92475 Introduction to Specialty Practice: Global Health
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Undergraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): (92438 Medical Surgical Nursing OR 92450 Medical Surgical Nursing (Graduate Entry) OR 92024 Medical Surgical Nursing (Graduate Entry) OR 92322 Medical Surgical Nursing OR 92454 Medical Surgical Nursing)) OR ((93211 Clinical Practice 2B OR 93225 Clinical Practice 2B) AND (93207 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2A OR 93200 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2A) AND (93224 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2B OR 93210 Foundations of Nursing Practice 2B) AND (93214c Foundations of Nursing Practice 3A OR 93228c Foundations of Nursing Practice 3A)
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
Description
This subject introduces students to global health principles, highlighting how economic, political, and environmental factors influence health and illness worldwide. Students learn about various health systems, the influence of key organisations on health policy, and explore the role of nurses in international health contexts, gaining valuable insights for their future work in the field. This subject takes a whole-of-population view of health and is of interest to students who are seeking to work in population health roles in local health services, or global health roles such as WHO.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| A. | Evaluate key public health concepts related to global health, including: demographic and epidemiological transitions, measures of health status, and the burden of disease |
|---|---|
| B. | Analyse how globalisation has changed the patterns of the spread of disease and the methods needed to prevent and control disease |
| C. | Discuss and examine how social, economic, cultural and environmental factors can affect a society’s vulnerability to morbidity and mortality and its approaches to prevention and control |
| D. | Identify critical issues in the organisation and delivery of global public health and health care services such as cost effectiveness, benefits and harms, and sustainability of methods and interventions to address these issues |
| E. | Describe the potential for science and technology to contribute to improvement in health in a global context |
| F. | Identify key organisations and institutions, their roles in global health, and the manner in which they can cooperate to address key global health issues such as humanitarian crises and disaster management |
| G. | Demonstrate culturally component nursing care, identify the role of the nurse and the career possibilities in the context of global health |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the following graduate attributes:
- Advocates for people, if required, to ensure that their cultural values and needs are respected. (1.3)
- Demonstrates a commitment to social justice, valuing diversity and seeking to address disadvantage and inequity in healthcare. (2.2)
- The ability to communicate and collaborate safely, compassionately and respectfully. (3.0)
- Works in partnership with healthcare providers and other stakeholders toward common goals that prioritise patients' values, needs and preferences. (3.3)
- The ability to provide patient care premised on the best available evidence (4.0)
- Accesses, appraises and critiques multiple sources of evidence and transfers knowledge to practice. (4.2)
- Plans and provides care based on the best available evidence including clinical expertise and patients' individual needs, values and preferences. (4.3)
- The intellectual capacity to use theoretical knowledge to address complex and non-routine clinical issues (6.0)
- The knowledge and skills required for safe and effective patient care (7.0)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
- Embody a professional disposition committed to excellence, equity and sustainability (1.0)
- Engage in person centred care that is appropriately sensitive to the needs of individuals, families and communities (2.0)
- Communicate and collaborate effectively and respectfully with diverse groups (3.0)
- Inquire critically to assess a body of evidence to inform practice (4.0)
- Competently apply knowledge and skills to ensure safe and effective nursing practice (5.0)
Teaching and learning strategies
In this subject, you will participate in arrange of teaching and learning strategies that are designed to encourage you to engage with nursing in global health contexts.
Preparatory activities
Students will be required to undertake preparatory work prior to each workshop to ensure that they are ready to participate in the active and collaborative learning activities planned for each session. Pre-workshop activities will be outlined in the learning modules available on UTS Canvas. Access to podcasts, websites, online videos and evidence-based literature contribute to this preparatory activity.
Interactive workshops
In this subject students benefit from real time delivery of content. Face to face lectures, guest presenters, and interactive and collaborative workshop acitivites will quickly clarify complex descriptions and terminology, and prepare and engage students with sensitive or confronting topics.
Active scenario based learning
scenarios will be used to help students explore the complexities of global health. Scenarios depicting health challenges at community, district, provincial and national level in low and lower middle income country settings will be utliised. Students use these scenarios to learn concepts, interpret information, make decisions and develop creative solutions. Critical thinking is developed through analysis, interpretation of and reflection on issues or situations.
Online discussions
Students will participate in online discussions via zoom and/or UTS Canvas. Students will read relevant literature, listen to podcasts or watch film clips and reflect on the global health issues presented in order to respond to key questions and engage in debate on these issues with other students.
Clinical Placement
In this subject students complete 80 hours of clinical placement. Placements are provided in a range of healthcare facilities in mostly metropolitan locations. Students provide nursing care within their scope of practice alongside multidisciplinary teams to develop and consolidate their knowledge, skills and attributes relevant to the clinical field.
All clinical placements are managed under the UTS Internships Management Policy and students must comply and act in accordance with the Student Rules, the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy and the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.
