Course Title: Professional Development Emergency Nursing Practice

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Professional Development Emergency Nursing Practice

Credit Points: 12.00

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
NURS2070	Bundoora Campus	Postgraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006, Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2008, Sem 2 2009, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 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

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Registration as a Division 1 nurse
NURS1031 Emergency Nursing Studies I
Current employment in an appropriate Emergency Department for the duration of the Course

Course Description

This course will complement the theoretical components undertaken in the specialty subjects, assisting the students to analyse and synthesise this knowledge through reflective practice. Students will develop an appreciation of the importance of evidence-based best practices through critical examination of the clinical environment. They will develop an understanding of the implications of advances in technology relevant to the emergency department, and of the implications of these advances on the health care of individuals and communities, as well as on themselves. The students will also be provided with the opportunity to critically reflect on the effects of political, economic, legal, ethical and cultural issues on the emergency department environment, patients and significant others.

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 clinical care settings and contexts;
2. Analysis, synthesis and integration of knowledge and application to practice;
3. Professional responsibility and accountability to make ethical decisions;
4. Apply an evidence-based approach to advanced practice;
5. Facilitates the empowerment of others including diverse groups, through effective and therapeutic communication;
6. Engaging in reflective practice and professional development of self and others.

At the completion of the course you should be able to:

• Explore and synthesise the correlation between the pathophysiological and psychosocial processes causing a patient to require advanced specialist nursing care;
• Demonstrated ability to utilise decision making skills within the triage and general emergency department;
• Apply knowledge and skills of advanced monitoring and assessment appropriate to the emergency department environment;
• Plan, implement and evaluate collaborative management according to the identified health needs of emergency patient;
• Incorporate biopsychosocial principles in the collaborative management of patients with complex needs;
• Critically apply health assessment findings to specific clinical conditions in order to provide safe and effective general emergency nursing care;
• Demonstrate evidence of ability to triage patient safely according to current Australian recommendations;
• Analyse the effects and implications for emergency department patients, both physical and psychological of therapeutic interventions and regimes;
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills required in applying and integrating;
• Synthesize and apply collaborative management plans, incorporating an understanding of the legal, ethical and moral concepts and principles informing the provision of emergency nursing care;
• Develop and communicate collaborative management plans incorporating evidence based practice;
• Demonstrate a capacity to think critically in relation to current emergency nursing practices;
• Identify and analyse the political, economic, ethical and legal issues impacting upon the health care of individuals and communities;
• Identify and investigate the impact of professional issues from the broader areas of health care and practice;
• Identify and comprehensively explore key emergency nursing issues relevant for the professional development of the discipline;
• Develop and utilise critical thinking processes and problem solving skills in order to effectively prioritise management, enabling the student to practice as a competent emergency nurse;
• Demonstrate empathetic communication skills in nurse-patient, nurse-significant other and nurse-colleague relationships;
• Critically analyse collaborative management strategies and interventions, relating them to current evidence based practice recommendations;
• Critically apply contemporary evidence-based knowledge to nursing care of the emergency patient;
• Critically analyse and integrate into contemporary emergency nursing practice, the consideration of, and respect for individuals and communities from different socioeconomic, spiritual and cultural backgrounds;
• Demonstrate the capacity to think critically and reflectively in relation to current emergency nursing practices;
• Demonstrate evidence of development of non-clinical professional aspects of emergency nursing practice to clinical scenarios;
• Demonstrate ability to apply lateral and critical thinking processes in problem solving;
• Demonstrate ability to apply self-critical and evaluative processes.

The underpinning knowledge and skill developed in the course includes:

• Advanced assessment, validating the importance of the relationship between triage and clinical decision making;
• Advanced monitoring and interventional technology relevant to the emergency nursing specialty;
• Application of emergency nursing knowledge and skills in the provision of effective care to persons of all ages, who are experiencing health problems of a physical or psychiatric nature, reflecting a variety of acuities nursing practice and technological advances safely in the care of individuals and communities;
• Knowledge of political, economic, ethical and legal issues impacting on the health care of individuals and communities;
• Knowledge of collaborative interventions and plans of care incorporating current research findings;
• Knowledge of professional role and identity in emergency nursing;
• Knowledge of current nursing practices within the emergency department within the framework of practice development;
• Awareness of potential psychosocial, spiritual and cultural issues relevant to care of the emergency department patient and their significant others;
• Knowledge of current nursing practices within the emergency department within the framework of evidence based practice;
• Knowledge of cultural issues relevant to the care of patients and their significant others;
• Knowledge of own role, capabilities and limitations within the scope of practice;
• Awareness of assumptions and prejudices that may impact on professional development and practice;
• Experiences of self and others, both past and present, to extend professional and personal selves.
  

