NURSING 7151 - Cardiovascular Care

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2021

The course is designed for nurses caring for the interventional, medical and surgical cardiovascular patient cohorts. The course consists of a number of sections including risk factors, assessment & investigations; pathophysiology & medical management of the cardiovascular patient; other management strategies are such as, mechanical cardiac support, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery and transplantation; and finally, secondary prevention, cardiac rehabilitation & palliation. The theoretical concepts and knowledge gained will enable the advanced practice nurse to engage in discussions regarding the principles of cardiovascular care nursing. It will have both theoretical and clinical components supported by classroom teaching. Students will also be expected to complete a range of clinical competencies throughout the course.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code NURSING 7151
    Course Cardiovascular Care
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Nursing School
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 6
    Contact Up to 5 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange
    Prerequisites NURSING 7031
    Restrictions Available only to students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma of Nursing Science (Cardiac)
    Assessment Search strategy & synopsis, case study presentations, written exam, viva voce, clinical skills diary
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Samuel Kitto

    Julia Muller Spiti
    Adelaide Nursing School
    Adelaide Health and Medical Sciences Building, North Terrace
    The University of Adelaide 5005

    Phone: +61 8 8313 6284
    julia.mullerspiti@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. Outline the process of risk stratification and the assessment tools used to risk stratify patients.

    2. Recognise the ethnic and racial differences in the prevalence and prognostic impact of cardiovascular disease in different populations.

    3. Describe the aetiology, pathophysiology, assessment, and management of cardiovascular disorders and their comorbidities.

    4. Explain the indications, physiological effects, nursing care, and complications of cardiovascular therapies.

    5. Compare and contrast percutaneous intervention and surgical option for the treatment of coronary, valvular, and thoracic aortic disease.

    6. Identify the barriers and explain the benefits, phases, and components to a successful cardiac rehabilitation program.

    7. Explain the concepts of palliative care, and recommended strategies to improve palliative care for patients with advanced cardiovascular disease.

    8. Outline and reflect upon the legal and ethical implications of disease and its management.

    9. Identify and critically appraise the evidence that informs practice.




    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)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1 - 9
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1 - 9
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3 - 7, 9
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1 - 9
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    2, 6 - 8
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    8, 9
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources


    Herzog, E 2018, CCU Book, Wolters Kluwer / Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia.

    Lilly, LS 2016, Pathophysiology of Heart Disease, 6th edn, Wolters Klumer, Philadelphia.

    Brown, DL 2019, Cardiac Intensive Care, 3rd edn, Elsevier, Philadelphia.






    Recommended Resources
    Reading lists, web-links, library resources, essay writing guides, study guides, referencing guides, TURNITIN



    Online Learning
    • Use of MyUni, Articulate Storyline for resource materials / lectures
    • Use of announcements, discussion boards, quizzes, lecture recordings, external web-links
    • Materials will be released over the semester
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course will be delivered through a blended learning mode:

    Up to five hours face-to-face sessions per week (on-campus) including: a blend of lectures and tutorials utilising the principles of; ‘Problem-Based Learning’.

    Lectures
    Lecture locations will be made available on the MyUni website. There will be Articulate storyline Lectures available on the MyUni home page as student preparation for some weeks, that students are required to review prior to attending class.

    Reading
    There are several prescribed texts for this course and a reading list has been compiled and made available on MyUni. For each lecture, readings have been carefully chosen. All of these required and recommended readings have been selected to optimise knowledge on the topic and so that they will continue to be of use after graduating.

    Clinical Practice and Skill Acquisition
    This course supplements theoretical knowledge acquisition with field based learning. Students are required to complete clinical skills and work a minimum of 300 clinical hours in their specialty setting during the semester.



    Workload

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

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

    The delivery mode of this course is mainly lectures (face to face or online) and  tutorials on campus (up to five hours contact per week). Although  attendance is not compulsory in this course, students are strongly encouraged to attend the classes. Many of the lectures and tutorials presented in this course will involve problem-based learning using real-life case studies and will have a close link to your clinical specialty.

