Leading Advanced Practice

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

2 day intensive and online

Students are expected to devote approximately 6 hours per week to this subject.

n/a

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's courses. Students who feel their disability will impact on meeting this requirement are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Course Coordinator and the Disability Liaison Unit.

This subject considers contemporary issues relating to the professional responsibility associated with assuming advanced practice roles. Students are guided to appreciate the history and development of advanced practice and the role of the advanced practitioner as it is positioned within the local and global health care environment. Health policy is considered as a driving force for development of advanced practice and health policy implications of extended practice are critiqued. The regulations governing nurse accountability are analysed and the relationship between accountability, legislation, licensure, certification and credentialing are examined. Legal and ethical issues relating to advanced practice are considered. The need to monitor and evaluate the contribution of advanced practice activities to health outcomes is explored within a framework of clinical governance and students learn how to use clinical audit processes relevant to their advanced practice role. The importance of leadership as a component of advanced practice is emphasized. Students participate in learning activities to identify leadership qualities, develop their leadership potential and develop their skills in disseminating knowledge using a variety of verbal and written methods. An on-campus class forum provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to contextualise the content of this subject and debate key issues.

Following completion of this subject it is expected that the student will be able to:

• Define advanced nursing practice and contextualise it to their area of specialty;
• Discuss the history of advanced nursing practice on an international and local level;
• Clearly define the role of the Nurse Practitioner;
• Discuss factors that influence the development and implementation of advanced practice roles, such as that of the Nurse Practitioner, including; stakeholders, clinical practice guidelines, socialisation factors and leadership;
• Discuss the endorsement process leading to registration as a Nurse Practitioner.

1. Presentation of an on-line tutorial equivalent to 1,000 words (20%) - Due weeks 6-12
2. 3,000 word assignment (80%) - Due end of semester

Hurdle requirement: Participation in 75% of on-line discussion forums

Hamric, A.B. Spross, J.A., & Hanson, C.M. (eds) (2005). Advanced Practice Nursing: An Integrative Approach. St Louis: Elsevier Saunder

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• The capacity to analyse and critically appraise the relationship between health policy, politics and nursing practice and global and local trends in advanced nursing practice that impact on health care delivery;
• An awareness and appreciation of the socio-cultural and professional tensions that have accompanied the introduction of advanced practice roles locally, nationally and internationally;
• An understanding of the regulation of advanced nursing practice by government, statutory bodies and the profession in local, national and international advanced practice contexts;
• The capacity to contextualise regulation of nursing practice by articulating relationships between accountability, legislation, licensure, certification and credentialing specific to the individual's workplace and advanced practice role
• The capacity to critically examine legal and ethical concerns relating to advanced and extended nursing practice and initiate problem solving and decision making consultations within multi-disciplinary health care teams according to contemporary legal requirements and ethical guidelines;;
• The capacity to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature in the discipline to contribute orally and in writing to collegial forums on a range of contemporary health policy and professional issues influencing advanced practice nursing;
• The capacity to communicate as scholarly clinicians through the presentation of work for the consideration of peers;
• A profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship;
• An awareness and understanding of the requirements for monitoring and providing justification for practice decisions by developing audit tools and audit processes consistent with a clinical governance framework;
• An appreciation of leadership qualities and the ways in which advanced knowledge equips the practitioner to offer leadership in the specialist area including a capacity to engage in public debate on issues relevant to health care policy and practice.

This subject has a multi-media tutorial component delivered via the University's on-line Learning Management System (LMS). Students must have access to appropriate computer facilities and the Internet.