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  2. Healthcare Ethics and Law [NSI1205]

School: Nursing and Midwifery

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Healthcare Ethics and Law

  • Unit Code

    NSI1205

  • Year

    2026

  • Enrolment Period

    1

  • Version

    2

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Carol CREVACORE

Description

The aim of the unit is to provide students with an understanding of ethics and law related to nursing practice relevant to the country where the unit is being delivered. Students will examine topical ethical and legal issues that may generate ethical and legal challenges for healthcare professionals and develop the knowledge and skills to discuss and debate these challenging issues. The content will include an examination of current law of the country where the unit is being delivered pertaining to healthcare as well as ethical theories, principles and doctrines that aid in decision-making processes.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

Block teaching may occur in some locations depending on regulatory requirements Classes may be scheduled for the weekend

Prerequisite Rule

Only students studying Y61 - Bachelor of Science (Nursing Studies) - can enrol in this unit.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded NUM1205.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Explain common law and statute law pertinent to nursing practice relevant to the country in which the unit is being delivered.
  2. Explain why the study of health law and ethics is an essential aspect of professional nursing practice.
  3. Reflect on the legal and ethical implications of actions taken in professional nursing practice.
  4. Identify strategies, which may assist in resolving legal and ethical issues that arise in clinical practice.
  5. Discuss the significant legal and ethical requirements relating to the registration of healthcare professionals from a global perspective.

Unit Content

  1. Introduction to law and ethics.
  2. Ethical theories and principles.
  3. Legal regulation related to the practice of nursing pertinent to the country where the unit is being delivered.
  4. Duty of care, negligence (including veracity and truth telling), malpractice, professional misconduct and consequences.
  5. Documentation, legal requirements and mandatory reporting.
  6. Informed consent (including capacity).
  7. Coronial processes, vicarious liability, and tribunals.
  8. Ethics and law controversies.
  9. Advanced Health Directives and other end of life issues.
  10. Legal aspects of the use of social media.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PresentationClinical application of Law and Ethics50%
Case StudyCase study report50%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

  • Plagiarism: Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).
  • Unauthorised collaboration (collusion): Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).
  • Contract cheating: Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.
  • Cheating in an exam: Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment Procedure - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment Procedure - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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