Nursing

The aim of this module is to allow the student to revise ethical theories studied in the diploma and further develop their knowledge and understanding of moral philosophy and ethics and their application to health care. The student will have the opportunity to explore a range of ethical issues including genomics, euthanasia, abortion, and do not resuscitate orders. In addition the student will be able to discuss these issues in the context of the legal framework. The legal aspects of healthcare will be covered alongside the ethical considerations such as living wills and advanced medical directives.

This module will provide an in-depth understanding of conducting a systematic health assessment, data collection, and interpretation of physical assessment findings. Topics covered in this module include history taking, conducting a focused physical examination, developing clinical reasoning skills, and developing a treatment plan for the patient. Students will be given the opportunity to develop systematic and focused health assessments that are sensitive to both the cultural and developmental needs of the individual.

Self-directed learning will be the main form of learning for the revision of anatomy and physiology. Team-based learning will be incorporated to enhance learning and knowledge on system assessment, analyse clinical manifestations, clinical diagnosis and nursing actions. Skills on physical assessment, team collaboration and communication will be practised and reinforced through paired-up practice, simulation and OSCE sessions.

Nursing is a profession with rich career opportunities which evolves with time to meet the socio-political, economic, healthcare technology changes and globalisation. This module explores the conceptualization of professionalism of the health professionals with respect to identity, knowledge, skills, and values expected by the nursing discipline. Accordingly, it will address issues related to professionalism, professional values, and attitudes required of a registered nurse. Topics covered in this module include the socialization of nursing, historical development and evolution of nursing overseas and in Singapore; socio-cultural, political and economic perspectives of professionalism, and role negotiation in the development of nursing practice. Students will develop skills in interdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships as well as developing effective communication among other health professions, patients, and their families in the delivery of person-centered care. Other key topics such as policy implications for nurse education and careers in nursing will be covered.

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s framework of a health system includes resource generation, stewardship, funding and provisioning. The goal of a health system is to improve health, respond to expectations and focus on fairness in financial contribution. In this module, the Singapore health system is described and analysed within the WHO’s framework. Students will learn to appreciate how policies are developed, health needs are identified and met, intersectoral collaborations needed and established, and services organized and evaluated. Through interprofessional studies, they will learn about the needs of patients and the roles of different professions in the health systems addressing those needs.

The aim of this module is to familiarise the student with the discipline of qualitative research and its relevance to all areas of nursing practice. The course will allow students to explore a range of qualitative methodologies, the appropriate data collection methods and approaches to analyses relevant to this paradigm. In addition students will explore ethical issues related to research and research governance.

The first part of this module builds on the existing knowledge of research gained during the student’s diploma studies. Four main types of quantitative research designs: descriptive, correlational, causal-comparative or quasi-experimental, and experimental research designs will be discussed in detail. The student will learn how to formulate research questions and to answer these effectively; certain principles must be addressed before developing and implementing the most appropriate research design. In addition, ethical issues related to research and research governance will be explored.

The second part of this module will concentrate on statistical appraisal and data interpretation. The module will emphasize on the understanding of key statistical principles, for example, hypothesis testing, estimation, p-value, 95% confidence level and measures of association, such as odds ratio, relative risk, means difference, hazard ratio and graphical representation. Appropriateness of the statistical methods such as correlations, t-test, analysis of variance, simple linear regression, multiple linear regression logistic regression and cox regression will be determined by discussing relevant published papers.

The focus of this module is to examine key issues relating to health innovation and health informatics. This module provides an introduction to the foundation of nursing science and information science. The role of nurse informatics will be described in relation to the use of patient care support systems and current programs being run in the Singapore setting. This module also covers the use of technology and the application. In particular, ways by which innovation in healthcare is being implemented such as through the use of design thinking skills. Other concepts that are covered include an introduction to quality assurance and quality improvement in healthcare organizations. Students will understand how data is collected and managed effectively. Areas such as clinical governance, patient safety, and risk assessments will be discussed. To prepare nurses to undertake future roles in informatics, there will also be an Introduction to emerging technologies in nursing informatics (e.g. genomics, cloud technology, and nanotechnology). Students are required to complete a clinical placement that includes clinical observation and critically reflect on the program that involves informatics and technology.

a.
This module is to explore the concept of evidence based practice and its transition into clinical practice. It builds on the knowledge and skills gained from the research methods modules to enable students to make links with research, development of evidence based guidelines, application to practice, critical thinking and decision making.
b.
i. Formulate clinical questions
ii. Searching the literature and identifying different types of evidence
iii. Critical appraisal of research papers, systematic reviews, meta-analysis using critical appraisal tools
iv. Data extraction and synthesis of evidence
v. Hierarchy / levels of evidence and grades of recommendation
vi. Apply, implement and evaluate evidence-based practice in clinical settings using guidelines, protocols and current practice
 