    Reading
    There are several required texts for this course. Most of the Reading will be supplied to you online through MyUni. However you are strongly advised to search and read widely of each topic in this course. It is expected that you will need to invest about 24 hours per week of study to successfully complete this course. It is recommended that you plan your time commitment to the course at the beginning of the semester. This includes all study activities, attendance at lectures / tutorials, readings and assessments; some weeks it will be more and others less.







    Learning Activities Summary
    WEEK        TOPIC
    1 Cardiovascular risk factors
    Cardiovascular investigations
    2 Heart failures
    Cardiomyopathies
    3 Congenital heart disease
    Pulmonary hypertension
    4 Endocardial disease
    Valvular heart disease
    5 Myocarditis
    Pericardial disease
    6 Syncope
    SCD & OOHCA
    7 Neurological dysfunction in Cardiovascular populations
    Acute & chronic renal failure (inc. Contrast Nephropathy)
    8 Mechanical circulatory assist devices
    Transplantation
    9 Student case presentations
    10 Interventional cardiology
    11 Cardiac surgery
    12 Cardiac rehabilitation 
    Nurse-led clinics in cardiovascular care
    End-of-life care
    Specific Course Requirements
    Clinical Practice and Skill Acquisition
    This course supplements theoretical knowledge acquisition with field based learning. Students are required to complete clinical skills and work a minimum of 300 clinical hours in their specialty setting during the semester.
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    It is our endeavour to have Small Group Discovery (SGDE) experiences for many of our tutorial based exercises during our face to face time with students. Groups will be allocated to work together on clinical scenarios and problems that will be explored for solutions/actions that reflect evidence based care, professional team work and best practice.
  • 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 TASK TYPE WEIGHTING COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
    Search
    strategy & synopsis
    Formative 0 1, 3 - 9
    Case
    study presentation
    Summative 50% 1, 3 - 9
    Written
    exam
    Summative 50% 1 - 7, 9
    Viva
    voce
    Summative NGP 1 - 5, 9
    Clinical
    skills diary
    Summative NGP 1 - 5, 9
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Clinical Skills Diary: NGP
    The assessment of skills will occur throughout the semester. Students will be assessed by the Critical Care registered nurses and/or Clinical  Titleholders, with whom they work. Please refer to the information provided in the Clinical skills diaries regarding skills assessment criteria. The diaries will be graded Pass or Fail and are a hurdle requirement ie. Students' must pass this assessment to pass the course.
    Assessment Detail
    Search Strategy & Synopsis – Formative (NGP): 1000 words. The aim of this assessment is to introduce the topic and provide a justification for the topic; outline the key points and issues to be critiqued; describe the search strategy used to source information; and include a reference list of at least 5 contemporary preliminary references.

    Case study presentation – Summative (50%): 15 mins. Following on from Assessment 1 students are required to present a case study on their chosen topic to demonstrate understanding of certain key concepts associated with the course and communicate this understanding in a formal, structured way.

    Written Exam – Summative (50%): 2 hours (2000 word equivalent). This assessment includes multiple choice and short answer questions and is designed to ensure summative knowledge of the course material.

    Viva voce – Summative (NGP): 30 mins. This examination will test the student's ability to apply evidence-based knowledge and critical thinking in a leadership capacity with a view to formulating an appropriate plan of care for a patient and then appropriately respond to patient deterioration . The examination will cover knowledge taught in Cardiovascular Care and will be approximately 30 minutes long.

    Clinical Skills Diary - (NGP). The assessment of skills will occur throughout the semester. Students will be assessed by the critical care registered nurses and clinical titleholders in their workplace. Please refer to the information provided in the Clinical skills record. A series of mandatory clinical skills must be completed in order to pass.



    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/.

    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 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.

    Clinical Skills Diaries should be submitted in person to the students' respective Course Coordinator by 1630hrs on or before the due
    date.
    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.

    The feedback from students is very positive, with comments such as: 'face to face lectures improved my understanding as well as the chance to ask questions during the lectures; the content was relevant to my prectice and was explained well; I was able to apply my new knowledge to practice during the Course'.

  • 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.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.