Nursing (NURS) 400

Overview

Nursing 400: Adult Health and Health Alterations focuses on the theory and research related to nursing practice with adults experiencing a wide range of acute and chronic alterations in health. With application of health promotion strategies and primary health care principles, emphasis is placed on holistic understanding of the altered health experience and the associated interventions on the individual adult and family. The primary themes threaded throughout the course are professional RN practice and accountability, the patient and family as client, and hope and coping in relationship to health alterations. NURS 400 provides a theoretical foundation for NURS 401.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of NURS 400, the student will achieve or exceed the following learning outcomes:

• Practice nursing in a manner consistent with the acts governing nursing, standards for nursing practice, and existing legislation;
• Adhere to Athabasca University policies and procedures during course participation;
• Use the nursing process, a selected nursing practice model, and the principles of primary health care as a basis for providing care to adults experiencing a wide range of acute and chronic alterations in health and their families in a culturally sensitive manner;
• Assess health influencing and health promoting factors for adults and their families who are experiencing acute and chronic alterations in health;
• Assess client coping patterns in relationship to comfort/pain, hope, loss, knowledge of illness process, and the client's meaning of illness, and provide assistance with coping patterns as determined from assessment data;
• Assess client knowledge levels regarding health alterations and apply teaching/learning methods in line with assessment;
• Apply accurate and current knowledge of human pathophysiology, pharmacology, and alternative/complementary therapies in the provision of client care;
• Implement leadership and management skills in the delivery of client care;
• Demonstrate professional accountability for own learning and own performance evaluations throughout the course;
• Apply relevant nursing research findings in the care of ill adults and their families; and
• Communicate effectively using oral, written and technological methods to establish therapeutic/functional relationships with clients, team members, peers and instructors.

Course Structure

• Unit 1: Registered Nurse Professional Practice and Personal Accountability
• Unit 2: Theoretical Foundations for Registered Nurse Practice
• Unit 3: Individual Meaning of Illness, and Individual and Family Coping Patterns
• Unit 4: Professional Nursing Roles: Provider of Direct Care, Educator, Researcher, and Manager
• Unit 5: Alterations in Protection: Integument and Prevention of Infection
• Unit 6: Alterations in Cognition, Perception, and Sensation
• Unit 7: Alterations in Mobility
• Unit 8: Alterations in Oxygenation: Respiration and Ventilation
• Unit 9: Alterations in Oxygenation: Transport and Perfusion
• Unit 10: Alterations in Nutrition and Hydration
• Unit 11: Alterations in Metabolism
• Unit 12: Alterations in Urinary and Bowel Elimination
• Unit 13: Alterations in Hematologic and Immune System Function
• Unit 14: Emergency Patient Care Situations and Prioritizing Nursing Care
• Unit 15: Preparation for Final Examination

Evaluation

To receive credit for NURS 400, students must complete and submit all of the required assignments and the final examination and achieve an overall composite grade of at least “C-” (60%). As well, students must attain a passing grade in the portfolio. Effective January 1, 2010, all papers submitted must follow the guidelines of the APA Publication Manual (6th ed.) (2010).

The assignments and weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.