92261 Adult Nursing: Medical

Subject level: Undergraduate

Handbook description

This subject focuses on adults experiencing alterations to health which require medical interventions. Using the functional health patterns, students continue to develop the tools necessary to exercise clinical judgment to provide nursing care in the areas of acute care, recovery and rehabilitation and prevention.

Subject objectives/outcomes

This subject focuses on adults experiencing alterations to health, which require medical interventions. Using the functional health patterns, students continue to develop the tools necessary to exercise clinical judgment to provide nursing care in the areas of acute care, recovery, rehabilitation, and prevention.

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. provide nursing care for patients in accordance with the National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse developed by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC competencies: passim)
2. accurately understand nursing assessment, nursing diagnosis and nursing management for patients with alterations to health requiring hospitalisation (ANMC competencies: 5.1; 5.2; 5.3)
3. apply the functional health patterns within the context of alterations to health status (ANMC competencies: 2.6; 3.2; 7.4)
4. use research evidence to inform nursing practice (ANMC competencies: 3.2; 3.3; 4.1)
5. integrate the meanings of the health / illness experience of patients into the nursing assessment(ANMC competencies: 5.1; 5.2; 5.3; 6.1)
6. apply nursing knowledge to aid patients' recovery, rehabilitation and living with chronic medical conditions (ANMC competencies: 2.6; 3.1; 3.2; 3.3)
7. apply the concept of resource availability which determines opportunities for the provision of nursing care within a range of acute care settings (ANMC competencies: 2.4; 2.5; 4.4)
8. understand foundations of nursing management in medical, oncology and palliative care (ANMC competencies: 6.1; 6.2; 6.3; 6.4)
9. understand the need to provide care that is culturally safe and is consistent with the code of professional conduct for nurses in Australia (ANMC competencies: 2.1; 2.3; 2.4; 9.2; 9.3; 9.5)
10. apply the principles of manual handling of patients within a medical environment (ANMC competencies: 1.3; 2.2)
11. use relevant data which allow for effective monitoring of the patients health status and the recognition of significant variations (ANMC competencies: 5.1; 5.2; 5.3; 6.1; 7.3; 7.4).

Content

The subject utilises the following 'key concepts' as an organising framework for the subject content.

• Patient physical and health assessment using functional health patterns
• Verbal and written communication skills
• Patient education
• Administration of medications
• Cardiac nursing
• Respiratory nursing
• Oncology nursing
• Palliative care nursing
• Endocrine nursing
• Neurological nursing
• Chronic pain management
• Management of chronic wounds
• Medical emergencies.