Newborn Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) L7

To enable the practitioner, to acquire, in-depth and up-to-date, knowledge and skills to undertake the enhanced role of newborn infant physical examination, to recognise deviation from the normal parameters of newborn health and to make referral to other disciplines where necessary.

The individual will also be prepared for their role in exercising accountability in communicating the outcome of the screening to parents and in making accurate records of the examination.

A combination of lectures, seminars, small group work, tutorials and simulated learning will be utilised. Online material, CD’s and other forms of visual material is also available to support the unit content.

An important aspect of learning for this course unit is clinical experience and clinical teaching of the physical examinations of newborn babies.

Resources will be made available through Blackboard to support the course unit generally and to supplement the course content.

• Apply a systematic understanding of knowledge of the normal anatomical and physiological characteristics of the newborn.
• Apply comprehensive knowledge and understanding of skills to competently perform an accurate assessment of the newborn baby.

• Critically evaluate and synthesis the current evidence base and advanced scholarship in relation to newborn infant physical examination.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding, at the forefront of their professional practice, of the normal characteristics of the term newborn and recognise deviations from the norm.
• Deal with complex legal and ethical implications of the enhanced role in relation to examination of the term newborn baby.

• Make sound judgements in carrying out competent holistic and systematic examination of the term newborn baby.
• Demonstrate the ability to recognise potential and actual pathophysiological and congenital abnormalities and utilise appropriate intervention in these circumstances.
• Demonstrate autonomy and problem-solving skills in relation to assessment of the term newborn baby.
• Justify decisions and referral to the appropriate person/agency where necessary.
• Exercise initiative and personal and professional responsibility in planning and implementing newborn infant physical examinations and communicate findings and conclusions accurately and clearly to parents
  and other members of the multidisciplinary team.

• Demonstrate skilled management of interpersonal communication in a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrate personal and professional responsibility, and accountability in accurate record keeping.
• Demonstrate the independent learning ability which will be required to engage in the continuing professional development which will be necessary to remain competent.
• Demonstrate the potential to take a leadership role as an enhanced practitioner.

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 postgraduate 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.