University of Sydney Handbooks - 2019 Archive

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Bachelor of Science (Health) / Master of Nursing

Bachelor of Science (Health)/Master of Nursing

The combined degrees consist of a total of 192 credit points comprising:
1) 96 credit points toward the Bachelor of Science (Health)
2) 96 credit points for the Master of Nursing.
Details of the units and the order in which they must be taken are provided in the unit of study table. For units of study relating to the Health stream component, please refer to the Science Undergraduate handbook.

Year 1

12 credit points of 1000 level units and 6 credit points of 1000 level stream core unit from the Health Stream in Table A (refer to the Faculty of Science handbook) and the following core units:
HSBH1012 Introduction to Health and Health Care

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Andrew Campbell Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2-hr lecture/week, 1-hr tutorial/week Prohibitions: HSBH1006 or HSBH1008 or HSBH1009 Assessment: seminar presentation (20%), essay (35%), 1 x 2-hr exam (45%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit will develop students' broad understanding of the different approaches to health (e.g. biomedical, psychological, sociological). This would include understanding the different factors which impact health; how different approaches may lead to different strategies for developing and evaluating health solutions; and different ways of measuring health. Students are then enabled to consider how these different approaches to health are reflected in health systems both locally and internationally. Students would explore the different healthcare systems and engage with current and future challenges for health systems and health policy in Australia and abroad.
Textbooks
Readings will be drawn from a variety of journals, government reports and textbooks. The reading list will be available to students through the unit of study outline and learning management system
PSYC1002 Psychology 1002

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2,Summer Main Classes: Three 1 hour lectures and one 1 hour tutorial per week, plus 1 hour per week of additional web-based (self-paced) material related to the tutorial. Assessment: One 2.5hr exam, one 1150 word research report, multiple tutorial tests, experimental participation (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: This unit is also offered in the Sydney Summer School. For more information consult the web site: http://sydney.edu.au/summer/
Psychology 1002 is a further general introduction to the main topics and methods of psychology, and it is the basis for advanced work as well as being of use to those not proceeding with the subject. Psychology 1002 covers the following areas: neuroscience; human mental abilities; learning and motivation; visual perception; cognitive processes; abnormal psychology.
This unit is also offered in the Sydney Summer School. For more information consult the web site:
http://sydney.edu.au/summer_school/
Textbooks
Available on-line once semester commences
HSBH1013 Society and Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Nikki Wedgwood Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2-hr lecture/week, 1-hr tutorial/week Assessment: short answer assessments (30%), presentation (20%), 1 x 2-hr exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In the first half of the unit, students will examine the main social determinants of health and the meaning of health for different populations. In the second half of the unit, students will consider how health is delivered and by whom. This includes the breadth of the health workforce (both paid and unpaid) and health consumers. Embedded in this unit will be considerations of ethics and legal concerns for health professionals, cultural awareness and interdisciplinarity.
Textbooks
Readings will be drawn from a variety of journals, government reports and textbooks. The reading list will be available to students through the unit of study outline and learning management system.

Year 2

A 2000 level elective from Table A or Table S Shared Pool (please refer to the Faculty of Science handbook) and the following core units:
NURS5042 The Body, Its Function and Pharmacology

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 10x2-hr lectures online, and 8x2-hr tutorials Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS5081 Introduction to Nursing Practice

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 10x2-hr lectures, 8x2-hr tutorial, 10x2-hr labs, clinical placements (80-hrs) Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
'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.
HSBH2007 Research Methods in Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Rowena Forsyth Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2-hr lecture/week, 1x1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: ((HSBH1006 AND HSBH1009) OR HSBH1012) AND (HSBH1008 OR HSBH1013) Prohibitions: BACH2140 or HSBH1007 Assessment: Written group assignment (20%), written individual assignment (30%), 1x1.5-hr exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The unit of study introduces students to the design and evaluation of research questions relating to health. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative research methods, students will be introduced to key concepts relating to methodology; research design and research method.
NURS5006 Illness, Experience and Nursing Care

