Unit rationale, description and aim
Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with patients often presenting with complex clinical needs, comorbidities, and significant psychosocial and cultural impacts. Cardiac nurses play a central role in interpreting advanced cardiac assessments, responding to rapidly changing health status, and implementing evidence-based interventions that support patients across acute, chronic, and rehabilitative care pathways. As diagnostic modalities, treatments, and technologies continue to advance, nurses in cardiac settings must apply sophisticated clinical reasoning, evaluate current research, and deliver people-centred, culturally responsive care. This unit enhances the specialised knowledge and decision-making skills required to excel in contemporary cardiac nursing practice.
This unit develops advanced and specialised skills for nurses working in cardiac care environments. Students will analyse the role and scope of the cardiac nurse and examine the physical, psychosocial, and cultural effects of cardiac conditions and associated comorbidities on individuals and their families. The unit focuses on evaluating evidence-based approaches to preventative, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, and palliative cardiac care. Using case-based learning and advanced clinical reasoning, students will design, justify, and evaluate holistic, person-centred care strategies that respond to variations in cardiac function and changes in clinical status.
The aim of this unit is to strengthen students’ specialised knowledge, critical analysis, and clinical reasoning in cardiac nursing, enabling them to apply evidence-based and people-centred approaches that improve outcomes for people living with complex cardiac conditions.
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.
Critically apply advanced knowledge of bioscience ...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically reflect on the role and scope of the sp...
Learning Outcome 02
Analyse the physical, psychosocial, and cultural i...
Learning Outcome 03
Analyse evidence-based approaches to preventative,...
Learning Outcome 04
Apply advanced clinical reasoning to design, justi...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Professional Identity in Advanced Cardiac Nursing Practice
- Definition and clinical relevance of professional identity
- Role and scope of the specialist cardiac nurse
- Clinical decision making and accountability
- Professional standards and frameworks
- Family centred care and culturally responsive care
- Review of cardiac bioscience concepts
- Advanced anatomy and physiology
- Hemodynamics and cardiac cycle
- Neurovascular regulation
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms
- Role of biomarkers and diagnostics
- ECG interpretation basics
- Cardiac biomarkers: troponin, BNP, CRP
- Imaging modalities: echocardiography, angiography
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Myocardial Ischemia & Acute Coronary Syndrome (Angina, CAD, MI)
- Development
- Risk factors
- Pathophysiology
- Assessment
- Investigations
- Medical and nursing assessment and management
- Cardiac dysrhythmia and management
- Premature atrial contractions (PAC)/ Premature ventricular contractions (PVC)/ Sinus Bradycardia (SB)/ Sinus Tachycardia (ST)
- Atrial Fibrillation (AF)/ Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree AV block
- VT/VF/Asystole
- Cardiac pacing (temporary/permanent)
- Medical and nursing assessment and management
- Cardiac arrest resuscitation
- Decision making around advanced directives
- Cardiogenic shock & PCI
- Pathophysiology
- Assessment& management
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (Angioplasty/stent insertion)
- Nursing management of the patient undergoing PCI
- Support for patient and families during hospitalisation and discharge
- Pharmacotherapy
- Fibrinolytic therapy
- Anticoagulation
- Antiplatelet agents
- Beta-blocker therapy
- ACE inhibitors
- Calcium channel blockers
- Antiarrhythmic agents
- Diuretics
- Medication adherence, patient and family education
- Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure
- Aetiology
- Diagnosis/Best practice
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Sudden cardiac death
- Patient experiences of cardiomyopathy
- Left heart failure (congestive heart failure)
- Ejection fraction and heart failure (systolic heart failure)
- Pathogenesis of HF
- Chronic heart failure
- Diastolic heart failure
- Right heart failure
- Acute heart failure -principles of care
- Assessment and management of heart failure
- Discharge patient with heart failure and education
- Care of the patient with implantable cardiac devices
- Principles of implantable cardiac devices
- Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP)
- Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD)
- Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)
- Clinical rationale for VAD implantation
- Patient experiences of VAD, Quality of life
- Permanent Pacemakers
- Nursing management of patients with a pacemaker
- Device education, long term monitoring
- Management of cardiac valve disease and cardiothoracic surgeries
- Mitral valve, Tricuspid valve/aortic valve disease
- Valve replacement surgery
- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI)
- Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR)
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Cardiopulmonary bypass
- Coronary artery bypass grafting
- Post-operative care of the patient:
- Fluid and electrolyte management
- Arterial blood gas analysis
- Management of intercostal catheter/chest drains
- Management of central venous access
- Patient experiences of cardiac surgery & rehabilitation
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.
The assessment strategy is designed to scaffold learning and progressively build students’ advanced knowledge and application of clinical and evidence-based practice with a focus on the care of complex cardiac patients and their families.
Through the undertaking of two assessment tasks, students will critically reflect their role as a specialist cardiac nurse in improving patient outcomes, apply advanced bioscientific knowledge of complex health conditions and demonstrate clinical reasoning while applying holistic care principle. The second assessment task requires students to independently produce original work that integrates advanced bioscience knowledge, evidence-based practice, and patient-centred clinical decision-making. Both assessment tasks promote analytical thinking, reflection, and evaluation of people-centred care.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Digital Presentation The stud...
Assessment Task 1: Digital Presentation
The student will critically reflect on their role as a specialist cardiac nurse in improving patient outcomes in cardiac care settings, demonstrating the ability to critically apply advanced bioscience knowledge and evaluate evidence-based practice to inform clinical decision-making.
30%
Assessment Task 2: Written Assignment Enables st...
Assessment Task 2: Written Assignment
Enables students to critically apply advanced knowledge and clinical reasoning through analysis and evaluation of the evidence-based, people-centred care provided to a complex cardiac case study patient with variation in health status and demonstrate critical reflection on their role as a specialist cardiac nurse.
70%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit equips specialist cardiac nurses with advanced bioscience knowledge, clinical reasoning, and evidence-based skills needed to deliver people-centred care in complex medical settings. By exploring the evolving role of the specialist nurse and the physical, psychosocial, and cultural impacts of illness, the unit prepares learners to make informed clinical decisions, optimise patient outcomes, and contribute effectively to interdisciplinary care.
This unit is offered in online mode and uses an active and collaborative learning approach to support students to analyse and critically evaluate approaches to providing evidence-based, people-centred nursing care within a cardiac nursing setting. Students will engage in readings, reflections and online discussions and will have opportunities to collaborate with peers in an online environment. E-Learning and links to electronic readings will be provided to guide students’ reading and extend other aspects of online learning. Online learning in this unit will be supported by the provision of opportunities for students to attend online webinar sessions that allow synchronous exchange of information and facilitate responses to queries generated by students in relation to unit content.
The learning and teaching strategy used in this unit allows flexibility for students balancing study with professional commitments while ensuring they have expert academic guidance support to ensure meaningful engagement and progression. This approach fosters integration of theory and practice, preparing students to deliver safe, evidence-informed care in specialist cardiac nursing environments.