Course Title: Apply a palliative approach in nursing practice

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2020

Course Code: NURS5399C

Course Title: Apply a palliative approach in nursing practice

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

Campus: City Campus

Program: C5365 - Diploma of Nursing

Course Contact: Jaye Keating

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 4845

Course Contact Email: jaye.keating@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 50

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 provide nursing care using a palliative approach in care environments such as hospitals, home and community care, hospices and long-term care facilities.

 

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:

HLTENN010 Apply a palliative approach in nursing practice

Element:

1. Recognise the special needs of a person requiring a palliative approach to care.

Performance Criteria:

1.1 Apply principles of palliative care and the palliative approach in undertaking holistic assessment of the person. 1.2 Apply knowledge of pathophysiological changes associated with a life-limiting illness and the needs of the person. 1.3 Assess a person's pain management, and implement strategies to address pain and any medication-induced constipation in consultation with registered nurse. 1.4 Identify and respect the person's needs in relation to their lifestyle, social context and emotional and spiritual choices, and document these in accordance with care plan. 1.5 Identify and work within roles and responsibilities of the inter-disciplinary team when planning palliative care for the person. 1.6 Apply in own practice an awareness of the psychosocial impact of palliative care on the person's family or carer.

Element:

2. Support person, family or carers using the palliative approach.

Performance Criteria:

2.1 Provide the person, family or carer with opportunities to discuss spiritual and cultural issues in an open and non-judgmental manner. 2.2 Use effective communication techniques and access relevant support services to provide a supportive environment for the person, family or carer. 2.3 Monitor the person's condition and provide accurate and timely information on stages of dying to the person, family or carer, ensuring that information-provision respects their wishes. 2.4 Identify and address legal and ethical implications of implementing advance care planning (ACP) and advance care directives (ACD).

Element:

3. Identify and respond to signs of deterioration and the stages of dying.

Performance Criteria:

3.1 Apply knowledge of the physiology of dying in supporting the person, family or carer as they experience the person's dying process. 3.2 Identify signs of respiratory and swallowing difficulties and implement management strategies in accordance with ACP or ACD. 3.3 Address malignant wound management in accordance with the unique needs of non-healing wounds of a deteriorating person. 3.4 Identify and report signs of the person's deterioration or imminent death in accordance with ACP or ACD. 3.5 Support the dignity of the person when undertaking all care activities in their end-of-life stages as well as after their death. 3.6 Identify and reflect on any ethical issues or concerns about the person, and discuss with an appropriate person according to organisation procedures.

Element:

4. Care for the person's body after death and provide support for the family and others.

Performance Criteria:

4.1 Apply knowledge of legislation to own role and responsibilities when a person dies. 4.2 Provide care of a person's body after death using standard precautions and in accordance with organisation policy and procedures. 4.3 Ensure care of the person's body is carried out with dignity and respect, and that the person's individual customs, culture, religion, spiritual practices and choices are taken into account. 4.4 Discuss support needs and resources including the accessibility and availability of resources with the family, carer or others requiring bereavement care. 4.5 Provide emotional support to the person, family or carer in relation to grief, loss and bereavement.

Element:

5. Provide for own self-care in palliative care role.

Performance Criteria:

5.1 Identify own need for self-care and support and implement effective ways to sustain own social and emotional wellbeing. 5.2 Encourage self and colleagues to access support and, where indicated, participate in professional debriefing.


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.

 

 

On completion of this course you should be able to:

  1. Recognise the special needs of a person requiring a palliative approach to care.

    1.1 Apply principles of palliative care and the palliative approach in undertaking holistic assessment of the person.

    1.2 Apply knowledge of pathophysiological changes associated with a life-limiting illness and the needs of the person.

    1.3 Assess a person’s pain management, and implement strategies to address pain and any medication-induced constipation in consultation with registered nurse.

    1.4 Identify and respect the person’s needs in relation to their lifestyle, social context and emotional and spiritual choices, and document these in accordance with care plan.

    1.5 Identify and work within roles and responsibilities of the inter-disciplinary team when planning palliative care for the person.

    1.6 Apply in own practice an awareness of the psychosocial impact of palliative care on the person’s family or carer.

  2. Support person, family or carers using the palliative approach.

    2.1 Provide the person, family or carer with opportunities to discuss spiritual and cultural issues in an open and non-judgmental manner.

    2.2 Use effective communication techniques and access relevant support services to provide a supportive environment for the person, family or carer.

