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Work Placement in the Elderly and Health

Code: 106138 ECTS Credits: 12
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Nursing OT 4

Contact

Name:
Alicia Lluva Castaņo
Email:
alicia.lluva@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

To undertake the internship, the following requirements must be met before the start of the placement period:

Occupational risk prevention training

  •  Attendance at the training sessions on risk prevention.

  •  Passing the corresponding evaluation test.

Second-year laboratory practices

  •  Attendance at the scheduled practical sessions. 

Vaccination record evaluation and update

  •  An up-to-date vaccination card.

Documentation and personal identification

  •  Possession of the personal identification card issued by the Academic Management Service. 

Recommended prior knowledge

  • Knowledge acquired in first- and second-year subjects is required.

  •  It is recommended to have passed the subject “Nursing care in the aging process,” as its content is especially relevant for the development of this practicum.

Commitments and Professional Conduct

            The student enrolled in the course must:


Objectives and Contextualisation

The objective of the clinical practicum is for students to develop professional, general, specific, and cross-disciplinary competencies related to the comprehensive care of older adults. In this regard, students must take into account both the social and family environment as well as the healthcare setting in which the person is admitted.

This learning process is based on the integration of theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and professional attitudes in real-world settings, with the support and supervision of a reference professional in the healthcare setting (clinical tutor) and an academic tutor responsible for pedagogical and academic follow-up.

The practicum should enable the student to:

  • Apply the knowledge acquired in the classroom to real-life situations using a reflective, evidence-based, and continuous improvement-oriented approach. 

  • Develop technical and interpersonal skills specific to the geriatric field. 

  • Consolidate professional values such as empathy, responsibility, respect for privacy, confidentiality, and teamwork.  

Likewise, practical learning will be guided by the following principles:

  • Establishment of a close educational relationship between the student and both the clinical and academic tutors. 

  • Joint and negotiated definition of specific objectives for each practicum placement. 

  • Continuous, meaningful, and reflective evaluation that enables the student to become aware of their progress and improve their practice. 

  • Constant supervision of the interventions carried out, ensuring compliance with ethical and legal principles, and guaranteeing the safety, privacy, and confidentiality of the individuals receiving care.

Specific Learning Objectives

  1. Identify the main health problems affecting older adults through observation methods and nursing assessment procedures (CGA, geriatric assessment scales, etc.). 

  2. Analyze population health data to recognize the most prevalent causes of morbidity and dependency in old age. 

  3. Participate in health promotion and disease prevention activities aimed at the geriatric population. 

  4. Recognize the physiological, psychological, and social changes associated with the aging process and their impact on health status. 

  5. Identify the most common geriatric syndromes and assess their functional and emotional impact on older adults. 

  6. Carry out nursing interventions aimed at treating and preventing health problems, promoting autonomy and improving and/or maintaining quality of life, with special attention to community and family resources. 

  7. Apply specific care practices in the management of chronic wounds prevalent in geriatrics, such as dependency-related skin lesions (DRSL), venous ulcers, and arterial ulcers. 

  8. Understand and apply the principles of palliativecare, with an emphasis on pain control, symptom management, and comprehensive support for individuals with advanced or terminal illnesses, including their families and social environments.


Competences

  • Base nursing interventions on scientific evidence and the available media.
  • "Demonstrate an understanding of people without prejudice: consider physical, psychological and social aspects, as independent individuals; ensure that their opinions, values and beliefs are respected and guarantee their right to privacy, through trust and professional secrecy."
  • Offer technical and professional health care and that this adequate for the health needs of the person being attended, in accordance with the current state of scientific knowledge at any time and levels of quality and safety established under the applicable legal and deontological rules.
  • Plan and carry out nursing care aimed at people, families and groups orientated to health results and evaluate the impact of them using clinical and care practice guides describing the processes for the diagnosis, treatment or cure of a health problem.
  • Protect the health and welfare of people or groups attended guaranteeing their safety.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse differences by sex and gender inequality in ethiology, anatomy, physiology. Pathologies, differential diagnosis, therapeutic options, pharmacological response, prognosis and nursing care.
  2. Analyse nursing interventions justifying them with scientific evidence and/or expert opinions that support them.
  3. Apply scientific evidence in the planning and practice of nursing care.
  4. Apply the nursing process to offer and guarantee the wellbeing, quality and safety of the people receiving the care.
  5. Comprehensively assess health situations using tools such as physical examination, laboratory tests and nursing interview.
  6. Demonstrate skill in performing nursing procedures and techniques.
  7. Evaluate risks and protect the health of people ensuring their safety.
  8. Exercise a respectful relationship with the user of the service/family/health team without making value judgements.
  9. Give integrated and individualised nursing care to individuals, families and communities, evaluating the results obtained.
  10. Identify the guides for clinical practice specific to each stage of the life cycle.
  11. Periodically evaluate health situations and the nursing interventions that take place.
  12. Plan individualised nursing care adapted to each situation of clinical practice.
  13. Put into care practice the knowledge and skills acquired.
  14. Recognise situations of risk to life.
  15. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  16. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  17. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.

