Nursing (NURS) 250

Exploration of Professional Nursing Practice (Revision 5)

NURS 250

Revision 5 is closed for registrations, see current revision

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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online

Credits: 3

Area of Study: Applied Studies

Prerequisite: A minimum Program GPA of 3.30 in Cluster A courses; Post LPN BN program student; Professor approval required.

Faculty: Faculty of Health Disciplines
Centre: Centre for Nursing and Health Studies

NURS 250 is not available for Challenge.

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**Note: Follow directions on the [Undergraduate Course Registration] form to register in the course. Online course materials cannot be accessed prior to your course contract start date.

Overview

Nursing 250: Exploration of Professional Nursing Practice is the first nursing course in the Post LPN BN program. The course is developed to honor the students' achievements in the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) role and to introduce the concepts of professional Registered Nurse (RN) practice to the LPNs enrolled in the Post LPN BN Program. Topics addressed in the course include transition to the Baccalaureate prepared RN role, use of scholarly evidence to support professional nursing practice, introduction to family, community, ethics, legal foundations, and cultural concepts in professional nursing practice culminating in the initiation of a professional practice e-Portfolio.

Learning Outcomes

After completing Nursing 250: Exploration of Professional Nursing Practice, you will be able to do the following:

  1. Describe and analyze the effect of personal values, beliefs, and assumptions on the development of one's own professional identity and self-concept as a Baccalaureate prepared RN.
  2. Demonstrate awareness of the concepts of role transition and change throughout the journey from LPN to Baccalaureate prepared RN.
  3. Identify the effect of significant historical events on the development of professional nursing.
  4. Articulate the role changes of the professional nurse as the focus changes from illness to health promotion and care shifts from the individual to families, groups, and communities.
  5. Discuss how cultural diversity is pertinent to the care of individuals, families, and communities.
  6. Articulate similarities and differences between the LPN to Baccalaureate prepared RN in relation to the ethical and legal foundations for professional nursing practice as outlined in the code of ethics, professional competencies, and the standards of nursing practice.
  7. Distinguish credible sources of literature, conduct advanced library searches, and present all work in current APA format.
  8. Begin an e-Portfolio.

Course Structure

  • Unit 1: Transition
  • Unit 2: Change
  • Unit 3: History of Nursing
  • Unit 4: Professionalism
  • Unit 5: The Virtual Library and Scholarly Evidence
  • Unit 6: Family and Community
  • Unit 7: Ethical and Legal Foundations
  • Unit 8: Culture
  • Unit 9: Student e-Portfolio

Evaluation

To receive credit for NURS 250, students must complete and submit all of the required assignments and achieve an overall composite grade of at least C (64 percent). 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 are as follows:

The Challenges of Role Transition 15%
The Virtual Library 20%
Ethical and Legal Dilemma 25%
Forum Participation 10%
Portfolio Development 10%
Quiz 1 10%
Quiz 2 10%
Total 100%

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

Course Materials

Textbook

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Blais, K., Hayes, J., Kozier, B., & Erb, J. (2011). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (6th ed.) [E-text]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Other Materials

A variety of electronic journals and websites are used in the course and paper copies are not included in the course package. Access to the e-text listed above will be available on the first day of the course.

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.

Opened in Revision 5, August 22, 2016.

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