Outline

Overview

This unit of study addresses nursing practices designed to meet the needs of individuals and families who are either living or caring for a person with a chronic condition. The focus will be on social determinant factors that influence a personï¿½s ability to manage the chronic condition. A lifespan approach, childhood to old age, will provide an overview. An emphasis is placed on an holistic approach to nursing care, irrespective of setting. Continuity of care provision between hospital and community is emphasised using a case management model of care. The dynamics of self management for persons living with chronic conditions will be highlighted. Common chronic conditions in the Australian population will be identified together with their lifestyle, psychosocial and biomedical risk factors. Mental healthï¿½ will be addressed where appropriate. Co-morbidities, particularly within the care of elderly persons, will be explored. The importance of community engagement in addressing issues associated with chronic conditions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will be studied. Palliative nursing skills will be a focus, including symptom management and psychosocial care which facilitate a peaceful and dignified death.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	NURS6018
Academic unit	Nursing and Midwifery
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	NURS5084 and NURS5085 and NURS5082 and (NURS5043 or NURS5086)
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Charmaine Bonus, charmaine.bonus@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Peta McVey, peta.mcvey@sydney.edu.au
	Vasiliki Betihavas, vasiliki.betihavas@sydney.edu.au
	Charmaine Bonus, charmaine.bonus@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Placement	Off campus clinical assessment Clinical placement	0%	-	80 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Final exam	Final exam Online MCQ+text based response	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test	Skills simulation stations Practical skills assessment	0%	Week 06	15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Online Report Written task	25%	Week 06 Due date: 01 Apr 2020 at 13:00 Closing date: 01 Apr 2020	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Skills-based evaluation	20 hours clinical practicum self-directed Clinical placement	0%	Week 10	20 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Multiple Choice Quiz MCQ to pre-reading week 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	25%	Weekly	15 min weekly quiz
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Weekly MCQ individual score to pre-reading: Each week (weeks 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6) students will be assessed individually on the pre-readings.
Online assessment – report: During the week 6 lecture, students will be examined (open book) following the guest panel presentation whcih they will listen to online. The presentation will focus on a person living with a chronic condition(s) and the determinant factors that facilitate and impede the person’s life. Students will be required to address the questions posed by the unit coordinator in the form of a report. The report (with correct referencing) is to be submitted online prior to 23:59hrs April 1st, 2020.
20 hours clinical practicum self-directed: Students are required to spend twenty hours with a person who has a chronic condition. You are an observer. You are not part of the person’s health care team. As such, you are NOT to provide the person you are observing with any strategies on disease management.
Final exam: This exam will have MCQs, short answer questions based on case studies of a range of people who are living with chronic conditions. During the semester students will have had the opportunity to apply knowledge from lectures, on-campus clinical simulation laboratories, and tutorials. Case study learning will be a central focus of the unit’s teaching on care strategies and self management of chronic conditions.
Skills simulation stations: This assessment will be a consolidation of the skills undertaken during the semester and have as the focus the assessment and management of the deteriorating patient.
Off campus clinial assessment: Assessment of clinical knowledge and skills will incorporate a range of assessment tools. Students must receive a satisfactory result for their clinical placement.

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Where an assignment is submitted late without an approved extension, a late penalty will apply. For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. For work submitted more than ten calendar days after the due date a mark of zero marks 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
Week 01	1. Outline unit and assessments; 2. Frameworks for care of persons with conditions	Lecture (2 hr)
	Cardiac focus	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Cardiac focus	Science laboratory (2 hr)
Week 02	Youth/Child & adolescent	Lecture (2 hr)
	Diabetes focus	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Diabetes focus	Science laboratory (2 hr)
Week 03	self management & social determinants	Lecture (2 hr)
	Respiratory focus	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Respiratory focus	Science laboratory (2 hr)
Week 04	End of life care & Palliative care	Lecture (2 hr)
	End of life care & Palliative care	Tutorial (2 hr)
	End of life care & Palliative care	Science laboratory (2 hr)
Week 05	Rehabilitation	Lecture (2 hr)
	Mental health focus	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Mental health focus	Science laboratory (2 hr)
Week 06	Guest presenters: lived experience 50 mins followed by Assessment 60 mins.	Lecture (2 hr)
	HIV/Hep C focus	Tutorial (2 hr)
	Assessment (Group) skill	Science laboratory (2 hr)
Week 08	Clinical placement	Field trip (40 hr)
Week 09	Clinical placement	Field trip (40 hr)
Week 10	Clinical placement (self directed)	Field trip (20 hr)
Week 10	Self-directed observation of person with a chronic condition	Individual study (20 hr)
Week 12	Summary	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Consolidation	Science laboratory (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Referencing guide: The Sydney Nursing School has adopted the American Psychological Association (APA) Referencing style, 6th Edition, 2010 as its official referencing style. This is an author-date style of referencing.
Attendance: Students undertaking this unit of study are required to attend a minimum of 90% of all lectures & tutorials on-campus, ALL on-campus clinical simulation laboratories, and complete their off- campus clinical experience, which are supplemented with online, individual and group learning activities. The work in this unit of study reflects approximately 120 hours of student learning. It is expected that the student will actively engage with the unit of study materials, which directly relate to the learning outcomes and are designed to assist with successful completion of assignments.

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.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

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. integrate and critically apply knowledge of common chronic conditions across the lifespan including risk factors, nursing management and individual’s self-management
LO2. apply and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the principles of health promotion and tertiary prevention to encourage independence and quality of life for patients experiencing a chronic disruption to health or in the terminal phase of an illness
LO3. critically evaluate the impact of chronic conditions on the potential for healthy ageing
LO4. plan strategies to assist an individual living with chronic or life threatening conditions after a considered appreciation of the person’s health beliefs and values, and perform specific nursing interventions frequently needed to support persons living with chronic conditions or in the terminal phase of an illness
LO5. communicate effectively with patients, families, colleagues, and other health-care professionals within a multidisciplinary team, through the use of professional and lay language
LO6. search, locate and critically analyse research-based evidence supporting the processes of nursing care of chronic conditions or terminal illness
LO7. critically examine the key questions from the Framework for Practice Thinking with respect to care and chronic conditions: what could/can be done? and what should be done?

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.

Following feedback from students in 2019, this unit has moved the skill assessment in week 12, to week 6 prior to clinical. The aim is to provide students with feedback on their ability to assess & manage a person with a chronic condition who is deteriorating. Last year students were allocated two 50% theoretical assessments. Students in 2019, requested ongoing weekly interval testing during tutorials. In 2020, weekly assessment of individual students will occur using MCQs addressing the pre-readings.

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

NURS6018 is comprised of 100 hrs of clinical. This is made up of two weeks (80 hrs) allocated clinical placement and one week (20 hrs) self directed placement. These placements have been timetabled between week 7 - week 10.

Work, health and safety

All students must abide by WHS policy/guidelines/legislation

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

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

NURS6018: Care and Chronic Conditions

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Mallett Street, 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

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect