Overview
The transition from university to clinical practice is both exciting and challenging. This unit will assist you to prepare for the transition from student to graduate registered nurse. You will explore leadership roles which graduate registered nurses are expected to assume and discuss the skills required to perform these roles. The power differentials and tensions that can exist within healthcare organisations will be explored, including how knowledge of governance systems can support the graduate registered nurse to provide safe patient care within these systems. Finally, you will also prepare for your role transition from student to graduate registered nurse by developing strategies for teamwork, workload management, and care prioritisation.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: NURS13142 Professional Experience Placement 4 ORNURS12158 Clinical Nursing Practice 3
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 2 - 2025
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 Feedback from Unit Evaluation
The examples used in the tutorials were real-world and helpful.
Continue incorporating more real life examples and elaboration in lectures to further clarify complex concepts and enhance student understanding.
Feedback from Feedback from Unit Evaluation
Enjoyed the opportunities provided for student interaction during lectures, which enhanced engagement.
Continue offering increased opportunities for student interaction during lectures and activities to further promote engagement and foster collaborative learning.
Feedback from Feedback from Unit Evaluation
Detailed feedback on assessments would help students better understand areas for improvement and more effectively track their progress.
Provide more comprehensive and specific feedback on assessments to clarify areas for improvement and assist students in monitoring their development more effectively.
- Identify transitional challenges that you may experience in your transition from student to registered nurse and explain the skills and strategies you may require to manage this transition.
- Explore power differentials that can exist within healthcare organisations and the tensions that may arise from these.
- Identify leadership roles undertaken by graduate registered nurses and discuss the skills required to undertake these roles.
- Analyse how the knowledge of governance systems can support the graduate registered nurse to provide safe patient care.
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
Develops a plan for nursing 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
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
Consumer dignity and choice
Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
Personal care and clinical care
Services and supports for daily living
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 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 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 | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Academic Learning Centre services
- CQUniversity library literature search tools
- Microsoft Word
- CQUniversity Library Resources
- Microsoft Teams
- CQUniversity Library search engines for research articles
- CQUniversity Library Nursing/Midwifery/Social Work Resources
- Australian Standards (through CQU library)
- Endnote bibliographic software. This is optional for formatting references
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
n.browning@cqu.edu.au
j.padigos@cqu.edu.au
b.macdonald2@cqu.edu.au
n.branch@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Transition to Graduate Nurse
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Review the assessment tasks and make a study plan, taking into consideration any placement days
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Scope of Practice
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Start your literature searching and preparing Assessment 1
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Delegation
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Read the literature to identify the credibility of the evidence and continue preparing Assessment 1
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Leadership and Management
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Continue preparing Assessment 1
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Navigating Organisational Culture and Power Differentials
Chapter
There are a variety of readings and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Complete a first draft of Assessment 1. You might wish to seek assessment preparation help from the Academic Learning Centre and/or Studiosity
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Break Week
Chapter
Please use this mid-term break as an opportunity to rest and recover. Enjoy your break!
Events and Submissions/Topic
There are no planned learning activities this week.
Module/Topic
Clinical Governance and Patient Safety
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Complete a final draft of Assessment 1, including careful proofreading and checking references. Check the originality of your assessment through Turnitin and make relevant changes to your assessment after reviewing your originality report.
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Teamwork and Collaboration
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Review the task sheet and marking rubric for Assessment 2. Start your literature searching and preparing Assessment 2
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Assessment 1 - Responding to a Case Study Due: Week 7 Wednesday (3 Sept 2025) 4:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Clinical Supervision, Preceptorship, and Mentoring
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Read the literature to identify the credibility of the evidence and continue preparing Assessment 2
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Reflecting on Your Learning Journey
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch both recorded mini-lectures
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Complete a first draft of Assessment 2. You might wish to seek assessment preparation help from the Academic Learning Centre and/or Studiosity
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Lifelong Learning
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Complete a final draft of Assessment 2, including careful proofreading and checking references. Check the originality of your assessment through Turnitin and make relevant changes to your assessment after reviewing your originality report.
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Module/Topic
Career Planning
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Assessment 2 - Written Assessment Due: Week 11 Wednesday (1 Oct 2025) 4:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Starting Your New Career
Chapter
There are a variety of readings, recorded mini-lectures, and online activities available to support your learning.
Events and Submissions/Topic
To complete this week’s learning you need to:
- Watch the recorded mini-lecture
- Complete all learning activities, including required readings
- Attend the face-to-face workshop if you are studying on-campus
- Participate in the online tutorial and guest speaker session, or watch the recordings
- Check Microsoft Teams and your student email at least twice for important communications.
