LWS101 Ethics Law and Health Care
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | LWS101 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | LWD101 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $555 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,104 |
| International unit fee | $4,488 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | LWS101 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LWD101 |
| Coordinator: | Fiona McDonald | fiona.mcdonald@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Nursing practice involves making decisions for, and with, others. An important requirement of such decisions is that they are consistent with nurses' public and professional responsibilities and that they serve to promote the needs of patient/clients. In short, nursing practice is guided by normative requirements. The basic requirements and considerations are established by law, ethics and professional values. The unit explores the relationship between law and ethics to lay the foundations of understanding of both law and ethics as they relate to healthcare and to your professional practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain how law affects nursing practice and health care
- Discuss ethics and its place within nursing practice
- Apply the relevant sections of the ICN Code of Ethics to nursing practice, and
- Debate selected ethical and legal concerns in contemporary health care.
Content
The content to be taught in this unit may include, but is not limited to:
1. the interrelationship between law, ethics and healthcare
2. ethical decision-making in healthcare
3. applications of law and ethics in healthcare contexts.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online, self-led learning practice and live tutorials where you will learn from experts and peers. Prior to tutorials, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts delivered by experts, and formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online modules consisting of podcasts, and problem-based activities that you will work through in your own time to develop your understanding of key concepts. There will be thirteen modules throughout the semester.
- Weekly independent preparation for online modules that includes reading prescribed materials and reflecting on tutorial learning activities.
- Weekly live tutorials where you will discuss the unit content with the class and receive feedback on learning activities. These tutorials will involve you working together using problem scenarios arising from clinical practice. In tutorials you will develop your ability to recognise and address problems in practice that give rise to ethical and/or legal concerns. For students on practicum, tutorial guides will be available each week on the Canvas site.
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understandings.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are provided with formative and summative feedback to assist your learning throughout the semester, through:
- Discussions in live tutorials
- Online activities
- Individual feedback provided on assessment, together with the completed Criteria Referenced Assessment (CRA) form
- Generic feedback posted on the unit's Canvas for each item of assessment
- The option of consultation with a member of the teaching team
You should reflect upon the feedback on your assessment in this unit (both your individual and generic feedback as provided on Canvas) for the purpose of identifying:
- gaps in your knowledge and understanding of legal and ethical principles
- inadequacies in your problem-solving methodology
- strategies to improve your problem-solving and written communication skills in further assessment
Assessment
Overview
Summative assessment will be based on your completion of a multiple-choice quiz, a problem-solving exercise and take-home examination.
Students may be required to attend campus or an assessment centre for the purposes of assessment, regardless of the attendance mode for the unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Multiple-Choice Quiz
Students will be assessed on their understanding of core concepts related to law and ethics. This will be a multiple choice test.
Assessment: Problem-solving exercise
Students will be provided with a problem-based scenario and must analyse the ethical and legal issues it raises using the framework provided in the unit.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Examination
There will be a compulsory examination worth 50% of the total assessment. The exam will be open book, and all topics covered during the course will be examinable. Students will work through a problem question(s) applying law and ethics.
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)
McDonald, F & Then, S, Ethics, Law and Health Care: A Guide for Nurses and Midwives (Palgrave MacMillan, 2nd edition, Melbourne, 2019)
Other
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Ahpra. (2018 rev 2022). Code of Conduct for Nurses. Available on the unit canvas site and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website.
International Council of Nurses. (2021). The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses. Available on the unit Canvas site and the International Council of Nurses website.
Various learning materials will be available as a resource through the unit Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no particular risks associated with this unit.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
1: Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice.
- The RN complies with legislation, regulations, policies, guidelines and other standards or requirements relevant to the context of practice when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN uses ethical frameworks when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN maintains accurate, comprehensive and timely documentation of assessments, planning, decision-making, actions and evaluations
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination
2: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships.
- The RN recognises that people are the experts in the experience of their life
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN provides support and directs people to resources to optimise health-related decisions
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN advocates on behalf of people in a manner that respects the person’s autonomy and legal capacity
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN reports notifiable conduct of health professionals, health workers and others.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.NS42 Bachelor of Nursing
- Apply scientific knowledge and skills from nursing and related disciplines to the provision of safe, person-centred, evidence-based nursing care across the lifespan
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Apply critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and digital literacy skills to make evidence- based decisions and evaluate outcomes
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive, and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
NS89 Master of Nursing - Entry to Practice
- Analyse and apply scientific knowledge and skills in context of nursing and related disciplines to the provision of holistic, person-centred, evidence-based nursing across the life span
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Evaluate practice outcomes drawing upon critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to examine person-centred nursing care and make evidence-based decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Online
| Unit code: | LWS101 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LWD101 |
Overview
Nursing practice involves making decisions for, and with, others. An important requirement of such decisions is that they are consistent with nurses' public and professional responsibilities and that they serve to promote the needs of patient/clients. In short, nursing practice is guided by normative requirements. The basic requirements and considerations are established by law, ethics and professional values. The unit explores the relationship between law and ethics to lay the foundations of understanding of both law and ethics as they relate to healthcare and to your professional practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain how law affects nursing practice and health care
- Discuss ethics and its place within nursing practice
- Apply the relevant sections of the ICN Code of Ethics to nursing practice, and
- Debate selected ethical and legal concerns in contemporary health care.
