Unit Outline

This unit equips you with advanced knowledge and skills to deliver culturally safe, person-centred, holistic palliative care for individuals with life-limiting conditions and their families and support networks. By applying the philosophy and principles of palliative care, you will learn to assess and respond to complex and evolving needs that influence a person’s quality of life with sensitivity to their goals, values and preferences. Through the development and communication of evidence-informed interventions and strategies, you will be supported to provide ethically grounded, collaborative and contextually responsive palliative and end-of-life care.

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	Apply palliative care principles to optimise the quality of life of people with life-limiting conditions.
2	Assess the complex needs of people receiving palliative care and their families/support networks to guide clinical decision-making.
3	Recommend interventions or strategies to address the complex needs of people receiving palliative care and their families/support networks. .
4	Respond to contextual or ethical considerations in palliative care to navigate potential challenges and their implications.
5	Communicate palliative care information and strategies to support culturally -safe shared decision- making with the person/family/support networks and team members.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

This is the first iteration of this unit developed in consultation with palliative care specialists and educational designers.

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:	Palliative Care Planning – Initial Planning	Week 4	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Holistic Needs Assessment and Communication of Care Plan	Week 8	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Responding to complexity in palliative care	Week 12	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Palliative Care Planning – Initial Planning

Task Description:

Palliative Care Planning – initial interpretation and prioritisation of care needs based on a referral.
This assessment task requires you to engage with a provided palliative care case scenario and develop a structured summary on initial interpretation and prioritisation of care needs from a nursing perspective. Drawing on clinical reasoning and relevant frameworks, such as the illness trajectory and the biopsychosocial (spiritual) model, you will interpret the person’s situation, identify emerging care needs and propose initial nursing care priorities aligned with palliative care principles.
This task is in two parts:
• A written summary (developing a clear and structured overview of the person’s current situation, anticipated needs and proposed nursing care priorities).
• Recorded communication to a team member (recording a brief, professional explanation of your care plan, as if you were communicating it to a fellow healthcare team member).

Task Length:

Written summary: 600 words and a 5-minute (maximum) video recording.

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Interpret the case scenario to determine the person’s current situation and emerging care needs.	LO2
2	Evaluate clinical, contextual and ethical considerations and their implications for initial care planning.	LO4
3	Apply palliative care principles to support decision making in early palliative care planning.	LO1
4	Propose initial care priorities to inform palliative care planning.	LO3
5	Communicate initial care planning to the team/team member.	LO5

Assessment Task 2: Holistic Needs Assessment and Communication of Care Plan

Task Description:

Based on the case scenario used in Task 1, you will complete a comprehensive, holistic needs assessment and develop a nursing care plan that addresses the person’s current palliative care phase and identified needs. You will incorporate palliative care principles into the plan and justify your decisions.

Task Length:

800 words written care plan & transcript of communicating care plan

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Interpret the case scenario to determine the person’s current situation and emerging care needs.	LO2
2	Integrate palliative care principles to plan responses to the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the person receiving care and their family/support network.	LO1
3	Plan care strategies to address the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the person receiving care and their family/support network.	LO3
4	Communicate the care plan and its rationale to the person receiving care or their support person.	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Responding to complexity in palliative care

Task Description:

There are two parts to this assessment:
Part A: You will take part in an interactive oral assessment based on a case scenario involving a person receiving palliative care and their family or support network. The case will present a clinical, contextual, or ethical challenge.
Your task is to respond by applying a palliative care decision-making approach, recommending actions for the care team, and communicating your rationale clearly to a professional audience.
Part B: Palliative Care Capability- Completion of Clinical Practice Capability is MANDATORY and must be endorsed by the nominated clinical support person assigned by your nurse unit manager/supervisor within the first three weeks of the semester—further information provided in MyLO.

Due by: Weeks 10 - 12.

Task Length:

Part A: 20 minutes interactive oral assessment including time to engage with a virtual case scenario and time to respond to questions posed by the tutor. Part B: Palliative Care Capability (mandatory Clinical Practice Endorsement)

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply a palliative care approach to decision-making.	LO1, LO4
2	Recommend actions or interventions for the care team in response to the clinical/contextual/ethical challenge.	LO3
3	Communicate your rationale and process to a professional audience.	LO5
4	Provide evidence of capability in palliative care - Clinical Practice Endorsement (Mandatory).	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

How your final result is determined

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

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.