92869 Specialty Clinical Practice

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

In this subject students achieve an advanced level of clinical and professional competency in their chosen clinical specialty through a program of integrated and clinically based learning strategies. The subject requires students to expand their clinical and professional knowledge and extend and refine their practice. Learning experiences are directed to the management of patient care, the clinical environment and services, professional responsibilities, leadership and collaboration, problem solving and evaluation, education strategies, inquiry and investigation.

Subject objectives/outcomes

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

1. undertake assessment, planning and implementation of care
2. monitor and evaluate patient/client progress and refer to other members of the multidisciplinary team
3. respond to clinical changes in the health care of patients/clients and promote health
4. maintain patient, family and supporters' integrity, acknowledging their values, beliefs and practices, and in a legal and ethically acceptable fashion
5. reflect on and evaluate care
6. manage and critique technology to manipulate the environment or patterns of practice
7. manage risk and assessment of patient safety issues
8. demonstrate understanding of the nursing regulatory framework and national scope of practice issues
9. demonstrate the development of a personal knowledge base and facilitate learning in others
10. evaluate policies, strategies and outcomes of care via enquiry/research and investigation in practice and professional settings.

Contribution to graduate profile

The aim of this subject is for students to identify their learning needs and then expand their clinical competence — to further develop their knowledge, clinical skills, and critical thinking and reflective capabilities. This will assist students to achieve a greater level of competency and professional engagement in selected aspects of their own specialty area of nursing practice. Attainment of an extended or advanced level of practice will be evident by an increasing application of knowledge to practice and changes in professional attitudes, skills and performance.

Content

This subject covers a range of topical issues relevant for specialty nurses. This includes review of current issues impacting on specialty and advanced nursing practice such as regulation and scope of practice; quality, safety and risk management; the role of professional associations and the role of clinicians in the future.

Topics include:

• Overview of the subject
• Developing a professional portfolio
• Introduction to UTSOnline
• Tutorial and small group work: Clinical goals, portfolio activities and clinical learning
• Quality, patient safety and risk management: a critical discussion
• Peer review and feedback of provisional planned portfolio activities
• Self review and evaluation of provisional planned portfolio activities
• Professional nursing associations: what are they and what do they do?
• Regulation and scope of practice
• The future of specialty nursing practice
• Subject evaluation.