Nursing (NURS) 519
Advanced Pathophysiology for Clinical Decision Making
Introduction
Nursing 519: Advanced Pathophysiology for Clinical Decision Making is a course in a program of study leading to the Master of Nursing degree or the Post Master's Diploma: Advanced Nursing Practice. NURS 519 is a prerequisite course for NURS 520, NURS 522, NURS 524, NURS 526 and NURS 528. NURS 519 can be taken as an elective course by other Master of Nursing or Master of Health Studies students and by non-program students.
NURS 519 provides students with an understanding of pathophysiology that will support clinical decision making about diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic presentations commonly managed by nurse practitioners. The course is comprised of three sections. In Part I: An Overview of Pathophysiological Variations, students review cellular biology and the cellular environment and the processes of inflammatory/infectious responses. Students then examine the cellular biology of cancer and cancerous metastases. In Part II: Pathophysiological Variations of Body Systems, students study the pathophysiology of alterations of each body system and apply what they have learned to clinical scenarios depicting client presentations that students are likely to encounter in their clinical placements and in their practices as entry-level nurse practitioners. The course closes with Part III: Pathophysiological Variations of Populations in which students examine the interrelated effects of genes, environment, and lifestyle on patterns of disease in populations.
NURS 519 is designed as an introduction to the use of pathophysiology to support clinical decision making. The content of NURS 519 is supported by other courses in the Advanced Nursing Practice program that teach management of common acute and chronic diseases of adult men and women, children, and older adults.
Course Goals
After completing this course, students should be able to:
- explain pathophysiological processes leading to clinical manifestations of common acute and chronic diseases;
- apply their understanding of pathophysiological processes to support clinical decisions about the diagnosis of common acute and chronic diseases;
- recognize variations of pathophysiological processes in pediatric and geriatric clients; and
- explain factors influencing the incidence and manifestation of diseases in populations.
Course Materials
NURS 519 comprises online and print-based 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: There are 14 units in this course.
- Assessment: Outlines the assignments/evaluation procedures of the course.
- Reference: Listing of required readings and web sites included in the units.
Print Materials
The textbooks listed below are used in this course.
McCance, K. & Huether, S. (2010). Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (6th ed.). St.Louis: Elsevier Mosby.
Harold J. Bruyere (2008) 100 Case Studies in Pathophysiology. Login Bros. ISBN 978-0-7817-6145-1
Course Structure
In this course, you will access health-related websites worldwide. You will also participate in email and computer conferencing with other students. Students are expected to connect to an Internet Service Provider at their own expense.
Technical Requirements
Computer System
In order to successfully complete this course, you 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.
Course Outline
NURS 519 consists of 14 units, divided into three sections:
Part I: An Overview of Pathophysiological Variations
- Unit 1: Cells and Tissues
- Unit 2: Mechanisms of Self Defense: Immunity and Infection
- Unit 3: Cellular Proliferations: Cancer
Part II: Pathophysiological Variations of Body Systems
- Unit 4: The Neurologic System
- Unit 5: The Endocrine System
- Unit 6: The Reproductive System
- Unit 7: The Hematologic System
- Unit 8: The Cardiovascular and Lymphatic Systems
- Unit 9: The Pulmonary System
- Unit 10: Renal and Urologic System
- Unit 11: The Integumentary System
- Unit 12: The Digestive System
- Unit 13: The Musculoskeletal System
Part III. Pathophysiological Variations of Populations
- Unit 14: Multisystem and Multifactorial Disorders in Populations
Assessment Structure
The assessment structure for NURS 519 is based on the following course activities, with the percentage weighting of each activity as indicated. Your final grade for the course will be a composite mark based on your performance on these course activities.
| Small Group Conference Participation | 20% |
| Individual Conference Participation | 20% |
| Mid-term Exam | 25% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
| Total | 100% |
In order to pass NURS 519, you must achieve a minimum mark of 60% on each element of the assessment structure (conference participation, and exams). That is, you must achieve a minimum mark of 60% (12/20) on small group conference participation, a minimum mark of 60% (12/20) on individual conference participation, and a minimum average mark of 60% (36/60) on the midterm and final exams.
Small Group Conference Participation
Value: 20%
Each unit of the course includes a conference during which the class discusses the unit content with one another and the course instructor. These unit conferences are evaluated and your participation in the conferences is worth 20% of your course grade.
Individual Conference Participation
Value: 20%
Feedback regarding conference participation will be ongoing. Quality of input (not quantity) is the goal. Feedback will focus on the student's ability to provide organized and original contributions that reflect analysis and synthesis of the material presented.
Participation Criteria
Participation will be measured against the following criteria:
- Complete online contributions during the unit conference timeframe.
- Respond to online discussions at least twice each week.
- Contribute original thoughts or ideas to online discussions.
- Cite relevant resources to validate points made.
- Demonstrate openness to divergent points of view.
- Be respectful of the perceptions of others.
- Integrate material from previous units to formulate ideas and generate dialogue.
- Present responses that follow the rules of grammar and spelling in the online contributions.
Midterm Exam
Due Date: Week 8
Value: 25%
There is an online midterm exam consisting of multiple choice questions based on content from Units 1 through 6. The exam is accessed through the Survey/Quiz icon on the course homepage.
The midterm exam must be written during the specified time period. Students who do not write the midterm exam during the specified time period will not be allowed to write the exam at a later date and will be awarded a mark of zero on the exam.
You must attain an average mark of 60% on the midterm exam and the final exam (see below) in order to receive a passing grade for the course. If an average mark less than 60% is received, there will be no option for writing a supplementary midterm exam (ie, there are no rewrites of the midterm exam allowed).
Final Exam
Due Date: Week 14
Value: 35%
There is a final exam consisting of multiple choice questions based on content from the entire course with the majority of the questions relating to Units 7 through 14. The exam is accessed through the Survey/Quiz icon on the course homepage.
The final exam must be written during the specified time period. Students who do not write the final exam during the specified time period will not be allowed to write the exam at a later date and will be awarded a mark of zero on the exam.
You must attain an average mark of 60% on the midterm exam (see above) and the final exam in order to receive a passing grade for the course. If a mark less than 60% is received, there will be no option for writing a supplementary final examination (ie, there are no rewrites of the final exam allowed).
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
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Last updated by G. Zahara 10/02/2012 12:08:12
