Ethics and Law for Health Professionals (11961.1)

Required texts

Required textbook 

Allan, S. (2024). Law and Ethics for Health Practitioners (2nd ed.). Chatswood, N.S.W. Elsevier.

Recommended Texts/Resources

Atkins, K., de Lacey, S., Ripperger, B., & Ripperger, R. (2023). Ethics and Law for Australian Nurses (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association

All UC nursing courses use APA 7^th Edition for referencing and writing style.

• Students may choose to either purchase this text or access a copy from the library to support their learning throughout the semester.
• The use of a referencing text is beneficial and can be used throughout your program of study.
• The UC Library also has a referencing guide, which can be found here: https://canberra.libguides.com/c.php?g=599301&p=4148716

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 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. Clinical placement is not considered reasonable grounds for assignment extension. 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 in line with Assessment Procedures. It is the student's individual responsibility to ensure that applications are completed in full and in a timely manner.

For the students enrolled in 364JA Bachelor of Nursing, in the event that a student experiences significant extenuating circumstances the unit convenor may seek guidance from the BN 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 BN Canvas site for more information.

To pass this unit, students must:

• Submit all assessment items including formative activities as instructed, and
• Attend 80% of scheduled tutorials, and
• Achieve 50% overall.

Special assessment requirements

Moderation

Moderation will be undertaken for assessment items to ensure fair and consistent marking. Moderation processes are in line with the Faculty of Health guidelines and the University Assessment Procedures.

Illness

Students are strongly advised not to submit an assessment or sit an exam if they are ill or hold a current medical certificate. No consideration will be given for illness when the assessment or examination is marked.In the event students are ill they are strongly advised to apply for an extension to the due date of an assessment, as outlined on the unit Canvas site and/or contact their unit convenor to arrange a deferred exam, prior to the due date of the assessment/exam.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessments will not be offered for this unit. 

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 Bachelor 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).

Academic Integrity & Generative AI use

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. Within this unit, the use of Gen AI is not allowed in the completion of any assessment items. If students do use tools such as Studiosity Writing Feedback Plus to seek feedback on drafts of their assignments, they are to engage with AI tools responsibly, using it as an aid in effective communication, rather than as a replacement 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. 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

Inclusion and engagement

Any student requiring a Reasonable Adjustment Plan (RAP) is asked to contact inclusion@canberra.edu.au to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be required.

Students within 364JA Bachelor of Nursing must ensure that they meet the Inherent Requirements relevant to the profession of nursing – it is each student's responsibility to read and understand these UC Nursing Inherent Requirements statements. For support in meeting the inherent requirements, please make time with InclusionUC and your Course Convenor

Participation requirements

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 must attend and actively participate in all learning activities scheduled for this unit. Student can self-select their preferred classes via the Allocate+ 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 Bachelor of Nursing Course Convenor to discuss your ongoing course progression. 

Students are expected to attend their allocated tutorials. 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 an NN grade. In the event that a student experiences extenuating circumstances impacting their ability to attend their allocated tutorial, the student must notify the unit convenor via the unit email and provide documentary evidence to support their absence. 

Approved absences, opportunity to clarify learning and make-up requirements – All units

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 questions on the available discussion boards and await a response from the teaching/convening team or their peers.

Ongoing points requiring clarification can be addressed in the relevant discussion boards that can be found in the unit Canvas site. Students are also afforded the opportunity to contact the convening team via the unit email address as required.

Approved absences are not considered grounds for appeal.

As stipulated in this unit outline, students are required to attend 80% of the scheduled timetable activities for this unit.

Where an approved absence is granted, the student will be expected to:

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

¿The theoretical underpinning of caring science is fundamental to ensuring safe nursing practice. Completion of all learning modules, including directed and self-directed study, and active participation in workshops is expected. Participating in workshop discussions to clarify concepts and to develop confidence with professional communication and verbally expressing ideas can be helpful for students and also supports the learning of student peers (see NMBA RN standards for practice 2016 Standard 2 and related criterion

https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards/registered-nurse-standards-for-practice.aspx)

Required IT skills

Please note the materials required for this unit section. You will require computer skills and the ability to access the internet to upload to the University of Canberra Canvas site your submissions in various formats. This unit may involve online meetings in real time using a virtual room. It is a requirement to participate verbally, rather than just typing. You will need at minimum the ability to use either inbuilt microphone on your device. 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 with online assessment items 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

The following costs are expected with this unit:

• Textbooks.
• 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

This unit does not have work integrated learning (WIL) requirements. 

• Semester 1, 2026, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (230054)
• Semester 1, 2026, Online real-time, UC - Canberra, Bruce (230055)
• Winter Term, 2025, On-campus, UC - Sydney Hills Campus, Castle Hill, NSW (228074)
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