Content

 

Content

Description

1. Nursing Models  

Identify and analyze how professionals use different conceptual models to guide their actions in geriatric care settings.

2.  Ethical and Methodological Foundations  

Recognize clinical situations that require ethical decision-making and understand how professional values are applied in daily practice.

3. Code of Ethics and Patient Rights  

Participate in care while considering the legal and ethical framework that ensures respectful and safe practice for the people being cared for. 

4. Teaching-Learning Process  

Participate in educational actions aimed at older adults and their environment. Collaborate in educational activities for patients or families, adapting communication and content to their needs.

5.Nursing Care Process    

Contribute to the development and implementation of personalized care plans according to clinical progression and identified needs.

6.Continuous Quality Improvement    

Participate in initiatives for evaluating andimproving care quality. Observe how care processes are reviewed and improved, and identify quality indicators in nursing care.

7. Evidence-Based Practice  

Consult and apply up-to-date nursing protocols based on scientific evidence. 

8. Nutrition and Therapeutic Diets   

Observe the nutritional needs of older adults and collaborate in adapting diets according to specific conditions or pathologies.

9. Cardiovascular Risk Prevention   

Identify risk factors and collaborate in preventive interventions such as blood pressure control, healthy habits, or health education.

10.Health Education    

Identify educational needs and apply teaching strategies. Collaborate in health education about healthy behaviors using techniques and materials adapted to the patients’ capacities.

11. Geriatric Pharmacology      

Understand the impact of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the elderly population and participate in supervising medication administration.

12. End-of-Life Care   

Participate in the care and support of people in terminal situations, ensuring physical and emotional comfort, and respecting the values and beliefs of the person and their family.

13. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)   

Observe and participate in the application of tools to assess the functional, medical, social, and psychological status of older adults.

14.Therapeutic Communication   

Develop empathetic and effective communication skills with older people, families, and professional teams.   

15. Conflict Management    

Observe and analyze interpersonal tension situations and understand the strategies used to manage them constructively.

16. Risk Identification and Prevention in Elderly Care   

Participate in actions that ensure patient safety: fall prevention, proper use of beds and chairs, identification of clinical risks.  

17. Wound Care   

Apply specific techniques in the treatment of acute and chronic wounds and/or dependency-related skin injuries (DRSI).   

 


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Supervised      
PRACTICUM WITH GUIDELINES 300 12 1, 2, 13, 4, 3, 8, 11, 6, 10, 12, 9, 17, 16, 15, 14, 5, 7

METHODOLOGY

The clinical practicum consists of placements in hospitalization services, social-health centers, and/or geriatric residences, according to the students' training needs. During this period, each student is assigned a reference nurse in the unit where the practicum takes place. This nurse ensures the student’s learning process and provides continuous and individualized guidance.

In addition, the student has an academic tutor who monitors progress, answers questions, and acts as a liaison between the teaching institution and the practicum center.

Shifts and schedules will be set based on the needs of the services, generally consisting of seven- or eight-hour shifts in the morning or afternoon, Monday through Friday.

Note: Fifteen minutes of one class, within the schedule set by the faculty or program, will be reserved for students to complete surveys assessing teaching performance and the course/module.

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Assessment of the stay at the care center 60 0 0 1, 2, 13, 4, 3, 8, 11, 6, 10, 12, 9, 17, 16, 15, 14, 5, 7
Self-assessment 5 0 0 1, 2, 13, 4, 3, 8, 11, 6, 10, 12, 9, 17, 16, 15, 14, 5, 7
Submission of reports / Written assignments (reflective journals) 20 0 0 1, 2, 13, 4, 3, 8, 11, 6, 10, 12, 9, 17, 16, 15, 14, 5, 7
Submission of written assignments: Reflective journals 15 0 0 1, 2, 13, 4, 3, 8, 11, 6, 10, 12, 9, 17, 16, 15, 14, 5, 7

 

Use of AI  

For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as text translation. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. Lack of transparency in the use of AI in this evaluable activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in partial or total penalties on the activity's grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

 

Assessment

The assessment of the practicum will be carried out through the following activities:

Assessment Activity

Weight

Responsible

Description

Clinical Practice Evaluation

                 60%

Clinical placement nurse tutor/ Clinical tutor

Evaluation of the student's performance throughout the entire learning process at the clinical placement center.

