Practical Nursing

This course provides opportunities to develop competencies necessary to meet the needs of individuals throughout the lifespan in a safe, legal, and ethical manner using the nursing process. Students learn concepts and theories basic to the art and science of nursing. The role of the nurse as a member of the healthcare team is emphasized. Students are introduced to the concepts of client needs, safety, communication, teaching/learning, critical thinking, ethical-legal, cultural diversity, nursing history, and the program’s philosophy of nursing. Additionally, this course introduces psychomotor nursing skills needed to assist individuals in meeting basic human needs. Skills necessary for maintaining microbial, physical, and psychological safety are introduced along with skills needed in therapeutic interventions. At the conclusion of this course students demonstrate competency in performing basic nursing skills for individuals with common health alterations.

This course is designed to provide students the opportunity to learn and practice history taking and physical examination skills with individuals of all ages, with emphasis on the adult. The focus is on symptom analysis along with physical, psychosocial, and growth and development assessments. Students will be able to utilize critical thinking skills in identifying health alterations, formulating nursing diagnoses and documenting findings appropriate to nursing.

This course provides opportunities to develop competencies necessary to meet the needs of individuals throughout the lifespan in a safe, legal, and ethical manner using the nursing process. This course introduces students to basic principles of pharmacology and the knowledge necessary to safely administer medication. Course content includes legal implications, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, calculations of drug dosages, medication administration, and an overview of drug classifications. Students will be able to calculate and administer medications.

This course provides opportunities to develop competencies necessary to meet the needs of individuals throughout the lifespan in a safe, legal, and ethical manner using the nursing process. Emphasis is placed on providing care to individuals undergoing surgery, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, and common alterations in respiratory, musculoskeletal, gastro-intestinal, cardiovascular, and endocrine, systems. Nutrition, pharmacology, communication, cultural, and community concepts are integrated.

This course focuses on the role of the nurse in meeting the physiological, psychosocial, cultural and developmental needs of the maternal and child client. Course content includes antepartal, intrapartal, and postpartal care, complications of pregnancy, newborn care, human growth and development, pediatric care, and selected pediatric alterations. Nutrition, pharmacology, cultural diversity, use of technology, communication, anatomy and physiology review, medical terminology, critical thinking, and application of the nursing process are integrated throughout this course. Upon completion of this course students will be able to provide and manage care for maternal and pediatric clients in a variety of settings.

This course provides students with opportunities to develop competencies necessary to meet the needs of individuals throughout the life span in a safe, legal, and ethical manner using the nursing process in a variety of settings. Emphasis is placed on providing care to individuals experiencing complex alterations in: sensory/perceptual, reproductive, endocrine, genitourinary, neurological, immune, cardiovascular, and lower gastrointestinal systems. Additional instruction is provided for care for clients experiencing bums, cancer, and emergent conditions. Nutrition, pharmacology, therapeutic communication, community, cultural diversity, health promotion, error prevention, critical thinking, impacts on maternal and child clients are integrated throughout the course.

This course is designed to provide an overview of psychosocial adaptation and coping concepts used when caring for clients with acute and chronic alterations in mental health in a variety of settings. Topics include therapeutic communication skills, normal and abnormal behaviors, treatment modalities, and developmental needs. Upon completion of this course, students will demonstrate the ability to assist clients in maintaining psychosocial integrity through the use of the nursing process.

This course provides students with opportunities to gain knowledge and skills necessary to transition from student to practicing nurse. Content includes a discussion of current issues in health care, practical nursing leadership and management, professional practice issues, and transition into the workplace. Emphasis is placed on NCLEX-PN test-taking skills, computer-assisted simulations and practice tests, development of a prescriptive plan for remediation, and review of selective content, specific to the practice of practical nursing.