Inherent requirements for Nursing (preregistration) courses

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Compliance with the standards, codes, guidelines and policies facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all.

Exemplars:

» Demonstrating appropriate behaviour with confidential information in classroom and clinical settings
» Demonstrate ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Nursing students will be exposed to emergency situations and human suffering and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage these events

Exemplars:

» Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
» Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals in the clinical setting

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary pre-requisites to clinical placements in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others
» Compliance with these professional regulations and the Australian Law ensures that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice

Exemplars:

» Complying with the requirement for student registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
» Complying with relevant child protection and safety legislation

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships
» Communication may be restricted to verbal because of physical limitations of the individual (e.g. injury, disease or congenital conditions)
» Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety or treatment
» Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is critical to individual safety, treatment and management

Exemplars:

» Participating in tutorial, simulation and clinical discussions
» Responding appropriately to a care request in the clinical environment

Justification of inherent requirement:

» The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships
» Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships
» Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships
» The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for the safe and effective observation of patient symptoms and reactions to facilitate the assessment and treatment of patients

Exemplars:

» Recognising and responding appropriately in classroom situations
» Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in the clinical environment

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Construction of written text based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice
» Accurate written communication, including record-keeping and patient notes, is vital to provide consistent and safe patient care

Exemplars:

» Constructing an essay to academic standards
» Constructing a nursing report in a timely manner that meets professional standards

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Safe and effective delivery of nursing care is based on comprehensive knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately

Exemplars:

» Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items
» Applying knowledge of policy and procedures in the clinical setting

Justification of inherent requirement:

» The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and delivery of care
» The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for the safe and effective delivery of nursing care

Exemplars:

» Demonstrates the ability to listen to information
» Demonstrates the ability to convey a spoken message accurately
» Demonstrates ability to paraphrase, summarise and reference in accordance with appropriate academic conventions
» Demonstrates accurate, concise and clear nursing documentation

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Competent application of numeracy skills is essential in nursing to facilitate the safe and effective delivery of nursing care

Exemplars:

» Performing accurate drug calculations
» Demonstrating accurate recording on a fluid balance chart

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient visual acuity is necessary to demonstrate the required range of skills, tasks and assessments to maintain consistent, accurate and safe care of self and to others
» Visual observations, examination and assessment are fundamental to safe and effective nursing practice

Exemplars:

» Accurately drawing up medication to administer
» Observing and detecting subtle changes in wounds

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient auditory ability is necessary to monitor, assess and manage an individual's health needs consistently and accurately
» Auditory assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective nursing practice

Exemplars:

» Accurately undertaking a blood pressure measurement by auscultation
» Detecting care request by activation of call bell or calls for help

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient tactile ability is necessary to monitor, assess and detect patients' physical characteristics and act on any abnormalities detected to provide thorough nursing care
» Tactile assessments and observations are fundamental to safe and effective nursing practice

Exemplars:

» Detecting any changes in circulation observations e.g. temperature and pulse palpation
» Conducting a physical assessment and detecting any anatomical abnormalities

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient gross motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve gross motor skills include lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, standing, twisting and bending. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others

Exemplars:

» Maintaining balance while safely mobilising and transferring individuals or resources
» Able to safely retrieve and utilise stock and equipment

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient fine motor skills are necessary to perform, coordinate and prioritise care. Tasks that involve fine motor skills include being able to grasp, press, push, turn, squeeze and manipulate various objects and individuals. Students must be able to demonstrate and perform these tasks consistently and safely to reduce the risk of harm to self and others

Exemplars:

» Performing an aseptic wound dressing
» Able to prime, accurately insert and set prescribed rate on an infusion device

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient physical and mental endurance is an essential requirement needed to perform multiple tasks in an assigned period to provide safe and effective care

Exemplars:

» Participating in tutorials, lectures, skills 
» Provide consistent care over a negotiated time frame