Course Title: Advanced Clinical Nursing Practice: Stroke Management

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Advanced Clinical Nursing Practice: Stroke Management

Credit Points: 12.00


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

NURS2115

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Distance / Correspondence

Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009

NURS2115

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Distance / Correspondence or Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2007,
Sem 2 2008

NURS2115

Bundoora Campus

Postgraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 2 2006,
Sem 1 2010

Course Coordinator: Dr Heather Pisani

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7448

Course Coordinator Email: heather.pisani@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 201.7.03

Course Coordinator Availability: Generally between the hours of 9am and 5pm unless alternative arrangements have been made


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

  • completed a Bachelors Degree in Nursing or Health Sciences (Nursing) and relevant post graduate studies
  • successfully completed undergraduate studies in research as approved by RMIT Nursing and Midwifery
  • a current registration as a Nurse in Division 1 of the register for the relevant State registering authority.
  • had, not  less than 1 year of nursing experience within the last 5 years
  • current professional practice in the area of Clinical Stroke Management throughout the period of the program
  • demonstrated a good working knowledge with and access to computers, office applications, web and net browsing. 


Course Description

This course is designed to provide the advanced practice nurse with the information and scientific principles to competently assess and manage patients presenting with or diagnosed with Stroke in the health care setting. As a basis of nursing management, integration of the applied sciences, medicine, social sciences, pharmacology and nursing will be emphasized, in order to promote an understanding of the underlying principles of neurological dissonance that occurs with the diagnosis of Stroke. A skill based clinical experience, currently or recently undertaken in the appropriate health care setting is ideal in providing the nurse clinician with the appropriate experience for developing skills required in assessment and management of patients with a diagnosis of stroke.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

The dimensions of capability developed in the course are:

  • C1. Ability to apply advanced skills in assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation in a variety of clinical care settings and contexts
  • C3. Advanced knowledge in specialised area
  • C4. Professional responsibility and accountability to make ethical decisions
  • C5. Apply an evidence-based approach to advanced practice


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

  • Correlate the Legislative boundaries of Stroke Nursing Practice within the contemporary health care framework
  • Identify the role of the various pieces of legislation in the patient care environment.
  • Be aware of the Code of Ethics for Nurses and the Code of Conduct for Nurses as published by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (Inc)
  • Acquire and interpret physiological and technical assessment data, related to the assessment of the Stroke patient.
  • Incorporate bioscientific principles in the collaborative management of patients with Stroke
  • Plan, implement and evaluate collaborative management according to the identified health needs of the specific Stroke patient
  • Analyse the effects and implications for patients, both physical and psychological of therapeutic interventions and regimes related to treatment of Stroke
  • Continue to demonstrate an ability to utilize research to enhance identified knowledge and patient care for Stroke patients
  • Continue to demonstrate a capacity to apply research-supported knowledge within the Stroke patient care environment.

The underpinning knowledge and skill developed in the course includes:

  • To identify and work within the appropriate legal tenets as applied to Neuroscience and Stroke Nursing Practice
  • Recognise the role of the Nurses Act, Privacy Act, Freedom of Information Act, and Equal Opportunity Act in the clinical environment.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of ethical issues that relate to the neuroscience and Stroke nursing specialty and their application in the clinical setting
  • Demonstrate knowledge and practice that complies with the Professional Code of Ethics and code of Conduct for Nurses as specified by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (Inc).
  • Demonstrate a capacity to translate academic learning and critical thinking to enhance patient outcomes
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply the framework of the Nursing Process to achieve measurable nursing and therapeutic outcomes that are realistic and attainable
  • Demonstrate a capacity to prescribe holistic care for the Stroke patient based on rational scientific knowledge within the framework of seamless clinical care
  • Identify the role of research based practice in the neuroscience specialty practice setting
  • Demonstrate the importance of research in academic knowledge and clinical skill translation to the clinical setting.


Overview of Learning Activities

Lectures, Class discussion, directed learning exercises and additional readings
For students undertaking this course by DE Virtual Classroom sessions along with a structured learning program will be offered.


Overview of Learning Resources

  • Lecture notes
  • prescribed and recommended texts,
  • myRMIT Study resources


Overview of Assessment

The assessment for this course will be  formative and summative. The actual assessment construct will vary  but will take the form of  assignment, evidence based practice, clinical review and/or examination.