Credit Points 10

Coordinator Jane Frost Opens in new window

Description The focus of this subject is to provide nursing students with an immersive cultural experience when providing health care for people in rural or remote areas of Australia and/or in an international country. This subject is designed to enable students to develop cultural awareness and understanding of health care delivery and contemporary issues for people living in rural or remote areas of Australia and/or internationally. Students will examine the social determinants of health and observe factors that influence health outcomes in these communities. The subject will focus on the impact of health care provision on the macro, meso and micro level in diverse populations and allow students to explore the sustainable development goals in different contexts.

School Nursing & Midwifery

Discipline General Nursing

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 1 10cp

Check your fees via the Fees page.

Level Postgraduate Coursework Level 7 subject

Co-requisite(s) NURS 7074 - Nursing Practice 2

Restrictions

Students must be enrolled in 4745 - Master of Nursing Practice (Preregistration) program.

Permission is required to enrol in this subject.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this subject, students will be able to:

1. Compare health care in Western Sydney to rural or remote areas of Australia or in developing countries. 
2. Evaluate  the social determinants of health for the region/country of study and challenges associated with health care delivery.
3. Reflect on activities supporting nursing and health care delivery in the region/country of study.
4. Demonstrate an awareness of own culture and the culture of others and the importance of providing culturally safe nursing practice.
5. Examine health care provision on the macro, meso and micro level in diverse populations.
6. Explore the impact of sustainable development goals on nursing practice in different contexts. 

Subject Content

1. Health care delivery components: Access to affordable health services of acceptable quality, health care providers, health care consumers, health care institutions and organisations
2. Social determinants of health: Income and social protection, education. unemployment and job insecurity, working life conditions, food insecurity, housing, basic amenities and the environment, early childhood development, social inclusion and non-discrimination, structural conflict
3. Environmental conditions, demography of the population, cultural factors, political system
4. Common challenges: accessibility, affordability, ageing population, changing ethnic composition of populations, chronic disease and increasing morbidity/mortality, commercialised health care, consumer demands, cost control, ethical limits (e.g. technological growth and innovation), health care quality, health care workforce (e.g. training, regulation, shortage), overspecialisation and focus on tertiary care (“hospital-centrism”), urbanisation and migration
5. Health status outcomes: life expectancy at birth, infant and maternal mortality rates, crude birth and death rates, cause-specific death rates, health behaviours (e.g. smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise)
6. Culturally sensitive health care: cultural values and practices
7. Sustainable Development goals 
8. Provision of nursing care in diverse settings 

Special Requirements

Legislative pre-requisites

To be eligible to enrol in a subject and attend a health-related placement in your program, students must meet Western Sydney University program requirements AND Special Legislative Requirements to be assessed in their first year of study against the following:

1. National Criminal History Check: Students must have a current (expiring 3 years from date of issue) check valid for their entire program. A valid National Criminal history check must be an Australia wide check, include the student's full name matching their Student ID card and date of birth and not have any offences listed. If a student has a criminal history identified on their check, they must provide a Clinical Placement Authority Card (CPAC) or conditional letter from the NSW HealthShare Employment Screening and Review Unit
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/careers/student_clearance/Documents/appendix-10-student-application.pdf
International students must additionally have a translated International Police Check or statutory declaration.

2. A NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance letter issued under the category of volunteer valid for their entire program.

3. A current approved first aid certificate valid for their entire program, approved provider courses can be found at
http://training.gov.au

4. A completed vaccination/immunisation card with all serology results containing expiry dates and currency must be maintained by the student to ensure compliance for their entire program

5. NSW Undertaking/Declaration form

6. Completed any additional health forms required (such as NSW Health Code of Conduct, Health Student Undertaking/Declaration and Tuberculosis (TB) Assessment Tool)

7. Relevant Local Health District or location specific documentation as requested.

Contact your School for further details. Resources are also available on the Placement Hub website
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/learning_futures/home/placements_hub/placements_hub/student_compliance

Additional requirements for this subject 
1. A valid passport not due to expire 6 months before international departure date.
2. Visa to travel to a nominated international country of study.
3. Signed and submitted Student Acknowledgement Form to Subject Coordinator.
4. Additional vaccinations as recommended for nominated country of study.
5. A health care plan is required if the student has a health care condition including, but not limited to, allergies and/or asthma.

Essential equipment

Access to an internet enabled device is essential in order to be able to: access program materials; to participate in discussion groups; and to access additional resources provided by the lecturer during the session. See http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/currentstudents/current_students/services_and_facilities/uwsonline_student_support for further information.