Overview of Learning Activities

Online discussion forums
Directed learning exercises
Additional readings
Oral presentation
Clinical appraisals
Clinical evaluation

 

Development of a professional portfolio based on clinical experience

• Case scenarios
• Reflective journals
• Triage scenarios
  
  

Overview of Learning Resources

Discussions with lecturer
Discussions with clinical educators
Clinical experience
Library tutorial on using on-line data bases
Tutorial on accessing and using the learning hub for on-line activities and discussions

Overview of Assessment

Formative
Clinical evaluations
Clinical assessments

Summative
Professional portfolio
Class presentation

GRADES AVAILABLE
HD       D 80 - 100 HIGH DISTINCTION
DI         D 70 - 79   DISTINCTION
CR       C 60 - 69   CREDIT
PA        P 50 - 59   PASS
NN       N 0 - 49     FAIL

Students who achieve a mark of 45-49% for an assessment may be eligible for a supplementary assessment. This decision will be made by the Student Progress Committee, and will consider overall student performance.


Criteria
Students are expected to adhere to the assignment writing requirements provided in the online supplement to the course.

Submission
Details of submission of the written assignment is provided in the online supplement to the course.


ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES

Assignment extensions
Extensions are only granted under exceptional circumstances. If you feel that you have grounds for extension you must contact the course coordinator before the due date for submission. You may be asked to furnish a medical certificate or other relevant documentation and to complete an application
form as required by the Department.
Students are expected to demonstrate organisational and time management skills in preparing and submitting assignments by the due date.
The following are not considered sufficient reason for granting of an extension.
- Studies interfering with students’ personal and social life
- Personal inconvenience
- Pressure of other coursework
- Pressure of other work and social commitments
- Poor personal planning

Seeking an extension
To secure an assignment extension, the student should complete an Extension Request Form available from Student Administration within the Department of Nursing and Midwifery. All requests for extensions must be made to the course co-ordinator and are should normally made at least 7 days before the due submission date. Supportive documentation will be required. You must submit your completed form and supportive document to the course coordinator at least one week prior to the due date.

Late submissions without formal extension requests will not be accepted for marking, or may incur deduction of marks.

You may need to make an appointment with your course coordinator to discuss your situation. Do not assume the extension will automatically be granted. It is recommended that you complete your assignments in plenty of time to allow for unforeseen circumstances.
The length of the extension will be determined by the course coordinator on an individual basis, but will not normally exceed 7 days extension.

Special Consideration
Where matters beyond your control interfere with your preparation or the completion of assessment components you may seek special consideration. Such consideration is usually reserved for serious instances of ill health to students and their dependents. Application for special consideration must be made on the appropriate form available from the Nursing reception of level 6 of building 201. Forms must be submitted to the course coordinator, and an appointment made for discussion.


ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
University Plagiarism Statement
Students are reminded that cheating, whether by fabrication, falsification of data, or plagiarism, is an offence subject to University disciplinary procedures. Plagiarism in oral, written or visual presentations is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person, without appropriate referencing, as though it is one’s own. Plagiarism is not acceptable. The use of another person’s work or ideas must be acknowledged. Failure to do so may result in charges of academic misconduct, which carry a range of penalties including the cancellation of results and exclusion from your course.

Students are responsible for ensuring that their work is kept in a secure place. It is a disciplinary offence for students to allow their work to be plagiarised by another student. Students should be aware of their rights and responsibilities regarding the use of copyright material.


COURSE EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK
It is important that students participate in course evaluation. Student feedback assists in improving the course for future students. This occurs through student-staff liaison meetings, and course evaluations. Students are requested to select a course representative, and provide feedback to the lecturer through their representative. Student - staff consultative meetings will be conducted two to three times over the semester. Students are also requested to complete individual course evaluation questionnaires. These are provided toward the end of semester.