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 12x2-hr lectures, 3x2-hr tutorials online, labs 2x2-hr, and clinical placements (80-hrs) Prerequisites: NURS5081 and NURS5042 or NURS5083 Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS5043 Understand Health and Managing Disease

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 12x2-hr lectures, and 8x2-hr tutorials Prerequisites: NURS5042 or NURS5083 Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
HSBH2009 Innovations in eHealth

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Melanie Keep Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2-hr lecture/week, 1-hr tutorial/week Prerequisites: 48 credit points Prohibitions: HSBH1010 Assumed knowledge: HSBH1012, HSBH1013 Assessment: Reflection task (25%), health design project (30%), skills modules (5%), job application/eportfolio (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Digital technologies are changing the health landscape from consumers having access to Dr Google to clinicians using virtual reality as part of treatment. This unit of study explores the impact of digital technologies on our health and wellbeing and includes consideration of how these devices and software interact with the healthcare system, affect attitudes towards health and healthcare providers, and change the discussions about health ethics, and health equity. Students will engage in practical, hands-on learning experience and complete authentic assessments such as designing innovations, creating an ePortfolio, and applying for a job.
Textbooks
Readings will be drawn from a variety of journals, government reports, and textbooks. The reading list will be available to students through the unit of study outline and learning management system

Year 3

12 credit points of 3000-level Health units as set out in the Health Stream in Table A of the Faculty of Science handbook and the following core Nursing units:
NURS5002 Social Contexts of Health

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 10x2-hr lectures, and 8x2-hr tutorials Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS5082 Developing Nursing Practice

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 10x2-hr lectures, 9x2-hr laboratory, 8x2-hr tutorials, and clinical placements (80-hrs) Corequisites: NURS5081 Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS5084 Nursing the Acutely Ill Person

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 12x2-hr lectures, 11x2-hr labs, 8x2-hr tutorials, and clinical placements (80-hrs) Prerequisites: NURS5082 and NURS5081 Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS5085 Mental Health Nursing Practice

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 12x2-hr lectures, 8x2-hr tutorials, and clinical placements (120-hrs) Corequisites: NURS5084 Assessment: online quiz (15%) and essay (35%) and written examination (50%) and satisfactory off-campus clinical performance Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.

Year 4

NURS6018 Care and Chronic Conditions

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 6x2-hr lectures, and 4x3-hr labs, and 1x2-hr and 3x3-hr tutorial, and clinical placements (100-hrs) Prerequisites: NURS5084 and NURS5085 and NURS5082 and (NURS5043 or NURS5086) Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS6019 High Acuity Nursing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 6x2-hr lectures, 4x3-hr labs, 11x2-hr tutorial, and clinical placements (80-hrs) Prerequisites: NURS5082 and NURS5084 and (NURS5042 or NURS5083) and (NURS5043 or NURS5086) Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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
NURS6031 Leadership and Collaborative Practice

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 6x2-hr lectures, and 3x3-hr tutorials Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS6033 Health of Indigenous Populations (MN)

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 6x2-hr lectures, 1x2-hr and 3x3-hr tutorials Prerequisites: NURS5002 Assessment: Assessment (45%) and presentation (10%) and written examination (45%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS6022 Community Health Nursing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 8x2-hr lecture, 6x2-hr tutorials, and clinical placements (80-hrs) Prerequisites: NURS6018 and NURS6019 Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS6029 Australian Health Care - Global Context

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 8x2-hr lectures, and 6x2-hr tutorials Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS6030 Research and Evidence

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 10x2-hr lectures, and 8x2-hr tutorial Prerequisites: NURS5002 and NURS5006 Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
NURS6032 Professional Practice (MN)

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 8x2-hr lectures, 4x2-hr tutorials, 4x2-hr clinical labs, and clinical placements (160-hrs) Prerequisites: NURS5085 and (NURS5043 or NURS5086) and NURS6018 and NURS6019 Corequisites: NURS6022 Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.