Program Overview

Introduction to Clinical Practice

The Introduction to Clinical Practice unit is a postgraduate coursework unit offered by the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University. This unit develops knowledge of the principles of practitioner self-care, safety in healthcare, interprofessional practice, and the professional requirements of health professional practice.

Unit Description

Students will explore the roles and responsibilities of their own and other disciplines and how to work together to deliver collaborative-person-centered care. Practice in laboratory sessions and simulated rehearsal prepares students to carry out patient-centered practice, developing skills in communication and assisting patients with their fundamental care needs, ensuring a focus on patient safety and minimizing adverse events.

Unit Content

• Nursing, caring, and health
  • Healthcare safety and clinical skills
  • Law, ethics, and professional practice
  • Infection prevention and control
  • Manual handling
• Introduction to interprofessional practice
• Fundamentals of nursing care

Availabilities

The unit is available at the following locations and terms:

• Coffs Harbour: Summer Term
• Gold Coast: Summer Term, Term 4
• Lismore: Summer Term

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

• Reflect critically on personal strategies to maintain self-care and develop emotional intelligence to ensure safe professional and clinical practice
• Critically analyze the component parts of the ISBAR framework as it relates to effective communication in nursing
• Apply relevant interprofessional and discipline-specific ethical, legal, and regulatory principles, frameworks, and practice standards
• Demonstrate safe and effective practice for a range of foundational skills

Teaching and Assessment

The teaching methods for this unit include:

• Tutorial: 4 hours (once)
• Laboratory: 3 hours (weeks 2 to 6) The assessment for this unit includes:
• Clinical skills: 60%
• Reflective writing: 40%

Prescribed Learning Resources

There are no prescribed texts or resources/equipment for the Summer Term. However, prescribed text information and resources/equipment information for Term 4 are not currently available. Please note that prescribed learning resources may change in future teaching periods.

Fee Information

For domestic students, the unit is offered as part of Commonwealth Supported courses. For more information on Student Contribution Amounts, please visit the relevant webpage. For international students, please check the international course and fee list to determine the relevant fees.

Courses that Offer this Unit

This unit is offered as part of the following courses:

• Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) (2025): Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Lismore
• Master of Nursing (Graduate Entry) (2026): Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Lismore