BNurs Adult Nursing / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Public Health, Society and Nursing

Course unit fact file
Unit code NURS10021
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

 
This is a year 1 semester 1 unit that focuses on the key concepts of public health, health promotion and public health policy with a view to introducing the students to their future role in promoting health and preventing ill health. Underpinned by the social and behavioural sciences this unit explores both physical and mental public health issues and the factors that impact on health outcomes across the lifespan. 
 

Aims

Unit Aims
  • Facilitate student’s understanding of the principles and practice of public health, health promotion and health improvement
  • Facilitate students’ understanding of the factors that contribute to health inequalities and that influence health literacy
  • Facilitate student understanding of the role nurses play in helping individuals and populations improve and maintain their mental, behavioural, cognitive and physical health and wellbeing
 

Teaching and learning methods

Direct teaching – Teaching and learning methods used during this course unit include lectures, podcasts and field specific seminars. Online resources are available to help students prepare for the assessment of this unit of learning
 
Examination – Group presentation based on a case scenario. 
 
Independent Study – Preparation for classes, reviewing lecture notes, reading of online resources and other reading, preparing formative work and reflecting on learning.  Independent study will also include time preparing for both assessments
 

Knowledge and understanding

  • With reference to relevant health policy, outline the aims and principles of public health, health promotion and health improvement
  • Define epidemiology, demography, and genomics and outline the wider determinants of health, and consider how these concepts aid our understanding of patterns of health, illness and health outcomes, at all stages of life
  • Describe the principles, practice and evidence base for health screening as a means of improving mental and physical health outcomes
  • Explore the contribution of social science to debates about factors such as socioeconomic circumstances and ‘lifestyle’ that influence mental and physical health outcomes in people, families and communities
  • Identify the opportunities available for nurses to promote health and wellbeing when caring for individuals, families, communities and populations within their own field of practice
  • Discuss the importance of early years interventions and the impact of adverse life experiences on lifestyle choices and mental and physical wellbeing in both childhood and adult life
  • Consider how the use of up-to-date approaches to behaviour change can enable individuals, families and populations to use their strengths and expertise to make informed choices when managing their own health and making lifestyle choices. 
 

Intellectual skills

  • Organise their knowledge into coherent descriptions of the factors impacting on the health of individuals, communities and groups
  • Evaluate information about health outcomes, and describe how this may be applied when supporting people and families to manage their health care needs and make health choices
  • Reflect upon their understanding of public health and their role in “making every contact count” with service users and their family/carers, with specific reference to their own field of practice.  
 

Practical skills

  • Demonstrate basic skills in location, appraisal and presentation of a range of evidence relating to population health, public health and health promotion. 
 

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  • Demonstrate effective oral and written communication
  • Work effectively with others as a member of a team
  • Demonstrate effective use of the digital/information technology  used to support this unit
  • Reflect on own skills and areas for development following self-assessment
 

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Oral assessment/presentation 100%

Feedback methods

Students will normally have the opportunity to receive feedback on formative work submitted prior to the summative assessment. Other feedback opportunities will also be available in class and online discussion boards. Online feedback is provided in Grademark. Provisional feedback based on internal marking will be made available prior to the Exam Board on the basis that these marks are yet to be ratified at the Exam Board and therefore may be subject to change. A standard feedback mechanism in Grademark is utilised across all undergraduate programmes within the School which provides detailed and constructive feedback on each component and aspect of assessment and identifies areas of strength and those aspects which could be enhanced.

Student feedback is obtained through open discussion forums on blackboard, in class discussions, via formal University unit evaluation forms and also qualitative, in house evaluations at the end of the unit. 

Recommended reading

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam 1
Lectures 10
Seminars 10
Independent study hours
Independent study 114

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Karen Iley Unit coordinator

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