In Progress
Please note that this Unit Profile is still in progress. The content below is subject to change.Overview
As a nursing student, you may be confronted by legal and ethical dilemmas that will require you to be able to apply appropriate decision-making skills. This unit will support your transition to a graduate nurse by ensuring that you understand the healthcare laws that govern the profession of nursing. In this unit, you will examine the legal concepts and ethical principles and explore how registered nurses apply these in a healthcare context.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: BIOH12012 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology 2 or BIOH12008 Human Pathophysiology or NURS12158 Clinical Nursing Practice 3. Co-requisites: NURS12162 Mental Health Nursing with Professional Experience Placement or NURS12157 Concepts of Mental Health Nursing.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Students consistently praised the podcasts as a flexible and effective learning tool, allowing them to engage with content during breaks or at home, reducing screen fatigue.
Continue to provide podcasts alongside other learning materials. Consider reviewing audio quality to ensure clarity and volume consistency to enhance accessibility.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Students valued Craig’s clear, patient, and knowledgeable teaching style, particularly the use of real-life examples and scenarios to contextualise complex legal and ethical concepts.
Maintain the use of real-world scenarios and Craig’s interactive delivery style. Incorporate additional contemporary case studies to further enrich students’ understanding.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Students valued the real-world scenarios and examples integrated into teaching, which made legal and ethical concepts more relatable and applicable to clinical practice.
Maintain the use of practical examples and case studies in teaching to enhance student engagement and help them apply theoretical knowledge to real-life nursing contexts.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Students praised the teaching team’s responsiveness, support, and approachability, noting timely email responses, guidance through assessments, and overall helpfulness.
Continue maintaining high levels of communication and support, with forums, email responses, and check-ins. Encourage staff to provide guidance proactively, particularly for complex or challenging topics.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Students appreciated the clear and structured weekly mini-lectures, which helped them approach complex topics and assessments with confidence. The clarity and organisation of the delivery made challenging content more approachable.
Continue providing structured mini-lectures each week, ensuring topics are clearly introduced and linked to practical scenarios. Maintain the balance of clarity, organisation, and approachability in teaching delivery.
Feedback from SUTE feedback
Students appreciated Craig’s responsiveness, supportive approach, and well-organised delivery of content, including podcasts and weekly mini-lectures, which made complex legal and ethical topics accessible and engaging.
Maintain the combination of clear, structured teaching with timely support and flexible learning resources, as this positively impacts student understanding and engagement.
- Demonstrate an informed understanding of the basic concepts and principles that underpin Australian healthcare law.
- Analyse and reflect on healthcare problems and identify relevant ethical and legal issues.
- Develop a broad and coherent body of knowledge of how legislation, policies, frameworks, codes, and guidelines are applied to nursing practice in Australia.
Content in this unit incorporates a number of professional nursing requirements
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice
Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships
Maintains the capability for practice
Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Nursing Code of Conduct
Legal compliance
Person-centred practice
Cultural practice and respectful relationships
Professional behaviour
Teaching, supervising and assessing
Research in health
Health and wellbeing
International Council of Nursing Code of Ethics for Nursing
Nurses and People
Nurses and Practice
Nurses and the Profession
Nurses and co-workers
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Clinical governance
Partnering with consumers
Preventing and Controlling healthcare-associated infection
Medication safety
Comprehensive care
Communicating for safety
Patient Safety Competency Framework
Person-centred care
Therapeutic communication
Cultural competence
Teamwork and collaborative practice
Clinical reasoning
Evidence-based practice
Preventing, minimising and responding to adverse events
Infection prevention and control
Medication safety
Aged Care Quality Standards
Organisation’s service environment
Feedback and complaints
Human resources
Organisation governance
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 15% | |||
| 2 - Presentation - 25% | |||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 60% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||