Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

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

    Health Assessment Skills and Practice
  • Unit Code

    NPP1101
  • Year

    2015
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

This is the first workplace integrated learning unit in a series of six clinical practice units. Health assessment is a foundational skill for nurses in all contexts of care. In this unit students have the opportunity to develop the knowledge, techniques and skills required by the professional nurse to perform holistic, comprehensive nursing health assessment including the physical examination of individuals. Students will develop beginning level clinical reasoning skills with a focus on risk assessment and management, symptom assessment, and promoting patient function. Students will develop the following learning outcomes in either the simulated environment and/or the clinical practice setting.

Prerequisite Rule

For COURSE_CODE NOT IN C33, K45, K65, Y19, Y79 Do Permission required Otherwise true

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded NSP1202, NSP1204, NSP1205

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Apply the infection control skills necessary to participate safely in the health care setting.
  2. Assume management of 15-30% of the Registered Nurse Workload appropriate to setting.
  3. Demonstrate professional competency in the workplace setting in accordance with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council Competencies for the Registered Nurse relevant to the stage one scope of nursing practice.
  4. Distinguish between the normal and abnormal findings.
  5. Implement commonly used health assessment instruments used in clinical practice.
  6. Undertake an adult physical assessment relevant to nursing practice in the health care setting.
  7. Undertake general and mental health assessment.
  8. Utilise beginning level medication calculations competency.

Unit Content

  1. Assessment instruments for assessing falls, cognition, skin integrity and fluid balance.
  2. Basic health observations: including temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respirations and urinalysis.
  3. Beginning level medication calculations.
  4. General and mental health assessment and documentation.
  5. Hand hygiene and standard precautions.
  6. Physical assessment and documentation: eye and ear examination, chest and respiratory examination, abdominal examination, cardiac and neurovascular examination, musculoskeletal and gait assessment.
  7. Professionalism as a student nurse working in multidisciplinary teams.
  8. Taking a basic health history.
  9. Use of healthcare agency systems technology.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, simulation workshops and clinical practicum (40 hours).

Assessment

GS4 GRADING SCHEMA 4 Used for undifferentiated pass/fail 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 Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescription
ExerciseCompletion of all pre-practicum requirements and upload documents to SONIA
TestObjective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
PracticumSuccessful completion of the clinical placement and NCAS
ExaminationEnd of semester examination

Text References

  • ^ Mary Ellen Zator Estes; Pauline Calleja; Karen Theobald; Theresa Harvey. Health Assessment and Physical Examination: Australian & New Zealand edition. (1st ed.). Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.
  • ^ Medication Management for Health Care Professionals CD 2013 (version 1.0.0) Intellilearn Pty Ltd.
  • ^ Crisp, J.,Taylor, C., Douglas, C. & Rebeiro, G. (2013). Potter and Perry's fundamentals of nursing (4th ed.). Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier.

Journal References

  • Rehabilitation Nursing
  • British Journal of Nursing
  • Journal of Hospital Infections
  • Nursing Standard
  • Journal of Advanced Nursing
  • Australian Journal of Nursing Education

Website References

^ Mandatory reference


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.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

NPP1101|2|1

Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science

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

    Health Assessment Skills and Practice
  • Unit Code

    NPP1101
  • Year

    2015
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

Description

This is the first workplace integrated learning unit in a series of six clinical practice units. Health assessment is a foundational skill for nurses in all contexts of care. In this unit students have the opportunity to develop the knowledge, techniques and skills required by the professional nurse to perform holistic, comprehensive nursing health assessment including the physical examination of individuals. Students will develop beginning level clinical reasoning skills with a focus on risk assessment and management, symptom assessment, and promoting patient function. Students will develop the following learning outcomes in either the simulated environment and/or the clinical practice setting.

Prerequisite Rule

For COURSE_CODE NOT IN C33, K45, K65, Y19, Y79 Do Permission required Otherwise true

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded NSP1202, NSP1204, NSP1205

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Apply the infection control skills necessary to participate safely in the health care setting.
  2. Assume management of 15-30% of the Registered Nurse Workload appropriate to setting.
  3. Demonstrate professional competency in the workplace setting in accordance with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council Competencies for the Registered Nurse relevant to the stage one scope of nursing practice.
  4. Distinguish between the normal and abnormal findings.
  5. Implement commonly used health assessment instruments used in clinical practice.
  6. Undertake an adult physical assessment relevant to nursing practice in the health care setting.
  7. Undertake general and mental health assessment.
  8. Utilise beginning level medication calculations competency.

Unit Content

  1. Assessment instruments for assessing falls, cognition, skin integrity and fluid balance.
  2. Basic health observations: including temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respirations and urinalysis.
  3. Beginning level medication calculations.
  4. General and mental health assessment and documentation.
  5. Hand hygiene and standard precautions.
  6. Physical assessment and documentation: eye and ear examination, chest and respiratory examination, abdominal examination, cardiac and neurovascular examination, musculoskeletal and gait assessment.
  7. Professionalism as a student nurse working in multidisciplinary teams.
  8. Taking a basic health history.
  9. Use of healthcare agency systems technology.

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures, simulation workshops and clinical practicum (40 hours).

Assessment

GS4 GRADING SCHEMA 4 Used for undifferentiated pass/fail 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 Board of Examiners.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescription
ExerciseCompletion of all pre-practicum requirements and upload documents to SONIA
TestObjective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
PracticumSuccessful completion of the clinical placement and NCAS
ExaminationEnd of semester examination

Text References

  • ^ Crisp, J.,Taylor, C., Douglas, C. & Rebeiro, G. (2013). Potter and Perry's fundamentals of nursing (4th ed.). Chatswood, NSW: Elsevier.
  • ^ Medication Management for Health Care Professionals CD 2013 (version 1.0.0) Intellilearn Pty Ltd.
  • ^ Mary Ellen Zator Estes; Pauline Calleja; Karen Theobald; Theresa Harvey. Health Assessment and Physical Examination: Australian & New Zealand edition. (1st ed.). Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.

Journal References

  • British Journal of Nursing
  • Rehabilitation Nursing
  • Nursing Standard
  • Journal of Hospital Infections
  • Journal of Advanced Nursing
  • Australian Journal of Nursing Education

Website References

^ Mandatory reference


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.

Academic Misconduct

Edith Cowan University has firm rules governing academic misconduct and there are substantial penalties that can be applied to students who are found in breach of these rules. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • plagiarism;
  • unauthorised collaboration;
  • cheating in examinations;
  • theft of other students' work;

Additionally, any material submitted for assessment purposes must be work that has not been submitted previously, by any person, for any other unit at ECU or elsewhere.

The ECU rules and policies governing all academic activities, including misconduct, can be accessed through the ECU website.

NPP1101|2|2