Useful links
Unit of study_
NURS5204: Illness Experiences and Nursing Practice
2026 unit information
This unit of study builds on students’ learning from NURS5202 Foundations of Nursing Practice, about the psychosocial and relational aspects of care. It focuses on the ways in which individuals subjectively experience illness and care, exploring the personal perceptions and emotions that individuals navigate through their health journeys and the considerations of this for nurses. It introduces students to qualitative research methodologies that explore lived experiences, alongside communication skills aimed at deepening the understanding of individuals' illness experiences and working effectively in an interprofessional collaborative setting. Students are guided to critically explore and reflect on how illness intersects with and reshapes one's self-identity, emotions, and social roles. Health service users will be invited to share their lived experiences with the students. The unit aims to enhance nursing practice through a person-centered and culturally safe framework. Learning will encompass therapeutic relationships and nurse-patient interactions, and critically examine why and how these might vary in different healthcare settings, with people from diverse intersectional backgrounds, including gender, age, race/ethnicity, culture, and disability status.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Nursing and Midwifery |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
None |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
NURS5006 |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
|
None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of human experience, reality construction, subjectivity, and meaning making, as well as the range of emotions and behaviours in relation to experiences of illness.
- LO2. Understand and appraise research methodologies and relevant theories to understand the lived experiences of individuals in relation to illness.
- LO3. Demonstrate refined communication strategies to engage authentically and effectively with people and to provide person-centred and culturally safe care.
- LO4. Reflect critically on practice and personal experiences to continuously challenge and reassess one’s own cultural values and beliefs, and the impact they have on nursing practice
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 2 2026
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney | |
|
Semester 2 2026
|
Normal day | Westmead, Sydney |
There are no availabilities for previous years.
Find your current year census dates
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
Disclaimer
Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.
To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.