| Effective Term: | 2025/08 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Nursing Context 6: Pathophysiology and Pharmacology Applied to
Person-Centered Nursing Practice A |
| Unit ID: | NURBN2023 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | (NURBN2022) |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 060301 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit focuses on pathophysiology and pharmacology for nursing care. In this unit, students will have the opportunity to extend their knowledge and skills in relation to the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive and musculoskeletal systems across the lifespan. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of each of the National Health Priority areas by examining the aetiology, pathophysiology, assessment, diagnostic testing and pharmacology related to common disease conditions. Students will be expected to identify and relate safe, effective, evidence-based pharmacological interventions and strategies for management and treatment of commonly identified conditions. |
| 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 examine and explain the pathologic effects of selected disease processes from National Health Priority area at the cellular and systemic levels |
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| K2. | Identify and assess appropriate/inappropriate responses to therapy |
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| K3. | Identify the roles of the professional nurse in relation to medication administration and education and clinical care standards |
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| K4. | Analyse and describe characteristics of major groups and selected individual medications in terms of the following; mechanism(s) of action, drug effects, therapeutic uses, side effects and adverse effects, toxicity and management of overdoses, interactions, and nursing responsibilities related to administration, monitoring, and teaching |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Use the clinical reasoning cycle to understand the connection between pathophysiological and pharmacological principles as a basis for nursing practice |
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| S2. | Assess pathophysiological basis of delirium resulting from the endocrine; hepatic/immune; renal; reproductive systems; and the special senses |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Interpret diagnostic tests in relation to objective and subjective symptomatology |
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| A2. | Apply pathophysiological concepts of disease to the management of commonly occurring conditions across the life span |
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| A3. | Apply pharmacological concepts of treatment of commonly occurring National Health Priority area conditions across the life span |
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| Unit Content: |
The current NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice, NMBA Code of Conduct for Nurses, Code of Ethics for Nurses, National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, Aged Care Quality Standards, National Health Priority Areas and where applicable the NMBA National Competency Standards for the Midwives, NMBA Code of Conduct for Midwives, ICM/NMBA Code of Ethics for Midwives have informed the content development of this unit. Pathophysiology of the National Health Priority Areas for diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive and musculoskeletal systems Medication nomenclature and classification of common classes of medications used to treat specific cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive and musculoskeletal systems throughout the lifespan Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of common classes of medications used to treat specific cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive and musculoskeletal systems throughout the lifespan Drug actions and changes in drug actions in disease processes of the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive and musculoskeletal systems Common adverse actions of pharmacological treatments of cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive and musculoskeletal systems Drug administration principles – safe drug calculation practices Interpretation of diagnostic tests in relation to cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, digestive and musculoskeletal systems across the lifespan Contextualise and assess nursing graduate capabilities and Practice Standards allocated to this unit |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, A1, A2, A3 | Attendance at Active Learning Sessions | 80% Attendance at Active Learning Sessions | S/U Hurdle | | 2. | K4, A3 | Medication Competency Assessment Contextualise and assess nursing graduate attributes allocated to this unit | MedSafe | S/U Hurdle | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, A1, A2, A3 | Application of clinical reasoning cycle in the context of pathophysiology, pharmacology and nursing practice in the form of a video. | Asynchronous Oral Presentation | 30-50% | | 4. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, A1, A2, A3 | Assessment of principles of pathophysiology for nursing practice | Examination | 50-70% |
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