The main focus of this unit is on the social determinants of health through a critical analysis of the relationships between social factors (e. g, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, employment) and patterns of health and illness across the lifespan in contemporary Australia. The unit includes a module that introduces students to epidemiology, the study of causes and patterns of disease within defined populations. This unit is underpinned by the understanding that ideas and beliefs about health, illness and care are intrinsically connected to particular social and historical contexts. Some of these ideas and beliefs relevant to Australia today will be explored. The unit also introduces students to the study of cultural competence as it relates to health care in contemporary Australia.

The ways in which individual people subjectively experience illness and care, particularly nursing care, is the focus of this unit of study. The unit encourages students to think critically about their own attitudes, beliefs, and ideas about health, illness, and care, and to examine how these might have a bearing on the experiences of those in their care. Theories that inform understanding of what it is to be human are examined. Attention is drawn to such factors as embodiment, illness and the body, emotions arising in illness, issues of self-identity and social attitudes to illness and disability. The unit also introduces students to qualitative research methodologies that are used to explore illness experiences. A variety of illness experiences are then examined. With this knowledge, the nurse-patient relationship is then critically examined. From within a communication-based framework, students focus on ideas about therapeutic listening and use of self as well as the concept of knowledge transfer as it is relevant to nurse-patient interactions. Students also engage with contemporary debates about the nature of nurse-patient interactions and relationships today and explore the ways in which these might vary in different health care settings, and with people from different cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This unit of study will examine various biological processes to assist students in developing their understanding of human cellular structure and function and the contribution this makes to healthy body function. The role of pharmacotherapy and specific pharmacological interventions aimed at restoring or replacing the function of specific cells, tissues or organs affected by these pathological changes will be considered.

The knowledge acquired in The Body, Its Function and Pharmacology will be used as a foundation for this unit of study. Basic cellular changes associated with normal function and disease of the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, musculoskeletal and immunological systems will be explored. Pharmacological interventions aimed at restoring or replacing the function of specific cells, tissues or organs affected by these pathological changes will be considered.

'This unit of study provides an opportunity for students to develop an understanding of professional nursing; 'what it is and what it is not' (Nightingale, 1859) and to observe and explore the roles and relationships among nurses, patients and other health professionals in a practice setting. The unit will introduce physical assessment, work health and safety and will equip nursing students to develop a 'toolkit' of fundamental nursing practice strategies and 'craft' skills. This will include a focus on working with patients across the lifespan and within different cultural groups. Students will be introduced to the cycle of practice thinking and patterns of knowing that underpin nursing practice.

This unit of study complements Introduction to Nursing Practice and further develops the understanding of clinical judgement in practice and the role of nursing in assisting those experiencing hospitalisation. Such assistance includes but is not limited to: maintenance of appropriate fluid status, infection control, oral medications, effective levels of oxygenation and pain relief. This knowledge will be extended to incorporate the experience of caring for patients when the body fails to function as expected, and particularly where surgery is required. This unit of study will further develop skills in physical assessment, communication, and documentation and introduce students to medication administration.

This unit of study complements Illness Experience and Nursing Care, focusing on the responses of individuals and others to disruption to health. This unit of study aims to address issues surrounding acute nursing practices for various patients with common health care needs. Nursing practices associated with: the restoration and maintenance of oxygenation, ventilation and circulation; metabolism and elimination; consciousness and regulation; and movement and protection, are expanded upon using the framework for practice thinking. A life span approach will be used throughout with a focus on how diseases manifest and are treated differently as they occur at different life stages. In this unit of study students will further develop comprehensive health assessment skills and their understandings of accurate medication administration.

This unit of study is based on the principle that knowledge of mental health and illness and skills related to working with people with compromised mental health, are essential for all nurses. The unit of study is underpinned by a biopsychosocial or whole-person approach that privileges the individual experience of those with mental health problems. Students are introduced to the constructs of mental health and wellbeing and mental illness and how these apply across the life span alongside cultural and gender influences. Using the context of a whole-person approach, students will explore the role of the nurse in promoting mental health, preventing mental health problems and minimising negative effects of mental illness for individuals and their family/carers. Mental health and illness are explored in relation to determinants of health/risk and protective factors; the stress-vulnerability model, prevalent and low-prevalent mental health problems (for example depression and schizophrenia) and the varied manifestations of symptoms, including mood, anxiety, and psychotic symptoms. Current evidence for nursing care, psychotherapeutic interventions and physical treatment approaches are addressed in relation to symptom management and promotion of mental health and wellbeing. Consumer and carer perspectives will inform and further strengthen students' understandings. Comorbid physical health conditions and/or poor physical health are common for people experiencing mental health problems regardless of age or diagnosis. In addition, high co-occurrence of substance use is an area of significant concern for this population. These issues increase the complexity and burden of illness. Comorbid conditions and their implications are broadly addressed and the nursing management of comorbid conditions is considered. The nurse's effective use of self and the therapeutic nurse/client relationship are core aspects of nursing practice with mental health consumers that are addressed from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Students will consider how to develop and demonstrate requisite interpersonal communication skills and will develop foundational assessment and interviewing skills. The care continuum in mental health and the scope of nursing practice in a range of mental health and ethico-legal contexts are addressed with the overall aim of promoting nursing practice that supports effective outcomes for mental health consumers and their family/carers across community, primary and acute care settings.

