| Effective Term: | 2025/04 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Paediatric Nursing Practice 1 |
| Unit ID: | HEALP6001 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 060315 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit is designed to provide students with comprehensive and specialty foundational theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in paediatric health care, to support entry into supervised clinical experience. It builds on and enhances knowledge and practical skills students have gained from their previous professional nursing practice and study. The focus of the unit is children’s health, based on an in-depth understanding of normal anatomy and physiology, growth, and development. This will prepare students for paediatric nursing assessment, family centred care, important psychomotor skills for health assessment, pre-hospitalisation planning and care, discharge planning, frameworks for safe practice, professional responsibilities, scope of practice, and working in a multidisciplinary team. Within this unit essential elements of effective child-centred, and family-centred culturally sensitive care, including communication, strategies for decision-making, problem-solving, clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and reflective practice will be explored. |
| 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. | Examine the normal and common variations in anatomy and physiology of the infant, child, and adolescent. |
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| K2. | Describe the normal milestones of growth, development, and behaviour, and outline expected health parameters such as vital signs across the age groups. |
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| K3. | Demonstrate advanced knowledge regarding comprehensive and age-appropriate nursing assessment and care of infants, children, and adolescents. |
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| K4. | Analyse the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and quality use of medicines in the context of paediatric nursing. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Undertake and evaluate comprehensive assessment appropriate to paediatric age group |
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| S2. | Assess pain using age-appropriate pain tools, and implement and evaluate effective management strategies, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological. |
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| S3. | Demonstrate skills in decision-making and referral as part of a multidisciplinary team. |
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| S4. | Initiate, plan, implement and evaluate skilled, safe, and competent nursing practice within a paediatric healthcare context. |
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| S5. | Demonstrate Enhanced communication and interpersonal skills when caring for children and their families. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Utilise critical thinking and clinical reasoning to apply evidence-based practices to provide family-centred care |
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| A2. | Implement strategies to support the child and family's need for privacy, dignity, and respect, as well as their right to be informed and to make decisions regarding care of their child. |
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| A3. | Employ reflective practice strategies to develop understanding of paediatric nursing |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics may include: - Overview of pregnancy, labour, birth, and newborn transition at birth
- Normal and common variations in anatomy and physiology
- Child growth, development, and behaviour
- Paediatric health assessment appropriate to age group
- Normal health parameters and deviations in each age group
- Pain assessment and management
- Child-centred, family-centred, and strengths-based care principles
- Communication with the child, family, and interdisciplinary team
- Family structures and culturally sensitive care principles
- Professional role and responsibilities, mandatory reporting
- Working in a multidisciplinary team
- National Safety and Quality Standards in a paediatric setting
- Pharmacology in the paediatric setting
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| Graduate Attributes: |
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K2, K3, S1, S2, S3, S4, A1 | Application of theoretical concepts to provision of care for children and families | Written task | 40-60% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S5, A1, A2, A3 | Application of communication skills in a paediatric context through simulated explanation and education to a child and family about a child’s health condition. | Video Presentation | 40-60% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, A1, A2, A3 | Ability to apply evidence-based theoretical knowledge, skills, and clinical reasoning in a paediatric setting. | Clinical Assessment and Clinical Practice Portfolio | S/U |
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