Content
The content to be taught in this unit may include, but is not limited to:
1. the interrelationship between law, ethics and healthcare
2. ethical decision-making in healthcare
3. applications of law and ethics in healthcare contexts.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online, self-led learning practice and live tutorials where you will learn from experts and peers. Prior to tutorials, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts delivered by experts, and formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online modules consisting of podcasts, and problem-based activities that you will work through in your own time to develop your understanding of key concepts. There will be thirteen modules throughout the semester.
- Weekly independent preparation for online modules that includes reading prescribed materials and reflecting on tutorial learning activities.
- Weekly live tutorials where you will discuss the unit content with the class and receive feedback on learning activities. These tutorials will involve you working together using problem scenarios arising from clinical practice. In tutorials you will develop your ability to recognise and address problems in practice that give rise to ethical and/or legal concerns. For students on practicum, tutorial guides will be available each week on the Canvas site.
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understandings.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are provided with formative and summative feedback to assist your learning throughout the semester, through:
- Discussions in live tutorials
- Online activities
- Individual feedback provided on assessment, together with the completed Criteria Referenced Assessment (CRA) form
- Generic feedback posted on the unit's Canvas for each item of assessment
- The option of consultation with a member of the teaching team
You should reflect upon the feedback on your assessment in this unit (both your individual and generic feedback as provided on Canvas) for the purpose of identifying:
- gaps in your knowledge and understanding of legal and ethical principles
- inadequacies in your problem-solving methodology
- strategies to improve your problem-solving and written communication skills in further assessment
Assessment
Overview
Summative assessment will be based on your completion of a multiple-choice quiz, a problem-solving exercise and take-home examination.
Students may be required to attend campus or an assessment centre for the purposes of assessment, regardless of the attendance mode for the unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Multiple-Choice Quiz
Students will be assessed on their understanding of core concepts related to law and ethics. This will be a multiple choice test.
Assessment: Problem-solving exercise
Students will be provided with a problem-based scenario and must analyse the ethical and legal issues it raises using the framework provided in the unit.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Examination
There will be a compulsory examination worth 50% of the total assessment. The exam will be open book, and all topics covered during the course will be examinable. Students will work through a problem question(s) applying law and ethics.
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)
McDonald, F & Then, S, Ethics, Law and Health Care: A Guide for Nurses and Midwives (Palgrave MacMillan, 2nd edition, Melbourne, 2019)
Other
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Ahpra. (2018 rev 2022). Code of Conduct for Nurses. Available on the unit canvas site and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website.
International Council of Nurses. (2021). The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses. Available on the unit Canvas site and the International Council of Nurses website.
Various learning materials will be available as a resource through the unit Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no particular risks associated with this unit.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
1: Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice.
- The RN complies with legislation, regulations, policies, guidelines and other standards or requirements relevant to the context of practice when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN uses ethical frameworks when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN maintains accurate, comprehensive and timely documentation of assessments, planning, decision-making, actions and evaluations
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination
2: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships.
- The RN recognises that people are the experts in the experience of their life
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN provides support and directs people to resources to optimise health-related decisions
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN advocates on behalf of people in a manner that respects the person’s autonomy and legal capacity
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN reports notifiable conduct of health professionals, health workers and others.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.NS42 Bachelor of Nursing
- Apply scientific knowledge and skills from nursing and related disciplines to the provision of safe, person-centred, evidence-based nursing care across the lifespan
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Apply critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and digital literacy skills to make evidence- based decisions and evaluate outcomes
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive, and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
NS89 Master of Nursing - Entry to Practice
- Analyse and apply scientific knowledge and skills in context of nursing and related disciplines to the provision of holistic, person-centred, evidence-based nursing across the life span
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Evaluate practice outcomes drawing upon critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to examine person-centred nursing care and make evidence-based decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | LWS101 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LWD101 |
| Coordinator: | Fiona McDonald | fiona.mcdonald@qut.edu.au |
Overview
Nursing practice involves making decisions for, and with, others. An important requirement of such decisions is that they are consistent with nurses' public and professional responsibilities and that they serve to promote the needs of patient/clients. In short, nursing practice is guided by normative requirements. The basic requirements and considerations are established by law, ethics and professional values. The unit explores the relationship between law and ethics to lay the foundations of understanding of both law and ethics as they relate to healthcare and to your professional practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain how law affects nursing practice and health care
- Discuss ethics and its place within nursing practice
- Apply the relevant sections of the ICN Code of Ethics to nursing practice, and
- Debate selected ethical and legal concerns in contemporary health care.
