NURSING 7143 - Therapeutic Management of the Orthopaedic Patient

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

This course will examine factors that are not unique to orthopaedic nursing but influence the day-to-day and long term management of the orthopaedic patient. Providing a greater understanding of the impact of these factors allows the advanced clinician to provide effective, individualised care for each patient. There is a strong focus on chronic disease specific to orthopaedics including a theoretical component of disease processes and the impact on practical nursing care.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code NURSING 7143
    Course Therapeutic Management of the Orthopaedic Patient
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Nursing School
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 6
    Contact Weekly two hour tutorial via the online classroom
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Prerequisites 7142
    Restrictions Available to M.NursSc students only
    Course Description This course will examine factors that are not unique to orthopaedic nursing but influence the day-to-day and long term management of the orthopaedic patient. Providing a greater understanding of the impact of these factors allows the advanced clinician to provide effective, individualised care for each patient. There is a strong focus on chronic disease specific to orthopaedics including a theoretical component of disease processes and the impact on practical nursing care.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Mr Paul McLiesh

    Course Coordinator: Paul McLiesh
    Phone: +61 8 8313 6286
    Email: paul.mcliesh@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: School of Nursing, The University of Adelaide

    School Office
    Phone: +61 8 8313 3595
    Email: nursing.studentliason@adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 Debate the theoretical basis of the practice of orthopaedic nursing related to less specialised care needs
    2 Discuss the contemporary issues that impact orthopaedic nursing and how they impact the broader needs of the orthopaedic patient.
    3 Identify and apply evidence based practice and knowledge that advances nursing skills and encourages the critical examination of nursing practices in orthopaedics
    4 Demonstrate the ability to deliver effective care to the orthopaedic patient
    5 Critique existing practice and implement changes to improve service delivery that is provided in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team.
    6 Demonstrate leadership within orthopaedic nursing and serve as a mentor for other orthopaedic nurses.
    7 Identify and incorporate into practice the nursing care and knowledge needed to treat the less specialised needs of orthopaedic patients.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1, 3, 4, 7
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 2-3
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 4-5
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 5
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 2, 5
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 5, 6
    A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 5, 6
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 2, 5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Kneale, J & Davis, P 2005, Orthopaedic and trauma nursing, 2nd edn, Churchill Livingston, Edinburgh.

    Reader: The readings for this course are available electronically via MyUni.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course will be delivered through the following means:
    Weekly two hour tutorial via online classroom

    The online classroom (OC) technology will be used for tutorial discussions on a weekly basis each Tuesday from 1000-1200 during this semester. Some information on the OC should have been provided to you, you need to familiarise yourself with this technology to become reasonably comfortable with using it prior to the start of the semester.

    Hardware requirements

    To connect to the OC you will require:
    • a computer – either a PC-based or a Macintosh-based machine
    • Internet access
    • a multimedia headset – it must have both earphones and microphone. (These are available in computer variety stores for about $25).

    If you are going to utilise a computer and Internet connection from your workplace, you need to discuss this with your employer. You will also need to establish with your workplace IT department if there are any firewalls that need to be negotiated to allow connection to the OC. If your IT department need further clarification on this they can contact your course coordinator.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    While all students work at a different pace it is expected that study for this course will be approximately 24 hours per week of your time. This is a rough guide and may vary for students who have not studied recently
    Learning Activities Summary
    1. Care of the orthopaedic paediatric patient
    2. Metabolic/chronic disease processes
    3. Aging
    4. Drug & alcohol
    5. Delirium/dementia
    6. Pharmacology
    7. Nutrition/diabetes
    8. Wound healing/infection
    9. Tumour/palliation
    10. Hyperbaric medicine
    11. Pain management
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    Not applicable
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
    Online Quiz Formative 0%
    Case Study (2,500 words) Summative 35% 2, 5
    Portfolio (2,500 words) Summative 35% 1-4
    Online PowerPoint Presentation
    (2,000 words equivalent)
    Summative 30% 1-5
    Online Classroom participation (80% minimum) Summative Pass/Fail 1-3, 5-7
    Assessment Detail

    Plagiarism and referencing module
    In order to avoid plagiarism, students need to understand the meaning of citation, paraphrasing, quotation, and referencing. The module is an online quiz designed to ensure that student work is not plagiarised and source material is properly acknowledged according to the guidelines in the School Academic Manual. Students are encouraged to work through this quiz as many times as they need to ensure that they have a thorough understanding of these guidelines.

