It is the intent of faculty to facilitate student learning, and promote critical inquiry, reflection and analytical reasoning through a variety of interactive learning processes such as lecture, group discussion, client-based scenarios, interactive learning situations and electronic learning models.
In this course, professional nursing, health and health promotion, and nursing care with older adults are the foci of discussion. Concepts and essential content that will be addressed relative to these topics are listed below. In addition, the core curriculum concepts are integrated in this course.
Professional Nursing Practice
- Expectations, “image”
- Role of nurses, other health care workers and professionals
- Current trends and issues in nursing (introduction)
- Professionalism and the role of the nurse
- Professional Organizations
- Code of Ethics
- Standards of Practice
- Professional Standards
- Nursing Practice Standards
- Scope of Practice Standards
Governance
- Health Care System (introduction)
- Legislation
- Federal (e.g. Canadian Charter of Rights)
- Provincial
- National and international health organizations
Douglas College Nursing Program Philosophy and Curriculum Conceptual Framework
Nursing Decision Making Framework
- Evidence- informed practice
Legal Responsibilities
- Legal issues
- Client rights
- Documentation
- Confidentiality
Informatics in nursing
Health and Health Promotion
- Theories and models (introduction)
- Historical approaches to health
- Wellness and health maintenance
- Determinants of Health
- Choice
- Responsibility
- Health profile, personal health and health risk
- Personal empowerment
- Prevention (introduction)
Older adults: Health, health challenges and transitions
- Common and predictable health challenges and transitions associated with aging
- People’s experiences of health, health challenges and aging
- Beliefs and values
- Principles guiding nursing practice with older adults
- Growth and development considerations of the older adult
- Theories of aging
- Experience and interpretation of health challenges and transitions (e.g. loss, courage, resilience, independence/dependence)
- Vulnerability (e.g. isolation, loss, stress, potential for abuse)
Nursing Care
- Holistic older adult assessment
- The frail older adult
- Provision of supportive care
- Supportive end of life care
- Planning
- Decision-making
At the end of this course, successful students will be able to:
- Demonstrate beginning level knowledge about the role of nurses, the nursing profession, and the professional standards and principles of nursing in the context of contemporary nursing practice.
- Expand their personal perspective of health and identify factors that contribute to healthy living and health promotion.
- Recognize peoples’ experiences of health and health challenges as unique and influenced by personal meaning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of common and predictable health challenges and health transitions of the older adult.
- Integrate knowledge in planning client-centered and evidence-informed nursing care with older adults whose health and quality of life have been disrupted.
- Critically reflect on the inter-relationship among theories, concepts, evidence and competencies in the application of nursing knowledge.
The course evaluation is consistent with Douglas College Evaluation Policy. A course evaluation schedule and other course evaluation information are provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline which is available to students at the beginning of each semester. This is a graded course.
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline for students at the beginning of each semester.
Students in the BSN program are required to maintain a passing grade of 65% (C+) in all courses in order to progress in the program.