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A. Theory
1. Describe nursing as a profession:
a. scope of practice
b. standards of practice
c. nurses' roles as collaborating members of the multidisciplinary team within the larger
healthcare delivery systems.
d. nurses' role in promoting patient safety through open communication, respect for others
and identifying uncivil behaviors.
2. Apply fundamental nursing care using the Readiness for Practice Model and Nursing
Process.
3. Use individual-preferred learning styles, test taking techniques, and time management
strategies to achieve success in the ADN program.
4. Identify and implement effective strategies for handling conflict.
5. Apply legal and ethical concepts to nursing practice situations.
6. Discuss practical implications of basic pharmacological and parenteral therapies for
patient care.
7. Compare and contrast developmental needs of younger adults and the elderly, and how
these are affected by alterations in health, and what their role is in patients' health
promotion.
8. Identify psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients and intervene as appropriate.
9. Discuss how nurses reduce risk potential for patients and promote safe practices.
10. Adapt care to promote patients' health needs related to their cultural and ethnic
backgrounds.
11. Report, document and seek to remedy patient care errors.
12. Familiarize themselves with facilities' written care plans for patients.
B. Skills
1. Students comport in a manner consistent with the standards of professional nursing in:
a. dress
b. demeanor
c. communication with simulated patients
2. Competently perform fundamental nursing skills
C. Clinical
1. Incorporate critical thinking in the application of baseline knowledge.
2. Use Nursing Process and Readiness for Practice concepts to provide nursing care.
3. Correlate patients' observed behaviors, signs, and symptoms to physiological and
psychosocial homeostatic mechanisms.
4. Recognize the patient and family or designee as the source of control and full partner in
care.
5. Document patients' status, care given, and patient response according to agency policy.
6. Promote physical health and wellness by providing care and comfort.
7. Adapt care to support patients' developmental needs as young, middle, and older adults.
8. Use standard safety practices that will protect the patient, nurse, and other members of the
healthcare team from environmental hazards.
9. Explain the theoretical content underlying all aspects of nursing care for each assigned
patient, consistent with the theory component of the course.
10. Exhibit professional behavior, as set forth in the American Nurses' Association Standards
of Practice.
