Course Coordinator:Hester Wright (hwright@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Nutrition and Dietetics
UniSC Sunshine Coast |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This course introduces you to the role of medical nutrition therapy in the prevention and treatment of clinical diseases and disorders. This course aims to develop your clinical knowledge, problem solving skills, and clinical reasoning relevant to nutrition disorders, including aetiology & pathophysiology, as well as the nutrition care process including assessment, diagnosis, nutrition intervention planning, intervention evaluation and outcome management.
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Blended learning | |||
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On campus scheduled attendance. | 3hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 2 – On campus attendance. Refer to Canvas for schedule. | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Learning materials – Asynchronous independent learning activities. | 2hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Nutrition therapy for patients in acute care requiring nutrition support such as the critically ill, patients undergoing surgery, and patients with a range of clinical disorders/diseases requiring nutrition care.
300 Level (Graduate)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
1 | Demonstrate the appropriate application of the theory of clinical disease aetiology, pathophysiology, and nutrition-related consequences to the medical nutrition therapy of individuals with clinical diseases. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
2 | Demonstrate a problem solving approach in the provision of nutrition care for an individual with a clinical disease. |
Creative and critical thinker Empowered |
3 | Apply an evidence-based approach to inform the medical nutrition therapy for individuals with a clinical disease. | Engaged |
4 | Constructs a nutrition care plan that demonstrates a client-centred approach that is culturally safe and responsive. |
Creative and critical thinker Ethical Sustainability-focussed |
5 | Critically reflect on the application of effective and appropriate skills in communicating information and advice to individuals. | Creative and critical thinker |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
LFS303 and NUT351 and enrolled in Program SC406 or SC302
Not applicable
Not applicable
It is assumed that students will have knowledge and skills in nutrition assessment, the nutrition care process and pathophysiology
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
In week 3 a formative clinical reasoning quiz will be completed and discussed in class in preparation for your summative task.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1a | Quiz/zes | Individual | 20% | 110 min |
Refer to Format | Online Submission |
All | 1b | Activity Participation | Individual | 30% | 15 minute oral task. |
Week 10 | In Class |
All | 2 | Artefact - Professional | Individual | 20% | 800 words |
Week 12 | In Class |
All | 3 | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | Individual | 30% | minimum 2 hours |
Exam Period | To be Negotiated |
All - Assessment Task 1a:Case-based learning | ||||||||||
Goal: | This task is designed to develop your problem-solving skills tailored to a specific disease which will help you gain confidence in the application of theory into practice. |
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Product: | Quiz/zes | |||||||||
Format: | Weeks 3 and 7. You will complete two quizzes throughout the semester which will step you through key critical thinking points while designing a nutrition care plan for an individual. Specific details and description of the task can be found on Canvas. The first quiz is a formative assessment piece and is due in week 3. Model answers and explanations to the questions will be provided and discussed in class, this feedback will help you in the completion of the summative quiz. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Problem solving |
All - Assessment Task 1b:Clinical reasoning assessment | |||||||||||||||||||
Goal: | The aim of this assessment task is to demonstrate your clinical reasoning skills in the development of an individualised nutrition care plan using the nutrition care process in a timely manner. |
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Product: | Activity Participation | ||||||||||||||||||
Format: | You will be provided with a case study for which you will need to interpret and evaluate nutritional information in order to write a relevant and prioritised nutritional diagnosis/es and intervention plan (including goals, objectives and strategies) based on best evidence. You will use this to answer a series of questions to demonstrate your clinical reasoning skills during the oral task. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving |
All - Assessment Task 2:Care planning task | ||||||||||
Goal: | The purpose of this task is enable effective clinical handover to a member of the healthcare team to enable safe transfer of patient information. |
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Product: | Artefact - Professional | |||||||||
Format: | You will develop a clinical handover using a standard framework in week 12 after a simulation-based learning activity. More information of the task can be found on Canvas. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication |
All - Assessment Task 3:Final Exam | |||||||||||||
Goal: | To demonstrate current knowledge of the theory of human nutrition and dietetics and related practice |
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Product: | Examination - Centrally Scheduled | ||||||||||||
Format: | Written exam of 3 hours duration. The paper will consist out of various case scenarios during which theoretical knowledge relating to clinical diseases and nutritional disorders need to be applied to inform a client centred nutrition care plan as well as clinical judgement. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Problem solving |
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
Recommended | Gandy J | 2014 | Manual of Dietetic practice | 5th Edition | Wiley & Sons |
Required | Marcia Nelms,Kathryn P. Sucher | 2019 | Nutrition Therapy and Pathophysiology | 4th Ed | Cengage Learning |
Required | Rowan Stewart | 2022 | Handbook of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics | 7th Ed | n/a |
You will need to show evidence of mandatory requirements for field trips to Queensland Health facilities. You will also be required to undertake orientation and induction to SCHI facilities which includes online modules.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
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