| Effective Term: | 2025/04 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Intensive Care Nursing Practice |
| Unit ID: | HEALC6402 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | (HEALC6401 and HEALT6003) |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 060309 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit explores the applied role of the advanced clinical nurse in an intensive care setting. Through this unit students engage in the application of advanced level clinical reasoning in the intensive care clinical setting. This unit focuses on advanced level integration of theoretical knowledge and evidence based practice for the safe and effective care of the intensive care patient taking a lifespan and evidence based approach. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| 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. | Describe an advanced assessment of the critically ill patient through comprehensive primary, secondary and tertiary surveys and explore planning and management based on assessment findings. |
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| K2. | Critically analyse and describe the applied pathophysiology related to a patient presenting with multi-systems failure, traumatic injury or end of life considerations. |
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| K3. | Demonstrate sound knowledge, implementation and management of invasive therapies, diagnostic tests and therapeutic considerations of the critically ill patient in the intensive care environment. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Demonstrates competency in the transferrable skills required to care for the critically unwell patient, including accurate assessment, invasive therapy monitoring, analysis and evaluation in the intensive care environment. |
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| S2. | Adopt a professional and analytical approach to nursing the critically ill patient in the intensive care environment, using a collegial approach to work with the interdisciplinary team and acheive optimal patient outcomes. |
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| S3. | Applies advanced theoretical knowledge that informs clinical and practical skills of basic and advanced life support in the intensive care environment, commensurate with the Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Identify and demonstrate the application of problem solving skills to the nursing management of a critically ill patient admitted to the intensive care 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, ensuring most recent evidence based practice |
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| A3. | Apply leadership attributes and profession practice consistent with the National Safety and Quality Health Service standards when caring for health care consumers as part of the interdisciplinary team in intensive care settings. |
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| Unit Content: |
Practice Standards for Specialist Critical Care Nurses (2015), National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (2017-2019), Registered Nurse Standards for Practice (2016) and International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses (2012) have substantially informed the syllabus/content of this unit. Topics may include: Application of systems approach to assessment and therapeutic management of complex presentations in the intensive care environment for patients across the lifespan, Application and interpretation of monitoring and diagnostic testing for the intensive care patient Health promotion and long term care of the intensive care patient End of life support and organ donation including care of families and significant others in the intensive care environment Professional practice considerations in the management of conflict Application of Basic and Advanced Life Support therapies in the intensive care environment |
| 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, S3, A1, A2, A3 | Application of Knowledge of a contemporary intensive care treatment, incorporating current evidence-based literature supporting its application in the intensive care unit. | Poster and/or video | 40-60% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A1, A3 | Application of an advanced theoretical knowledge to the care of the critically ill patient. | Essay/ annotated bibliography | 40-60% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3 | Apply advanced level evidenced based theoretical knowledge, and clinical reasoning in the intensive care environment | Clinical Assessment or Clinical Practice Portfolio | S/U |
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