This course is only open to Post-LPN Bachelor of Nursing program students. Completion of all Cluster A courses, a minimum Program GPA of 3.30 in Cluster A courses, and professor approval is required.
Course start date:
If you are a:
Self-funded student: register by the 10th of the month, start on the 1st of the next.
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 Graduate 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.
Outline
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
Learning outcomes
After completing Nursing 250: Exploration of Professional Nursing Practice, you will be able to do the following:
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 Graduate prepared RN.
Demonstrate awareness of the concepts of role transition and change throughout the journey from LPN to Graduate prepared RN.
Identify the effect of significant historical events on the development of professional nursing.
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.
Discuss how cultural diversity is pertinent to the care of individuals, families, and communities.
Articulate similarities and differences between the LPN to Graduate 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.
Distinguish credible sources of literature, conduct advanced library searches, and present all work in current APA format.
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). All papers submitted must follow the current addition of the APA Publication Manual.
The assignments and weighting of the composite grade are as follows:
Activity
Weight
The Challenges of Role Transition
20%
The Virtual Library
25%
Ethical and Legal Dilemma
25%
Forum Participation
10%
Quiz 1
10%
Quiz 2
10%
Total
100%
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Blais, K., Hayes, J., Kozier, B., & Erb, J. (2016). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (7th ed.) [E-text]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. (eText)
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Open APA Resources
APA Style (2019). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/
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.