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

1	Demonstrate effective interpersonal relationships and communication skills and practice with a holistic approach to integration of knowledge, organisation and management of care
2	Evaluate common complex problems that may be seen in the clinical setting
3	Demonstrate advanced skills of health assessment and distinguish normal from abnormal assessment findings
4	Document a comprehensive physical, mental and psychosocial assessment, accurately describing the findings and move inductively from specific physical findings to a more general description of the patient’s condition
5	Identify behavioural issues relating to the chosen case and understand the implications these have for nursing practice in terms of patient education, counselling and patient care.
6	Integrate the information gained from the comprehensive patient assessment with an understanding of the pathophysiology of complex cases to problem solve in clinical practice.
7	Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the drugs that may be used in the management of complex disease states seen in their own practice setting. In particular the pharmacokinetics, interactions and issues such as poly-pharmacy.
8	Communicate the pathophysiological and pharmacological implications of the complex case succinctly and accurately to multidisciplinary members of the healthcare team
9	Identify and address specific patient education requirements related to the complex case

Prescribed Texts
Jarvis, C 2016, Jarvis's Physical Examination and Health
Assessment: ANZ adaptation, Elsevier Health Sciences APAC

McCance, L , Huether, S, Brashers, V, & Rote N, 2010 (eds) Pathophysiology The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children, 6th Ed, Mosby Elsevier, Philadelphia,

Nil

Lectures, tutorials and clinical laboratory session are used in the delivery of this course

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

The workload for this course requires attendance at:
• 2 x 1 hour lecture / week
• 4 x 1 hour tutorials / semester
• 2 x 2 hour SLE / semester

Non-contact hours for assessment and tutorial preparation will be 5 hours per
week.

 

Week	Lecture
Week 1	History taking and interviewing
Week 2	Skills of taking objective data
Week 3	Pharmacokinetics
Week 4	Fluids and Electrolytes
Week 5	Renal and Genitourinary assessment
Week 6	Abdominal assessment
Week 7	Renal and urinary tract disorders
Week 8	Digestive and nutritional disorders
Week 9	Neurological assessment
Week 10	Neurological disorders
Week 11	Mental health assessment
Week 12	Mental health disorders

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Weighting	Learning outcome(s) being addressed
Case study outline Due week 4	Formative	nil
Case study report Due week 9	Summative	50
Exam week 13	Summative	50

Assessment 1: Case Study Outline    
Weighting:    Nil
Length:    500 words

This assessment is scheduled early in the semester to assist in the planning and development of your case study, so that you can receive feedback on your work before developing your presentation and complete case study.

Topic
Case studies allow clinical episodes and practice 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. The proposed case should have complex health care needs including multiple co morbidities, one of which should be a topic in this course. A brief overview of the current diagnoses, medications, relevant health history and psychosocial issues should be submitted. Please ensure you maintain patient confidentiality at all times.

You may be required to access the patient’s records or case notes while preparing your case study. The policy for this varies between institutions and you will need to talk to medical records to find out the procedure to be followed. Permission to access notes is sometimes needed and can take some time, so plan in advance. The easiest method to access the notes is while the patient is still in the clinical area.

Please ensure the patient’s anonymity is maintained at all times.

Always use a pseudonym so that the patient is not identifiable and state in the case study that this is what you are doing.  In other words, you are allowed to write in the first person to identify what you have done in this academic assignment.  Be careful not to include any information that may identify the patient including places, dates, times or events. If including ECGs, blood results or other investigations ensure that the patient is de-identified.

Once you have identified the episode of patient care to write up for the case study:
Introduce the case and provide a brief paragraph which situates the case, and identifies the significance of the paper. You should also identify any limits or boundaries to your work and define key terms. (This is designed to assist in the development of the introduction for your final assignment).

Provide a rough plan of your case study identifying key headings that outline the structure of your case study.

Outline the key points to be discussed under the headings identified above and the issues to be critiqued. Provide a reference list containing 5 preliminary references on the topic which complies with the current School Academic Manual.

A high academic writing standard is required with key points in text referenced appropriately.

Marking Guide

Structure and writing style 25%

Structure (15%)

•    introduces/outlines/situates the topic of the essay •    provides a clear justification for the topic choice and its significance •    the essay plan is structured in a logical sequence so that the content flows

Writing style (10%)

the essay plan is written with clear sentence structure, clarity of argument and precision of expression and the spelling and grammar are correct.

Content 60%

•    the key points for the topic/issue have been identified •    the proposed content has clear links to complex  nursing practice •    the student’s essay plan demonstrates an understanding of the significant issues surrounding the topic/question •   the key points identified demonstrates the student has considered the topic from alternative perspectives

Referencing  15%

•    the referencing style used throughout the synopsis paper is congruent with 2012 School Academic Manual •    the reference list is accurate (i.e. no missing page numbers, volumes, correct title etc), complete (i.e. no references in the body of the paper are missing from the reference list) and consistent with the 2012 School Academic Manual) •    the references cited are contemporary (i.e. less than 10 years old unless seminal papers) •    primary references are used predominantly (i.e. the original reference has been cited rather than a secondary source) •    there is evidence in the synopsis paper that the student has searched widely for information related to the topic/issue •   the student has acknowledged all sources of information •   direct quotations are only used to make crucial points or to support the discussion/argument.

Assessment 2: Case Study Report
Weighting:    50%
Length:    1500

Topic
This report is a description of the complete health assessment you have conducted on your case study. You should use the sequence supplied in this study guide as Appendix 1.

