This course is offered in a blended-delivery model, which means that there are both in-person and online components (not one or the other).

Requirements:

• There is an online welcome tutorial at the beginning of the semester.
• There are 15 online self-directed learning components scheduled throughout the semester, with associated regular MCQs. This requires a significant amount of planning on the student's part.
• There are 5x in-person study days that the student is expected to attend in person - lectures are not recorded, and most of the learning is clinical application.
• Additionally, there is one OSCE assessment for the Comprehensive Holistic Patient Assessment that the student is required to attend in person.

When students enroll into NURSING 773, they select which stream they want to attend. Options vary depending on the semester, but can include:

• Whangārei - Adult
• Auckland - Adult
• Auckland - Māori and Pasifika tauira
• Auckland - Child and young person
• Rotorua - Adult
• Tauranga - Adult
• Whakatāne - Adult
• Taranaki - Adult

Students should consult the current Postgraduate Nursing Handbook (back page) to find out which semester the course is being offered in their preferred location.

If you are unsure which stream you have enrolled into, please contact the Course Administrator.

This course ranges from between 15-18 weeks in duration.

Each week the student is expected to complete online learning modules.

Each online learning module is associated with an online Multiple Choice Question test that must be completed in the students own time, before the set deadline. The online learning modules help prepare students for the practical and interactive components of their in-person teaching, as well as for assessment points.

The in-person teaching aims to support students in the clinical application of clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning.

In addition to all of this, students are expected consolidate their learning and prepare for other upcoming assessment points.

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Required text

• The required course text for 773 is: Soriano, R. P., Szilagyi, P. G., Hoffman, R. M., & Bickley, L. S. (2026). Bates' guide to physical examination and history taking (14th ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health. This is available for free online 24/7 once logged into the university's library website.
• Students are also expected to endorse their work with scholarly, peer-reviewed literature, available on the university's databases.

Additional supports

• Students should contact DELNA an academic English screening test (regardless of their first, or only, language) before the course starts.
• Students who whakapapa Māori or to the Pacific Islands are strongly encouraged to register for MAPAS and connect with Te Fale Pouāwhina for best results.

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

This is a highly practical course with a significant amount of content concentrated into the five teaching days.

We are acutely aware that students have different life experiences and learning styles. We aim to facilitate as much as possible to support your learning needs through the learning resources available at the university.

A core part of learning physical assessment skills is peer examination. This requires students physically examining each other. This involves inspecting and palpating your student peer's head, chest, abdomen and legs. On each of the study days, students are asked to wear light movable clothing and sports bras to facilitate meaningful examination of the body's systems.

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

• Honesty - in all aspects of research work
• Accountability - in the conduct of research
• Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
• Good stewardship – on behalf of others
• Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
• Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

It is your responsibility to ensure the written work you submit is an original piece of academic writing, created and written by you for the NURSING 773 course. Accessing information and not acknowledging the source and using previous student's academic work in your assignment is deemed plagiarism and is managed through the university's academic misconduct processes. The use of artificial intelligence software such as CHAT GPT is not permitted to support you writing your NURSING 773 written assessments. Students who plagiarise will be heavily penalised.     

There are four overarching assessments on this course. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they adhere to set deadlines. Students must make a submission on each assessment before the deadline (unless organised prior) to pass the course. Students must achieve a passing grade on the OSCE in order to pass the NURSING 773 course.

Assessment 1 Clinical Reasoning Long Answer Question

• Assessment type: Formative
• Format: Written essay
• Word limit: 500 words
• Weighting: 0% - mandatory submission required to pass the course

Assessment 2 Clinical Assessment, Diagnostic Testing and Academic Writing Multiple Choice Questions

• Assessment type: summative
• Format: 5x open book online MCQ tests scheduled throughout the semester (18x questions per quiz)
• Time limit: 18 minutes
• Weighting: 22.5%

Assessment 3 Clinical Reasoning Case Study

• Assessment type: summative
• Assessment type: Written essay
• Word limit: 3000 words
• Weighting 30%

Assessment 4 Comprehensive Holistic Patient Assessment

• Assessment type: Summative
• Format: Observed Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE)
• Limit: 50 minutes
• Weighting: 47.5%

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Please contact the Course Director if you wish to nominate yourself as a class representative.

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

If a student is unwell or deemed unfit to sit an assessment point, they should contact the Course Director before the due date /they make a submission. Students completing the NURSING 773 course will not be eligible for aegrotat grading.

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.