Introduction to Professional Nursing

Course
Semester
Spring
Year
2022
General Course Information

Course Lecturer Name(s):  Jennifer Solomon

Course Director Name: Jennifer Solomon

Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information:  JSolomon@sgu.edu/ ext 3758

Course Director Contact Information: JSolomon@sgu.edu/ ext 3758 

Course Lecturer(s) Office Hours:  Mondays and   Wednesdays1pm –4pm   Tuesdays and Thursdays12 –2pm 

Course Director Office Hours: NA

Course Lecturer(s) Office Location: Lower Leeward Hall

Course Director Office Location: Lower Leeward Hall

Course Support:   Cecilia George McSween (CGeorge@sgu.edu ext 3095) & Kandis Roberts (krobert3@sgu.edu, ext. 3769

Course Management tool: To learn to use Sakai, the Course management tool, access the link https://apps.sgu.edu/members.nsf/mycoursesintro.pdf

Course Curriculum Information

Course Description: 

This course introduces students to the field, responsibilities and role of the professional nurse. It will prepare the student and transition from the basic educational environment to an academic and professional role.  This course offers an interactive approach to understanding the role of the professional nurse in today’s society. The student will begin to appreciate their responsibilities as a student nurse.  

Course Objectives: 

Upon successful completion of the course students should expect to: 

1.Discuss the historical foundations of nursing practice and education. 

2.Identify current trends and issues related to the profession of nursing.

3.Compare differing nursing theorists and how they relate to practice 

4.Identify the role of Regional and International professional nursing bodies.

5. Recognize and apply the core principles in the ICN Code of Ethics in their daily nursing role and how this helps to define professional behavior.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  1. Define the responsibilities of the professional nurse.
  2. To identify the concept of professionalism as a guiding tenet that enhances outcomes for nurses, patients, organizations and systems.
  3. Describe the field of nursing as a profession.

Program Outcomes Met By This Course:

NPO –1: Integrates nursing and health care knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide safe, ethical  and effective patient centered nursing care, representing the patients’ preferences, values, and needs  within the context of their families, communities and the health care delivery system. (Nursing  practice)

NPO –2: Demonstrate a level of professionalism that is congruent with the inherent values, ethics  and behaviours of the discipline of nursing. (Professional conduct)

NPO – 8: Identifies one’s own professional development needs by engaging in reflective practice in the context of lifelong learning and to participate in processes to shape the health care delivery systems and advance the profession. (Professional reflection and visioning)

SAS Grading Scale: Grades will be assigned as follows:

A  = 89.5% or better

B+ = 84.5 - 89.4%

B  = 79.5 - 84.4%

C+ = 74.5 - 79.4%

C = 69.5 - 74.4%

D = 64.5 - 69.4%

F = 64.4% or less 

Course Materials:

Text: Fundamental of Nursing: Ninth Edition

Patricia A. Potter, RN, MSN, PhD, FAAN, Anne Griffin 

Perry, RN, MSN, EdD, FAAN, Patricia A. Stockert, RN, BSN, MS, PhD Sherpath:  COURSE ID 157057_jsolomon94_

Supplementary Readings/Resources: Additional resources will be placed on Sakai

Course Grading Requirement:

Quizzes (5) 20%

Group Presentation and forum 5%

Online assignments (10) 20%

Midterm (1) 20%

End of term (1) 35%

Course Requirements:

Students will be required to:

  • Be prepared , on time, for class and able to engage with the material.
  • Contribute to class activities, group work and discussions.

Course Schedule

 

Week

Title

Content

Learning activities

Assignments and reading

1

Course orientation

Learning to learn why learning strategies are needed

History of Nursing

History of Nursing

Current Status of Nursing as a Profession

Forum discuss why certain characteristics can put students at risk

 

 

Professional nursing definition and primary roles 

Scope of practice 

Caribbean nursing competencies 

 

Explore the development of professional nursing roles.

