514-226 Clinical Nursing 2

514222 Biomedical Science and Nursing 1 and 514223 Clinical Nursing 1

This subject introduces students to an understanding of the dimensions of the nursing role in medical surgical nursing of individuals across the life span. In particular students will have the opportunity to examine the principles and practices for facilitating the care of patients experiencing diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and mental illness. Incorporated into this subject will also be the practice of discharge planning and further development of the skills of clinical decision making. Students consolidate theoretical knowledge through participation in laboratory-based tutorial sessions and through clinical experience in acute medical/surgical wards and sub acute psychiatric units under the guidance of clinical educators and mentors.

At the completion of this subject students will be able to:

• utilise strategies that facilitate effective client communication;

• demonstrate the ability to collect assessment data using a comprehensive nursing framework and utilise this data to develop a nursing care plan for patients experiencing acute or chronic illness;

• demonstrate analytical skills by incorporating the theoretical principles of clinical decision making into their patient care plans;

• demonstrate competency at a beginning level in a range of nursing interventions including: all routes of medication administration, nasogastric tubes, urinary catheter, wound management, intravenous and oxygen therapies;

• demonstrate competency at a beginning level in Mental Status Examination;

• discuss and demonstrate in practice the legal and ethical principles related to medication;

• implement nursing care for clients with medical-surgical conditions or with a mental illness, under the supervision of a clinical educator or mentor;

At the completion of this subject students will be able to demonstrate:

• communication of knowledge using written and oral presentation methods;

• the capacity for information seeking, retrieval and evaluation;

• critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills;

• intercultural sensitivity;

• planning and time management skills;

• an openness to new ideas;

• the ability to work effectively in a team

1) Two-hour examination - 40%

2) One 1500-word open-book examination - 20%

3) Clinical practicum appraisal - 40%

4) Satisfactory completion of a drug calculations test - hurdle requirement

5) Satisfactory performance appraisal for psychiatric clinical placement - hurdle requirement

6) Submission of a clinical practice portfolio - hurdle requirement

Students must achieve a pass in all components of assessment to pass this subject.

• Brown D & Edwards H (2004), Lewis' medical-surgical nursing. Sydney: Mosby.
• Frisch N and Frisch L (2006), Psychiatric mental health nursing (3rd ed). USA: Delmar/Thomson Learning.
• Gatford J & Philips N (2002), Nursing calculations (6th ed). Melbourne: Churchill Livingstone.
• Perrin R (2004), Pocket guide to APA style. Houghton Mifflin College: Boston.
• Stedman, Stedman's medical dictionary for the health professions and nursing. Australian and New Zealand edition (5th ed) (2005). Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins: Philadelphia.
• Tollefson J (2004), Clinical psychomotor skills: assessment tool for nursing students (2nd ed). Social Science Press: Australia.

• Galbraith, A, Bullock, S & Manias, E (2001), Fundamentals of pharmacology: A text for nurses and allied health professionals (3rd ed). South Melbourne: Addison Wesley Longman.