Click Here to view current information
Unit Synopsis
This unit introduces you to effective and essential communication strategies relevant for health professionals which will help you to relate well with patients, significant others, and health care team members. Professional communication can be distinguished from everyday conversations you may be familiar with already. You will develop specific skills such as therapeutic communication, ethical standards and the maintenance of professional boundaries, oral skills needed in clinical handover, and written and digital skills for reporting. Communication strategies to maintain relationships and resolve challenging situations will be learned and include inclusive practice, reflection, collaboration, negotiation, assertion, conflict management, and feedback.
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 |
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 1 - 2021
Term 1 - 2021 Profile
Term 2 - 2021 Profile
Term 1 - 2022 Profile
Term 2 - 2022 Profile
Term 1 - 2023 Profile
Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Term 1 - 2024 Profile
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
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).
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. Online discussion forum | 10% |
| 2. Presentation | 30% |
| 3. Written Assessment | 40% |
| 4. Online Quiz(zes) | 20% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
No previous feedback available
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: SUTE Data
Unclear unit requirements.
Revise group work requirements and introduce group work at the beginning of term as offered previously. Revised Unit Introduction Information to insure clarity.
Group work was reintroduced to the beginning of term. Students were supported to form and register groups by week 2. This was reflected in the marking rubric and majority of students had successfully formed and registered their group by the due date with staff support due to the technical difficulties.
Source: Emails
Students reported value in working in groups
Continue to include group work within the unit to facilitate engagement with learning material.
Groups were required for assessment purposes and utlised within workshops to assist in working through learning activities.
Source: Emails
Students felt staff allocating group meant mismatch of personalities and time allocation towards study made it difficult to form studying relationships.
Reconsider students self allocating based on connections and their own study habits.
Students were able to self allocate and register their groups. Students were guided on finding similar study habits via the virtual study tree. This reduced a lot of confusion and upset amongst their groups with different personalities. Some groups still found a mismatch in study habits and these students found it difficult to continue the study relationship.
Source: Staff feedback Student Feedback - Email, SUTE
Increased staff workload due to Moodle error while registering student groups.
This resulted in an increased staff workload. Remove compulsory group work for assignments for term 2.
In Progress
Source: Student feedback - Verbal, Email, SUTE
Students felt group work assisted in deeper learning and understanding on the content.
Students in term 2 will be encouraged to form groups to continue to receive this benefit.
In Progress
Source: Student feedback - SUTE, Verbal, Email
Students felt the portfolio focused on too much reflection.
Portfolio tasks changed from practical activities in groups and individual reflection to theoretical individual activities.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Distinguish between professional and personal relationships and the differences in communication styles
- Demonstrate an effective clinical handover to healthcare team members
- Tailor communication strategies to establish, maintain and terminate relationships
- Articulate insight into own cultural norms and biases around human difference and diverse cultures
- Explain and apply strategies to respond appropriately and professionally to situations that may create personal discomfort.
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
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online discussion forum | • | • | • | • | |
| 2 - Presentation | • | • | • | ||
| 3 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | |
| 4 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | |||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • | ||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online discussion forum | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||
| 2 - Presentation | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||
| 4 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||