Course Title: NRSG 470 Nursing Concepts in Acute Care

Credits: 2 (lecture)

Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: N/A

 

Course Description:

This course facilitates understanding and building upon previous and concurrent theoretical and empirical knowledge for patient-centered care of adults experiencing acute/critical and complex health alterations. Values of compassionate, culturally sensitive, holistic care is emphasized. Advancing theoretical knowledge, professional nursing practice and interprofessional collaboration, and delivery of safe, high-quality care are key components.

Catalog Description:

This course advances theoretical and empirical knowledge for patient-centered care of adults experiencing acute/ critical and complex health alterations. This includes an emphasis on compassionate, culturally sensitive, holistic care; professional nursing practice, interprofessional collaboration, and delivery of safe, high-quality care.

Course Objectives:

  1. Synthesize previously learned knowledge and concurrent knowledge into the care of patients and families with complex and critical illnesses and injuries taking considerations of age-related physiological changes and chronic illness.
  2. Determine psychosocial issues and challenges for patients and families experiencing critical illness or injury in order to promote health and return of optimal functioning to the extent of illness/ injury will allow.
  3. Synthesize evidence-based nursing practice, interprofessional collaboration, and technology to care for patients with serious health alterations.

Course Learning Outcomes: Upon completing this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Integrate evidence-based knowledge for patient-centered care to those experiencing critical and complex illness and injury across the adult lifespan.
  2. Determine the various psychosocial impacts of acute and critical illness to patients and their families and strategies to address these.
  3. Analyze key quality, safety, and ethical issues surrounding care of critical and complex illness and injury.
  4. Incorporate health promotion interventions for themselves and for their clients.

AACN Competencies [AACN Essentials, 2021]

This course advances:

1.1 Demonstrate an understanding of the discipline of nursing's distinctive perspective and where shared perspectives exist with other disciplines.

1.2 Apply theory and research-based knowledge from the arts, humanities, and sciences.

4.1 Advance the scholarship of nursing.

4.2 Integrate best evidence into nursing practice.

4.3 Promote the ethical conduct of scholarly activities.

8.1 Describe information and communication technology tools used in the care of patients, communities, and populations.

AACN Threads

    • Equity and Inclusion
    • Diversity
    • Cultural Sensitivity
    • Social Determinants of Health
    • Communication
    • Ethics

Required Content and Concepts:

Interprofessional and interdisciplinary coordination of care.

Transitions of care and case management.

Health promotion, rehabilitation, and prevention.

Acute management of the time-sensitive injury or illness - CVA, AMI, Trauma, Sepsis.

Selected illness/ injuries:

  • Neuro trauma - TBI, SCI
  • Cardiac - PCI, open heart, valve replacements, basic ECG interpretation
  • Respiratory - ALI, ARDS, basic ventilator management, etc.
  • Multisystem - septic shock, shock, MODS
  • Trauma
  • Complex chronic - ie DKA, hyperosmolar, AKI
  • ABD - GI bleed, liver with acute encephalopathy, pancreatitis
  • GU
  • Deeper exploration of abnormal lab values, fluid and electrolytes, blood products as pertains to specific acute illness and injury
  • Complications as related -i.e. VAP, ileus, bowel obstruction, VTE/PE

Ethical issues and communication with patients and families about sudden illness/injury or death (to build on concepts in chronic but to focus on the suddent, acute part- ie devastating brain injury, unplanned cardiac arrest, etc)

Crucial conversations with healthcare professionals

Prioritization (and triage) of care within patient assignments

Delegation

Rural implications/ challenges vs urban centers with acute, time-sensitive, and critical illness/injury

 

Approved by UAAC: 11/24/2020

Approved by Faculty: 11/9/2020