Describe educational programs available for professional registered nurse (RN) education.

Describe how nursing standards affect nursing care.

Discuss the roles and career opportunities for professional nurses.

Describe scope of practice

Discuss the need for competencies in nursing practice

List Professional Responsibilities and Roles

Compare professions vs occupation

 

Discuss Miller’s wheel of professionalism

3

 

Trends in nursing 

Professional behaviour: Cultural Competence: Humility, Cultural Influences on Health and Illness, Globalization and Health Disparities:

Discuss the influence of social, historical, political, and economic changes on nursing practices.

 List societal influences in the development of nursing practice

 

  • Cultural Influences on Health and Illness
  • Cultural Humility
  • Cultural Assessment
  • Culture and Life Transitions
  • Nursing Interventions for Vulnerable Populations
  • Quiz

Scholarly paper

Describe the role of nursing in reducing health disparities.

 

 

4

Professional nursing organizations (Group presentation)

Values beliefs and caring 

Role and responsibilities

Common nursing philosophical statements

quiz

Group presentation

 

 

5

 

Professional behaviour: Communication skills

Collaboration and communication 

  • Communication and Nursing Practice
  • Levels of Communication
  • Elements of the Communication Process
  • Forms of Communication
  • Special Communication Needs
  • Communication Techniques
  • Introduction to the interdisciplinary team
  • Importance and outcomes of interdisciplinary collaboration

Quiz

Reading assignment

6

Professional behaviour:

Health Promotion and Risk Reduction: Health Care Delivery Systems; Levels of Differing healthcare delivery systems 

Process of Patient Education

Professional behaviour: Ethical and Legal Issues-Human Rights, Social Justice, and Safety Standards

  • Types of Health Care Delivery Systems
  • Definitions and Models of Health
  • Variables Influencing Health
  • Beliefs and Practices
  • Stages of Health BehaviorChange
  • Levels of Prevention
  • Purposes of Client Education
  • Introduction to Ethics
  • Values
  • Ethics and Professional Nursing Practice
  • Ethical Principles
  • Ethical Decision-making
  • Issues in Bioethics

 

Forum critically analyze each model

 

7

 

Professional behaviour: Ethical and Legal Issues- Practice Regulations

Midterm review

  • Legal Foundations
  • Torts
  • Informed Consent
  • Legal Implications of Nursing Practice

quiz

 

8

Mid term

 

 

 

9

 

Professional behaviour: Health Care Delivery Models, Case Management, Health Policy, Political Activism: Professional identity: image of nursing and the profession 

  • Nursing Care Delivery Models
  • Nursing Case Management
  • Quality Nursing Care Delivery
  • Factors Affecting Health
  • Policy
  • Impact of Health Policies on Professional Nursing
  • Judge the impact of identity on the profession

 

Forum Analyze how self-image affects the image of nursing

10

Professional behaviours  

 

Discussion and student review on podcasts, blogs and resources for student nurses.

Guest speaker

 

 

Reading assignment

 

11

 

Nursing theories 

 Student presentation 

Group 1 – Henderson

Group 2 – Orem

Group 3 – Watson

Group 4 – Pender

Group 5 - Orlando

Analyze the components of a theory.

  • Recognize the evolution of nursing theory.
  • Describe types of nursing theories.
  • Describe theory-based nursing practice.
  • Review selected shared theories from other disciplines.
  • Review selected nursing theories
  • Understand the use of theories in nursing research.

quiz

Nursing Theories reading assignment

 

 

12

 

Nursing professional identity – research and evidenced based practice.

Professional behaviour: Evidenced based practice and Critical thinking 

 

Discuss the benefits of evidence based practice.

Describe the steps of evidencebased practice. 

Discuss a nurse's responsibility in making clinical decisions.

Describe the components of a critical thinking model for clinical decision making.

Discuss critical thinking skills used in nursing practice.

