NURSPRAC 707 : Registered Nurse First Surgical Assist
Medical and Health Sciences
2025 Semester One (1253) (30 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
- Approval from unit nurse manager for support in completion of NURSPRAC 707 (Semester 1).
- Identified surgeon mentor to supervise the student in practice.
- A registered nurse employed within the perioperative environment who can complete 140 hours of clinical work for the duration of the semester, in the role of the RNFSA (see definition provided below).
- A learning agreement is signed by the student, employer, surgeon mentor, academic coordinator, and clinical coordinator.
- Works in collaboration with the surgeon and other health care team members to achieve optimal patient outcomes;.
- Has acquired the necessary knowledge, judgement and skills specific to the expanded role of the RNFSA clinical practice.
- Intraoperatively, practices under the direction of the surgeon.
- Does not concurrently function as a scrub nurse (AORN 2013).
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 Advanced Practice Skills and Knowledge in the Perioperative Clinical Setting: - Demonstrate advanced nursing practice in an RNFSS role or focusing on surgical patients. - Apply extended and specialised clinical skills, integrating evidence to enhance nursing care. - Engage in continuous improvement efforts to advance personal practice and improve patient experiences. (Capability 1.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2 and 8.1)
- Exercise Skills, Evidence-Based Clinical Decision-Making: - Assess and interpret the impact of illness, surgery, and healthcare experiences on patients and their families. - Apply critical thinking to deliver patient-and family-centred care, demonstrating responsiveness to Māori needs and supporting health gains for Māori communities. (Capability 1.1, 1.4, 4.1 and 4.2)
- Show Competence in Advanced Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning: - Use advanced nursing assessment skills and diagnostic reasoning to solve complex clinical scenarios. (Capability 3.1, 5.1 and 5.2)
- Demonstrate Leadership in Clinical Practice: - Identify personal learning needs and collaborate with mentors to support growth. - Promote collaboration, inquiry, evaluation, and evidence-based practice within nursing teams. (Capability 2.4, 3.3, 7.1 and 8.1)
- Engage in Scholarly Practice in a Defined Clinical Setting: - Critically evaluate the clinical practice environment to identify areas for improvement. - Contribute to creating a culture of effectiveness to improve outcomes for patients, clients and whānau. - Participate in the development of evidence-based, person-centred care approaches. (Capability 1.4, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3, 6.1, 6.2 and 8.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Practice Review - Written | 30% | Individual Coursework |
| Surgical Profile - Long Answer Questions | 35% | Individual Coursework |
| Case Study - Verbal Presentation | 25% | Individual Coursework |
| Clinical Skills Logbook | Individual Coursework | |
| Clinical Portfolio | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| 5 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Clinical Practice Review - Written | ||||||||||
| Surgical Profile - Long Answer Questions | ||||||||||
| Case Study - Verbal Presentation | ||||||||||
| Clinical Skills Logbook | ||||||||||
| Clinical Portfolio | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 30-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 48 hours of lectures, which will include tutorials, small group work and simulation, 32 hours of reading and thinking about the content, 100 hours of work on assignments and 120 hours for clinical skill development.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled activities including labs/tutorials/clinics to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including seminars/labs will not be available as recordings.
The course will include live online events including group discussions/tutorials.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard 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 rate this course favourably with positive experiences from small group activities and clinically focused workshops.
Other Information
The clinical practice experience will be within the nurse’s current employment setting under the direct supervision of a nominated surgeon. The nominated surgeon will support the nurse to put into practice what they have learned in class and in simulated settings, observe their surgical assistance practice and verify the competencies.
This course outline may change before the course is offered again in semester 1.2023.
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.
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.