Diploma of Nursing

Effective communication is the key to providing safe and competent care – without it, the needs of the patient and the effectiveness of nursing interventions cannot be determined. A nurse is required to communicate with a wide variety of people ranging from health care professionals to the person requiring care and their families.

You must be able to:

• Speak clearly and provide instructions in a timely manner.
• Understand and use non-verbal cues to enhance communication.
• Use effective communication to develop therapeutic relationships.
• Adjust your communication style depending on who you are interacting with.
• Demonstrate respect and empathy when communicating.
   

Example: You must be able to accurately determine the needs of the patient by asking appropriate questions, observing facial expressions and gestures and using appropriate eye contact and responses.

Vision

Nurses perform many tasks that depend strongly on the ability to see clearly. For example, you must be able to:

• Read small print on drug orders, medication labels, expiry dates.
• Ensure medication is at the correct volume in a syringe
• Remove sutures without damaging the skin
• Administer eye drops safely
• Notice differences in skin colour
   

Hearing

The ability to hear clearly is imperative to safe practice. Some important tasks that depend on being able to hear properly are:

• Listening to breath sounds
• Taking manual blood pressure
• Communicating with someone who is a quiet speaker or in a noisy environment
• Hearing different vocal tones or sounds
   

Tactile ability (touch)

An unimpaired sense of touch plays an important role in nursing care. You must be able to:

• Feel fine differences in pulses.
• Palpate (examine by pressing) different parts of the body.
• Detect temperature accurately ie skin, water.

Gross Motor skills

This refers to being able to use the large muscle groups in your body to lift, carry, push, pull, twist and bend. You will be expected to be able to:

• bend, squat and kneel to assist with moving or positioning patients
• move equipment in confined spaces and over defined distances
• assist patients with personal care needs such as showering, dressing and toileting
• undertake cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) - practised on a manikin located on the floor for a minimum of two (2) minutes over five (5) cycles.
   

Fine Motor skills

This is the ability to undertake precise coordinated movements of the hands. For example, you should be able to:

• draw up medication from an ampoule and inject into a patient or intravenous port safely and accurately
• take blood from a patient’s vein safely and accurately
• operating small taps on an intravenous port to set accurate flow rate
• take a manual blood pressure
• apply wound dressings using tweezers
• remove sutures and staples
• take a pulse.

In the clinical environment and in on-campus simulation environments, there can be a requirement for a sustained level of physical and mental performance. You should be able to:

• stand and walk for extended periods throughout an 8-hour shift.
• maintain a high level of concentration in order to complete accurate assessment and nursing care of up to four patients throughout a shift.
• performing multiple physical and mental tasks over the period of a day in order to provide safe and effective care to patients.

Reading, writing and being able to understand and work with numbers are daily requirements for a nurse. To ensure safe nursing care you must be able to:

• accurately record measurements and numerical data in patient records.
• perform basic mathematical functions with and without the use of a calculator (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, percentages, the metric system, metric conversion, and ratios). For example, measuring medications, medication administration dosages, using the 24-hour clock, completing a fluid balance chart.
• writing handwritten patient notes for staff handover.
• contributing to patient health care records online.
• writing reports.
• reading patient history notes and reports from other health professionals.
• reading medication orders.

Mental wellness is a state of well-being in which an individual can cope with the normal stresses of life and can work productively and fruitfully. Behavioural stability refers to an individual’s ability to moderate their own behaviour. Stable mental health promotes optimal and safe engagement in all learning environments. Many people who live with mental health conditions complete their studies successfully with appropriate support.

The learning environment and clinical placement can be challenging and will require you to engage with peers teaching staff, patients and other healthcare workers. You must be able to reflect on your work and respond appropriately to constructive feedback.

This course requires that you can manage multiple demands with engagement, focus and composure. You must be able to manage client content of a sensitive, confronting or traumatic nature with objectivity and accuracy.