| Effective Term: | 2025/20 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Specialty Medical-Surgical Nursing Practice |
| Unit ID: | HEAAN6605 |
| Credit Points: | 30.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | (HEAAN6602 and HEAAN6603) |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 060301 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit explores the applied role of the advanced clinical nurse in the medical-surgical care setting. Through this unit students will engage in the application of advanced level clinical reasoning in the medical-surgical care clinical setting. This unit focuses on a diverse range of patient population in terms of age, illnesses, chronicity and co morbidities. As patient cases become increasingly more complex, often resulting in acute episodes demanding specialised expert care, medical-surgical nurses must possess a comprehensive knowledge base to effectively manage their daily responsibilities and mitigate undesirable outcomes. Leveraging on existing nursing expertise and skills, this unit aims to further enhance clinical competence, with a specific focus on advancing practice and equipping you with the necessary clinical skills to care for complex medical-surgical and deteriorating patients. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | |  | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Correlate the sound understanding of pathophysiology as related to complex health issues and clinical deterioration experienced by adult patients in a medical/surgical clinical setting. |
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| K2. | Demonstrate a sound knowledge of alterations or failure of various body systems for all patients presenting to the medical-surgical department that informs clinical reasoning of patient deterioration that supports patient care priorities and disposition. |
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| K3. | Critically evaluates and interprets health assessment data gained from nursing assessments and diagnostic findings to evaluate therapeutic interventions to inform ongoing nursing priorities, interventions and evaluation of care. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Demonstrate sound theoretical knowledge that informs clinical and practical skills of basic life support and introduction to advanced life support commensurate with the Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation. |
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| S2. | Perform the required clinical skills, including holistic health assessment, therapeutic monitoring, analysis and evaluation of interventions in the person-centred care of the medical-surgical patient. |
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| S3. | Apply a professional and analytical approach to nursing the medical-surgical patient and an understanding of the way in which nurses work in a specialist area to work effectively within interdisciplinary teams. |
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| S4. | Demonstrates a professional approach to nursing practice through holistic patient and family centred care and effective communication in the care of the medical-surgical patient. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to the nursing management of a patient admitted to the medical or surgical unit. |
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| A2. | Gain the ability to engage in life-long learning through reflective practice and seek learning opportunities to keep abreast of digital and non-digital advances in healthcare and engagement with evidence-based practice. |
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| A3. | Apply leadership qualities during professional practice; and communicate in a professional and confidential manner with patients, their significant others and interdisciplinary team members to ensure optimal patient outcomes. |
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| Unit Content: |
This unit is designed to extend your knowledge and skills surrounding medical-surgical nursing. This unit is designed to extend your knowledge and skills in Advanced Medical-Surgical Nursing Practice. The National Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Registered Nurse Standards for Practice (2016); NMBA Code of Conduct for Nurses (2018) and International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses (2021), NMBA Decision Making Framework (DMF) for Nursing and Midwifery (2022), National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (2017) and National Health Priority areas have substantially informed the syllabus/content of this unit. Topics may include: - Recognition of and response to patient deterioration including acute behavioural disturbance and delirium.
- Assessment and management of common presentations of acute and acute on chronic disease and injury states in the adult patient admitted to the Medical/Surgical unit including but not limited to Diabetes Mellitus, Stroke, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Heart Failure, as well as common Orthopaedic and Gastrointestinal presentations.
- Basic Life Support principles and practice and introduction to Advanced Life Support principles and practice.
- Application, interpretation and evaluation of relevant interventions, monitoring and diagnostics for the medical/surgical patient including but not limited to ventilation support, haemodynamic support, blood product administration, and common pharmacotherapy.
- Discharge/transfer from the medical/surgical unit.
- Health promotion and education in the medical/surgical unit.
- Quality palliative and end-of-life care
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| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate high-level skills to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups Students will be required to display (in person and/or online) high-level skills in-person and/or online in: • Effective verbal and non-verbal communication via a range of synchronous and asynchronous methods • Active listening for meaning and influencing • High-level empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating extended conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply leadership skills and behaviours Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating, contributing to, and enabling collegial environments • Showing self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect for personal growth • Inspiring and enabling others • Making informed and evidence-based decisions through consultation with others • Displaying initiative and ability to solve problems | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complex and ambiguous environments, using their imagination to create new ideas Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically on complex problems • Synthesising, evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Proposing alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts through deep inquiry • Proposing creative solutions in problem solving | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work proficiently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks Students will be required to display high-level skills in: • Finding, accessing, collating, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and appropriately and securely sharing complex digital information at a high-level • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Using digital tools appropriately to conduct research • Contributing proficiently to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and utilising digital learning opportunities | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to think ethically and sustainably. Students will be required to display skills in: • The responsible conduct of research • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in multiple global economic environmental and societal contexts • Demonstrating commitment to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Generating research solutions which are sustainable,ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable • Extending lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Demonstrate extended actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | 1 - Yes |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, A1, A3 | Application of knowledge of a medical/surgical nursing practice topic of the students choosing | Audio-visual presentation | 40-60% | | 2. | S3, S4, A2, A3 | Exploration and critical analysis of a contemporary issues for medical/surgical nursing. | Written task | 40-60% | | 3. | K3, S1, S2, S4, A1, A2, A3 | Ability to apply advanced level evidence-based theoretical knowledge, and skills and clinical reasoning in a medical-surgical setting. | Clinical Practical Portfolio | Hurdle Ungraded Pass/Fail |
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