NURSPRAC 702A/B : Critical Care Specialty Nursing

Medical and Health Sciences

2024 Semester One (1243) / Semester Two (1245) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Draws on evidence from biomedical and social science research to equip nurses for the care and treatment of critical care patients. Students will be expected to integrate evidence from a range of sources and apply this to the practice of critical care nursing.

Course Overview

Advanced nursing practice is the ability to apply the latest evidence to nursing practice and knowledge in order to contribute to advances in specialist nursing areas. Advanced nursing practice roles have continued to develop over recent years to accommodate the increasing complexity of the healthcare needs of the population. Preparation of nurses for advanced specialty roles has, therefore, become a priority for the profession, the Nursing Council of New Zealand – as the statutory body – and healthcare providers. 

This course incorporates the current Critical Care Nursing Education standards and is approved by the Nursing Council of New Zealand.  Students enrolling in this course are Registered Nurses who are currently practising in the critical care setting.  This course is delivered over two semesters and both part A (15 points) and part B (15 points) must be completed.

The NURSPRAC 702 A/B Critical Care Nursing course is delivered mostly online and partly face-to-face. CANVAS is the learning and teaching platform used at the University of Auckland. The online component of the course will be delivered through CANVAS. There are 5 study days associated with this paper to support the course content teaching and learning. Do ensure that you check online for any classroom changes. Due to course numbers, students will be allocated to either cohort A or cohort B for the purposes of the verbal presentation assessment and the simulation days. Attendance at these days will be with the allocated cohort only and NOT both days. The class attends all other study days together and submit assessments on the same dates.

Course Requirements

Restriction: NURSING 730 To complete this course students must enrol in NURSPRAC 702 A and B, or NURSPRAC 702

Course Contacts

All enquiries:  postgradnursing@auckland.ac.nz
For entry into NURSPRAC 702AB and NURSING 744AB please email Course Administrator:  matthew.baker@auckland.ac.nz

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Master of Nursing

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Develop and extend understanding of pathophysiological processes of specific disease states of critically ill patients (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1 and 4.2)
  2. Demonstrate understanding of the aetiology, pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of commonly found/seen altered health states (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 5.2)
  3. Apply and demonstrate evidence based diagnostic decision making involving client assessment and the use and interpretation of diagnostic tests (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
  4. Evaluate the epidemiology of common conditions related to clinical specialty (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
  5. Demonstrate the ability to synthesise nursing knowledge and use of applied science in caring for clients with complex and specific health care needs (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 5.2)
  6. Evaluate the ethical and legal parameters of current nursing practice and discuss the social, economic and political factors related to the specialty area (Capability 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Quizzes 30% Individual Coursework
Assignments 15% Individual Coursework
Presentation 25% Individual Coursework
Essay 30% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Quizzes
Assignments
Presentation
Essay

Workload Expectations

This course is delivered over two semesters and both part A and part B must be completed to achieve 30 points.  Students are expected to spend 15-18 hours per week. 


For this course, you can expect 40 hours of lectures, 160 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 100 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including tutorials to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. 
The course will not include live online events including group discussions/tutorials.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a block delivery.

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.

Overall, students appreciate the online resources and the contribution of clinical experts throughout the year.  Students are encouraged to attend all study days.  Early in semester one, the details for the clinical simulation day planned for semester two will be finalised.  The simulation study day is a supportive learning experience for students to respond to a range of speciality nursing scenarios.  

Other Information

The course assessments may be amended before delivery in 2023.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework 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. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

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.

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 course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.

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 students may be asked to submit 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. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 02/11/2023 08:55 a.m.