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Overview

Course Prescription

Draws on evidence from biomedical and social science research to equip nurses for the care and treatment of surgical patients. Students will be expected to integrate evidence from a range of sources and apply this to the practice of RNFSA nursing.

Course Overview

Advanced nursing practice is the ability to apply the latest evidence to nursing practice and knowledge to contribute to advances in specialist nursing areas. Advanced nursing practice roles have continued to develop over recent years to accommodate the increasing complexity of the population's healthcare needs. Preparation of nurses for advanced speciality roles has become a priority for the profession, the Nursing Council of New Zealand – as the statutory body – and healthcare providers. This course draws on biomedical and social science research evidence to equip registered nurses with scientific concepts and the knowledge and skills for the Registered Nurse First Surgical Assistant (RNFSA) role within the operating theatre.

Entry Criteria for NURSPRAC 707 

  • Approval from unit nurse manager for support in completion of NURSPRAC 707 (Semester 1).
  • Identified surgeon mentor to supervise the student in practice.
  • A registered nurse employed within the perioperative environment who can complete 140 hours of clinical work for the duration of the semester, in the role of the RNFSA (see definition provided below).
  • A learning agreement is signed by the student, employer, surgeon mentor, academic coordinator, and clinical coordinator.

The RNFSA is a perioperative nurse who: 

  1. Works in collaboration with the surgeon and other health care team members to achieve optimal patient outcomes;.
  2. Has acquired the necessary knowledge, judgement and skills specific to the expanded role of the RNFSA clinical practice.
  3. Intraoperatively, practices under the direction of the surgeon.
  4. Does not concurrently function as a scrub nurse (AORN 2013).

Learning Agreement

The Learning Agreement aims to describe the overall arrangement between all parties (student, employer, surgeon mentor, academic coordinator, and clinical coordinator) regarding clinical and academic support (co‐operative learning approach) for NURSPRAC 707.

Main Programme

Course Contacts

Course Administrator Matthew Baker E: matthew.baker@auckland.ac.nz 

Course Coordinator Yvonne Morgan E: y.morgan@auckland.ac.nz

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 48 hours of lectures, which will include tutorials, small group work and simulation, 32 hours of reading and thinking about the content, 100 hours of work on assignments and 120 hours for clinical skill development.

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Restriction

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
Grafton

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including labs/tutorials/clinics to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including seminars/labs will not be available as recordings.
The course will include live online events including group discussions/tutorials.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard block delivery.

Learning Resources

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.

Copyright

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.

Learning Continuity

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.

Other Information

The clinical practice experience will be within the nurse’s current employment setting under the direct supervision of a nominated surgeon. The nominated surgeon will support the nurse to put into practice what they have learned in class and in simulated settings, observe their surgical assistance practice and verify the competencies.

This course outline may change before the course is offered again in semester 1.2023.

Academic Integrity

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.

Disclaimer

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.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Additional Information on Assessment

To ensure that students are achieving the course learning outcomes and completing assessments while meeting competencies for RNFSA Expanded and Extended practice, students are to enter an agreement for learning and an agreement for health and safety. These two documents are available in Module One in Canvas. The student must obtain the required signature and contact details for each document and then upload them into Canvas by 12:00hrs Monday, 27th February 2023.

For assessments 4 and 5, students will complete Course Documents to show evidence of competence of RNFSA Expanded and Extended practice (Perioperative Nurses College and New Zealand Nurses Organisation, 2014; Nursing Council of New Zealand, 2011). Please refer to the assessment requirements for further information around responsibilities for completion and validation by designated roles such as surgeon mentor.

All course documents and templates are available in Canvas.

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type12345

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

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.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

Overall, students rate this course favourably with positive experiences from small group activities and clinically focused workshops.

Class representatives

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.

Tuākana

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.

Inclusive Learning

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.

Wellbeing

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.

Special Circumstances

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.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

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.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

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.