| Effective Term: | 2025/20 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Specialty Critical Care Nursing Practice |
| Unit ID: | HEAAN6606 |
| 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 is dedicated to the development of the post-registered nurse for advanced clinical practice within Critical Care environments. Building upon their advanced assessment knowledge and capabilities and understanding of pathophysiology concepts, HEAAN 6606 will provide nurses with the opportunity to apply the pathophysiological and health assessment principles when caring for individuals with life threatening illnesses, injuries, or complications in the critical care environment. Students will demonstrate the application of this knowledge through the identification of critical illness, physical assessment findings, interpretation of diagnostics, and the implementation and ongoing evaluation of critical care treatments. |
| 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. | Critically analyses the pathophysiological and health assessment data trends of a critically unwell patient with life threatening illnesses (including single organ and multiple organ failure disease states) to inform patient care plans and management. |
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| K2. | Demonstrates a sound level of knowledge of critical care interventions (including the implementation, assessment, and management) utilised in the care of the critically unwell patient. |
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| K3. | Critically evaluates and interprets health assessment data gained from nursing assessments, invasive monitoring and diagnostic findings to evaluate therapeutic interventions to inform ongoing nursing priorities, interventions and evaluations of care when caring for a critically unwell patient. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Performs a systemic approach to advanced patient assessment of the critically unwell patient (including physiological data trends, invasive monitoring data and diagnostic findings) to inform nursing practice. |
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| S2. | Applies advanced critical thinking and analytical skills in order to accurately interpret, manage and evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions required in the care of the critically unwell patient. |
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| S3. | Integrates effective communication strategies underpinned by evidenced in order to facilitate high quality patient and family centred care practices. |
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| S4. | Demonstrates a collegial approach to working within interdisciplinary teams through the promotion of leadership and effective teamwork strategies underpinned by evidence when caring for a critically unwell patient. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Demonstrates an advanced level of assessment, management, interpretation and evaluation skills when caring for a critically unwell patient which is commensurate with relevant competency standards, professional organisations and regulatory bodies governing Critical Care Nursing practice. |
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| A2. | Integrates advanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the assessment, management, interpretation and evaluation of invasive interventions and treatments utilised in a critically unwell patient’s care plan to treat life threatening illness, injury or complication. |
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| A3. | Applies collegiality, effective leadership, and teamwork approaches within the interdisciplinary team consistent with evidence-based practices when caring for critically unwell patients to promote patient and family centred care in critical care environments. |
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| A4. | Engages in lifelong learning through reflective practice and seek learning opportunities to keep abreast of digital and non-digital advances in healthcare and engagement, ensuring most recent evidence-based practice. |
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| Unit Content: |
This unit is designed to extend your knowledge and skills surrounding Critical Care Nursing. The Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN) Practice Standards for Specialist Critical Care Nurses (2015), 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: - Understanding advanced pathophysiological concepts of acute conditions in the context of the critically unwell patient.
- Advanced systematic assessment of the critically unwell patient with complex presentations (including clinical deterioration, single-organ and multi-organ failure).
- Principles of advanced interventional therapies specific to the critical care environment utilised in the care of life-threatening illnesses (including the implementation, assessment, management and evaluation of these therapies). Including but not limited to advanced artificial mechanical ventilation (non-invasive and invasive techniques), cardiac assist devices, haemodynamic monitoring, vasoactive agents, neurological interventions, and renal replacement strategies.
- Health promotion and long-term care of the critical care patient
- End of life support and organ donation
- Application of patient and family centred care in the critical care environment
- Governance and professional practice principles including leadership, teamwork, conflict management and high quality and safety considerations.
- Application of Basic and Advanced Life Support therapies in the critical care environment.
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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, S1, S2, A1, A2, A3 | Application of advanced theoretical and clinical reasoning (including health assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation) in the care of a deteriorating patient requiring therapeutic management in a critical care environment. | Written task | 40-60% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3 | Application of knowledge of a contemporary critical care treatment and/or issue, incorporating current evidence-based literature supporting its application in the critical care unit. | Oral Presentation | 40-60% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, S4, A1, A2, A3, A4 | Ability to apply advanced level evidence-based theoretical knowledge, and skills and clinical reasoning in the critical care setting. | Clinical Practice Portfolio | HURDLE Ungraded Pass/Fail |
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