NS5501 - Contemporary Issues in Acute Care Nursing

Credit points:	03
Year:	2011
Student Contribution Band:	Band 1
Administered by:	School of Nursing, Midwifery & Nutrition

This subject will examine the complexity and impact of acute illness on the Australian health care system. It will focus on current issues relevant to acute care nurses. The subject will then provide an opportunity for advanced practice nurses to apply this knowledge to the specific context of their clinical practice.

Learning Outcomes

• examine current and future roles and functions of nurses in acute illness management;
• develop nursing leadership strategies for the improvement of acute illness management;
• Explore acute illness from a local, national and international perspective;
• evaluate the role of the nurse as a member of a multi-disciplinary team and describe the evolution of the nurse practitioner in relation to acute care;
• evaluate the effectiveness of advanced nursing interventions in the management of patients/clients in acute health care settings.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to adapt knowledge to new situations;
• The ability to define and to solve problems in at least one discipline area;
• The ability to think critically, to analyse and evaluate claims, evidence and arguments, and to reason and deploy evidence clearly and logically;
• The ability to deploy critically evaluated information to practical ends;
• The ability to find and access information using appropriate media and technologies;
• The ability to evaluate that information;
• An understanding of the economic, legal, ethical, social and cultural issues involved in the use of information;
• The ability to select and organise information and to communicate it accurately, cogently, coherently, creatively and ethically;
• The acquisition of coherent and disciplined sets of skills, knowledge, values and professional ethics from at least one discipline area;
• The ability to reflect on and evaluate learning, and to learn independently in a self directed manner;
• The ability to manage future career and personal development;
• The ability to read complex and demanding texts accurately, critically and insightfully;
• The ability to speak and write clearly, coherently and creatively;
• The ability to generate, calculate, interpret and communicate numerical information in ways appropriate to a given discipline or discourse;
• The ability to lead, manage and contribute effectively to teams;
• The ability to work with people of different gender, age, ethnicity, culture, religion and political persuasion;
• The ability to work individually and independently;
• The ability to select and use appropriate tools and technologies;
• The ability to use online technologies effectively and ethically.

Availabilities
External, Study Period 2
Census Date 25-Aug-2011
Coordinator:	Assoc. Professor David Lindsay
Lecturer:	Dr Lea Budden.
Method of Delivery:	and WWW - LearnJCUPrinted materials
Assessment:	assignments.

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.