Program Overview

Unit Overview

The unit NRSG533 - Surgical: Advanced and Complex Surgical Nursing is designed to support students in evaluating the complexity of surgical nursing care while developing knowledge and skills to critically appraise and evaluate evidence to ensure surgical patients are delivered high-quality and safe care.

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

Patients present to increasingly complex and dynamic healthcare environments with various conditions and illnesses that require surgical intervention. The specialist surgical nurse plays an integral role in the patient's trajectory of care from admission and preparation for surgery, to postoperative management, rehabilitation, and discharge. This unit aims to support students in developing advanced knowledge, competency, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making skills to recognize altered patient parameters and haemodynamic instability in the surgical patient.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

1. Examine the aetiology of surgical conditions and the impact surgery has on key pathophysiological concepts that contribute to risk, clinical deterioration, and the complex care required for surgical patients.
2. Analyse the inter-relationship that national frameworks, surgical safety tools, nursing care delivery, and clinical reasoning skills have for mitigating harm in surgical patients.
3. Appraise postoperative risk factors for surgical patients and implement strategies to promote haemodynamic stability, haemostasis, and airway management.
4. Evaluate the care and education requirements for surgical patients, families, and their carers to navigate treatment, management, and rehabilitation following complex and traumatic advanced surgical procedures.
5. Critique the ethical perspectives, physical and psychosocial impacts, and care needs that are present for surgical patients, and apply this knowledge to inform evidence-based, ethical, family-centred care to promote health, wellbeing, recovery, and dignity in surgical settings.

Content

Topics will include:

• Neurosurgical nursing
• Ophthalmic and ENT surgical considerations
• Head and neck cancer and reconstructive procedures
• GIT and hepatobiliary surgical care
• Gynaecological and urinary considerations
• Complex orthopaedic care
• Breast cancer and reconstructive procedures
• Organ transplantation

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The assessment strategy used in this unit encourages depth of learning and provides students with the opportunity to develop their capacity to interpret, translate, apply, and evaluate evidence-based care provision in surgical settings. Assessments include:

1. Report: Enables students to demonstrate an ability to research evidence related to postoperative complications and to formulate a report on nursing assessment, management, and the care required to prevent complications and promote health outcomes for surgical patients.
2. Essay: Enables students to apply learned knowledge and demonstrate critical thinking skills, analysis, and synthesis of evidence in relation to acute conditions or traumatic injuries requiring surgery.

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit is offered in online mode and uses an active and collaborative learning approach to support students in analyzing and critically evaluating approaches to providing evidence-based, ethical nursing care within a surgical nursing setting. Students will engage in readings and reflections, e-Learning activities, and opportunities to collaborate with peers in an online environment.

Representative Texts and References

A list of representative texts and references is provided, including:

• Abraham, J., Gulley, J., & Allegra, C. J. (2019). The Bethesda handbook of clinical oncology (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
• Barash, P. (ed). (2017). Clinical anesthesia (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
• Brown, D., Edwards, H., Buckley, T., & Aitken, R. (2020). Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing ANZ. Elsevier Australia.

Unit Details

• Credit points: 10
• Year: 2026
• Locations: Online