Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit introduces postgraduate nursing students to the essential knowledge and skills required for advanced clinical practice.
As the prerequisite, it provides a strong foundation in bioscience concepts within the context of common health conditions across body systems. The unit builds competence in evidence-based care through literature searching, critical appraisal, and application of research to pharmacological decision-making and promotes the develop of strong verbal and written communication skills.
The aim is to equip students with advanced bioscience knowledge, communication capabilities and evidence appraisal skills to support safe, effective and informed clinical decision-making in diverse healthcare settings.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Analyse advanced bioscience and pharmacological kn...
Learning Outcome 01
Synthesise and communicate complex bioscientific a...
Learning Outcome 02
Integrate literature search and critical appraisal...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
- Key concepts of advanced practice
- Define evidence-based practice and its relevance to nursing
- Definition and revision of bioscience concepts (anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, genomics, and pharmacology)
- Linking between research, bioscience and patient outcomes
- Nurses' responsibility in using evidence and science
- Key concepts of interprofessional collaboration
- Principles of communication and collaboration
- Principles of interprofessional practice
- Principles of culturally responsive practice and family centred care
- Dissemination of information
- Educational strategies
- Principles of Evidence-based practice
- Database search
- Hierarchy of evidence
- Critical appraisal
- Apply evidence to practice
- Evaluate outcome
- Literature review principles
- Revision of bioscience concepts
- The cellular environment
- Homeostatic balance
- Action potential and nerve transmission
- Concepts of human and lifespan development
- Pharmacology and pharmacotherapy principles
- Pharmacokinetics
- Pharmacodynamics
- Physiology of pain
- Common classes of medications
- Antimicrobial stewardship
- Safety, equity and cultural considerations
- Revision of bioscience concepts and pharmacological management of complex common health conditions
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Stroke
- Dementia
- Parkinsons
- Diabetes
- Chronic Renal Disease
- Cancer
- Nursing Issues in Pharmacological Management of Complex Health Conditions
- Polypharmacy
- Adverse drug reactions
- Complex drug regimens
- Medication adherence issues
- Drug-disease interactions
- Fragmented care across providers
- Psychological and cognitive barriers
- Cultural and linguistic challenges
- System and resource barriers
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome and obtain a minimum mark of 50% in graded units.
This unit uses a progressive assessment strategy to build and apply bioscience knowledge and key concepts in advanced nursing practice. Quizzes assess understanding and application of key concepts and knowledge, supporting knowledge consolidation and self-assessment.
The second task is a digital presentation. The presentation will explain the bioscientific basis of a common health condition, highlight one issue related to its pharmacological management and explore the associated nursing implications. This assessment promotes communication and clinical reasoning.
The final literature review requires students to critically appraise evidence and evaluate pharmacological management of a selected condition, demonstrating integration of theory and evidence-based practice.
Together, these assessments support achievement of learning outcomes and foster autonomy, critical thinking and application of scientific knowledge to clinical decision-making.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1 - Quizzes Short, topic-specifi...
Assessment Task 1 - Quizzes
Short, topic-specific quizzes to assess students’ understanding of core concepts. These quizzes are designed to reinforce learning, promote regular engagement with content, and provide timely feedback to support knowledge retention, application, integration and prepare students for more complex application tasks later in the unit.
20%
Assessment Task 2 - Digital Presentation Student...
Assessment Task 2 - Digital Presentation
Students will create a digital presentation that includes an embedded video recorded via camera. The presentation will explain the bioscientific basis of a common health condition and highlight one issue related to its pharmacological management, along with associated nursing implications. The content should be suitable for an interprofessional audience.
30%
Assessment Task 3 - Literature Review Students w...
Assessment Task 3 - Literature Review
Students will conduct a structured literature review to critically evaluate the pharmacological management of a selected common disease. This task develops skills in evidence appraisal, synthesis, and application of bioscience knowledge to safe, evidence-based practice.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is delivered online using an active, inclusive, and collaborative learning approach to support students in developing foundational bioscience knowledge for advanced clinical nursing practice. Learning activities are designed to foster engagement with scientific concepts through structured readings, interactive e-learning modules, and peer collaboration. Students explore the integration of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology with evidence-based practice to inform clinical decision-making.
The strategy promotes reflective and experiential learning via asynchronous discussion forums and synchronous webinar sessions, enabling students to share insights and apply knowledge to specialty nursing contexts. Flexibility is embedded through recorded webinars and self-paced activities, supporting diverse learner needs.
This approach encourages critical thinking, autonomy, and the application of advanced theoretical knowledge to complex diseases. It supports the development of professional communication and preparing students to deliver safe, evidence-based nursing in dynamic healthcare environments.