I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Professional Nursing Concepts I

2. Course Prefix & Number:
NURS 1544

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 4

Lecture Hours: 4

Lab Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

The beginning course in a three-semester sequence which emphasizes use of the nursing process and nursing judgment to assess, plan, and implement nursing interventions to promote safe, quality care and human flourishing for individuals, families and groups experiencing alterations in physiological, psychosocial, sociocultural, spiritual and developmental integrity. Teaching and learning principles for providing education to prevent, preserve, and restore health and human flourishing are integrated. Content includes caring for clients across the lifespan. This course focuses on the pathophysiology and RN role for the following: Nursing Process, Teaching and Learning, QSEN, Evidence Based Practice, Pharmacology, Pediatrics, Gerontology, Surgical Nursing and Musculoskeletal System.

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:
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Explain the use of the nursing process used to accurately assess, plan, implement, and evaluate holistic, patient-centered care as it relates to the diagnosis and treatment of actual, potential, and collaborative health problems of clients and families across the lifespan.
Work as a team member to achieve shared goals	Working as a team, describe the teaching and learning process including how to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes promoting a change in behavior.
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Discuss the concepts of lifespan (pediatrics and geriatrics) as they relate to the diagnosis and treatment of actual or potential health problems of clients and families.

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

• Apply the nursing process to accurately assess, plan, implement, and evaluate holistic, patient-centered care as it relates to the diagnosis and treatment of actual or potential health problems of clients and families across the lifespan;
• Plan client priorities and preferences using available resources, referrals, and evidence-based practice standards;
• Discuss the management of nursing care that enhances the care delivery setting to protect clients and health care personnel;
• Choose strategies to achieve optimal health across the lifespan that include health promotion and maintenance concepts, expected growth and development principles, prevention and/or early detection of health problems;
• Choose interventions that promote and support the emotional, mental, and social wellbeing of the client experiencing stressful events, as well as clients with acute or chronic illness;
• Discuss concepts of nutrition taking into account multiple client factors such as personal preference, laboratory values, health problems, education level, and ability to adhere to prescribed dietary plan;
• Distinguish pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies as they relate to the management of actual health problems across the lifespan; 
• Apply risk reduction concepts to help reduce the likelihood that clients will develop complications or health problems related to existing conditions, treatments, or procedures;
• Recognize deviations from normal values for multiple laboratory and diagnostic tests;
• Discuss the ability to manage and provide care for clients with acute, chronic, or life threatening physical health conditions;
• Discuss the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses Project (QSEN) and the NLN Framework for Educational Outcomes as well as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAS) that are expected to be met by the end of the program;
• Apply concepts of Normal Ante/Intra/Postpartum and Newborn Care as it relates to the diagnosis and treatment of actual or potential health problems of clients and families across the lifespan;
• Apply concepts of Surgical Nursing as it relates to the diagnosis and treatment of actual or potential health problems of clients and families across the lifespan;
• Demonstrate responsibility, integrity, professionalism, and accountability within the nursing student role; and
• Relate theory and Evidence Based Research to develop a foundational knowledge of the art and science of nursing, including concepts related to pathophysiological processes and caring behaviors utilized in the care of patients and families.

V. Topical Outline

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

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Nursing Process
• Assessment
• Diagnosis
• Planning
• Implementation
• Evaluation
• Prioritization of nursing care
• Documentation
2. Teaching/Learning
• Characteristics of adult learners
• Domains of learning
• Barriers to learning
• Teaching learning process
• Three levels of prevention
• Community resources
• Learning styles
• Resumes
3. QSEN
• Institute of Medicine and Quality Safety Education in Nursing project
• Core competencies: patient centered care, teamwork and collaboration, quality improvement, safety, evidence based practice, and informatics
• Knowledge, skills, and attitude required for success in nursing program
4. APA
• Use of APA formatting
• Challenges of APA formatting
5. Gerontology
• Erickson’s Psychosocial Development Theory Stage 8
• Common age changes and common conditions
• Dementia, delirium, organic brain disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, depression
• Roles and relationships, stress
• Safety
• Medication usage
• Payment sources
• Legal issues
• Advance directives, living will, POLST
• Grieving process
• End of life
• Abuse
6. Pharmacology
• Pharmacokinetics related to absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs
• Drug effectiveness, half-life, drug action
• Pharmacodynamics, including primary and secondary effects
• Receptor theory
• Additive effect, synergistic effect, agonist effect, partial agonist effect, (antagonistic effect, idiosyncratic response; displacement, interference, and incompatibility related to medication use
• Major side effects of drugs
• Legislative issues related to drug use and abuse
• Stages of drug development
• Polypharmacy in the elderly
• Herbal supplements
• Medication compliance/education
• Routes of medication administration: oral, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, sublingual, topical, inhalation
• Schedule I, II, III, IV, and V medications
• Categories of during pregnancy
• Literature resources for medication research
• Chemical, trade, generic, official, and brand names of medications
• Drug classification system
7. Surgical Nursing
• Comprehensive preoperative assessment
• Effects of acute and chronic illness in perioperative period
• Legal and ethical considerations for informed consent
• Preoperative roles in preparation for surgery
• Surgical asepsis
• Effects and adverse effects of surgery and anesthesia
• Role of the RN during intraoperative phase
• Function of steroids and the stress response
• Responsibilities and priority assessments in the post anesthesia care unit
• Common postoperative complications
• Wound healing and potential complications
• Nursing interventions related respiratory care, activity, vital signs, genitourinary tract and wound care
8. Obstetrics, Normal OB
• Review of anatomy and physiology of the pregnant woman
• Nursing assessment of a pregnant woman, normal findings
• Nursing and medical management of normal labor, birth, and postpartum
• Medications used for obstetrical care, their classification, therapeutic effect, dose and side effects
9. Newborn Care
• Review of anatomy and physiology of the newborn
• Nursing assessment of a newborn normal findings
• Medications used for newborn care, their classification, therapeutic effect, dose and side effects