11. Manage their time and organize their activities to provide timely care to two patients.
12. Familiarize themselves with facilities' written care plans for patients.
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I. Theory Topics and Scope
A. Thriving in Nursing School
1. Learning styles
2. Time management
3. Study skills
B. Infection Control*
C. Patient safety, mobility and hygiene*
1. Safe practice for transfer, positioning, and ambulation
2. Nursing promotion of hygiene practices
D. Nursing Process I*
1. Introduction to the nursing process
2. Focus is assessment and nursing diagnosis
E. Nursing Process II*
1. Introduction to the nursing process continued
2. Focus in planning, implementation, and evaluation
F. Nursing Process III*
1. Synthesis of five phases of the nursing process
2. Construction of an effective nursing care plan using the nursing process
G. Communication Skills in Nursing*
1. Effective, professional communication skills
2. Nurse-Patient Communication
3. Development of therapeutic relationship.
H. Nursing Theory and Critical Thinking
1. Theoretical nursing models
2. Critical thinking and clinical reasoning development
I. Introduction to Professionalism, Culture Care and Civility in Nursing Practice*
1. Definition of a profession
2. Principles of professionalism
3. Inter/Intraprofessional communication
4. Providing culturally competent care
5. Civility in nursing practice
J. Physical Assessment I*
1. Rationale and purpose of the nursing physical assessment
2. Basic head-to-toe-physical assessment
3. Nursing assessment of patient hygiene
K. Physical Assessment II*
1. Nursing assessment of the integumentary and respiratory systems
2. Common pathophysiologies in integumentary and respiratory systems
L. Physical Assessment III*
1. Nursing assessment of cardiovascular system
2. Definition, rationale, and importance of accurate patient vital signs
M. Homeostasis, Stress, and Adaption
1. Compensatory physiological systems
2. Nursing management of stress, coping and adaptation
N. Wound Management*
1. Basic wound care
2. Wound healing
3. Skin diseases
O. Diagnostic Laboratory Values*
1. Introduction to basis laboratory tests and values
2. Clinical use of laboratory testing in nursing care planning
P. Medication Administration I*
1. Medication administration procedure: 3 checks and 9 rights
2. Focus is on oral medication administration
3. Common oral medications
Q. Medication Administration II*
1. Administration of common parenteral medications
2. Focus is on subcutaneous and intramusclar medication administration
3. Common parenteral medications
R. Introduction to Pharmacology
1. Principles of pharmacology
2. Common medications
3. Introduction to antibiotic therapy
S. Introduction to Fluids and Electrolytes.
1. Basic physiology of fluid and electrolytes
2. Fluid and electrolyte disorders
3. Nursing management of fluid and electrolyte therapy
T. Sleep and Rest
U. Introduction to Documentation in Nursing Practice*
V. Promoting a Safe and Effective Care Environment*
1. Skills for mitigating violence
2. Management of aggressive behavior
W. Nutritional Support I*
1. Describes the rationales for common types of nutritional support implemented by
nursing, identifying appropriateness/assessment of enteral and parenteral nutrition
including protein-calorie supplementation, and standard IV therapies for specific
patient populations
2. Compare bariatric surgical procedures.
3. Describe post-op assessment and care
X. Nutritional Support II
1. Common gastrointestinal pathophysiologies
2. Specific nursing assessment tools to identify the risks for and etiology of malnutrition,
obesity, clinical manifestations including Body Mass Index
3. Discuss strategies to prevent and treat obesity and its associated complications, and other
forms of altered digestion
Y. Introduction to Gerontology Nursing
1. Nursing assessment considerations for the geriatric patient
2. Development stages across the lifespan, focus on geriatric population
3. Focus on specific nursing care planning and education of the geriatric patient
Z. Nursing Care of the Cardiovascular Patient
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the cardiovascular patient
population, includes comfort and pain management
2. Cardiovascular pathophysiology: Hypertension and arrhythmias
3. Basic electro-cardiogram (EKG) procedures and common EKG waveforms
AA. Nursing Care of the Respiratory Patient
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the respiratory patient
population, includes comfort and pain management
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Emphysema, Pneumonia,
Tuberculosis (TB) and other fungal infections
BB. Nursing Care of the Diabetic Patient I*
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the diabetic patient
population, includes comfort and pain management
2. Diabetic pathophysiology and complications
3. Diabetic therapies: focus on basic insulin and diabetic medications
CC. Nursing Care of the Renal Patient I*
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the renal patient
population, includes comfort and pain management
2. Normal renal function and urinary elimination
3. Renal pathophysiologies, signs and symptoms of kidney malfunction
DD. Nursing Care of the Gastrointestinal Patient I
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the gastrointestinal patient
population, includes comfort and pain management
2. Post-operative care considerations
EE. Nursing Care of the Gastrointestinal Patient II
1. Common gastrointestinal pathophysiologies
2. Nursing care considerations: Signs, symptoms, and treatment therapies
FF. Orthopedics I
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the orthopedic patient
population, includes comfort and pain management
2. Surgical treatments and post-operative nursing care of the orthopedic patient
GG. Orthopedics II
1. Common orthopedic pathophysiologies, signs/symptoms, treatments and complications
i. fractures
ii. osteoporosis
iii. osteomyelitis
iv. arthritis
v. spinal damage/disc disease
2. Collaborative care of orthopedic pathophysiologies
HH. Nursing Care of the Patient with Sensory Deficits
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the patient with vision,
auditory, and neurological and systemic sensation deficits, includes comfort and pain
management
2. Common vision, auditory, and sensation pathophysiologies
II. Nursing Care of the Patient with Altered Level of Consciousness (ALOC)
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the patient with ALOC,
includes comfort and pain management
2. Common pathophysiologies associated with dementia, delirium and trauma
JJ. Nursing Care of the Patient with Cerebrovascular Accident
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the stroke patient
population, includes comfort and pain management
2. Identifying risk factors, signs/symptoms, treatments for stroke patients
KK. Nursing Care of Patients and Family with Loss, Grief, and Death
1. Basic nursing assessment and specific care considerations for the patient and family
experiencing loss, grief and death
2. Coping and communication methods
3. Post-mortem care
*These items are introduced in lecture, and the related skills are performed in the lab.
