Nursing (NURS) 526

Introduction

This course is part of a program of study leading to the Post Master's Diploma: Advanced Nursing Practice or the Master of Nursing degree.

In Nursing 526: NP: Adult Health, students study the primary health care principle of health promotion and the community development principle of advocacy.

Students learn to provide primary health care, including clinical services, to adults. The care includes wellness counselling of healthy adults, management of acute and chronic conditions of adults, and referral of conditions requiring management by other health professionals. Students also consider community implications related to the health of adults. The course examines trends and issues in the health of adults and evidence-based health care and explores the topic of health promotion research.

Students complete a minimum of 140 hours of clinical practice focusing on the health of adults. 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 526 practicum you must have logged a minimum of 90 hours in providing health care to adults, 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 adult 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 health promotion and advocacy and discuss how these influence the health of clients and communities;
2. implement strategies to foster illness-prevention and health promotion to individual clients and communities;
3. implement a role as an advocate, as needed, with individual clients and communities;
4. provide evidence-based clinical care to well adults 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. therapeutic communication
   6. collaborative relationships;
5. refer, to other health professionals, adults with health concerns that exceed the scope of practice of a beginning nurse practitioner offering clinical services;
6. demonstrate integration of medical and nursing management of health concerns of adults;
7. synthesize community assessment data to develop inferences about:
   1. health promotion resources and needs that are present in the community
   2. advocacy resources of a community
   3. influences of the environment on the health of community members
   4. community vulnerabilities and strengths in relation to the health of adults
   5. the status of a community's health in relation to adults;
8. discuss issues and trends that affect the health of adults in a community;
9. review electronic / Internet-based sources of information about health promotion research and evidence-based health care for adults;
10. suggest areas for research in health care of adult clients.

Course Materials

NURS 526 comprises online, print-based, and mobile electronic course materials.

Online Materials

• Introduction: Provides essential information about the course materials, the design of the course, and the procedures you should follow to complete the course successfully
• Schedule: Outlines the timing of course activities
• Units: Contains the seven units that make up the course
• Assessment: Outlines the assignments/evaluation procedures of the course
• Reference: Listing of required readings, mobile resources and websites included in the units
• Clinical Practicum: Explains how to complete the clinical practicum requirements of the course
• Community Health Component: Explains how to complete the community assessment requirements of the course

Print Materials

Other Materials

Textbooks, mobile resources, and readings from other Advanced Nursing Practice courses will be used as appropriate.

Course Structure

NURS 526 is an asynchronous, paced online course. The course instructor and the class members will participate in unit conferences to discuss unit content and relevant, related issues. The course includes Internet access to health-related Websites around the world, participation in electronic mail, and computer conferencing with students from across the country.

Technical Requirements

Computer System

In order to participate in the program, each student must own or have ready access to the following minimum computer hardware and software. Students are advised that PCs are the primary equipment supported by Athabasca University's Helpdesk. Only limited assistance for other hardware and software platforms is offered. Students are responsible for their own communication costs such as long distance telephone charges and subscriptions to an Internet node, or any other communications service requirements.

Course Outline

NURS 526 consists of the following 7 units:

Unit 1: Clinical Practicum and Community Assessment: Processes and Requirements
This unit reviews the requirements of the clinical practicum and community assessment of Nursing 526: NP: Adult Health. The unit presents the clinical skills that are included in the course and poses questions to focus your community assessment on the health of adults. As well, questions are presented to link the principles of health promotion and advocacy with the clinical practicum and community assessment.

Unit 2: Primary Health Care and Nurse Practitioners: Health Promotion
NURS 526 focuses on the primary health care principle of health promotion. This unit introduces health promotion through two Canadian documents that are referred to in health promotion literature around the world. These documents present health promotion from both individual and community perspectives. Students study an approach to health promotion with individual clients, referring to the functional health patterns framework and the Stages of Change model. Then students study health promotion at a community level, referring to the Community as Partner model and their ongoing community assessment. Finally, students reflect on their personal health promotion activities.

Unit 3: Community Development and Nurse Practitioners: Advocacy
In this unit, students study the community development principle of advocacy. Students examine concepts important to advocacy, explore the process of advocacy, and consider strategies involved with advocacy as they apply to individuals and communities. Students reflect on how they incorporate advocacy into their practice with individuals and communities.

Unit 4: Well Adults
In this unit students focus on the delivery of clinical services to well adults, learning about health promotion and the prevention of illnesses in adult clients. An important part of promoting health in adults is helping them to make positive changes in their health behaviours; therefore, students work through the Functional Health Patterns, considering health promotion/illness prevention opportunities for the adult population.

Unit 5: Adults with Acute Presentations
In this unit students study common acute presentations of adults along with therapeutic interventions. Acute presentations often provide “teachable moments” for clients and every client encounter is a chance for health promotion. In addition, this unit includes information on preparing the community to respond to an acute crisis such as an environmental disaster or multiple victim accident.

Unit 6: Adults with Chronic Presentations
In Unit 6 students study several chronic illnesses that occur during adulthood. In some cases, these illnesses may have been diagnosed in adolescence—in those cases, the focus is on distinguishing adult presentations and treatments from those of adolescents.

Unit 7: Issues, Trends and Research in Adult Health
In the last unit of NURS 526 students examine ethical decision-making and the health of adults, focusing on the principles of health promotion and advocacy. Students study issues and trends that influence the health of adults in the community. Finally, students consider research issues related to health promotion and adult health.