Reflective Journals

                20%

Practicum coordinator / Academic tutor

Compilation of lived experiences and critical reflection. Detailed instructions will be provided at the beginning of the practicum.

Clinical Case Study

               15%

Practicum coordinator / Academic tutor

Development and presentation of a clinical case following the established guidelines.

Self-Assessment

                5%

Student (reviewed by the coordinator or academic tutor)

Quantitative and qualitative self-assessment of the student’s own learning and acquired competencies. A template will be provided.
 

 

Important Note

It is mandatory to complete the full clinical practice period scheduled in the academic calendar, regardless of the assigned timetable.

Justified Absences

The following situations will be considered justified absences:

  • Death of first- or second-degree relatives. 

  • Scheduled medical appointments. 

  • Acute illnesses. 

  • Official university exams. 

  • Official language proficiency tests.

In all cases, it is mandatory to present the corresponding supporting documentation. Missed practice hours due to justified absences must be made up.

For each unjustified absence,0.5 points will be deducted from the final grade (on a scale from 0 to 10).

 

Final Grade

To obtain the final grade, it is essential to have completed all required practice hours and to have achieved a minimum score of 5 in each of the evaluative activities (clinical practice, reflective journals, and clinical case).

If the self-assessment score differs by more than 1.5 points from the final grade of the course, the responsible tutor reserves the right to review and/or modify the final grade and to request an individual meeting with the student to verify their learning process. Failure to submit the self-assessment or to attend the proposed meeting with the tutor, if applicable, will result in a score of 0 for this component.

 

If the minimum required score is not achieved in any of the activities, the final grade cannot be obtained, and the coursewill be considered failed.

 

Non-Evaluable

The course will be considered “Not Evaluable” in the following cases:

  • The student has missed scheduled practical sessions or has not submitted the required evaluative activities within the deadlines established in the calendar. 

  • The student has not obtained a minimum score of 5 in both the clinical practice and the written assignments or tests proposed in the course.

Other Considerations

  • The student has the right to request a review of their assessments. The date and format of the review will be communicated via the virtual campus.
  • Special or exceptional cases will be assessed by a specially designated committee. 
  • Schedules and locations may be subject to last-minute changes, without the possibility of reassignment. 
  • Travel expenses will be borne by each student.

Bibliography

  

  • Alfaro-Lefevre, R. (2003). The Nursing Process (5th ed.). Masson.
  • Berman, A., Erb, G., Kozier, B., & Snyder, S. (2008). Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process, and Practice. Pearson Education.
  • Betolaza, E., & Alonso, I. (2002). The Reflective Journal and Tutored Learning. Nursing Goals, 45, 14–18.
  • Colina, J., & Medina, J. L. (1997). Building Nursing Knowledge through Reflective Practice. Nursing Role, 232, 23–30.
  • Gagnier, J., Kienle, G., Altman, D. G., Moher, D., Sox, H., Riley, D., & CARE Group. (2014). The CARE guidelines: Consensus-based clinical case reporting guideline development. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67(1), 46–51.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.07.003
  • Luis, M. T. (2013). Nursing Diagnoses: Critical Review and Practical Guide (9th ed.). Elsevier Masson.
  • Luis, M. T., Fernández, C., & Navarro, M. V. (2005). From Theory to Practice: The Thought of Virginia Henderson in the 21st Century (3rd ed.). Masson.
  • Medina, J. L. (2001). Guide for Preparing the Reflective Journal. University of Barcelona.
  • NANDA International. (2015). Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions and Classification 2015-2017. Elsevier.
  • Pérez, P. E., Sánchez, J. M. R., Formatger, D. G., & Fernández, M. G. (2016). Research in Nursing Methodology and Languages. Elsevier Spain.
  • Schön, A. D. (1989). The Reflective Practitioner Formation. Paidós.
  • Schön, D. (1992). The Reflective Practitioner Formation: Towards a New Design for Professional Education and Learning. Paidós MEC.
  • Tellez, S., & García, M. (2012). Nursing Care Models NANDA, NIC, and NOC. McGraw-Hill Interamericana.

 

Useful Websites


Software

SOFTWARE

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Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.