Course Title: Apply legal and ethical parameters to nursing practice

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2021

Course Code: NURS5386C

Course Title: Apply legal and ethical parameters to nursing practice

School: 174T School of VE Engineering, Health & Science

Campus: Bundoora Campus

Program: C5365 - Diploma of Nursing

Course Contact: Rosemarie Russell

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 7478

Course Contact Email: rosemarie.russell@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Course coordinator: Nazish Bhalwany (Bundoora campus)

Course Contact Email: nazish.bhalwany@rmit.edu.au

Course educator: Nazish Bhalwany (Bundoora campus)

Course Contact Email: nazish.bhalwany@rmit.edu.au

Nominal Hours: 30

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

There are no pre-requisites for this unit of competency.

Course Description

This course describes the skills and knowledge required to within work legal and ethical parameters in professional nursing practice, including supporting rights and meeting duty of care requirements.

 

This course applies to enrolled nursing work carried out in consultation and collaboration with registered nurses, and under supervisory arrangements aligned to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia regulatory authority legislative requirements.

 

This course includes a Work Integrated Learning experience in which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a real or simulated workplace context and where feedback from industry and/or community is integral to your experience.


This course includes clinical placement.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

HLTENN008 Apply legal and ethical parameters to nursing practice

Element:

1. Perform within scope of professional nursing practice.

Performance Criteria:

1.1 Identify legal and regulatory requirements including Acts and guidelines, and explain how these requirements impact own nursing practice. 1.2 Comply with requirements of current legislation related to nursing practice and identify implications of non-compliance. 1.3 Apply codes of ethics, codes of conduct and the content of enrolled nurse competency standards for practice in own nursing practice. 1.4 Function within the scope of jurisdictional requirements for enrolled nurse practice. 1.5 Respond to each person in accordance with organisation policy and procedures, including responding appropriately and sensitively to complaints. 1.6 Refer outside requests for a person's information to a registered nurse. 1.7 Complete all documentation in accordance with State/Territory legislation and organisation policy and procedures. 1.8 Monitor own compliance with legal obligations and requirements.

Element:

2. Apply knowledge of the legal framework to nursing practice.

Performance Criteria:

2.1 Demonstrate knowledge of relevant law, including legal processes, principles and penalties in own nursing practice. 2.2 Accurately apply concepts of negligence, duty of care and vicarious liability to professional practice as an enrolled nurse. 2.3 Obtain required consent to treatment from each person before undertaking treatment or processes. 2.4 Apply principles of restraint appropriately, demonstrating the correct intent and application of restraint. 2.5 Use correct common legal terms associated with nursing practice, and correctly interpret their meaning and implications for nursing practice. 2.6 Apply legal requirements and organisation expectations and requirements in writing reports in own nursing practice. 2.7 Apply mandatory reporting processes in line with jurisdictional requirements. 2.8 Observe the person's privacy and confidentiality requirements in accordance with legislative requirements and organisation policy and procedures. 2.9 Interpret referrals or requests for tests on receipt, ensuring the nature and requirements of tests are correctly identified, and seek clarification where required.

Element:

3. Apply ethical concepts to clinical practice.

Performance Criteria:

3.1 Identify and describe the concept of ethics and its place in nursing practice. 3.2 Demonstrate ethical practice in own interactions with the person and their family or carers and colleagues. 3.3 Maintain own awareness of contemporary ethical issues and potential conflicts of interest that may impact nursing practice. 3.4 Identify, document and report potential ethical issues in accordance with organisation policies and procedures. 3.5 Develop and implement strategies to resolve ethical issues within own nursing practice in accordance with role parameters.

Element:

4. Support the rights, interests and needs of the person and their family.

Performance Criteria:

4.1 Comply with legal responsibilities and duty of care requirements in all care activities and other interactions with the person, their family and carer. 4.2 Support the person's rights, interests and decisions. 4.3 Encourage the person to exercise their right to make informed decisions about their care. 4.4 Demonstrate respect and support for the dignity of the person and their family members. 4.5 Advocate for the person, their family or carer in accordance with jurisdictional enrolled nurse scope of practice.

Element:

5. Apply open disclosure processes.

Performance Criteria:

5.1 Research and reflect on the practice of open disclosure and how it applies to own role as an enrolled nurse. 5.2 Apply the principles and processes of open disclosure in own work in a health care environment. 5.3 Identify the roles of other health care workers in relation to open disclosure.


Learning Outcomes


The critical learning for this course takes place in clinical placement within the health sector and within simulations in RMIT laboratories.

You will be instructed in skills through demonstration, modelling and role-play. Skills development is supported by lectures on theory and underpinning knowledge, classroom discussions, group work, research and reflective practice.


Details of Learning Activities

All learning activities you will undertake within the course are designed to provide you with the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to perform to the standard expected in the health industry.