Structure
The case study should be structured as an academic paper with the following sections:introduction body of text that covers the following areas:
•    presents the patient’s story, including their clinical presentation, relevant history, nursing assessment and diagnosis
•    describes the pathophysiology of the patient’s condition
•    discusses the discharge planning undertaken during the admission as relevant to your area of practice
•    conclusion that summarises the case study and ends with some specific recommendations for practice based on the evidence presented in the case study.

You may write in the first person to convey actual conversations. For example, ‘I asked the patient about her level of pain’, but must be written in past tense.

Further information on writing a case study is found at Appendix II. Students are also reminded that advice on case study and essay writing appears in the current School Academic Manual.

Referencing must comply with the current School Academic Manual. The method recommended by the School of Nursing is the ‘Harvard system’, sometimes called the ‘author-date system’.  All assignments must be formatted according to the guidelines outlined in the current School Academic Manual or marks will be deducted.
Students are further reminded that plagiarism, that is the submission of material, which is the work of someone else as if it were your own, constitutes a serious offence and can result in disciplinary procedures.

Confidentiality of the patient and the institution must be maintained throughout the paper.

Marking Guide

Structure and writing style 25%

Structure 15%

•    introduces the patient •    clearly describes the way in which the health assessment proceeded (follows the suggested outline within the Study guide) •    the health assessment is structured according to the outline of the health assessment tool with headings used to indicate the sections •   summarises the client’s health status.

Writing style (10%)

the health assessment is written with clear sentence structure, clarity of argument, precision of expression and the spelling and grammar are correct

Content and critical analysis 60%

Content (20%)

•   the health assessment has been conducted and described in a logical fashion •   the health assessment describes the special considerations in assessment of the patient (if required) •   confidentiality is maintained

Critical analysis (30%)

•   the health assessment demonstrates a high degree of critical thought and insight into the assessment of the patient and the nursing care provided •   relates the health assessment of the person to current thought and practice •   demonstrated/justified the use of the various screening tools used to detect functional impairments or other problems that have a subsequent impact on nursing care.

Referencing  15%

•  the referencing style used throughout the paper is congruent with the 2012 School Academic Manual •  the reference list is accurate (i.e. no missing page numbers, volumes, correct title etc), complete (i.e. no references in the body of the paper are missing from the reference list) and consistent with the 2012 School Academic Manual •  the references cited are contemporary (i.e. less than 10 years old unless seminal papers) •  primary references are used predominantly (i.e. the original reference has been cited rather than a secondary source) •  there is evidence in the paper that the student has searched widely for information related to the topic/issue •  the student has acknowledged all sources of information •  direct quotations are only used to make crucial points or to support the discussion/argument.

Assessment 3: Exam
Weighting:  50%
Length:  2 hours

Topic
The written examination will include (but is not limited to) a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. The examination will be two hours in length and will examine the contents taught in this course.This is the students final assessment and together with the formative assessment will determine the students overall grade.

Assessments, unless otherwise stated in the Study guide, are to be submitted electronically via Assignments in MyUni on the due date identified in the Study guide. Instructions for assignment submission are available for all students under Tutorials at www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/. Formatting and presentation of assignments must comply with School policy as indicated in the School Academic Manual.

An assessment submitted via MyUni must be submitted as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file (or unless otherwise specified, i.e. PowerPoint). It is also important to submit your file under the student surname and id number, such as surnamestudentid (i.e. knight1234567). MyUni stamps all the other details against the filename once you submit your assessment.

The assessment must include an Assignment Coversheet. The assignment should be submitted as one file, with the coversheet being the first page. A word version and rich text format of the Assignment Coversheet is available to download at http://health.adelaide.edu.au/nursing/current-students/. The Plagiarism Statement must be signed and dated for the assessment to be marked (signature is not required for electronic submission). More information on avoiding Plagiarism is available at www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/plagiarism/.

If students have difficulty submitting their assignment, they can call the MyUni helpdesk Monday to Friday (8am to 6pm) on 08 8313 3335.

All assessments should be submitted by the specified due date. Late submission without an approved extension will be penalised at the rate of 10% of available marks for each day after the due date. Work submitted more than ten days after the due date may be returned unmarked. This action will be taken to prevent students who do get their work in on time being disadvantaged.

Students are advised to comply with word limits. Students are, of course, not expected to achieve exactly the required length and a 10% leeway on either side is acceptable. However, a penalty of 5% of available marks will apply for word limit in excess of the 10% leeway.Written work must comply with the formatting and referencing indicated in the School Academic Manual. Marks will be lost for failing to do so.

Marked assignments and feedback will be returned via MyUni. For further information relating to assessment refer to the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy.

In accordance with University Policy, the guidelines and conditions regarding resubmission are stated below. It should be noted that these guidelines concern work that has been assessed as ‘FAIL’.

Course coordinators, in consultation with Head of Learning & Teaching and/or the Pre-Registration or Postgraduate Learning and Teaching Sub-Committee Chairperson, are responsible for determining the circumstances in which students may resubmit assessment tasks. In determining these circumstances, the following are considered.
a)    Students may only resubmit their work when:
i)    It will allow them to demonstrate that they have understood feedback on their work; and/or
ii)    They might otherwise be at risk of failing the course; and/or
iii)    When they have received a Fail grade with an underlying mark of 45-49%; or
iv)    The final assessment task in the course is weighted at 20% or more of the total course assessment.
b)    In granting a resubmission, the deadline will be negotiated.
c)    The resubmitted work will be awarded no more than the minimum pass mark (i.e. 50%).
d)    If the resubmitted work does not achieve a pass, it cannot be submitted a third time, and a fail will be recorded.
e)    Students who accept an offer of resubmission must take into account the possible implications, such as eligibility for graduation should the reassessment not be able to be completed in time for their preferred ceremony.