NURS11164 - Effective Communication in the Health Care Environment

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit introduces you to the important role of communication in nursing practice and strategies to effectively communicate as a nurse. You will examine types of communication strategies that are relevant to different health contexts. In particular, you will explore your own strengths in communication and how you can best use these to manage future challenges when nursing. Throughout this unit you will have the opportunity to work in small teams to explore the many different facets of communication in nursing and to build a portfolio that documents your learning and your development of skills and strategies to use in future nursing practice.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 1
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Students need to be enrolled in CL91 or Start Unit Now in order to undertake this unit. 

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Brisbane
Online
Rockhampton
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Online
Rockhampton

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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Portfolio 40%
2. Portfolio 60%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 64.04% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 24.95% response rate.

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.

Source: Student feedback via emails, SUTE evaluations and coordinator observation.
Feedback
Portfolio assessment due dates created challenges such as: • Many extension requests. • Students were completing the final activities for the portfolio the same week the portfolio was due. • Students did not receive any formal feedback on written assessments until the end of the term.
Recommendation
• Due date of Assessment 2 in term 2 pushed out a week to enable students to submit on time and complete the learning activities without the pressure of submitting in the same week. • Continue to review the due dates of the written assessments post term 2 offering.
Action Taken
Although the assessment due date was pushed back a week there were still a large number of extensions. This included some being quite lengthy
Source: SUTE, emails to coordinators, zoom workshops.
Feedback
Mixed feedback from students about groupwork. Some students felt that group work via distance/online was not desirable whereas other students commented that being pushed to meet other students and forming connections was a positive start to their university study.
Recommendation
• The unit is a communication unit offered to students in their first term of study. • Group work offers students the opportunity to meet fellow students, build relationships in their first term and enables the opportunity to practice skills. • Continue to review how the groups are formed.
Action Taken
Although while there were some changes in how the groups were formed some students continued to voice concerns around the group work assessment. However, the group work assessment was generally well done.
Source: SUTE, emails to coordinators.
Feedback
Rockhampton based students (on-campus) who attended the face-to-face workshops, reported the scheduling and structure of the workshops frustrating as these workshops were held in weeks 1-6 which meant that workshops from week 2 were ahead of the online content.
Recommendation
• The face-to-face workshops in term 2 have been rescheduled to weekly workshops (held in weeks 1-12) and will align with the Moodle content. • Continue to revise workshop material.
Action Taken
The Rockhampton base face to face workshop was quite well attended. Online discussion was recorded each week so students could watch at a time that best suited them. Online live sessions were not well attended.
Source: SUTE, emails to coordinators, zoom workshops.
Feedback
Weekly online zoom workshops had minimal attendance. Students who attended enjoyed connecting with coordinators and other students as well as breaking down the Moodle content and having an extra opportunity to practice the skills taught in the unit.
Recommendation
• Review online structure for future offerings to maximise student engagement.
Action Taken
We trialled virtual office hours in which we had set times we were available for teams calls, messages or phone calls. This was well received by those who used it. These times were staggered across the week and varied between early morning to late afternoon/early evening.
Source: SUTE Data
Feedback
Unclear unit requirements.
Recommendation
Revise group work requirements and introduce group work at the beginning of term as offered previously. Revised Unit Introduction Information to insure clarity.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Emails
Feedback
Students reported value in working in groups
Recommendation
Continue to include group work within the unit to facilitate engagement with learning material.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Emails
Feedback
Students felt staff allocating group meant mismatch of personalities and time allocation towards study made it difficult to form studying relationships.
Recommendation
Reconsider students self allocating based on connections and their own study habits.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Examine the fundamental role of communication in in nursing practice as informed by professional standards
  2. Explain communication strategies that enable effective professional relationships
  3. Adapt communication strategies to facilitate effective communication in one-on-one and group contexts
  4. Analyse and evaluate your communication strengths and identify communication challenges you may encounter in future clinical practice.

Content in this unit incorporates a number of professional nursing requirements

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Registered Nurse Standards for Practice

Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice

Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships

Maintains the capability for practice

Provides safe, appropriate and responsive quality nursing practice

Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Nursing Code of Conduct

Person-centred practice

Cultural practice and respectful relationships

Professional behaviour

Health and wellbeing

International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses

Nurses and People

National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards

Partnering with consumers

Comprehensive care

Communicating for safety

Nurses and Practice

Patient Safety Competency Framework

Person-centred care

Therapeutic communication

Cultural competence

Teamwork and collaborative practice

Evidence-based practice

Preventing, minimising and responding to adverse events

Nurses and the Profession

Aged Care Quality Standards

Consumer dignity and choice

Nurses and co-workers

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Portfolio • • • •
2 - Portfolio • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • •
5 - Team Work • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10