Congratulations on completing this unit! If you are continuing study next year, don't forget to check your unit enrolments. If you are graduating, best of luck for your new career!
Module/Topic
Nil.
Chapter
Nil.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Nil.
Module/Topic
Nil.
Chapter
Nil.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Nil.
As this unit is offered online, students are asked to prepare their own individual study plan to undertake self-led and self-directed study throughout the term. A key to your success is a strategic self-directed approach to learning and regular contact with your Unit Coordinators. Please check the unit team on Microsoft Teams at least twice a week – there will be regular announcements about assessments and unit resources throughout the term and reviewing this information is essential to unit knowledge and your success. CQUniversity communicates with students through CQUniversity email. We recommend that you access your CQUniversity email at least twice a week so that you do not miss vital information about your studies.
1 Written Assessment
Type: Written Assessment
Due Date: 4pm (AEST), Wednesday 3rd September 2025 (Week 7)
Extensions: Available as per policy
The 72-hour grace period applies to this assessment
Return Date: Results for this assessment will be made available from Wednesday 24th September 2025
Weighting: 50%
Length: 1600 words +/-10% (excluding reference list)
Unit Coordinators: Natalie Browning, Junel Padigos, Bree McDonald, Nicole Branch
Aim
Transitioning from a student to a registered nurse can be challenging. Managing a complex patient load, working within a team, adapting to the organisational culture, and taking responsibility for your actions are skills many graduate registered nurses are underprepared for. The aim of this assessment is for you to explore a case study and demonstrate your understanding of transitional challenges, organisational culture, leadership skills, and governance systems in the context of a newly graduated registered nurse.
Instructions
Instructions for this assessment can be accessed on the unit Moodle site.
Academic Integrity
You must abide by the principles of academic integrity (see Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure). Completion of this assessment with another party or sharing of responses is not permitted at any time.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Minimum Pass Criteria
· You must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 49.5% across all assessments to pass this unit.
· In order for a supplementary assessment to be considered, all assessment tasks must be reasonably attempted in this unit.
Week 7 Wednesday (3 Sept 2025) 4:00 pm AEST
Week 10 Wednesday (24 Sept 2025)
Assessments submitted late or with approved extensions will be returned to students within three weeks of submission.
Refer to the marking rubric on the unit Moodle site for more detail on how marks will be assigned.
- Identify transitional challenges that you may experience in your transition from student to registered nurse and explain the skills and strategies you may require to manage this transition.
- Explore power differentials that can exist within healthcare organisations and the tensions that may arise from these.
- Identify leadership roles undertaken by graduate registered nurses and discuss the skills required to undertake these roles.
- Analyse how the knowledge of governance systems can support the graduate registered nurse to provide safe patient care.
2 Written Assessment
Type: Written Assessment
Due Date: 4pm (AEST), Wednesday 1st October 2025 (Week 11)
Extensions: Available as per policy
The 72-hour grace period applies to this assessment
Return Date: Results for this assessment will be made available from Wednesday 22nd October 2025
Weighting: 50%
Length: 1200 words +/-10% (excluding reference list)
Unit Coordinators: Natalie Browning, Junel Padigos, Bree McDonald, Nicole Branch
Aim
The aim of this assessment is for you to demonstrate your understanding of the transition from a student nurse to a registered nurse. You will examine four key aspects of this transition:
· Challenges faced during the transition
· Power differentials
· Leadership
· Clinical governance
Instructions
Instructions for this assessment can be found on the unit Moodle site.
Academic Integrity
You must abide by the principles of academic integrity (see Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure). Completion of this assessment with another party or sharing of responses is not permitted at any time.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use AI for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Minimum Pass Criteria
· You must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 49.5% across all assessments to pass this unit.
· In order for a supplementary assessment to be considered, all assessment tasks must be reasonably attempted in this unit.
Week 11 Wednesday (1 Oct 2025) 4:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Wednesday (22 Oct 2025)
Assessments submitted late or with approved extensions will be returned to students within three weeks of submission.
Refer to the marking rubric on the unit Moodle site for more detail on how marks will be assigned.
- Identify transitional challenges that you may experience in your transition from student to registered nurse and explain the skills and strategies you may require to manage this transition.
- Explore power differentials that can exist within healthcare organisations and the tensions that may arise from these.
- Identify leadership roles undertaken by graduate registered nurses and discuss the skills required to undertake these roles.
- Analyse how the knowledge of governance systems can support the graduate registered nurse to provide safe patient care.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