This unit of study addresses nursing practices designed to meet the needs of individuals and families who are either living with long-term health conditions or terminal illness. 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 and biomedical risk factors. Mental health issues will be addressed where appropriate, and chronic pain, its impact and management will be discussed as many chronic conditions have pain as a component. 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.

This unit of study extends the students understanding of acute illness and introduces them to the complex challenges of caring for critically ill and physiologically unstable patients in high acuity settings. An important component of this unit of study is the understanding of the nursing assessment and management required when caring for patients with rapidly changing clinical conditions. Using a systematic approach to patient assessment students will develop nursing practices and interventions designed to meet the needs of these patients. In this context, specific clinical situations will be identified which include caring for patients with altered circulation, trauma, and severe sepsis. This unit also explores the high acuity environment and the technological monitoring devices that can be used to assist in the management of these acutely ill patients. It builds on knowledge and capabilities developed in NURS 5084 Nursing the Acutely Ill Person

Increasingly complex and chronic health conditions are being managed in the community. This unit of study examines the major concepts and principles of community health nursing including self-care, continuity of care, primary health care, health promotion/illness prevention, community assessment, family assessment, and home care. Approaches to the provision of nursing care for people of all ages with acute, chronic, or life threatening illness in settings where they live will be examined. Particular attention will be given to case management and the home visit process: its therapeutic nature, communication skills and safety issues. Areas of specialisation within community health will also be discussed, and the nurse's role in health promotion and disease prevention will be explored with special consideration given to aboriginal, and child and adolescent health. Epidemiological concepts and methodologies integral to community health nursing are explored. Students will undertake a community assessment of a chosen local government area using a 'community profile' approach. They also examine a public health problem in relation to the local government area, with the role of the community nurse in addressing the public health problem. Community clinical placements will provide students with the opportunity to consolidate and integrate theoretical knowledge and community nursing practice.

This unit of study critically analyses the Australian health-care system, with an emphasis on its structure, funding arrangements, and the ways in which it is influenced by contemporary ideologies and economic and political factors. The unit focuses on current political issues and debates (including those concerning nursing and other health professionals) and the ways in which these affect health policy and the delivery of care in Australia and globally. The unit has a particular focus on issues of access and equity, resource allocation, and multidisciplinary teamwork. The Australian health care system is compared with other OECD country systems to help students to think critically about the effectiveness of the Australian system in global terms. The unit explores the role of nurses as global citizens and the role of the profession in its global context.

This unit of study builds on foundational research and inquiry methods introduced within the context of the pre-requisite units to prepare students to recognise the quality and appropriateness of research for translation into nursing knowledge and practice. The process of inquiry is reviewed in relation to clinical questioning, selection of appropriate study designs and literature, consideration of patient and family values and the organisational, ethical and policy environment. Research methods are examined within the context of judging the quality and appropriateness of published research findings for application to practice. Students will be introduced to evidence implementation frameworks that are inclusive of evaluation research techniques.

Nursing practice involves complex and demanding work, influenced by large bureaucracies and challenging healthcare environments in a constant state of flux. Nurses can empower their practice and thrive in the workplace as health professionals and leaders, by developing the key strategy of resilience. This unit of study is framed by the construct of 'health professional resilience', characterised by the capacity to withstand the negative effects and significant change enhanced by individual and environmental protective factors and research-informed decision making.
The unit is designed to: 1) assist students to prepare for transition into the nursing workforce and therefore inform their management of future transitions and changes throughout their nursing career, and 2) to understand and respond to internal and external influences on current practice and professional issues, particularly those relevant to leadership development. Following an introduction to resources to inform leadership decisions, the unit examines key elements of the regulation of health care professionals, using nursing as the example. These elements include registration components, professional-ethical standards, professional competence and practice evaluation.
The unit also addresses key characteristics of resilience in the healthcare workplace, with a focus on emotional intelligence required by nurses to take a leadership role in coordination of nursing and health care, and to develop effective clinical nurse-patient, intra-professional and interdisciplinary relationships.

This unit of study extends students' knowledge and skills in a clinical nursing environment of their choice in preparation for practice as a registered nurse. It provides students the opportunity to consolidate prior learning and expands their knowledge base across a variety of health care settings for example: aged care, palliative care, mental health, perioperative, high acuity, paediatrics or primary health care. The framework of the nursing practice thinking cycle will guide the teaching learning strategies and focus on clinical decision making in a range of settings.

The fundamental rights and freedoms we enjoy as Australians are universal. Australia has affirmed, within our support for fundamental rights and freedoms, 'that Indigenous peoples are equal to all other peoples, while recognising the right of all peoples to be different, to consider themselves different, and to be respected as such' (UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples). Nurses play a pivotal role in ensuring that the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are maintained throughout the health sector. The challenge for nursing is how, in a diverse society, do we navigate the translation of rights to reality? Culturally valid understandings must shape the provision of services and must guide assessment, care and management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's health (Purdie, Dudgeon and Walker, 2009). Subject content explores the practice of cultural competence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The subject covers topics such as contemporary Indigenous health and the ways in which historical circumstances have had, and continue to have, an impact on the health of Indigenous peoples. The unit will focus primarily on the health of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples, but will also briefly explore the health of Indigenous populations in other comparable western nations. Students will explore in some depth the most significant social determinants of health as these relate to the health of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island populations. The unit will also focus on the relationship between access to health care services and health outcomes for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples, and the concept of cultural diversity in relation to the provision of health care services to people from Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island backgrounds.