Clients with Acute and Chronic Illness

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

On campus

Students are expected to devote approximately 12 hours self directed a week to this subject and a further 16 hours per week for seven weeks during clinical practicum.

514753 Nursing Science 1

514754 Nursing Assessment & Care

Level 2 First Aid Certificate

This subject requires students to actively and safely contribute to clinical activities. Students who feel their disability will impact on meeting this requirement are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Nursing Course Coordinator and the Disability Liaison Unit.

In the clinical skills laboratory, through facilitated clinical practice, students will develop skills relating to specific medical/surgical nursing interventions and drug administration.

In the clinical practicum, under the guidance of clinical educators and clinical buddies, students will gain experience in settings that enable them to meet the learning objectives of this subject.

The major focus for the clinical component of this subject is the integration of the principles of medical/surgical nursing, clinical decision making, and more complex nursing interventions. On completion of the subject it is expected that students, while providing therapeutic interventions, are able to incorporate the further collection of health assessment data and adjust care accordingly for 2-3 patients.

• identify and be cognisant of the National Health Priorities and integrate NHMRC clinical practices guidelines where relevant;
• utilise strategies that facilitate a therapeutic nurse patient relationship, refine client assessment by using a comprehensive nursing framework and utilise this data to develop a nursing care plan for patients experiencing acute or chronic illness;
• demonstrate analytical skills by incorporating the theoretical principles of clinical decision making into patient care plans;
• implement appropriate nursing assessment and care for clients on admission & discharge including pre and post operative management;
• demonstrate competency in selected nursing skills;
• communicate verbally, and in writing, in a professional manner with the patient, their families and other members of the health care team.

Theoretical component - 60%

a) 2,000-word case study (week 7) - ( 25%)

b) 3-hour written examination (exam week) - ( 35%)

Clinical component (week 13) - 40%

c) Clinical Practicum equivalent to 3,000 words inclusive of: performance appraisal assessment

5 x 250-word clinical event analyses

5 x 250-word medication logs

Hurdle Requirement

d) 15-minute drug calculation test.

Students must pass the theoretical, clinical and hurdle components to achieve a pass in the subject

Brown, D., & Edwards, H. (2004). Lewis' medical-surgical nursing. Sydney: Mosby

Frisch, N., & Frisch, L. (2006). Psychiatric mental health nursing. (3rd ed.). USA: Delmar/Thomson Learning.

Education Innovations 2005 Nursing Calculations Version 6. (CD based learning resource).

Levitt-Jones, T. & Bourgeois, S. (2007). The clinical placement: an essential guide for nursing students. Churchill - Livingstone/Elsevier.: Sydney

Lim, A. & McKenzie, G. (Eds.) 2006. Australia New Zealand Nursing Drug Handbook (3rd ed.) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Philadelphia.

Perrin, R. (2007). Pocket guide to APA style (2nd ed.). Houghton Mifflin College: Boston

Stedman's medical dictionary for the health professions and nursing. Australian and New Zealand Edition (5th ed). (2005). Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins: Philadelphia

Tollefson J (2007). Clinical psychomotor skills: assessment tools for nursing student (3rd ed). Thompson: Australia

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• the capacity for information seeking, retrieval and evaluation;
• critical thinking and analytical skills;
• an openness to new ideas;
• intercultural sensitivity;
• planning and time management skills;
• the ability to work effectively in a team;
• the ability to communicate knowledge through classroom and web-based discussions and written material.