ADN – Registered Nursing

This course introduces the fundamental concepts necessary to provide safe, patient-centered nursing care to a diverse patient population. This course is designed to introduce foundational concepts within the three domains of the individual, health and illness, and professional and healthcare concepts. Concepts introduced in this course include stress/anxiety, clotting, comfort/rest, communication, culture/diversity, elimination, fluid & electrolytes, gas exchange, immunity, mobility, patient education/health promotion, perfusion, safety, sensory perception, thermoregulation and tissue integrity. The student will be introduced to nursing knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to provide evidence-based, safe, effective quality care to facilitate physiologic and psychosocial integrity.

This course is designed to introduce the nursing student to core concepts related to the registered nursing profession. Emphasis is placed on the role of the professional nurse, scope of practice, prioritization and delegation of nursing care, communication, culture, clinical judgment/nursing process, evidence-based practice and patient education/health promotion. The student will also explore legal and ethical aspects of nursing, professionalism, life-long learning and use of technology as they influence the practice of nursing.

This course introduces the nursing student to the application of concepts through clinical skills in laboratory, and/or the clinical setting. The course focuses on the principles of communication, assessment, safety, and specific nursing interventions including accurate calculation, measurement, and administration of medications. This course provides the student with knowledge and practical application of basic nursing skills while incorporating concepts learned in Nursing Healthcare Concepts 1 and Professional Nursing Concepts; and integrating clinical decision-making. Students learn and practice basic nursing skills in infection control, safety, vital signs, sterile technique, patient safety, documentation, and medication administration. There is major emphasis on the critical elements of nursing procedures and the scientific rationale for performing the procedures correctly.

This course focuses on learning foundational assessment skills. The course is designed to introduce a systematic, holistic nursing process approach to health history and physical examination for the purpose of differentiating normal from abnormal states of health and critical assessment of client needs. Analysis of diagnostic testing and results is also introduced. Application of concepts and skill acquisition is facilitated in the laboratory experience.

This course is designed to enable the student to explore integrative concepts in nursing and to assist the student in the role transition from licensed practical nurse or paramedic to registered nurse. This course is designed to introduce foundational concepts within the three domains of the individual, health and illness, and professional and healthcare concepts. Application of the nursing process is stressed with a focus on health assessment and the use of concept maps for planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care in the campus lab setting. All aspects of professional communication are explored and practiced.

This part of term course is designed to further develop the concepts necessary to provide safe, patient-centered nursing care to a diverse population using critical thinking and clinical-decision making skills. New concepts within the three domains of the individual, health and illness, and professional nursing and healthcare concepts include: acid-base and metabolism/nutrition. Expansion on the following concepts: communication, comfort, fluid & electrolytes, gas exchange, immunity, perfusion, and safety are also included. The student will utilize the nursing knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to provide evidence-based, safe, effective quality care to patients experiencing alterations in health in the lab, simulation, and healthcare facility.

This part of term course will cover topics related to the delivery of community and mental health care. Specific health needs of individuals, families, and groups will be addressed across the lifespan. Attention will be given to diverse and at-risk populations. The course will focus on the mental health concepts of anxiety/stress/coping, coordination of care, grief/loss, mood & affect/psychosis, crisis and violence. Community resources will be examined in relation to specific types of support offered to racial, ethnic, economically diverse individuals and groups. The student will utilize nursing knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to provide evidence-based, safe, effective quality care to patients experiencing alterations in mental health in the lab, simulation and both inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities.

This course provides students with an overview of pharmacology with an emphasis on clinical applications within the context of the nursing process and prioritization of needs; with special consideration given to the physiological, psycho/social, cultural, and spiritual needs of patients. The course explores indications, modes of action, effects, contraindications and interactions for selected drugs; and including pharmacotherapy in the planning/concept mapping of patient care. Specific nursing responsibilities related to drug administration are emphasized. This course also includes the study of the principles of medical word building to help the student develop an extensive medical vocabulary. Students receive a thorough grounding in basic medical terminology and drug names and classifications through a study of root words, prefixes and suffixes.

This course is designed to further develop the concepts within the three domains of the individual, health and illness, and professional nursing and healthcare concepts. Concepts introduced in this course include cellular regulation and intracranial regulation. This course also includes expansion on the following concepts: communication, comfort, gas exchange, immunity, mobility, patient education (including the operative process), perfusion, and safety.

The content of this course is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to learn basic principles in caring for the childbearing and child-rearing family within the inpatient and outpatient/community setting. Family health concepts are intended to build on previously introduced health care concepts with an application to growth, development and illness in the pediatric population. Men and women’s new health care concepts will focus on the obstetric, gynecological, and fertility patient specific to the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum population including sexuality and reproduction.

This course provides clinical, lab, and simulation experiences designed to enhance the students’ ability to use the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to provide holistic patient-centered care to adults, obstetrical patients, newborn, child and adolescent. Students are provided the opportunity to utilize critical thinking, the nursing process, nursing skills, and management skills in various health care inpatient and community settings. Clinical, simulation and laboratory experiences are selected to provide opportunities for students to strengthen assessment skills and make appropriate nursing decisions using the nursing process in caring for the adult, childbearing and child rearing family. The student will apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to provide evidence-based, safe, effective quality care to patients experiencing alterations in health in the lab, simulation, and healthcare facility.

This course prepares the student for entry-level nursing practice as an associate degree graduate. The focus of this course is management of individuals across the lifespan with chronic, acute, and select complex conditions. The student is given the opportunity to synthesize nursing practice concepts into professional nursing practice and integrate diverse patient values into plans of care for patients with acute illness. The student interprets and analyzes system conditions and other factors that impact the quality and safety of nursing practice. An evidence-based approach is used in the planning, delivery and evaluation of nursing care for patients across the lifespan. The student practices in accordance with policies and procedures of the assigned health care setting and collaborates with the health care team regarding delivery of patient care. The student also integrates the use of appropriate nursing informatics/technologies in the delivery of nursing care for assigned patients. The clinical experiences provide opportunities to apply leadership and management of care through collaboration with members of the health care team. The student assumes professional nursing roles working under the supervision of faculty or RN preceptors. Clinical and simulation laboratory activities focus on developing the competencies needed to transition into entry-level nursing practice.

This course will explore professionalism, management and leadership concepts, issues, roles, and functions as applied to the role of the professional nurse in various health care settings. Development in the roles of problem solver, change agent and leader are emphasized. The course focuses on formulating evidence-based leadership and management skills and competencies needed by professional nurses to work productively in inter-professional teams. Learners will analyze current best practices related to leadership roles, communication, teamwork and collaboration, quality improvement, and culturally-competent client-centered care. Legal and ethical issues related to leadership and professionalism will be emphasized. The evolution of professional nursing practice will be examined as well as the role of the professional nurse within the global health care delivery system. The course also includes a comprehensive review which will assist the student in preparing for the NCLEX-RN exam. Through comprehensive assessment testing, the student will have the opportunity to identify knowledge deficits and complete a plan of remediation based on individual learning needs.