Unit Outline
NUR131
Concepts of Nursing 1: Introduction to the Profession
Semester 1, 2025
Michelle Darch
School of Nursing
College of Health and Medicine
CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B
Unit Coordinator
Michelle Darch
Email: michelle.darch@utas.edu.au
 
What is the Unit About?
Unit Description
Concepts of Nursing 1 centres on the foundational knowledge and skills relating to professionalism, practising in the discipline of nursing and being part of a regulated profession. The Standards and Codes that regulate nursing practice and the broad professional, discipline and quality and safety frameworks are introduced. You will explore the events and the people that have shaped contemporary nursing practice, including germinal nursing scholars and their impact on the development of nursing knowledge. Critical thinking skills will be introduced to enable you to engage in reflection of self and others and the ethical basis of nursing will be examined. An introduction to digital health, research and its relationship to evidence-informed practice will be provided. You will be introduced to skills to foster life-long learning and professional development.
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
Discuss the professional, discipline, and quality and safety frameworks that regulate health and nursing in Australia.
2
Evaluate the influence of the events and the people that have shaped contemporary nursing practice.
3
Apply critical thinking skills to engage in reflection in relation to self and others.
4
Explain the ethical underpinnings of nursing as a profession.
5
Examine the impact of technology, digital health, and research on nursing practice.
6
Communicate in a professional manner and adhere to academic presentation requirements.
Alterations as a result of student feedback
There have been no alterations as a result of student feedback.
 
 
Teaching arrangements
ATTENDANCE MODE
TEACHING TYPE
LEARNING ACTIVITY
CONTACT HOURS
FREQUENCY
On Campus
Workshop
Weekly 2 hour Workshop
2
StudyPeriod 12 times
Independent Learning
Online Independent Learning - 8 hours.
8
StudyPeriod 12 times
Attendance / engagement expectations
If your unit is offered On campus, it is expected that you will attend all on-campus and onsite learning activities. This is to support your own learning and the development of a learning community within the unit. If you are unable to attend regularly, please discuss the situation with your course coordinator and/or our UConnect support team.

If your unit is offered Online or includes online activities, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline or MyLO, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.
 
 
 
 
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:
Formative Online Quizzes
Week 2
10 %
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
Assessment Task 2:
Assumptions and stereotypes in nursing
Week 4
15 %
LO2, LO3, LO6
Assessment Task 3:
Nursing as a profession
Week 9
40 %
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
Assessment Task 4:
In-class activity
Week 13
35 %
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6
 
Assessment details
Assessment Task 1: Formative Online Quizzes
Task Description:
Formative Online Quizzes.

Every two weeks, an online quiz will be made available on MyLO. Each quiz will be based on the lectures and pre-tutorial preparation activities (available on MyLO). These quizzes will prepare you for the interactive activities in your face-to-face workshop.
There will be five quizzes, each worth 2% of the overall assessment. You may attempt each quiz up to ten times.
1. The highest mark you achieve for the assessable quiz is the only mark that will count
2. You have two weeks to complete each quiz
To receive marks, the quiz for each week must be completed by the Monday (09:00) of that week. No extensions will be granted. If an extenuating circumstance is preventing you from completing this assessment task, a request for an alternative assessment must be received by email to the unit coordinator prior to the due date of each weekly quiz.

Students will receive two weeks to access and complete.

There are five (5) quizzes during the Nursing Study Period. Please refer to the dates in the Unit Schedule for due dates.

The quizzes relate to all module content.
Please see MyLO for more information.
Task Length:
 
Due Date:
Week 2
Weight:
10 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Resourcefully seek out information to answer questions in relation to the profession and discipline of nursing, including principles of reflection and critical thinking.
LO1, LO4
2
Resourcefully seek out information to answer questions in relation to the ethical underpinnings of nursing as a profession.
LO3
3
Resourcefully seek out information to answer questions in relation to basic principles of research and academic presentation requirements.
LO5, LO6
 
Assessment Task 2: Assumptions and stereotypes in nursing
Task Description:
During Module 1, there will be a discussion board topic on which you will need to post ideas, questions, and answers. This topic will relate to:

- Assumptions and stereotypes in nursing

In week 4, you will need to submit a 600-word essay on this topic. Refer to the Unit Outline or MyLO for the due date.

