Overview
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s (NMBA) Registered Nurse Standards for Practice (2016) require a registered nurse to think critically and analyse nursing practice. Additionally, the NMBA's Midwife Standards for Practice (2018) require midwives to access, analyse, and use the best available evidence for safe, quality, midwifery practice. These Standards are achieved by accessing, appraising and applying the best available evidence to inform safe and quality practice. In this unit, you will develop the foundational skills required for applying best evidence to navigate information gathering, its application to quality practice and assessment writing, early in your healthcare education.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Must be enrolled in CL91 Bachelor of Nursing or CM77 Bachelor of Nursing (Enrolled Nurse Pathway) or CG41 Start Uni Now or NCP172660 Bachelor of Midwifery.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2027
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE feedback, in class and E-Mail
Students reported that learning a focused approach to locating evidence for their assessment discussions was beneficial. In particular, real-time demonstrations of library and database searches (guided by student-generated questions) were identified as an effective teaching strategy in both online and on-campus workshops.
Maintain real-time online and face-to-face sessions that demonstrate the authentic use of library and database search tools. Using student-led questions enhances relevance, engagement, and the immediate application of search skills to assessment tasks.
Feedback from SUTE feedback, in class and E-Mail
Students responded positively to the use of Zoom’s interactive features, particularly the whiteboard, which enabled all participants to contribute collaboratively during online sessions.
Continue using Zoom’s interactive features, particularly the whiteboard, to promote active participation, strengthen student engagement, and support inclusive collaboration during online sessions.
Feedback from SUTE feedback, and in class
Students responded positively to the availability of evening sessions, which provided greater flexibility and supported participation among students managing work, family, and other commitments.
Continue offering evening sessions to provide flexible access, support student engagement, and accommodate students balancing study with employment, family, and other commitments.
Feedback from SUTE feedback and in-class co
Some students initially expressed resistance to the content, noting that they did not intend to become researchers. However, as the unit progressed, students increasingly recognised the practical value of research skills for evaluating evidence, supporting academic work, and informing clinical practice.
Strengthen the early weeks of the unit by demonstrating the relevance of research and evidence-searching skills to clinical decision-making, academic assessment, and future professional practice. Use authentic clinical examples to address initial resistance and help students recognise that these skills are essential for evidence-informed practice, as this is part of professional practice.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Student feedback indicated a decline in the perceived usefulness of assessment feedback, highlighting opportunities to strengthen the quality, clarity and constructive nature of feedback to better support student learning and professional development.
Strengthen student engagement by actively promoting participation in existing weekly online discussions and workshops, and by emphasising opportunities for clarification, constructive feedback, and interaction with academic staff to enhance learning outcomes and the overall student experience. Emphasise the value of completing the weekly activities contained in the worksheets and posting responses to the forum for peer and academic feedback. Additional checkpoints will be added throughout the teaching weeks. This assessment can be formulated progressively. Additional milestones should assist students progress their assessment and reduce non-submission rates, as students frequently indicated they had left the assessment until the last moment to commence. Additional checkpoints will also help students identify areas of the content they may need to revise.