    2.3 Monitor the person’s condition and provide accurate and timely information on stages of dying to the person, family or carer, ensuring that information-provision respects their wishes.

    2.4 Identify and address legal and ethical implications of implementing advance care planning (ACP) and advance care directives (ACD).

  3. Identify and respond to signs of deterioration and the stages of dying.

    3.1 Apply knowledge of the physiology of dying in supporting the person, family or carer as they experience the person’s dying process.

    3.2 Identify signs of respiratory and swallowing difficulties and implement management strategies in accordance with ACP or ACD.

    3.3 Address malignant wound management in accordance with the unique needs of non-healing wounds of a deteriorating person.

    3.4 Identify and report signs of the person’s deterioration or imminent death in accordance with ACP or ACD.

    3.5 Support the dignity of the person when undertaking all care activities in their end-of-life stages as well as after their death.

    3.6 Identify and reflect on any ethical issues or concerns about the person, and discuss with an appropriate person according to organisation procedures.

  4. Care for the person’s body after death and provide support for the family and others.

    4.1 Apply knowledge of legislation to own role and responsibilities when a person dies.

    4.2 Provide care of a person’s body after death using standard precautions and in accordance with organisation policy and procedures.

    4.3 Ensure care of the person’s body is carried out with dignity and respect, and that the person’s individual customs, culture, religion, spiritual practices and choices are taken into account.

    4.4 Discuss support needs and resources including the accessibility and availability of resources with the family, carer or others requiring bereavement care.

    4.5 Provide emotional support to the person, family or carer in relation to grief, loss and bereavement.

  5. Provide for own self-care in palliative care role.

    5.1 Identify own need for self-care and support and implement effective ways to sustain own social and emotional wellbeing.

    5.2 Encourage self and colleagues to access support and, where indicated, participate in professional debriefing.


Details of Learning Activities

The Learning approach for this unit includes:

  • Face to face classroom learning
  • Online Learning
  • Clinical placement

You are expected to attend all of your classes.

There is a clinical component to this course and you are expected to attend 100% of the placement allocated hours.


Teaching Schedule

Group

C19M and B19M

Topic

Readings & Activities

Group

C19M & B19M

 

 

Week 1/ Lesson 1

 

 

 

 

Introduction to Palliative Care

 

 

 

Readings:

Course text book, pg-493-495

Activities:

Teacher lead group discussion on “What is your understanding of Palliative care?

How would you define Palliative care?”

 

 

Introduction to Assessment Task 1,

Assessment Task 2 & Assessment Task 3

Due date for Assessment 1- Due mid-Week 7. Check Canvas for due date.

Assessment 2- Due Week 3. Check Canvas for due date.

Assessment 3- CP2.

 

Week 2/

Lesson 2

 

 

Pain and Palliative care

Theories of Pain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Readings: Course text book, Pg. 1057-1082

 

Activities: Discussion on factors affecting Pain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 3/ Lesson 3

End of life care

Death and Dying

 

Readings:

Course text book, Pg. 1122-1130

 

Activities:

Discussion on holistic palliative care.

Assessment Task 2 due this week.

Week 4/

Lesson 4

 

 

Grieving and loss

Factors affecting

Theories of grieving and loss

Readings: Course text book, Pg. 1131-1171

 

Activities: Discussion on Kubler- Ross model

 

 

Week 6/ Lesson 5

 

 

Nutrition in Palliative care environment

Pathophysiological changes associated with a life-limiting illness and nutrition

Readings: Course text book, Pg. 1175-1181

 

Activities:

Discussion on overcoming nutritional deficits

 

Assessment Week:

Week 7

 

 

 

 

Assessment Task1 due this week.

 

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

 


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References


Other Resources

Course Recommended Texts

Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing: Volume 1


Overview of Assessment

Assessment will include clinical placement and on campus activities

 

 


Assessment Tasks

Assessment Tasks

There are three assessment tasks for this unit:

 AT1 Case Study 

 AT2   OnlineModule

 AT3   Clinical Placement logbook


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:

http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students

Special consideration:

Use the special consideration process if your circumstances are such that you cannot fulfill 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 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 your work as been assessed.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

RMIT has a strict policy on plagiarism and academic integrity.  Please refer to: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/academic-integrity for more information.

Attendance

You are required to attend all sessions in order to engage in the required learning activities and ensure the maximum opportunity to gain compete

Course Overview: Access Course Overview