I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Professional Nursing Practicum I

2. Course Prefix & Number:
NURS 1545

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 2

Lecture Hours: 0

Lab Hours: 6

4. Course Description:

This course is the clinical component that focuses on the use of nursing judgment, evidenced-based practice, and informatics in the application of the nursing process, including assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation with individuals across the lifespan experiencing acute and chronic illness in order to provide safe, quality, patient-centered care and promote human flourishing. The clinical site will be in a long-term care setting. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

No placement tests required

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

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 reading and listening skills	Apply the use of evidence-based practice to identify effective and ineffective ways to reduce back injuries in health care personnel.
Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills	Observe communication patterns and teamwork that serve to enhance interpersonal relationships with patients, families, peers, instructors, and members of the healthcare team in the long-term care setting.
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Apply the science of nursing for accurate performance of psychomotor skills such as medication administration and various other therapeutic nursing interventions or treatments.

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

• Utilize the MDS template to apply physical, developmental, emotional, psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual integrity for planning holistic, patient-centered nursing care in the long-term care setting;
• Observe communication patterns and teamwork that serve to enhance interpersonal relationships with patients, families, peers, instructors, and members of the healthcare team in the long-term care setting;
• Apply the science of nursing for accurate performance of psychomotor skills such as medication administration and various other therapeutic nursing interventions or treatments;
• Apply theoretical concepts to promote physiological and psychosocial adaptation to acute and chronic illness, including end-of-life care in the long-term care setting;
• Identify expected and common age-related changes as well as dementia-related changes in the elderly and strategies to assist individuals with these challenges;
• Discuss the concept of culture change in the long term care setting and examine strategies for implementing changes in care of the geriatric population;
• Discuss root cause analysis and quality improvement processes in relation to fall prevention in the long-term care setting;
• Apply the use of evidence-based practice to identify effective and ineffective ways to reduce back injuries in health care personnel; and
• Demonstrate critical thinking and spirit of inquiry while presenting the core QSEN competencies as they relate to the long-term care setting. 

V. Topical Outline

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

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

1. Basic cares
2. Head-to-toe assessment
3. Communicating with geriatric clients
4. QSEN Competencies: Safety, Patient-Centered Care, Informatics, Quality Improvement, Teamwork, Evidence-Based Practice
5. Minimum Data Set (MDS)
6. End of Life/POLST/Hospice
7. Family-centered care
8. Culture change in long term care
9. Role of the RN in long term care