Overview
Nursing 400: Adult Health and Health Alterations builds on the foundational nursing knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. NURS 400 provides a theoretical foundation for NURS 401: Professional Practice with Adults Experiencing Health Alterations.
The course focuses on developing safe, competent, and ethical nursing care for adults experiencing a variety of acute and chronic health alterations. The course is organized by body systems to support understanding. Each unit emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of the adult patient's altered health experience and the interventions that promote quality care. Learners will explore relevant health assessment data, risk factors, clinical manifestations, underlying pathophysiology, laboratory values, diagnostic tests, nursing and medical management, and pharmacologic therapies. Attention is given to anticipating and monitoring for complications, identifying expected patient outcomes, and supporting patient education and evaluation. Through this approach, learners strengthen their clinical reasoning and ability to provide effective, patient-centered care in diverse adult health contexts.
Outline
Unit 1: Introduction to Adult Health and Health Alterations
Unit 2: Care Considerations for the Chronically Ill and the Older Adult
Unit 3: Conditions of Oxygenation: Ventilation and Transport
Unit 4: Conditions of Oxygenation: Perfusion
Unit 5: Conditions of Ingestion, Digestion, Absorption, and Elimination
Unit 6: Conditions of Urinary Function
Unit 7: Conditions Related to Regulatory and Reproductive Mechanisms
Unit 8: Conditions Related to Movement and Coordination
Unit 9: Care of the Acutely Ill Patient
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of NURS 400, the student will be able to:
- apply and integrate knowledge of health alterations, health assessment findings, underlying pathology, risk factors, and clinical manifestations within the nursing process for optimal patient health outcomes.
- evaluate assessment data, including laboratory values and diagnostic information in regards to planning of nursing care with acute and chronically ill patients and their families.
- determine actual and potential complications related to health alterations and recognize the role of anticipatory planning in the ongoing health assessment.
- analyze and evaluate therapeutic interventions in the provision of safe and competent nursing care in the healthcare environment (including medication calculations).
- demonstrate professional accountability and responsibility for one's own learning and performance evaluations throughout the course.
- implement relevant nursing knowledge and research findings in assessing, planning, and evaluating information to provide evidence-based care to acutely and chronically ill adults and their families.
Evaluation
To receive credit for NURS 400, you must complete all the required assignments, achieve a minimum grade of 64% on the comprehensive cumulative unit assessment and an overall composite grade of a C (64 percent).
The assignments and weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Cumulative Unit Assessment (Units 1-4; invigilated | 30% |
| Cumulative Unit Assessment (Units 5-7; invigilated) | 30% |
| Comprehensive Cumulative Unit Assessment (Units 1-9) | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Tyerman, J. & Cobbett, S. (2023). Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing in Canada (5th ed.). Elsevier - Evolve. Material is on the Sherpath platform, link is in course site.
Other Materials
All other course materials can be found online.