Comprehensive Health Assessment of the Adult Patient in Rural Healthcare
Build key skills and advance your confidence in the integrated evaluation of adult patients.
Informed by world-class research¹ and nursing subjects ranked in the world’s top 100,² our flexible microcredential gives you credit towards La Trobe’s Graduate Diploma of Rural Nursing Practice or Graduate Certificate of Rural Nursing Practice.³
Overview
| Location | Online |
|---|---|
| Date/s | From 18 September 2023 |
| Duration | Up to 40 hours, including assessment |
| Prerequisites/s | Current registration with Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). See below for extra requirements. |
| Assessment | Written case review – 1500 words |
| Certification | Digital credential |
| Fee/s | $850 inc. GST (full price), $495 (subsidised price) |
| Registrations close | 22 October 2023 |
If you’re a new or established nursing professional looking for a flexible online course to advance or refresh your assessment skill set, Comprehensive Health Assessment of the Adult Patient gives you the confidence to evaluate adult patients, make evidence-based clinical decisions and prioritise care and management.
You’ll gain technical skills such as primary and secondary assessment, ABG analysis, detection of deterioration, ECG analysis and chest x-ray analysis. You’ll also learn transferrable skills in teamwork, leadership, communication and situational awareness so you can provide collaborative and effective nursing care to adult patients.
Course content
Delivered via self-paced, online learning so it easily fits in with your work and life commitments, you’ll be supported via Zoom drop-in sessions, email correspondence and online forums with your educator.
Skills and knowledge attained
After completing this microcredential, learners will be able to:
- conduct comprehensive health assessment of adult patients in diverse contextsintegrate assessment and diagnostic findings to make informed clinical decisions
- prioritise care and management and complete appropriate documentation
- evaluate risk and appropriately respond to the deteriorating adult patient
- adapt non-technical skills such as leadership, communication, teamwork, and situational awareness to provide effective collaborative nursing care.
Subjects/Modules
- Advanced Health Assessment – Primary Survey (Adult)
- Advanced Health Assessment – Secondary Survey (Adult)
- Basic Oxygenation and Haemodynamic Monitoring
- Lung Sounds and Heart Sounds
- Arterial Blood Gas Analysis
- Pathology Interpretation
- Chest X-Ray Interpretation
- Basic ECG Interpretation
- Recording Assessments and Contemporaneous Documentation
- Identification of Risk and Recognition of Deterioration in the Adult Patient and Non-Technical Skills
Assessment
Written Case review – Graded (A-F), 1500 words (20 hours preparation)
Write up of case review referring to patient data and using evidence-based resources to support discussion.
For health professionals currently caring for adult patients:
- Primary and secondary assessment of an adult patient with either respiratory, cardiovascular, or neurological dysfunction.
For health professionals not currently caring for adult patients:
- A case study will be provided with appropriate patient data and students will discuss primary and secondary assessment of this type of patient.
Extra requirements
- Broadband internet access and an active email address that can be accessed at home during study periods.
- Students must have basic computer literacy skills (e.g. Word or other word processing software).
Registration
¹ Australian Research Council, 2019, Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Outcomes 2018
² Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), 2023, QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023: Nursing
³ This microcredential is one of three 5 credit point health assessment microcredentials. Completing all three microcredentials will provide you with advanced standing towards the Health Assessment subject in La Trobe’s Graduate Diploma of Rural Nursing Practice or Graduate Certificate of Rural Nursing Practice, subject to meeting all other entry requirements.