Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge to provide care for babies, children and adolescents in primary health care, hospitals, hospices, homecare and community and long-term care facilities.
Paediatric or child health nurses working in the paediatric nursing environment need to hold and apply specialised in-depth knowledge, effectively integrate theory and practice, and make reliable clinical assessments and judgements.
This unit applies to enrolled nurses, registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, seeking specialisation in enrolled nurse work that is carried out in consultation and collaboration with registered nurses, and under direct or indirect supervisory arrangements aligned to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia regulatory authority legislative requirements.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements define the essential outcomes | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Contribute to interdisciplinary health care team in the paediatric setting | 1.1 Identify roles and responsibilities of members of the health care team in the paediatric environment and support the team in managing the care needs of the paediatric person 1.2 Work effectively in the interdisciplinary health care team to foster positive group dynamics with other health care professionals 1.3 Provide care and advocate for the rights of the paediatric person, and their family or carer 1.4 Provide information to the person, family or carer on available community resources and how to access them 1.5 Maintain current knowledge of paediatric conditions and associated pathophysiology and apply to each clinical manifestation 1.6 Identify when the acuity of a paediatric person is beyond own skills and knowledge and promptly consult with registered nurse and relevant interdisciplinary health care team members |
2. Clarify the impact of the paediatric condition on the person, family and carer | 2.1 Perform holistic assessment of the person to identify the pathophysiology of the presenting or underlying condition and related issues for the paediatric person 2.2 Collect accurate health information from the person, family or carer to identify their understanding of the person’s health condition and to identify self-management strategies and current treatment regime 2.3 Provide holistic person-centred nursing care to address the specific health condition and nursing interventions required for the person 2.4 Discuss impacts and complications of the person’s condition with the person, or their family or carer, as appropriate within scope of practice 2.5 Manage nursing workload according to a person’s needs and re-prioritise care activities for the person rapidly in changed circumstances 2.6 Support the person, and their family or carer as appropriate, during pre-, intra- and post-diagnostic procedures, also implementing health education strategies in relation to the procedures |
3. Promote improvement of paediatric nursing care | 3.1 Make appropriate proposals for nursing interventions in consultation with the registered nurse to promote improved outcomes for the paediatric person and their condition 3.2 Evaluate nursing interventions provided and evaluate the outcomes against evidence-based best practice in paediatric nursing 3.3 Evaluate responses of person, family or carer to health promotion and educational resources, and participate in organisation continuous improvement processes of these resources 3.4 Seek out opportunities and participate in professional development, acquiring knowledge to guide own practice and acting as a resource for colleagues |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has:
undertaken nursing work in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia professional practice standards, codes and guidelines
analysed health information and the clinical presentation of 3 people in the paediatric workplace environment to reach a substantiated conclusion about possible health care planning and nursing interventions related to their health condition, in consultation with a registered nurse
performed the following nursing interventions on a paediatric person in the workplace or in a simulated environment:
collected a urine specimen from a person between the age of 0-12 months
inserted an indwelling catheter on a female
inserted an indwelling catheter on a male
inserted a nasogastric (NG) tube.
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:
complementary therapies used in holistic practice
childhood perceptions of health status
progression through milestones and factors influencing growth and development
cognitive and psychosocial development from birth to adolescence
factors influencing self-esteem
factors influencing learning needs
factors influencing appropriate or inappropriate interactions of the parent, family or carer with the paediatric person
how to participate positively as a member of an interdisciplinary health care team
skills that support interpersonal and therapeutic relationships
anatomy and physiology and pathophysiology of the paediatric person, sufficiently in-depth and specialised to make considered judgements and to make professional contributions to paediatric nursing care
specialised knowledge of clinical manifestations of common paediatric conditions, including but not limited to:
allergies
asthma
cancer
cerebral palsy
epilepsy
infectious disease
injury
mental health condition
paediatric dermatology
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes
special health requirements related to paediatric conditions and issues, including but not limited to:
sleep disorders
nutritional disorders
feeding alternatives
health perceptions of the person
separation from parents, family or carer
congenital conditions
psychomotor dysfunction
alcohol-and other drug-induced disorders or injuries
physical and psychological abuse
near drowning
bed wetting.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace with the addition of simulations and scenarios where the full range of contexts and situations cannot be provided in the workplace. The following conditions must be met for this unit:
use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources in line with the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council’s Standards including:
child and infant manikins appropriate for clinical skills simulation
indwelling catheters
vital signs equipment
assessment tools relevant to developmental milestones of an infant and child
progressive notes of a de-identified person’s medical history
organisation policy and procedures on which the candidate bases the planning
modelling of industry operating conditions including access to real people for simulations and scenarios in enrolled nursing work.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
In addition, assessors must hold current registration as a Registered Nurse with Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
Foundation Skills
The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.