Content
The content to be taught in this unit may include, but is not limited to:
1. the interrelationship between law, ethics and healthcare
2. ethical decision-making in healthcare
3. applications of law and ethics in healthcare contexts.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online, self-led learning practice and live tutorials where you will learn from experts and peers. Prior to tutorials, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts delivered by experts, and formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online modules consisting of podcasts, and problem-based activities that you will work through in your own time to develop your understanding of key concepts. There will be thirteen modules throughout the semester.
- Weekly independent preparation for online modules that includes reading prescribed materials and reflecting on tutorial learning activities.
- Weekly live tutorials where you will discuss the unit content with the class and receive feedback on learning activities. These tutorials will involve you working together using problem scenarios arising from clinical practice. In tutorials you will develop your ability to recognise and address problems in practice that give rise to ethical and/or legal concerns. For students on practicum, tutorial guides will be available each week on the Canvas site.
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understandings.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are provided with formative and summative feedback to assist your learning throughout the semester, through:
- Discussions in live tutorials
- Online activities
- Individual feedback provided on assessment, together with the completed Criteria Referenced Assessment (CRA) form
- Generic feedback posted on the unit's Canvas for each item of assessment
- The option of consultation with a member of the teaching team
You should reflect upon the feedback on your assessment in this unit (both your individual and generic feedback as provided on Canvas) for the purpose of identifying:
- gaps in your knowledge and understanding of legal and ethical principles
- inadequacies in your problem-solving methodology
- strategies to improve your problem-solving and written communication skills in further assessment
Assessment
Overview
Summative assessment will be based on your completion of a multiple-choice quiz, a problem-solving exercise and take-home examination.
Students may be required to attend campus or an assessment centre for the purposes of assessment, regardless of the attendance mode for the unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Multiple-Choice Quiz
Students will be assessed on their understanding of core concepts related to law and ethics. This will be a multiple choice test.
Assessment: Problem-solving exercise
Students will be provided with a problem-based scenario and must analyse the ethical and legal issues it raises using the framework provided in the unit.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Examination
There will be a compulsory examination worth 50% of the total assessment. The exam will be open book, and all topics covered during the course will be examinable. Students will work through a problem question(s) applying law and ethics.
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)
McDonald, F & Then, S, Ethics, Law and Health Care: A Guide for Nurses and Midwives (Palgrave MacMillan, 2nd edition, Melbourne, 2019)
Other
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Ahpra. (2018 rev 2022). Code of Conduct for Nurses. Available on the unit canvas site and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website.
International Council of Nurses. (2021). The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses. Available on the unit Canvas site and the International Council of Nurses website.
Various learning materials will be available as a resource through the unit Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no particular risks associated with this unit.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
1: Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice.
- The RN complies with legislation, regulations, policies, guidelines and other standards or requirements relevant to the context of practice when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN uses ethical frameworks when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN maintains accurate, comprehensive and timely documentation of assessments, planning, decision-making, actions and evaluations
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination
2: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships.
- The RN recognises that people are the experts in the experience of their life
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN provides support and directs people to resources to optimise health-related decisions
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN advocates on behalf of people in a manner that respects the person’s autonomy and legal capacity
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN reports notifiable conduct of health professionals, health workers and others.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.NS42 Bachelor of Nursing
- Apply scientific knowledge and skills from nursing and related disciplines to the provision of safe, person-centred, evidence-based nursing care across the lifespan
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Apply critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and digital literacy skills to make evidence- based decisions and evaluate outcomes
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive, and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
NS89 Master of Nursing - Entry to Practice
- Analyse and apply scientific knowledge and skills in context of nursing and related disciplines to the provision of holistic, person-centred, evidence-based nursing across the life span
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Evaluate practice outcomes drawing upon critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to examine person-centred nursing care and make evidence-based decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Online
| Unit code: | LWS101 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | LWD101 |
Overview
Nursing practice involves making decisions for, and with, others. An important requirement of such decisions is that they are consistent with nurses' public and professional responsibilities and that they serve to promote the needs of patient/clients. In short, nursing practice is guided by normative requirements. The basic requirements and considerations are established by law, ethics and professional values. The unit explores the relationship between law and ethics to lay the foundations of understanding of both law and ethics as they relate to healthcare and to your professional practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Explain how law affects nursing practice and health care
- Discuss ethics and its place within nursing practice
- Apply the relevant sections of the ICN Code of Ethics to nursing practice, and
- Debate selected ethical and legal concerns in contemporary health care.
