NSN435 Integrated Professional Practice 1 (Primary Health)

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Online

Overview

This unit provides supervised and supported professional practice experience to develop and apply coursework learning. This integrated professional practice unit focuses on the development of knowledge and skills in comprehensive health assessment, with a focus on primary health care principles and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' and vulnerable groups.

This unit builds on and applies knowledge and skills gained in four previously completed units: NSN431 Transition to Nurse Practitioner Service, NSN429 The Science of Health Assessment, NSN430 Clinical Therapeutics and NSN432 QUM and Safe Prescribing.

This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of primary health care principles to analyse and evaluate a health service model considering national health priorities, and determinants of health including cultural, social and economic factors
2. Develop a systematic framework to optimise approaches to holistic consumer health assessment
3. Collaborate with consumers and a range of health professionals using person-centred, culturally safe practice approaches and knowledge of the healthcare environment
4. Apply advanced written and oral presentation skills to record and present comprehensive clinical practice reviews and case studies
5. Critically reflect on your professional practice experience and draw on relevant literature to identify and justify areas for self-development and practice improvement opportunities.

Content

Learning Approaches

Integrated professional practice in this unit is comprised of a clinical placement in your usual workplace or a clinical setting relevant to your specialty.

You will be required to undertake 130 hours of supervised supernumerary practice in your usual workplace. The focus of this professional practice is to develop your knowledge and skills to conduct consumer health assessments, formulate diagnoses and develop evidence-based management plans under the supervision of your nominated clinical support team. The members of your team must sign the requisite documentation agreeing to support you and sign a clinical log verifying supernumerary clinical hours.

This unit will provide you with the opportunity to develop collaborative team skills, become a responsive practitioner through evaluating service provision and initiating ongoing quality improvements to meet consumer needs. Under appropriate supervision you will conduct clinical practice reviews on your management of cases which represent a typical consumer, drawing upon documented care in the medical record, observation of practice, patient assessment findings and your case reporting.

Throughout your integrated professional practice you will continue to develop reflective practitioner skills and the ability to apply the nurse practitioner standards of practice utilising an electronic portfolio.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Assessment will be spaced throughout the semester to provide the opportunity for feedback on your learning at key points. You will receive formative verbal and written feedback on your progress throughout the placement for this unit. A structured approach to assessment and marking will be applied to provide you with detailed feedback on your progress.

Assessment

Overview

There are three summative assessments to be completed in this unit. You must submit all assessment items to a satisfactory level and attend 100% of your integrated professional practice in order to achieve an overall pass grade for this unit. Copies of each assessment item will be submitted in a portfolio to provide evidence for future endorsement as a nurse practitioner. 

Unit Grading Scheme

S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Oral Presentation

You will interview a health professional from a primary health care setting caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' or vulnerable populations. You will gain an understanding of the goals of this service regarding primary health care principles, health demographics, health status and culturally safe practice. You will present your findings in PowerPoint format highlighting the goals and outcomes of this service using evidence to support your discussion. You will include a reflection on the potential for a nurse practitioner model of care within this service using the a reflection framework and present your work in a relevant professional forum seeking written peer feedback from the interdisciplinary team in your workplace. 

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

A pdf copy of your presentation and written feedback from the interdisciplinary team in your workplace will be submitted to your electronic portfolio.  

Threshold Assessment:

You must submit all assessment items to a satisfactory level and attend 100% of your integrated professional practice in order to achieve an overall pass grade for this unit.

Assessment: Portfolio

You will participate in regular case reviews with your clinical support team who will provide feedback and recommendations for improved future practice. These clinical cases will be documented in your clinical log and verified by your clinical support team. You will be required to submit two of these clinical cases as a written case study and one clinical case as an oral presentation given during an NSN435 on-line webinar. This will provide the opportunity for you to demonstrate head to toe assessment, critical reasoning, appropriate ordering of clinical diagnostics and rationale for management choices including pharmacological options.

You will include copies of your comprehensive health assessments, and clinical log in an electronic portfolio as evidence of your learning activities and clinical experiences as a nurse practitioner student. 

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Threshold Assessment:

You must submit all assessment items to a satisfactory level and attend 100% of your integrated professional practice in order to achieve an overall pass grade for this unit.

Assessment: Integrated Professional Practice Assessment Report

You will provide patient-centered, holistic care for consumers under the supervision of your clinical support team (CST) in accordance with the Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice (NMBA, 2021). This will enable you to participate in regular case reviews, seek verbal feedback, and highlight learning opportunities. All cases should be recorded in your clinical log. You will use available health informatics and technology in engaging with consumers and communicating with other health professionals. At the end of the semester, you will seek formal feedback from your CST utilising the NS90 Integrated Professional Practice Assessment Report (IPPAR) which aligns with the NMBA Nurse Practitioner Standards for Practice, 2021. You must demonstrate satisfactory achievement on each standard of the assessment tool in order to pass the Unit.

You will upload your IPPAR to your electronic Portfolio as evidence of your learning activities and clinical experiences as a nurse practitioner student. 

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Threshold Assessment:

You must submit all assessment items to a satisfactory level and attend 100% of your integrated professional practice in order to achieve an overall pass grade for this unit.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Talley, N., & O'Connor, S. (2018). Clinical examination: A systematic guide to physical diagnosis (8th ed.). Sydney: Churchill Livingston.

Other

NMBA (2021). Nurse Practitioner Standards of Practice. Available from AHPRA http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines- Statements/Professional-standards.aspx%20

Risk Assessment Statement

As a student undertaking this unit you are required to be working in your nominated clinical speciality area. As such, you will be exposed to risks encountered in the practice of nursing. Students undertaking workplace-based professional practice experience or clinical placement are required to follow the same health safety guidelines that apply to all staff in the workplace. In addition, measures to control exposure to risks include:

• Orientation to the health care agency
• Supervision by a clinical support team
• Appropriate theoretical and practical preparation

Emergency procedures

All facilities require that their health workers become familiar with local emergency procedures. It is your responsibility to locate fire exits, emergency procedures and complete CPR drill and fire safety as required.

Health status and immunisation requirements

It is strongly recommended that you will:

• Endeavour at all times to maintain your personal health at a high level. Be fit to work and have had a reasonable rest period between shifts.
• Review your current immunisation status.
• Inform the Unit Coordinator, Course Coordinator or Clinical Support Team if you are aware of any personal condition, which may present a risk to yourself or consumers, other students, health care agency staff or the general public while undertaking professional practice experience or clinical placement.

The management of your health facility has the right to send you home if, in their opinion, it is unsafe for you to work that day.

Confidentiality

As a student in the clinical area, you must treat all information regarding clients and their families with the utmost confidentiality. Information that is documented as part of your learning experiences must preserve client anonymity and confidentiality. Classroom discussion should also adhere to these principles.

Course Learning Outcomes

NS90 Master of Nurse Practitioner

1. Demonstrate advanced health knowledge and clinical practice skills to deliver nurse practitioner services to diverse consumer populations
   Relates to: Integrated Professional Practice Assessment Report
2. Apply advanced clinical inquiry and reasoning in assessing, diagnosing, implementing, and developing a holistic management plan in partnership with consumers
   Relates to: Oral Presentation, Integrated Professional Practice Assessment Report
3. Critique the application of influential communication and practice for effective professional relationships across the intra and interdisciplinary team
   Relates to: Oral Presentation, Portfolio
4. Embedded in nursing philosophy, engage in advocacy and leadership to influence ethical and culturally safe practice to optimise health systems and outcomes for consumers and communities.
   Relates to: Portfolio, Integrated Professional Practice Assessment Report