Pathophysiology and Pharmacology for Nursing Practice 1 PG (11661.1)

Required texts

Physiology/Pathophysiology textbook

Craft, J., Gordon, C., Huether, S. E., McCance, K. L., & Brashers, V. L. (2022). Understanding pathophysiology Australia and New Zealand edition (4th ed.). Elsevier.

https://theschoollocker.com.au/elsevier-understanding-pathophysiology-anz-4e-eaq

Pharmacology textbook

Broyles, B., Pleunik, S., Page, R., Badoer, E., Reiss, B., & Evans, M. (2023). Pharmacology in nursing (4th Australian and New Zealand ed.). Cengage Learning Australia.

https://theschoollocker.com.au/cengage-learning-pharmacology-in-nursing-4e

Note: Both of this textbooks are essential, required reading for your pathophysiology/pharmacology units. 

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Students are strongly encouraged to submit their assessment during business hours to ensure access to Student Support Services including IT Service Desk and the Library. It is important to note that personal network/computer/technical problems are generally not considered acceptable grounds or reasons for an extension to the due date. Students who are experiencing difficulty uploading a submission are strongly encouraged to take a screenshot of any error messages, including the date and time, and contact Service Desk for technical support.

Students must submit their own original work that has not been previously submitted for assessment at the University of Canberra. Self-plagiarism is grounds for referral for academic misconduct. In this context the student is being assessed as an individual. Students are allowed to use the recommended software Microsoft Copilot to edit and proof read their assignments.

Students must ensure that when applying for an extension to the due date that their application meets the requirements as per the University of Canberra Assessment Procedures. This means that students must ensure that when applying for an extension all required components are submitted to the assessment extension application prior to the assessment due date. It is the student's individual responsibility to ensure that applications are completed in full and in a timely manner.
In the event that a student experiences significant extenuating circumstances the unit convenor may seek guidance from the MNP Convenor to support the student's progression and participation across enrolled units of study within the same teaching period. Please see the extension section of this unit outline and the dedicated page on the MNP Canvas site for more information.

To pass this unit, students must:

• Submit all assessment items, and
• Attend 80% of scheduled workshops/tutorials, and
• Achieve 50% overall grade.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage

Guided - Students will be guided in how GenAI must/may be used in completing the assessment as detailed in the unit outline and assessment instructions. More detailed information can be found at GenAI and Assessment at UC.

The GenAI for Students. Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Across the School of Nursing and Midwifery programs, the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) should be approached with transparency and clear acknowledgment to uphold academic integrity and maintain trust within the academic community. 
Students are encouraged to engage with AI tools responsibly, using them as aids in research, learning, and clinical problem-solving rather than as replacements for critical thinking or professional judgment. It is critically important that student knowledge is assessed to verify their achievement of unit and course level outcomes for the integrity of the profession and the safety of the public. It is essential that any contributions or insights generated by AI, including but not limited to summaries, text generation, image generation, or data analysis, be transparently referenced in accordance with academic standards to ensure clarity regarding the sources of information and to avoid any misrepresentation of authorship. Please see the UC student guide RE AI use.

This practice not only promotes ethical standards but also aligns with recent guidelines emphasising transparency in AI use in educational and clinical contexts (e.g., International Council of Nurses, position statement 2023 and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency). 

https://www.icn.ch/sites/default/files/2023-08/ICN%20Position%20Statement%20Digital%20Health%20FINAL%2030.06_EN.pdf 
https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/higher-education-good-practice-hub/artificial-intelligence 

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

All Master of Nursing students are expected to undertake a minimum of five (5) hours per week per unit of directed/self-directed learning (SDL), related to content engagement, assessment preparation, clinical learning, or revision, in addition to their timetabled unit contact (i.e., lectures, workshops, tutorials).

In nursing where PEP is a requirement for professional registration, hours expected for engagement and to meet the unit requirements are necessarily adjusted and may fluctuate during the teaching period.

Inclusion and engagement

Any student with a reasonable adjustment plan (RAP) is asked to contact inclusion@canberra.edu.au to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be required for PEP. A RAP cannot be automatically applied to PEP and students must seek a Placement Support Letter from the inclusion team in addition to their RAP.
Students within HLM601 Master of Nursing Practice must ensure that they meet the Inherent Requirements relevant to the profession of nursing – it is each students responsibility to read and understand these UC Nursing Inherent Requirements statements. For support in meeting the inherent requirements, please make a time with InclusionUC and your Course Convenor.

Participation requirements

Attendance
It is expected that students will participate in all learning opportunities in this unit. This is inclusive of all timetabled activities. Assessment items are linked to the unit learning outcomes, the NMBA Registered Nurse standards for practice and professional codes. Therefore, all students are required to attend and actively participate in all learning activities scheduled for this unit. Student can self-select their preferred classes via the TimeEdit system. All students are reminded that it is an ANMAC requirement that students complete their studies onshore, in Australia. This applies to both domestic and international students. If you are scheduled to undertake a unit of study in the upcoming teaching period and are experiencing extenuating circumstances preventing you from remaining on shore, please contact the International Nursing Student Convenor or the Master of Nursing Practice Course Convenor to discuss your ongoing course progression.

Students are expected to attend their allocated weekly workshop/tutorial. It is the student's own responsibility to ensure they have read and understood the attendance requirements for this unit of study. Failure to meet the attendance requirements of this unit will result in a NN grade. In the event that a student experiences extenuating circumstances impacting on their ability to attend their allocated workshop the student must notify the unit convenor via the unit email and provide documentary evidence to support their absence.

Approved absences, supported by documentary evidence, will be determined at the discretion of the unit convenor, in line with the information available on the individual unit Canvas site.

It is the responsibility of the individual student to seek clarification if they have questions related to the content missed. In the first instance students are expected to post their question on the available discussion boards and await a response from the teaching/convening team or their peers. 

Ongoing points requiring clarification are to be addressed in the available drop-in and/or make-up sessions. Students are also afforded the opportunity to contact the convening team via the unit email address at 11661convenor@canberra.edu.au as required.

Approved absences are not considered grounds for appeal.

• revise any content missed, inclusive of:
• workshop/tutorial/seminar activities  
• required readings
• Canvas activities 

• • attend available drop-in session/s as scheduled during the semester. 
• Students will be advised of the available session/s via the unit Canvas site. 

Required IT skills

Please note the materials required for this unit section. You will require computer skills to access the internet upload to the Canvas university site submissions in various formats. This unit may involve online meetings in real time using a virtual room. To participate verbally, rather than just typing, you will need a microphone. For best audio quality we recommend a microphone and speaker headset. For more information and to test your computer, please visit the UCLearn Student Help link.

Students undertaking units where there are assessment items conducted online are strongly encouraged to test their setup during the semester. Where support for troubleshooting technical issues is identified by students, students are encouraged to seek support from Service Desk.

In-unit costs

Costs
The following costs are expected with this unit:
•      Textbooks.
•      Access to Elsevier Adaptive Quizzing (EAQ).
•      Self-printing of any electronic material provided.
•      Potential costs associated with remote learning activities and/or assessments (e.g., reliable computer and internet connection).

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

• Semester 1, 2026, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (234210)
• Semester 1, 2025, Online real-time, UC - Canberra, Bruce (228923)