Unit Outline

This unit will equip you with the essential knowledge to manage acute patient presentations in the emergency setting. You will consolidate your learning and apply your theoretical knowledge into practice in your emergency department. The unit focuses on applying patient assessment skills and prioritisation of care, which are crucial for managing diverse patient presentations. The unit promotes evidence-informed, person-centred care and the development of effective communication skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

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


1	Critically evaluate foundational knowledge and skills in relation to patient assessment to prioritise care.
2	Critically analyse complex health and socioeconomic issues to provide culturally sensitive and inclusive care to all patients across the healthcare spectrum.
3	Optimise the provision of high-quality, evidence-informed patient care.
4	Critically reflect on ethical issues encountered in practice to avert potential adverse consequences in emergency situations.
5	Exhibit effective communication skills for interprofessional collaboration, escalation, and teamwork in emergency situations.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The unit was redeveloped including learning materials and assessment resources for 2025 iteration.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Action Plan	Week 4	15 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Viva Voca	Week 9	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Professional Portfolio	Week 13	45 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Action Plan

Task Description:

You are required to evaluate yourself against the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA)’s Practice Standards for the Specialist Emergency Nurse, and the CNA784 Pre-requisite Knowledge to detect areas of strength and areas that require improvement. You must identify and appropriate preceptor and discuss with them your learning goals.

You should identify areas for improvement and prepare an Action Plan on how you intend to address these gaps.

Task Length:

600 words

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Critically evaluate own knowledge and skills against the clinical capabilities for emergency nursing.	LO1
2	Outline strategies to address identified gaps in clinical capabilities.	LO2
3	Use evidence-informed practice principles to inform the selection of strategies and interventions outlined in the action plan.	LO3
4	Critically evaluate the benefit of addressing identified knowledge gaps in clinical capabilities upon patient care and safety.	LO4
5	Communicates the action plan, using clear and concise language and appropriate professional terminology.	LO5

Assessment Task 2: Viva Voca

Task Description:

This hybrid oral presentation assesses your clinical reasoning, patient management, and technical skills through the real-time presentation of a case study.

The structured format includes an introduction, a detailed case presentation (history, assessment, diagnosis, management plan), a technical skills teaching session (demonstration and rationale of a relevant skill), and a discussion and reflection segment.

Due Date: Weeks 9-10

Task Length:

15 minutes

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Outline history, assessment and appropriate management plan for the allocated patient, including culturally sensitive and inclusive considerations.	LO2
2	Select relevant technical skills related to the allocated patient.	LO1
3	Outline procedure for completing identified technical skill.	LO3
4	Critically reflect on alternative approaches or management options for allocated patient, including potential ethical issues that may arise.	LO4
5	Communicate management plan in a professional manner.	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Professional Portfolio

Task Description:

You must create and maintain a professional portfolio throughout your study whereby you gather evidence of your capability in relation to clinical skills and reflect on learnings from your own practice in emergency nursing.
Please note you must identify and submit details of your chosen preceptor/s within two weeks of starting this unit (mandatory).

Due Dates:
Weeks 2, 5, 8 & 13

Task Length:

1800 words equivalent

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

45 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Provide evidence of competence in performing patient assessments, interventions and procedures required for emergency nursing (Mandatory).	LO1
2	Use theoretical knowledge and principles to assess real-world nursing scenarios that incorporate culturally sensitive and inclusive patient care.	LO2
3	Synthesise evidence-informed research to inform your professional practice.	LO3
4	Reflect on your learning journey, addressing clinical capability development and ethical issues encountered.	LO4
5	Communicate using clear and concise language and appropriate professional terminology, incorporating evidence of interprofessional collaboration and timely escalation of issues.	LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes and achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Required Readings will be provided by your Unit Coordinator via the Reading List link in MyLO, or the unit Reading List on the University Library website.