Content
The content to be taught in this unit may include, but is not limited to:
1. the interrelationship between law, ethics and healthcare
2. ethical decision-making in healthcare
3. applications of law and ethics in healthcare contexts.
Learning Approaches
This unit employs an active and collaborative approach to learning. It involves an online, self-led learning practice and live tutorials where you will learn from experts and peers. Prior to tutorials, you will be supported and engaged in this unit through the delivery of weekly snapshots of unit material, podcasts delivered by experts, and formative learning activities, and collaborative discussions that will introduce a range of practical and theoretical perspectives.
Your participation in the unit will include:
- Engagement with online modules consisting of podcasts, and problem-based activities that you will work through in your own time to develop your understanding of key concepts. There will be thirteen modules throughout the semester.
- Weekly independent preparation for online modules that includes reading prescribed materials and reflecting on tutorial learning activities.
- Weekly live tutorials where you will discuss the unit content with the class and receive feedback on learning activities. These tutorials will involve you working together using problem scenarios arising from clinical practice. In tutorials you will develop your ability to recognise and address problems in practice that give rise to ethical and/or legal concerns. For students on practicum, tutorial guides will be available each week on the Canvas site.
- Collaboration with peers and experts to network and share your understandings.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You are provided with formative and summative feedback to assist your learning throughout the semester, through:
- Discussions in live tutorials
- Online activities
- Individual feedback provided on assessment, together with the completed Criteria Referenced Assessment (CRA) form
- Generic feedback posted on the unit's Canvas for each item of assessment
- The option of consultation with a member of the teaching team
You should reflect upon the feedback on your assessment in this unit (both your individual and generic feedback as provided on Canvas) for the purpose of identifying:
- gaps in your knowledge and understanding of legal and ethical principles
- inadequacies in your problem-solving methodology
- strategies to improve your problem-solving and written communication skills in further assessment
Assessment
Overview
Summative assessment will be based on your completion of a multiple-choice quiz, a problem-solving exercise and take-home examination.
Students may be required to attend campus or an assessment centre for the purposes of assessment, regardless of the attendance mode for the unit.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Multiple-Choice Quiz
Students will be assessed on their understanding of core concepts related to law and ethics. This will be a multiple choice test.
Assessment: Problem-solving exercise
Students will be provided with a problem-based scenario and must analyse the ethical and legal issues it raises using the framework provided in the unit.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Examination
There will be a compulsory examination worth 50% of the total assessment. The exam will be open book, and all topics covered during the course will be examinable. Students will work through a problem question(s) applying law and ethics.
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)
McDonald, F & Then, S, Ethics, Law and Health Care: A Guide for Nurses and Midwives (Palgrave MacMillan, 2nd edition, Melbourne, 2019)
Other
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Ahpra. (2018 rev 2022). Code of Conduct for Nurses. Available on the unit canvas site and the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia website.
International Council of Nurses. (2021). The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses. Available on the unit Canvas site and the International Council of Nurses website.
Various learning materials will be available as a resource through the unit Canvas site.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no particular risks associated with this unit.
Standards/Competencies
This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.
Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
1: Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice.
- The RN complies with legislation, regulations, policies, guidelines and other standards or requirements relevant to the context of practice when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN uses ethical frameworks when making decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN maintains accurate, comprehensive and timely documentation of assessments, planning, decision-making, actions and evaluations
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination
2: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships.
- The RN recognises that people are the experts in the experience of their life
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN provides support and directs people to resources to optimise health-related decisions
Relates to: Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN advocates on behalf of people in a manner that respects the person’s autonomy and legal capacity
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - The RN reports notifiable conduct of health professionals, health workers and others.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.NS42 Bachelor of Nursing
- Apply scientific knowledge and skills from nursing and related disciplines to the provision of safe, person-centred, evidence-based nursing care across the lifespan
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Apply critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and digital literacy skills to make evidence- based decisions and evaluate outcomes
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive, and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings.
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination
NS89 Master of Nursing - Entry to Practice
- Analyse and apply scientific knowledge and skills in context of nursing and related disciplines to the provision of holistic, person-centred, evidence-based nursing across the life span
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Evaluate practice outcomes drawing upon critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to examine person-centred nursing care and make evidence-based decisions
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination - Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings
Relates to: Multiple-Choice Quiz, Problem-solving exercise, Examination