Introduction

This course is part of a program of study leading to the Post-Master's Diploma: Nurse Practitioner, or the Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) degree.

In Nursing 524 students study:

• the primary health care principles of participation and intersectoral cooperation
• the community development principle of empowerment,
• the nurse practitioner competency of ethical practice, and
• the provision of primary health care to children from newborn up to age 18.

Clinical Practicum

Students complete a minimum of 140 hours of clinical practice focusing on the health of children. You are required to have a successful clinical evaluation in order to achieve a passing grade; additional hours over and above 140 may be required in order to achieve course objectives. By the end of your NURS 524 practicum you must have logged a minimum of 90 hours in providing health care to children, the remaining 50 hours may be obtained in care of clients in other life stages. By the end of NURS 530 you must have logged a total of at least 140 hours of clinical practice in the care of clients in the pediatric age group.

Course Goals

After completing this course, students should be able to:

1. critically analyze the primary health care and community development principles of participation, intersectoral cooperation, and empowerment, and discuss how these influence the health of clients;
2. explore the community health development principle of empowerment through a community assessment process focused on community capacity, resources and vulnerabilities as they pertain to child health.
3. implement strategies to foster participation and interdisciplinary/intersectoral collaboration of individuals and communities in decision-making on health issues;
4. implement strategies to promote empowerment of individuals and communities in decision-making on health issues;
5. provide evidence-based clinical services to well children and to those presenting with acute and chronic health concerns, at a level appropriate to a beginning practitioner, including:
   1. health history and physical examination
   2. clinical decision-making
   3. ordering of laboratory and diagnostic tests
   4. prescription of medications
   5. administering treatments or procedures
   6. therapeutic communication
   7. collaborative relationships;
   8. documentation of clinical data, diagnoses, collaborations, communications and treatments
   9. monitoring and follow-up
6. identification of emergency presentations and initiation of appropriate interventions in the primary care setting;
7. identify and utilize current recommendations for preventative screening for children of all ages;
8. use clinical practice guidelines and review Internet-based sources of information to inform and guide the provision of evidence-based health care for children;
9. synthesize child development theory with health promotion, illness prevention and anticipatory guidance strategies and counseling
10. examine the influence of a child's developmental stages on illness, injury and the provision of health care.
11. articulate, promote and practice evidence-based primary, secondary and tertiary health promotion and illness prevention strategies along the health-illness continuum.
12. refer, to other health professionals, children with health concerns that exceed the scope of practice of a beginning nurse practitioner offering clinical services;
13. demonstrate integration of medical and nursing management of health concerns of children;
14. discuss issues specific to the health of children in Canada;
15. discuss ethical and legal considerations in the advanced nursing practice of children and infants, including capacity to give consent, the rights of the child, and the rights of the parents.

Course Materials

NURS 524 comprises online content and electronic course materials.

Electronic Textbooks

The following e-book is used in this course.

Other Materials

Textbooks and readings from other Nurse Practitioner courses will be used as appropriate.

Course Structure

NURS 524 is an asynchronous, paced online course. As well, students are required to complete 140 hours of practice experience with a preceptor. Five synchronous Clinical Forums utilizing computer based audio-visual capabilities will occur over the span of the term to discuss clinical issues with the class.

Technical Requirements

Computer System

In order to successfully complete this course, the student must own or have ready access to certain computer hardware and software programs. For complete and up-to-date information on the minimum computer requirements required to complete the graduate nursing courses, visit the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies technical site.

Students are expected to connect to an Internet Service Provider at their own expense and to secure audio speaker or headphones for the required Clinical Forum events in the course.

Course Outline

NURS 524 consists of the following 8 units:

Unit 1: Nurse Practitioner Practice and the Community Development Principles of Empowerment and Self-Efficacy
In Unit 1, the student will expand on their previous exploration of the community-as-partner approach to community health development by focusing on the principle of empowerment and self-efficacy.

Unit 2: Primary Prevention and Health Promotion of the Well Child
In this unit students will study primary prevention strategies for health and wellbeing of infants, children and adolescents. Anticipatory guidance, health promotion and illness prevention at all stages are explored.

Unit 3: Secondary Prevention, Health Promotion and the Well Child
In Unit 3, students will study the approach to the pediatric client, advanced physical assessment of children of all ages, and pediatric parameters including laboratory studies and diagnostic imaging considerations. Assessment tools for pediatrics are reviewed.

Unit 4: Secondary Prevention: Children with Acute Presentations
In Unit 4, students will study acute illnesses common to children including common presentations, diagnostic testing, differential diagnoses, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and tips on how to communicate a diagnosis to the family. Emergency presentations are studied with a view to prompt identification and the initiation of emergency care in the primary care setting. Health promotion is integrated.

Unit 5: Tertiary Prevention and Health Promotion in the Primary Care of Children with Chronic Health Conditions.
In unit 5, students will study common chronic illnesses of childhood and the implications of chronic disease on both the child and the family. Diagnosis, treatment and management of chronic disease are covered using a family-centered approach. Strategies for collaborative care planning are discussed.

Unit 6: Special Issues in the Primary Care of Children
In Unit 6 students will explore the following issues and trends in the context of nurse practitioner care in the primary care setting:

• Prescribing for children,
• Abuse: sexual/physical/emotional/neglect,
• Children's capacity to give consent
• Special considerations of the preterm infant and the late preterm infant
• Trends in child health: Obesity, chronic illness, poverty

Unit 7: Nurse Practitioner Competency: Ethical Practice
Unit 7 explores the nurse practitioner competency of ethical practice and its impact on decision-making in pediatric care. Ethical issues are discussed from the perspective of the child, the family and the Nurse Practitioner.

Unit 8: Nurse Practitioner Practice and the Public Health Principle of Public Participation and Intersectoral Cooperation
Unit 8 affirms that the care of children and adolescents must include interactions with the family and community; the interactions are participatory and collaborative and facilitate empowerment and self-efficacy. As well, students will explore two other types of professional collaboration: interdisciplinary and intersectoral.