The aim of this module is to introduce the student to some of the key concepts in health and social care at international, national and local levels. This will enable students to gain insight into the organisations responsible for the introduction and implementation of policy within a health and social care environment; and what drives policy development and strategies for policy implementation. The students will have an opportunity to critically discuss the role of the nursing profession in influencing and implementing policy and enable the student to understand how policy translates into practice in a diverse range of health care settings.

a.
The overall goal of population health management (PHM) is to maintain and improve the health of the entire population and optimise distribution of health outcomes between population groups. PHM looks into geographical location and communities underpinning the planning of healthcare services at national level. Students will examine and critically evaluate various health programmes, theoretical frameworks and behaviour change models for PHM for a group of individuals and communities in order to improve health.
b.
i. The major determinants of health;
ii. Epidemiological approaches in measuring health outcomes; iii.Current health challenges, priorities and strategies for PHM in Singapore;
iv. The range of evidence, approaches and models of care used to underpin the planning of healthcare services in local communities; v. Behavioural change theories and models;
vi. Health promotion strategies & programmes.

a.
The aim of this module is to introduce students to aspects of care provision for individuals with long term conditions, taking cognisance of the physical, psychological and social implications. Concepts of advance care planning and supported self-management to maximize quality of life will be explored.
Students will observe how care is provided in Scotland through a four week Overseas Immersion Programme (OIP). This will help make comparisons with Singapore and give exposure to wider aspects of health care provision.
b.
I. Health care provision between Scotland and Singapore
II. Common long term conditions in Singapore to Scotland
III. The concept of quality of life and supported self-management in nursing practice
IV. Physical, psychological and psychosocial implications of long term conditions
V. End of life care and advance care planning in Singapore and Scotland
VI. Strategies for supporting carers in Singapore and Scotland
 

This module aims to enable the student to develop the skills necessary to teach effectively in the clinical setting, both to health care colleagues and patients and carers. The student will explore the theories of teaching and learning and will develop skills in planning for teaching as well as learning how to assess and evaluate teaching.

With the increasing demands on health care systems including an ageing population, it is important that registered professional nurses develop an understanding of the managerial and leadership qualities required to shape and manage increasingly complex and diverse health care services. This course will allow the student an insight into the theory of leadership and management and how it applies to practice. The course will provide an opportunity to explore various aspects of leadership and management, including: change theories, management styles, leadership styles which allow the student to consider how theory can be applied to practice in the context of health care. The course will also facilitate the development of skills to effectively to lead, facilitate and supervise others involved in providing care in an evolving health and social care environment.

The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to complete an academically rigorous dissertation related to an area of clinical/nursing practice of particular interest to the student and of relevance to clinical practice. The student will also have an opportunity to utilize skills developed in the research methods and evidence based practice modules.

With the increasing demands on health care systems including an ageing population, it is important that registered professional nurses develop an understanding of the managerial and leadership qualities required to shape and manage increasingly complex and diverse health care services. This course will allow the student an insight into the theory of leadership and management and how it applies to practice. The course will provide an opportunity to explore various aspects of leadership and management, including: change theories, management styles, leadership styles which allow the student to consider how theory can be applied to practice in the context of health care. The course will also facilitate the development of skills to effectively to lead, facilitate and supervise others involved in providing care in an evolving health and social care environment.

The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to complete an academically rigorous dissertation related to an area of clinical/nursing practice of particular interest to the student and of relevance to clinical practice. The student will also have an opportunity to utilize skills developed in the research methods and evidence based practice modules.

This module allows students to develop progressive clinical practices and adopt critical reflective skills during their clinical placements. Students are expected to complete 6 weeks of clinical placements in Singapore and 4 weeks of Overseas Immersion Program in Glasgow, UK. The 6-week clinical placements are embedded within the following modules: – i) Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning, ii) Health Innovation and Informatics, iii) Overseas Immersion Programme (OIP) and iv) Teaching and Learning. The assessment consists of reflective diaries based on students’ reflective thinking on each of the mentioned modules. Students will be guided through critical understanding of different reflective models such as Gibb’s, Donald Schon’s and Driscoll’s reflective models. Through reflective practice, learners are encouraged to critically analyse patient centred approaches in health assessment, care planning, implementation of care and evaluation of care. The interest in care innovation and the use of technology to improve and enhance care is awakened in their search for better quality and evidence based practice. Such reflective practices is an important part of the learning process to allow students to gain a better understanding of knowledge that is consolidated from practice.