Course Title: Professional Development in School Health Practice

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Professional Development in School Health Practice

Credit Points: 12.00

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
NURS2066	Bundoora Campus	Postgraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 2 2007

Course Coordinator: Ms Aruna Akkireddi

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3

Course Coordinator Email: aruna.akkireddi@rmit.edu.au

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Registration as a Division 1 nurse
PUBH 1057 Adolescent Health and Nursing
OR
PUBH1056 Child Health and Nursing

Course Description

This course provides students with an opportunity to develop nursing knowledge and skills required to practice in various School and Community settings (e.g., Primary and Secondary schools; Independent and Government schools). Through critical examination of the clinical/field practice area, students will be able to practice, reflect and evaluate their own practice and the practice of other school nurses.

Key Areas
• School health and education policies and procedures;
• School nurse’s role and responsibilities in primary and secondary schools.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

The dimensions of capability developed in the course include:
1. Ability to apply advanced skills in assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation in a variety of School and community settings;
2. Analysis, synthesis and integration of knowledge and application to practice;
4. Professional responsibility and accountability to make ethical decisions;
5. Apply an evidence-based approach to advanced practice;
6. Operate as a team member to lead, manage and contribute to an enabling environment that promotes safety, health and human dignity;
8. Engage in reflective practice and professional development of self and others.

At the completion of the course you should be able to:
• Apply knowledge and skills of advanced monitoring and assessment of children and adolescents appropriate in a school environment;
• Critically apply health assessment findings to specific clinical conditions in order to provide safe and effective nursing care to primary and secondary school aged children and adolescents;
• Incorporate bioscientific principles in the collaborative management of children and adolescents with special needs;
• Plan, implement and evaluate collaborative management according to the identified health needs of children and adolescents;
• Analyse the effects and implications of illness on children, adolescents families, peers, and school;
• Critically apply contemporary evidence-based nursing knowledge to healthy and ill individuals;
• Develop and utilise critical thinking processes and problem solving skills in order to effectively practice as a competent school nurse.

The underpinning knowledge and skill developed in the course includes:
• Application of child and adolescent health nursing knowledge and skills in the provision of health services, health education, health promotion, counselling and healthy school environment;
• Advanced health assessment, to determine the nursing interventions needed based on the health and developmental status children and adolescents;
• Application of school nursing knowledge and skills in the provision of effective care to children and adolescents who are experiencing health problems;
• Establishment of interventions provided at a school, which may include health monitoring and health education of children and adolescents with chronic illnesses or disabilities;
• Demonstrate the ability to utilize decision making skills within the school context;
• Knowledge of legal and ethical issues;
• Collaborative interventions and plans of care incorporating current research findings;
• Knowledge of professional role of school nurse and identity in school nursing.

Overview of Learning Activities

Lecture notes
Prescribed and recommended texts
DLS and on line resources.

Overview of Learning Resources

Individual plan
Discussions
Additional reading
Self directed learning
Placement in a school Buddy with a practicing school nurse
Health agency visits

Overview of Assessment

Reflective journal on Clinical/School placement and/ or Agency visits

Written Assignment on “Nurse’s role and responsibilities in a Primary or Secondary school setting””

Reflective journal addressing child and adolescent health and nursing