I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Gerontological Nursing
2. Course Prefix & Number:
PNUR 1166
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 2
Lecture Hours: 2
Lab Hours: 0
4. Course Description:
This course covers aging and the aging process. Students will identify physical, psychosocial and health needs of the elderly population. The course emphasizes the role of the nurse in health promotion of older adults, focusing on maximizing potential and minimizing the effects of aging. Some topics covered include; medication interaction with the elderly, elder abuse, community resources and common illnesses of the elderly.
5. Placement Tests Required:
6. Prerequisite Courses:
PNUR 1166 - Gerontological Nursing
There are no prerequisites for this course.
7. Other Prerequisites
Admission to the Practical Nursing Program
9. Co-requisite Courses:
PNUR 1166 - Gerontological Nursing
There are no corequisites for this course.
II. Transfer and Articulation
1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:
Alexandria Technical College, PNSG 1619 Nursing of aging, 3 credits
Ridgewater College, NURS 1300 Nursing of adults, 4 credits
III. Course Purpose
Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):
Practical Nursing, Diploma
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
Demonstrate written communication skills |
Communicate effectively with aging population, and demonstrate effectiveness through written paper. |
Apply ethical principles in decision-making |
Write a paper taking a stand on one side of a medical ethics issue using proper spelling and grammar as well as references. |
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals |
Effectively work with classmates to present information on aging in the elderly through a group presentation. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
- Recognize signs and symptoms of pregnancy;
- Describe prenatal care including length of pregnancy and due date calculation;
- Identify pregnancy complications including infections and other high risk factors;
- Differentiate the four stages of labor, including nursing care in each stage;
- Identify the differences between true and false labor;
- Relate the complications of labor and methods of monitoring mother and fetus, examples fetal monitoring and c-section delivery;
- Integrate pain management methods for the laboring patient;
- Relate postpartum care and complications;
- Contrast breast and bottle feeding;
- Describe the newborn, including the preterm, postterm, and term newborn;
- Demonstrate the care of a newborn with a complication;
- Describe the role of the nurse in women’s health-care;
- Explain the pediatric child’s hospital experience in each stage of development
- Apply nursing care of the pediatric child with a condition of the following systems:
- Neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory, blood and lymph, circulatory, gastrointestinal, urinary, integumentary, endocrine, and reproductive;
- Demonstrate ability to calculate pediatric medication dosages;
- Explain the nurse's role in reporting child abuse;
- Relate developmental characteristics and teaching/learning strategies that are appropriate to the pediatric patient.
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Unit 1
- Theories on aging
- Demographics of aging
- Culturally specific elderly care
- Holistic Model of Gerontological Nursing
- Unit 2
- Legal aspects of Gerontological nursing
- Ethical aspects of Gerontological nursing
- End of life issues
- Unit 3
- Discuss physical aging changes in the elderly
- Continuum of care in Gerontological Nursing
- Self-care for the Gerontological Nurse
- Safety
- Unit 4
- Nutrition and Hydration
- Living with chronic conditions
- Infections
- Sexuality and intimacy
- Unit 5
- Rest and sleep
- Comfort and pain management
- Rehabilitative care
- Safe Medication use
- Unit 6
- Mental Health Disorders
- Delirium and dementia
I. General Information
1. Course Title:
Gerontological Nursing
2. Course Prefix & Number:
PNUR 1166
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 2
Lecture Hours: 2
Lab Hours: 0
4. Course Description:
This course covers aging and the aging process. Students will identify physical, psychosocial and health needs of the elderly population. The course emphasizes the role of the nurse in health promotion of older adults, focusing on maximizing potential and minimizing the effects of aging. Some topics covered include; medication interaction with the elderly, elder abuse, community resources and common illnesses of the elderly.
5. Placement Tests Required:
6. Prerequisite Courses:
PNUR 1166 - Gerontological Nursing
There are no prerequisites for this course.
7. Other Prerequisites
Admission to the Practical Nursing Program
9. Co-requisite Courses:
PNUR 1166 - Gerontological Nursing
There are no corequisites for this course.
II. Transfer and Articulation
1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:
Alexandria Technical College, PNSG 1619 Nursing of aging, 3 credits
Ridgewater College, NURS 1300 Nursing of adults, 4 credits
III. Course Purpose
1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):
Practical Nursing, Diploma
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
Demonstrate written communication skills |
Communicate effectively with aging population, and demonstrate effectiveness through written paper. |
Apply ethical principles in decision-making |
Write a paper taking a stand on one side of a medical ethics issue using proper spelling and grammar as well as references. |
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals |
Effectively work with classmates to present information on aging in the elderly through a group presentation. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
- Recognize signs and symptoms of pregnancy;
- Describe prenatal care including length of pregnancy and due date calculation;
- Identify pregnancy complications including infections and other high risk factors;
- Differentiate the four stages of labor, including nursing care in each stage;
- Identify the differences between true and false labor;
- Relate the complications of labor and methods of monitoring mother and fetus, examples fetal monitoring and c-section delivery;
- Integrate pain management methods for the laboring patient;
- Relate postpartum care and complications;
- Contrast breast and bottle feeding;
- Describe the newborn, including the preterm, postterm, and term newborn;
- Demonstrate the care of a newborn with a complication;
- Describe the role of the nurse in women’s health-care;
- Explain the pediatric child’s hospital experience in each stage of development
- Apply nursing care of the pediatric child with a condition of the following systems:
- Neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory, blood and lymph, circulatory, gastrointestinal, urinary, integumentary, endocrine, and reproductive;
- Demonstrate ability to calculate pediatric medication dosages;
- Explain the nurse's role in reporting child abuse;
- Relate developmental characteristics and teaching/learning strategies that are appropriate to the pediatric patient.
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Unit 1
- Theories on aging
- Demographics of aging
- Culturally specific elderly care
- Holistic Model of Gerontological Nursing
- Unit 2
- Legal aspects of Gerontological nursing
- Ethical aspects of Gerontological nursing
- End of life issues
- Unit 3
- Discuss physical aging changes in the elderly
- Continuum of care in Gerontological Nursing
- Self-care for the Gerontological Nurse
- Safety
- Unit 4
- Nutrition and Hydration
- Living with chronic conditions
- Infections
- Sexuality and intimacy
- Unit 5
- Rest and sleep
- Comfort and pain management
- Rehabilitative care
- Safe Medication use
- Unit 6
- Mental Health Disorders
- Delirium and dementia