NURSING 773 : Advanced Assessment and Clinical Reasoning
Medical and Health Sciences
2025 Semester Two (1255) (30 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Clinical Assessment provides the basis for advanced nursing practice. A fundamental requirement is that patient care is safe, evidenced-based care to allow nurses master a range of core and specialty-based clinical assessment skills. Within an expanding scope of practice, nurses are required to demonstrate competency to take a detailed history, undertake physical assessments, make provisional diagnoses, request and interpret diagnostic tests and prescribe therapeutic interventions and nursing care to facilitate clinical decision-making. The clinical assessment of clients requires a comprehensive approach within a nursing framework, which includes the integration of physical and psycho-social dimensions.
The paper's content is disseminated using a combination of lectures, tutorials and clinical skills teaching sessions. Lectures and tutorials allow for both knowledge dissemination and case-scenario group work to facilitate critical analysis and problem solving. Clinical skills teaching sessions involve peer examination, where students practice on each other to learn physicals assessment skills. The skills teaching session are facilitated by an experienced nurse teacher who provides real-time guidance to support learning. The aim is that students will apply the knowledge, physical exam skills and clinical reasoning process to their work-place clinical environment.
The paper is delivered face-to-face over five study days, with a Observed Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) on day six.
Course Contacts
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate the application of evidence based clinical decision-making in relation to diagnostic reasoning and client assessment at an advancing level within their scope of practice. (Capability 4.1, 4.2 and 8.1)
- Demonstrate the application of evidence based clinical decision-making in relation to diagnostic reasoning and client assessment. (Capability 4.1, 4.2 and 8.1)
- Demonstrate competence and a systematic approach in performing a focused or comprehensive client assessment (Capability 1.3, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1 and 8.1)
- Analyse a client’s health status and request appropriate laboratory and other diagnostic tests in order to establish a diagnosis (Capability 2.3, 2.4, 4.1, 4.2 and 8.1)
- Interpret clinical findings in relation to underlying pathophysiological processes. (Capability 4.1 and 4.2)
- Articulate Articulate the knowledge underlying client assessment and diagnostic test findings in order to formulate a list of differential diagnoses or formulate a diagnostic decision (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1 and 8.1)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Written Assignment | 40% | Individual Coursework |
| Multiple Choice Questions | 15% | Individual Examination |
| Observed Structured Clinical Exam | 45% | Individual Examination |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||
| Written Assignment | ||||||||||
| Multiple Choice Questions | ||||||||||
| Observed Structured Clinical Exam | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard [30] point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours studying per week.
The Nursing 773 paper centres on [40] hours of lectures, [120] hours of self-directed study and [140] hours of work on assignment and MCQ exam and OSCE preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Students are expected to attend for face-to-face scheduled activities including lectures/clinical skill sessions to complete the learning components of the course. Attendance on campus is required for the MCQ test and OSCE.
Each of the paper's study day's is timetabled. This gives students the opportunity to undertake pre-reading and skills preparation prior to each study day
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Other Information
This is a highly practical course with a significant amount of content concentrated into the five teaching days. Students are strongly encouraged to plan well in advance and prioritise reading pre and post for each study day.
We are acutely aware that students have different life experiences and learning styles. We aim to facilitate as much as possible to support your learning needs through the learning resources available at the university.
A core part of learning physical assessment skills is peer examination. This requires students physically examining each other. This involves inspecting and palpating your student peer's head, chest, abdomen and legs. On each of the study days, students are asked to wear light movable clothing and sports bras to facilitate meaningful examination of the body's systems.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
PLEASE NOTE: if a student is unwell or deemed unfit to sit an assessment point, they should contact the Course Director before the due date /they make a submission. Students completing the Nursing 773 paper will not be eligible for aegrotat grading.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.