Quiz

Reading assignment

13

 

Professionalism and the nursing code of conduct

Real world application of nursing profession

List the elements of the ICN code of conduct.

 Apply ICN code of conduct to the practice and student setting

Discuss the following behaviours as students and student nurses

  • Care Comes First  
  • Individual Treatment
  • Respect Dignity
  • Work Together 
  • High Standards of Care 
  • Honesty and Integrity 
  • Uphold Reputation 

 

Reading assignments

 

 

 

14

 

Professional behavior group work

Discussion 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNw WNsQruWY

https://www.youtub e.com/watch?v=urOCG-MlB9g

Identify elements for professional behavior

Analyze performance and strategies for professional behaviour.

Evaluate the following presentations 

Critically discuss their implications to the Grenadian context

 

 

15

 

Art and Science of nursing – Mrs. Ann Hopkin

 End of term review and feedback

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

 

Associations and Governing bodies of the professional nurse 

This will be a 10 minute presentation by each group on the associations and governing bodies for nursing.

This is to be a joint presentation with all members of the group participating but not necessary speaking. Please provide a break down of the group actions and how the task was divided.

  • Group 1 Caribbean and Grenada
  • Group 2 US and North America
  • Group 3 UK and Europe
  • Group 4 Australia and Africa countries 

Describe a little of the background on the organization or regulatory body for each geographical area.

Analyze how the organization or regulatory body interacts and upholds the nursing profession by: 

  • establishing, monitoring and enforcing standards of practice 
  • establishing the conditions or requirements for registration  Association activities or focus Groups will present on the theorists Major assumptions and definitions Summary of theory Case study or application

Grading will use the nursing power point rubric as on Sakai

School of Arts and Sciences Master Syllabi — Info for All Sections

Plagiarism Policy

Academic Integrity

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

Plagiarism is regarded as a cardinal offense in academia because it constitutes theft of the work of someone else, which is then purported as the original work of the plagiarist. Plagiarism draws into disrepute the credibility of the Institution, its faculty, and students; therefore, it is not tolerated” (p. 48).

Plagiarism also includes the unintentional copying or false accreditation of work, so double check your assignments BEFORE you hand them in.

Be sure to do good, honest work, credit your sources and reference accordingly and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with very seriously following the university’s policies on Plagiarism as outlined in the Student Manual.

Your work may be subject to submission to plagiarism detection software, submission to this system means that your work automatically becomes part of that database and can be compared with the work of your classmates.

Attendance Requirement

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

Students are expected to attend all classes and or clinical rotations for which they have registered. Although attendance may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance may be taken randomly. Students’ absence may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy. If absence from individual classes, examinations, and activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed. A particular course may define additional policies regarding specific attendance or participation” (p. 9).

Examination Attendance

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

All matriculated students are expected to attend all assigned academic activities for each course currently registered. Medical excuses will be based on self-reporting by students. Students who feel they are too sick to take an examination or other required activity on a specific day must submit the online SAS medical excuse, which is available on Carenage. Students are only allowed two such excuses a year. Upon consultation with the Director of University Health Service, the third excuse will result in a mandatory medical leave of absence. The policies regarding make-up examinations are at the option of the Course Director” (p.46).

For additional specific examination policies and procedures, refer to the St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020), pages 31 through 37.

Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services Policy

The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:

A student with a disability or disabling condition that affects one or more major life activities, who would like to request an accommodation, must submit a completed application form and supporting documentation to the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS) located in the Dean of Students Office. It is highly recommended that students applying for accommodations do so at least one month before classes begin to allow for a more efficient and timely consideration of the request. If a fully completed application is not submitted in a timely fashion, an eligibility determination may not be made, and accommodations, where applicable, may not be granted prior to the commencement of classes and/or examinations” (p. 8).

Disclaimer

It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the policies, laws, rules and procedures that while they could affect your grade for a course, have not been specifically outlined in the course syllabus. These are contained in the St. George’s University Student Manual.