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

    Fundamentals of Nursing
  • Unit Code

    NCS6101
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Yvonne MIDDLEWICK

Description

This unit introduces the student to the Australian healthcare system, theoretical concepts and key issues in nursing. Students will explore the relationship between nursing knowledge and the evolving social, legal and ethical demands that are made on the nursing profession when delivering contemporary care. Academic literacy will be introduced as the foundation to successful professional and evidence-based practice .

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Apply effective written communication appropriate to professional standards.
  2. Examine the different elements that underpin the Australian healthcare system and the role of the nurse within the system.
  3. Discuss the application of the NMBA codes, standards and guidelines related to self-regulation.
  4. Employ EBP and critical thinking skills to make decisions in a specific clinical context.
  5. Explain why the study of law and ethics is an essential aspect of nursing professional practice in Australia.
  6. Appraise the Australian Safety and Quality Framework for Health Care and discuss implications for nursing practise.

Unit Content

  1. Introduction to Evidenced Based Practice concepts (EBP) within healthcare.
  2. Translating evidence into nursing and midwifery practice, culture of inquiry, critical thinking.
  3. Ethical theories and principles.
  4. Legal regulation related to the practice of nursing and midwifery: including for example the Poisons Act, the Health Practitioner Regulation Act, and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia legal and ethical requirements relating to registration.
  5. Global health perspectives and the Australian healthcare system.
  6. Professional governance, the Australian Safety and Quality Framework for Health Care and National accreditation.
  7. Nursing roles and responsibilities. The healthcare consumer.
  8. Analyse the sustainability of the National Health priority areas for Australia and discuss how the NHPAs priority areas are determined.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 113 x 2 hour tutorialNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
TestQuiz20%
ExerciseAnnotated Bibliography40%
Case StudyExploring nursing knowledge and legal and ethical demands made in the nursing profession40%

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, Examination and Moderation Procedures - 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, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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