II. Skills
A. Professional comportment and communication in the skills lab
B. Safety for patient and health care provider
C. Infection control for patient and health care provider
D. Hygiene and elimination care
E. Mobility/immobility - transfer, positioning, and ambulation
F. Vital signs and oxygenation
G. Admission and discharge
H. Therapeutic communication
I. Physical assessment
J. Wound care and principles of sterile techniques
K. Medication administration: oral and injectable
L. Nursing process application
M. Nutrition (intake and output)
N. Blood glucose monitoring
O. Specimen collection
P. Management of aggressive behavior
Q. Pre-clinical data gathering and preparation
R. Writing a nursing care plan
S. Integration of clinical skills
T. Orientation to simulation lab
III. Clinical
A. Clinical application of nursing theory and process
B. Medical records and chart review
C. Communication
D. Nursing care plans
E. Shift report
F. Resource nurse and instructor
G. Unlicensed assistive personnel
H. Patients with barriers to communication
I. Dietary adjustments related to culture and religion
J. Health-related cultural customs
K. Promoting ego integrity in the nursing home setting
L. Adapting care to patients' limitations
1. Mobility
2. Cognitive
3. Sensory-perceptual
4. Self-care
M. End-of-life and palliative care
N. Patients' rights
O. Laws and governance
1. State and federal
2. Acute care
3. Rehab care
4. Custodial care
P. Orientation to the agency
1. Mission and philosophy
2. Physical plan and environmental safety
3. Policies and procedures
4. Schedules and routines
5. Setting-specific care delivery system
6. Student nurse role expectations
Q. Student nurse standards of practice
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Lecture-Related Assignments:
1. Reading 70-100 pages per week.
2. Unit and standardized exams: 4-5 per semester. Minimum cumulative score of 75% on four
unit exams to continue in the nursing program.
Lab-Related Assignments:
1. Reading prior to nursing skills demonstration15-50 pages per week.
2. Completion of media review prior to each skills lab (1 -2 hours per lab).
3. Practice skill performance in simulated lab.
4. Completion of skills lab quizzes 1 per skill (ungraded).
5. Demonstrate competency in seven formal skill check-offs within 3 attempts related to each
skill lab topic: Pass/fail. Failure of skills competency results in dismissal from the nursing
program.
Clinical-Related Assignments:
1. Completion of the safe medication dosage calculation exam with a score of 95% or better by
the third attempt. This assignment is not graded for purposes of this course, but failure to
pass this assignment with a grade of 95% or better by the third attempt will result in a failed
grade and dismissal from the nursing program.
2. Clinical practice in skilled nursing, long-term care, or hospital settings. Students must meet
minimum problem-solving skills and practice to pass this course. Provide safe care to 1-2
patients. Rubric graded: Pass/Fail. Achieving a pass in clinical practice is required to
remain in the nursing program.
3. Preparation for clinical assignments by reviewing patient's chart: Collecting data base,
completing pathophysiology form, assessment tool, and researching medication and
treatment skills - approximately 4-6 hours per week.
4. Completion of two-page clinical assessment tool, approximately 10 per semester.
5. Present patient situations for discussion in post clinical conferences. (approximately 1-hour
presentation per student per semester).
6. Participation in analysis of patient care situations in group setting, approximately 6-8 per
semester.
7. Written papers addressing objectives of clinical out rotations, 2-3 papers per semester, 2-3
pages per paper.
8. Written process recording, one per semester, 2-3 pages per recording.
9. Preparation of nursing care plans (2 diagnosis per plan) 2-3 plans per semester. Includes data
collection, data analysis, development of plan for nursing care with specific interventions
and evaluation of effectiveness. Rubric graded Pass/Fail, with remediation for failure.
10. Written cultural diversity paper and presentation, 3-4 pages Rubric graded Pass/Fail.
11. Preparation and participation in simulation lab scenarios, two rotations.
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California regulations for RN practice: accessible via California Board of Registered Nursing Internet website
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Dimensional Analysis: Calculating Dosages Safely. 2nd ed. Horntvedt, T. F.A. Davis. 2019
Pocket Companion for Physical Examination and Health Assessment. 8th ed. Jarvis, C. Saunders. 2019
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