Learning activities include: Classroom teaching (Online), On line learning activities, Clinical Placement, Student Directed Learning


Teaching Schedule

Week

Topic/module

Learning activities (Non graded)

Assessment Tasks (Graded)

Week 5 

Module 1-Introduction to legal and ethical concepts

Pre reading for session 1

Compulsory Learning activity for module 1: Victorian Court Hierarchy

Participation in Module 1-Discussion forum

Introduction to Assessment Task 1. Assessment Task 2 and Assessment Task 3

Week 6

 

 

Module 2-Enrolled nurse professional practice

 

 

Pre reading for session 2

Learning activity 2: Enrolled nurse standards of practice

Practice Quiz: Social media

Participation in Module 2-Discussion forum

 

Week 7

 

Module 3-Tort

 

 

Pre reading for session 3

Learning activity 3: Trespass to the person

Practice Quiz: Informed consent

Participation in Module 3-Discussion forum

 

Week 8

 

Module 4-Ethics

 

Pre reading for session 4

Learning activity 4: Nursing code of ethics

Practice Quiz: Voluntary assisted dying summary activity

Participation in Module 4-Discussion forum

 

 

Assessment Task 1 Due in Week 8 of the RMIT Time table

Mid Semester Break

Mid Semester Break

Mid Semester Break

Mid Semester Break

Week 9

Module 5-Legal issues and self-improvement

 

Pre reading for session 5

Learning activity 5: Children in the workplace

Practice Quiz: Living wills and advanced care directives for medical decisions

Practice Quiz: Handling complaints

Participation in Module 5-Discussion forum

 

Assessment Task 2 Due in Week 9 of the RMIT Time table

TBA

 

 

Assessment Task 3 is due in Clinical Placement (dates will vary upon availability)

 

Note: This schedule may be subject to changes. Keep checking your RMIT Timetable for updated schedule of classes.


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

Year Published: 2017 Title: Tabbner's Nursing Care- Theory and practice Creator: Gabrielle Koutoukidis Contributor: Kate Stainton and Jodie Hughson Edition: Seventh Edition Publisher: Elsevier Australia

9780729542272 (paperback)


References

Koutoukidis, G., Stainton, K., & Hughson, J. (2017). Tabbner's Nursing Care Theory and Practice. (7th ed.). Australia: Elsevier.

9780729542272 (paperback)


Other Resources

Year Published: 2017

Title: Law for Nurses and Midwives

Author: Staunton, Patricia J

Co-author: Chiarella, Mary

Edition: Eighth Edition

Publisher: Elsevier Australia


Year Published: 2019

Title: Law and ethics for health practitioners

Author: Allan, Sonia

Publisher: Elsevier Australia

Classroom/online, AV equipment, computers, library access, observational checklists documented in students clinical skills log book, clinical placements (CP1)


Overview of Assessment

 This assessment will incorporate a variety of methods including written, oral, practical tasks and activities.

 

You will be asked to personally demonstrate to your teacher/assessor the practical skills gained during this course to the relevant industry standards. Assessment activities will occur throughout this course and feedback will be provided at regular intervals

Students must pass each of the assessment tasks to demonstrate competence.


Assessment Tasks

 

Assessment 1

 Knowledge assessment task

Assessment 2

Product Assessment task (Case study report)

Assessment 3

Practical Assessment task (Clinical placement)

 

 

 
















Assessment Task 1: Knowledge assessment task

This short-answer assessment task is one of the three assessment tasks you need to complete satisfactorily, in order to be deemed competent for this unit.  This assessment task allows you to demonstrate your knowledge required to work within the legal and ethical parameters in professional nursing practice, including supporting rights and meeting duty of care requirements.

This is an individual task in which all questions must be answered at a SATISFACTORY level to be deemed satisfactory.

 

This assessment task will be marked as (S) or (NS).

 

 

Assessment Task 2: Product assessment task (case study report)

This product assessment task is the second of three assessment tasks you need to complete satisfactorily, in order to be deemed competent for this unit. 

This assessment will allow you to demonstrate your ability to apply ethical principles in professional nursing practice using a case study. You will be required to write a report on ethical issue in the case scenario. And, you will be assessed against the criteria as described in the marking guide provided to you.

 

This assessment task will be marked as (S) or (NS).

 

Assessment Task 3: Practical assessment task (Clinical Placement)

 

This practical assessment task (Clinical Placement) is the final of three assessment tasks you need to complete satisfactorily, in order to be deemed competent for this unit. 

 

You will attend 2 weeks of aged care clinical placements.  During placement you will practice and be assessed on your ability to work within the legal and ethical parameters that apply to professional nursing practice.

 

This practical assessment (Clinical Placement) will allow you to demonstrate your ability to work within legal and ethical parameters in professional nursing practice, including supporting rights and meeting duty of care requirements.

 

This assessment task will be marked as (S) or (NS).

 

 

Students are required to achieve “Satisfactory” in all 3 assessment tasks to achieve competency in this course.

A final Competent (CA) or Not yet competent (NYC) will be the final grade for this course.


Assessment Matrix

Other Information

Please refer to the RMIT student Page for extensive information about study support, assessments, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters:

https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/contact-and-help/support-services

Attendance

You are to attend all sessions in order to engage in the required learning activities, ensure the maximum opportunity and gain competency in the course.

Special consideration

Use the special consideration process if your circumstances are such that you cannot fulfil assessment requirements. For example, if you are unable to complete any piece of assessment by a due date, you will need to apply for an extension.

Re submissions

You must be competent in all elements to successfully complete the course

You are permitted to have a maximum of 2 re submissions for this course; however each individual assessment may only be resubmitted once.

Re submissions are not automatic and will only be approved at the discretion of the program coordinator after consultation with the teacher.

All re submissions must be completed and submitted no more than 7 days after our work has been assessed.

Please note an opportunity to repeat clinical placement is not guaranteed and will be at the discretion of the clinical Coordinator/Program Manager.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

RMIT has a strict policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. Please refer to 

https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/student-essentials/rights-and-responsibilities/academic-integrity

Working with Children Check and Police Check

This course requires a Working with Children Check and Police Check

Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer

If you think you have some or all of the knowledge and competencies described, please discuss the Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer options with may be available to you with your Course Coordinator:

For more information go to:

https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/search?q=prior+learning

Course Overview: Access Course Overview