    The module is used as a formative assessment that has no percentage allocated to a final grade 
     
    Online Quiz
    Weighting: 0%
    Complete online in MyUni
     
    Case Study 
    Weighting: 35%
    Length: 2,500 words
    Topic
    Case studies allow clinical episodes and practices to be articulated and explored. Your case study should be about a patient you have cared for, relating actual events in which you were involved and critiquing the clinical events based on the literature. It is recommended that you select a patient whose condition or injury is aligned with one of the topics covered this semester. Consequently, the patient discussed in the case study will also be a patient who you have included in your clinical diary. Aspects of information required in the body of the text should have already been addressed in the clinical diary and can assist you in writing your case study.

    The case study should be structured as per an academic paper with the following sections:
    • introduction outlining the case study’s structure
    • body of text that covers the following areas:
    • the patient’s story – includes clinical presentation, diagnosis, any relevant history and pathophysiology of the patient’s condition
    • nursing assessment (with a focus on musculoskeletal assessment) and discharge planning undertaken during the clinical admission to the relevant area
    • outlines the clinical progress of the patient, including interdisciplinary interventions (with an emphasis on nursing)
    • critiques the nursing management of the patient and interprets the outcomes of interventions, supported with relevant (and appropriate) literature
    • conclusion that summarises the patient case study.

    On-line PowerPoint presentation 
    Weighting: 30%
    Length: 2,000 words equivalent
    Topic
    Each student is required to present a 20 minutes presentation (15 min for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions) on one of the topics covered in this semester. It is suggested you choose a topic concerning contemporary issues and/or emerging techniques or treatments for the person requiring orthopaedic care.
    You are encouraged to critically examine your topic, link theory to practice and suggest strategies for change (if required) supported by literature. This must be your own work. It is recommended that you discuss your topic with the course coordinator.
    As the presentation will be presented to your colleagues via the virtual classroom, it will need to be in a power point format and forwarded to the coordinator via My Uni by the due date. Please feel free to discuss any concerns you have in regard to the presentation with the course coordinator.

    Portfolio 
    Weighting: 35%
    Length: 2,500 words
    Topic
    During some of the topics there are Portfolio Activities to complete. Each activity will have a word length or a time frame attached to it. These are to be included in your marking. It is required that these activities are answered as per any academic paper following expectations outlined in the Student Handbook and Style Guide regarding layout and referencing.

    Submission
    Assessments, unless otherwise stated in your Study guide, are to be submitted electronically via Assignments in MyUni on the due date identified in this Study guide. Instructions for assignment submission are available for all students under Tutorials at www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/.

    An assessment submitted via MyUni must be submitted as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file. If submitting a PowerPoint presentation for marking, the .ppt or .pptx must be submitted as .pdf file. It is also important to submit your file under your name, such as surname.firstname. MyUni stamps all the other details against your filename once you submit your assessment.

    Turnitin is used to submit all assignments in this course. Turnitin is a plagiarism software tool that enables the student to identify any matching text before final submission.

    An Assignment Coversheet must be submitted with each assessment. The coversheet should be the first page of your assessment. A word version of the Assignment Coversheet is available to download at www.health.adelaide.edu.au/nursing/students/resources. The Plagiarism Statement must be signed and dated for your assessment to be marked (please note the details stated on the Assignment Coversheet).
    More information on avoiding Plagiarism is available at www.adelaide.edu.au/clpd/plagiarism/.
    If you have difficulty submitting your assignment, you can call the MyUni helpdesk from 8am to 6pm 08 8303 3335.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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