Outline

Overview

This unit of study is a core unit for students completing the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) and aims to prepare students to develop the knowledge and skills to conduct an advanced assessment and make an appropriate diagnosis as part of advanced and extended nursing practice. Diagnostic reasoning is the hallmark of an expert nurse practitioner. The ability to gather and judge the value of perceptual and clinical information to inform choices and provide benefit to patients with minimal risk of harm is at the heart of advanced practice nursing. Nurse practitioners are required to make effective practice decisions and use informed judgement, frequently in the context of uncertainty and for patients with complex health problems. Nurse practitioners are required to use effective communication strategies, including cross-cultural communication, with inter-professional colleagues, patients and the broader community. Students will undertake a period of supernumerary integrated professional practice (SIPP) (60 hours) verified by their approved supervisor concurrently while undertaking this unit of study.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	NURS5089
Academic unit	Nursing and Midwifery
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Mary Kearns, mary.kearns@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Online task	Assessment 3: multiple choice questions MCQ	40%	Formal exam period	60 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assessment 2: Clinical assessment Clinical skills assessment	0%	STUVAC Due date: 19 Nov 2021 at 23:59	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assessment 4: Clinical Practice Log Professional experience placement and log book	0%	STUVAC Due date: 19 Nov 2021 at 23:59	60 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assessment 1a: Clinical health assessment report Written task	25%	Week 05 Due date: 10 Sep 2021 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Assessment 1b: Evaluative report of the clinical assessment Written task	35%	Week 08 Due date: 08 Oct 2021 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Clinical health assessment (part A): Students will undertake a clinical health assessment of a patient, reflective of the student’s area of practice. The assessment will encompass all body systems and the student’s report will be in a clinically accepted format detailing all findings, normal or potentially abnormal. Students will present their hypothesised (differential) diagnosis and will draw on research literature to discuss further assessments or investigations that would assist in eliminating these differential diagnoses to form a final diagnosis.
Evaluative report on the clinical assessment (part B): Students will write an evaluative report of the clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning process. Students will review and critique the literature on other available models of diagnostic reasoning that may be appropriate to their advanced nursing practice and discuss appropriate consultation/referrals that may need to be considered in the management of the patient assessed.
Clinical assessment: To be conducted by the student’s primary clinical supervisor and divided into 6 domains.
Online multiple choice question examination: Students will complete a thirty question multiple-choice examination related to the principles of Quality Use of Radiological Investigations (QURI). Content assessed will be directly from presentations and workshops in module 4.

Please note: Each student is required to submit/attend all assessment items in order to pass this unit. Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity	Learning outcomes

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: In accordance with Sydney Nursing School’s Resolutions of the School, students must meet the minimum attendance requirements for each unit of study. Coursework policy states that if students are absent without leave for more than 10% of classes in a particular unit of study in any one semester, the Dean may call upon them to show cause why they should not be deemed to have failed that unit of study. Alternatively, students may be required to complete an extra assessment as remediation. This assessment will be set by the unit coordinator and may take the form of an essay or other substantial piece of academic work. The assessment will be given a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Failure to complete and pass the assessment may result in failure of the unit of study. Additionally, students undertaking this unit of study are required to attend 4 on-campus study days which are supplemented with online activities. The study days are Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th August 2021, and Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th October 2021.
Referencing style: The Sydney Nursing School has adopted the American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing Style. This is an author-date style of referencing. You are permitted to use either the 6th or 7th Edition however it is important you remain consistent with the chosen edition.
Assignment formatting guidelines: Unless the unit coordinator has indicated otherwise, please make sure your submitted assessments are formatted as follows:
- font: use Calibri or Times New Roman in 11 - 12 point
- double line spacing
- margins: 2.5cm each side
- use page numbers
- refer to assessment instructions for use of title and headings

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate advanced assessment skills for patients with complex health care needs
LO2. demonstrate evaluation, synthesis and application of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to findings from patient assessment and diagnostic investigations and application of this knowledge to clinical judgements and decision-making in forming a diagnosis
LO3. critically evaluate the impact of social determinants on the person and population
LO4. make justifications for decisions that arise from patient assessment, considering the risks and benefits of diagnostic investigations
LO5. use effective communication strategies, including cross-cultural communication, with interprofessional colleagues, patients and the broader community.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made in response to student feedback since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

NURS5089: Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning

Semester 2, 2021 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect