Unit Synopsis
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
| 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 |
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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
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 Quiz(zes) | 40% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 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%).
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.
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 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.
In Progress
Source: 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.
In Progress
Source: 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.
In Progress
Source: 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.
In Progress
Source: 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.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Develop literature search strategies, research methodologies and research practices to ascertain high quality evidence relevant to professional healthcare practice.
- Appraise information using critical thinking skills to apply evidence in clinical contexts.
- Explain the purpose of evidence in healthcare practice and why clinical decision-making should be based on the best available evidence.
Content in this unit incorporates a number of professional requirements:
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Decision-Making Framework for Nursing and Midwifery
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice
Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships
Maintains the capability for practice
Develops a plan for nursing practice
Provides safe, appropriate and responsive quality nursing practice
Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Midwife Standards for Practice
Promotes health and wellbeing through evidence-based midwifery practice
Engages in professional relationships and respectful partnerships
Demonstrates capability and accountability for midwifery practice
Undertakes comprehensive assessments
Develops a plan for midwifery practice
Provides safety and quality in midwifery practice
Evaluates outcomes to improve midwifery practice
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Code of Conduct for Nurses
Legal compliance
Person-centred practice
Cultural practice and respectful relationships
Professional behaviour
Teaching, supervising and assessing
Research in health
Health and wellbeing
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Code of Conduct for Midwives
Legal compliance
Woman-centred practice
Cultural practice and respectful relationships
Professional behaviour
Teaching, supervising and assessing
Research in health
Health and wellbeing
International Council of Nursing Code of Ethics for Nursing
Nurses and People
Nurses and Practice
Nurses and the Profession
Nurses and co-workers
International Confederation of Midwives International Code of Ethics for Midwives
Midwifery relationships
Practice of midwifery
The professional responsibilities of midwives
Advancement of midwifery knowledge and practice
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Clinical governance
Partnering with consumers
Preventing and Controlling healthcare-associated infection
Medication safety
Comprehensive care
Communicating for safety
Blood management
Recognising and responding to acute deterioration
Patient Safety Competency Framework
Person-centred care
Therapeutic communication
Cultural competence
Teamwork and collaborative practice
Clinical reasoning
Evidence-based practice
Preventing, minimising and responding to adverse events
Infection prevention and control
Medication safety
Aged Care Quality Standards
Consumer dignity and choice
Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
Personal care and clinical care
Organisation’s service environment
Feedback and complaints
Human resources
Organisational governance
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | • |
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |