I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Professional Nursing Fundamentals

2. Course Prefix & Number:
NURS 1540

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Credits - Variable: 0

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

Internship Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

This is the first nursing course in the traditional program which explores the beginning fundamental concepts to the professional nurse. This course focuses on the pathophysiology and RN role for the following concepts: patient attributes and resources, patient personal preferences, attributes and roles of the nurse, care competencies, psychosocial nursing, scope of practice, caring, infection control, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Head to Toe Assessment, and documentation. Application of the content will be made in the Professional Nursing Fundamentals Lab.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

No placement tests required

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

7. Other Prerequisites
Admission to Nursing Program

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Nursing - Associate in Science Degree

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Discuss the principles of documentation including charting by exception, flow charts, DAR, SOAP, narrative notes, and the electronic medical record (EMR).
Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills	Recognize defense mechanisms and adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Identify the personal preferences of a patient including culture, motivation, and adherence.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Review the concepts of holistic health assessment, cultural diversity, and client education across the lifespan;
• Recognize defense mechanisms and adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms;
• Discuss professional boundary concepts and implications for nursing practice;
• Describe legal, ethical, and confidentiality concepts commonly encountered by nurses in the health care setting;
• Identify the attributes and resources of a patient including development, functional ability, and family dynamics;
• Identify the personal preferences of a patient including culture, motivation, and adherence;
• Explain how culture will influence a patient’s health and illness;
• Describe the basic concepts of infection control including the chain of infection, standard precautions, disease transmission, normal flora, and basic anti-infective principles;
• Identify Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in explaining a patient’s response to illness;
• Discuss the principles of documentation including charting by exception, flow charts, DAR, SOAP, narrative notes, and the electronic medical record (EMR);
• Describe the care competencies, attributes, and roles of the professional nurse including communication, collaboration, safety, technology and informatics, evidence, healthcare quality, professionalism, and clinical judgment;
• Describe the basic components of therapeutic and non-therapeutic communication;
• Identify personal beliefs, values, and biases for formulating a non-judgmental, unconditional, positive regard when caring for patients;
• Discuss the concept of caring as it relates to the role of the professional nurse in various healthcare settings and across the lifespan; and 
• Explain the scope of practice for the professional nurse.

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Patient attributes and resources (development, functional ability, family dynamics)
2. Patient personal preferences (culture, motivation, adherence)
3. Attributes and roles of the nurse (professionalism, clinical judgment)
4. Care competencies (communication, collaboration, safety, technology and informatics, evidence, health care quality)
5. Psychosocial nursing
6. Scope of practice
7. Caring
8. Infection control
9. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
10. Head to toe assessment
11. Documentation