In this subject, the following students are not required to complete a clinical placement for the Introduction to Specialty Practice subject:
- Students enrolled in the STM91471 Bachelor of Nursing Standard Program in 2021 or thereafter
- Students enrolled in the STM91472 Bachelor of Nursing Enrolled Nurse Accelerated program in 2022 or thereafter
Content (topics)
Content will include:
- Transformations in global health systems (past to present)
- Global health policy, economics and ethics
- Vulnerabilities and inequities
- Global communicable diseases - prevention and control
- Non - communicable and chronic diseases - prevention and control
- Humanitarian crisis and Refugee health
- Global health promotion
- Environmental Health - such as nutrition, water and sanitation
- Climate change and health
- Global organisations and how they affect health policy worldwide
- Culturally competent nursing care for individual, family, community and populations.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: In-class quiz
| Intent: | This assessment enables students to demonstrate their understanding of the foundational concepts and definitions of global health. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A and B |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 30 minutes |
Assessment task 2: Global Health Intervention Proposal
| Intent: | Promote teamwork and collaborative problem-solving skills among nursing students as they design a comprehensive global health intervention proposal. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, C, D and G This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 1.3, 2.2, 3.0, 4.0 and 4.2 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 8 - 10 minutes group presentation. |
| Criteria: |
|
Assessment task 3: Global Health Case Analysis
| Intent: | The intent of this assignment is to apply global health principles to a real-world case study. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, C, D, E and G This assessment task contributes to the development of graduate attribute(s): 2.2, 3.0, 3.3, 4.3, 6.0 and 7.0 |
| Type: | Case study |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | Maximum 1800 words (+/- 10%) |
| Criteria: |
|
Assessment task 4: Clinical placement (for students in BNv11 or earlier only)
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): A, B, C, D, E, F and G |
|---|---|
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | Mandatory task that does not contribute to subject mark |
| Length: | As indicated by the Clinical Practice Unit. |
Required texts
There are no specific required texts for this subject.
Recommended texts
Moss, M. P., & Phillips, J. (Eds.). (2020). Health equity and nursing: Achieving equity through policy, population health, and Interprofessional collaboration. Springer Publishing Company.
References
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2021. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982.
Phillips, J., Richard, A., Mayer, K. M., Shilkaitis, M., Fogg, L. F., & Vondracek, H. (2020). Integrating the social determinants of health into nursing practice: Nurses' perspectives. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 52(5), 497-505.
Grootjans, J. & Newman, S. (2013). The relevance of globalization to nursing: a concept analysis. International Nursing Review, 60 (1). p. 78-85.
See reading list for more references
Other resources
UTS Student Centre
Building 10
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm
Tel: 1300 ASK UTS (1300 275 887)
Details for student centres: www.uts.edu.au/current-students/contacts/general-contacts
For other resources/ information refer to the Faculty of Health website (www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-health) and Canvas at: https://canvas.uts.edu.au/.
UTS Library
The Library has a wide range of resources, facilities and services to support you including textbooks, subject readings, health literature databases, workshops and bookable study rooms. There is also a team of librarians to help you with your questions available via online chat, phone and in person. W: https://www.lib.uts.edu.au/, Facebook: utslibrary, Twitter: @utslibrary Tel: (02) 9514 3666.
Improve your academic and English language skills
Marks for all assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations are given not only for what you write but also for how you write. If you would like the opportunity to improve your academic and English language skills, make an appointment with the HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support) Service in Student Services.
HELPS (Higher Education Language & Presentation Support)
HELPS provides assistance with English language proficiency and academic language. Students who need to develop their written and/or spoken English should make use of the free services offered by HELPS, including academic language workshops, vacation intensive courses, drop-in consultations, individual appointments and Conversations@UTS (www.ssu.uts.edu.au/helps). HELPS staff are also available for drop-in consultations at the UTS Library. Phone (02) 9514 9733.
Please see www.uts.edu.au for additional information on other resources provided to students by UTS.
The Accessibility and Financial Assistance Service
?The Accessibility Service can support students with disabilities, medical or mental health conditions, including temporary injuries (e.g., broken limbs). The Accessibility Service works with Academic Liaison Officers in each Faculty to provide ‘reasonable adjustments’ such as exam provisions, assistive technology, requests and strategies for managing your studies alongside your health condition. If you’re unsure whether you need assistance, we recommend getting in touch early and we can provide advice on how our service can assist you. Make an appointment with an Accessibility Consultant (AC) on +61 2 9514 1177 or Accessibility@uts.edu.au.
The Financial Assistance Service can assist you with financial aspects of life at university, including Centrelink information, tax returns and budgeting, interest-free student loans and grants to assist with course-related costs. Check eligibility and apply online and make an appointment on +61 2 9514 1177 or Financial.assistance@uts.edu.au.