I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Professional Nursing Practicum III

2. Course Prefix & Number:
NURS 2546

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lab Hours: 9

4. Course Description:

The third course in a three-semester clinical sequence that focuses on integration of knowledge, skills, and theory principles with continued emphasis on the use of nursing judgment, evidenced-based practice, and informatics in the application of the nursing process while caring for individuals across the lifespan experiencing acute and chronic illness. Clinical application of communication skills, teaching and learning principles, and various psychomotor skills is emphasized in order to provide and promote safe, quality client-centered care. Additional course emphasis includes applying leadership skills including prioritization, delegation, supervision, and management components necessary to promote professional development and quality improvement in the transition from Associate Degree Nursing Student to the Registered Nursing role. Clinical sites include acute care settings, as well as various rural health community service agencies.

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 interpersonal communication skills	Advocates for clients and families in providing compassionate, culturally competent, and coordinated care based on respect for client’s preferences, values, and needs.
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Demonstrates leadership skills by safely delegating and supervising nursing treatments and evaluating the effectiveness of the delegation process.
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals	Collaborates and works effectively within intra and interdisciplinary teams to provide care for multiple clients with complex health problems across the lifespan.

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

• Perform a comprehensive physical and psychosocial health history gathering all relevant subjective and objective data, integrating cultural, spiritual, and social considerations and the client’s perspective with complex health problems;
• Advocate for clients and families in providing compassionate, culturally competent, and coordinated care based on respect for client’s preferences, values, and needs;
• Develop a comprehensive teaching plan based on identified priority learning needs, barriers to learning, and readiness to learn; implements the teaching plan using the teach back method; and evaluates ways to improve teaching;
• Utilize critical thinking to assess data, formulate nursing diagnoses and client-centered goals, develop priority nursing interventions, and evaluate client responses while promoting the health of clients with complex healthcare needs across the lifespan;
• Collaborate and work effectively within intra and interdisciplinary teams to provide care for multiple clients with complex health problems across the lifespan;
• Demonstrates and values knowledge, skills, and attitudes for safe client care and performance of complex nursing skills, treatments, and medication administration in accordance with facility policy and procedure;
• Minimize risk of complications by developing and implementing a plan to treat actual or potential health problems for clients across the lifespan;
• Demonstrate role as a nurse in ways that reflect integrity, accountability, ethical practices, and an evolving identity as a professional nurse within the healthcare team committed to quality care for diverse clients across the lifespan;
• Demonstrate leadership skills by safely delegating and supervising nursing treatments and evaluating the effectiveness of the delegation process;
• Apply and value the importance of safe, quality clinical practice; utilizing evidence based research in caring for clients across the lifespan;
• Value the importance of continuous quality improvement to improve client satisfaction, customer service, and enhance cost efficient and quality healthcare services;
• Navigate the electronic health record to retrieve essential and prioritized information to support client care; documents nursing care for multiple clients per facility protocol while maintaining HIPAA standards; and
• Identify, implement, and educate clients and families regarding safety technologies used in urgent and non-urgent situations in the acute care setting;

 

V. Topical Outline

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

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

1. Students Complete 15 shifts with the focus being on Acute Care, caring for patients with Acute and or Chronic illness flareups. They become an integral part of the acute care team on the floor during that shift. 
• 5 shifts are completed on a Medical/Surgical unit where they are assigned and do all cares for 2-3 clients, including all treatments, medications, nursing interventions, application of nursing process, delegation and supervision, quality improvement, and documentation.
• 10 shifts are completed on a rural health Medical/Surgical unit where they are assigned and do all cares for 2-3 clients, including all treatments, medications, nursing interventions, application of nursing process, delegation n supervision, quality improvement and documentation.  
• 1 shift each Fall is completed screening hearing and vison for children at local school districts. This is rotated in the Spring with an observation shift in an Acute Care Psychiatric facility. 
2. Collaborative Simulation
• Students take part in delivering a simulated care setting for of a five-bed hospital with multiple problems and exposure to multiple cultures for underclassmen. With focus being on assessment and evaluation of collaboration, team work, nursing prioritization and delegation and supervision.