For this essay, you will receive feedback that will assist you in your completion of Assessment Task 3. Additional information can be found on MyLO.

Assessment requirements
For this assessment, you will be assessed on two components:
• Discussion Board Engagement. You will be marked on your level of engagement on the discussion board. See MyLO and the marking rubric for more information on what is expected on the discussion board.
Submitted essay. This should be similar to your discussion board posts. See MyLO and the marking rubric for more information on what is expected for the submitted essay.
Task Length:
600 words
Due Date:
Week 4
Weight:
15 %
 
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Engage in discussion on the discussion board.
LO6
2
Reflect on how events and people have shaped your assumptions about nursing, using appropriate literature to support discussions.
LO2, LO3
3
Adhere to academic presentation requirements, including spelling, punctuation, grammar and referencing.
LO6
 
Assessment Task 3: Nursing as a profession
Task Description:
Overview
During Module 2, there will be a discussion board topic on which you will need to post ideas, questions, and answers. This topic will relate to:

- Nursing as a profession and application of Codes and Standards

In week 9, you will need to submit an 800-word essay on this topic. In addition to this response, you will need to identify how you used two pieces of feedback you received in Assessment Task 2 to improve your work in Assessment Task 3.

Assessment requirements
For this assessment, you will be assessed on three components:
1. Discussion Board Engagement. You will be marked on your level of engagement on the discussion board. See MyLO and the marking rubric for more information on what is expected on the discussion board.
2. Submitted essay. This should be similar to your discussion board posts. See MyLO and the marking rubric for more information on what is expected for the submitted essay.
3. Identification of how you used feedback from Assessment Task 2 to improve your work.
Task Length:
800 words
Due Date:
Week 9
Weight:
40 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Engage in discussion on the discussion board
LO6
2
Discuss the professional considerations underpinning nursing practice, using appropriate literature and the Nursing and Midwifery Board Australia codes and standards to support discussions.
LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
3
Adhere to academic presentation requirements, including spelling, punctuation, grammar and referencing.
LO6
4
Respond to feedback to improve performance.
LO3
 
Assessment Task 4: In-class activity
Task Description:
For this assessment task, you will need to answer a series of reflective questions related to certain concepts covered in the Unit. The activity will be conducted in class and you will not have access to any notes, your laptops or other electronic devices. Additional information about the nature of the activity, including information on what content you will be assessed on, can be found on MyLO.
Task Length:
90 minutes
Due Date:
Week 13
Weight:
35 %
 
CRITERION #
CRITERION
MEASURES INTENDED
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
1
Analyse case studies with reference to key unit concepts including capability, discipline, and profession.
LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
2
Differentiate between types of research and demonstrate an understanding of the art and science of nursing.
LO1, LO5
3
Demonstrate skills in critical thinking and reflection.
LO2, LO3
4
Recognise and demonstrate effective written communication.
LO6
 
 
 
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.
 
Review of results and appeals
You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.
 
 
 
Required Resources
Required reading materials
Recommended 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.
 
Recommended reading materials
Arnott, N., Paliadelis, P., & Cruickshank, M. (Eds.). (2022). The road to nursing (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Atkins, K., Ripperger, B., & Ripperger, R. (2023). Ethics and law for Australian nurses. (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Chang, E., & Daly, J. (2020). Transitions in nursing: preparing for professional practice. (5th ed.). Elsevier Australia.
Daly, J., & Jackson, D. (2021). Contexts of nursing: an introduction. (6th ed.). Elsevier Australia.
Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2015). Leadership and nursing: contemporary perspectives. (2nd ed.). Elsevier Australia.
DeLaune, S. C., Ladner, P. K., McTier, L., Tollefson, J. & Lawrence, J. (2020). Fundamentals of Nursing: Australia and New Zealand (2nd ed.). Cengage.
 
 
Other required resources