with their clinical experience and professional interactions.


Overview of Learning Resources

Lecture notes, worksheets and casestudies 
Internet based resources
Prescribed and recommended texts


Overview of Assessment

In this course, the students will be required to analyse a variety of case scenarios and answer short answer questions in which they can demonstrate synthesis of the concepts delivered. The students will be required to demonstrate their development of knowledge in regards to the domains of physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment and interventions, plus psychosocial and ethico-legal aspects of emergency nursing care. The student will be required to demonstrate application of this knowledge in the development of appropriate planning, implementation and evaluation of interventions relevant to the assessment provided.

Formative
Lecturer and clinical educator constructive critique

Summative
Case Study Assignment

Examination format