Advanced Clinical Practice Skills

Course Overview:

            This course focuses on the current healthcare delivery environment including patient assessment, monitoring, and management.  It includes working with multicultural patients, managing problem patients, infection control, and patient education.  Additional topics include an overview of considerations when working in an increasingly digital imaging environment.
 

Course Objectives:  Upon completion of this course, a student will:

•           Obtain and evaluate vital signs and EKG strips

•           Identify normal and abnormal diagnostic laboratory values

•           Properly chart actions and observations pertaining to a patient.

•           Demonstrate familiarity with Pharmacology to include drugs, contrast media and applicable regulations.

•           Apply learned communication skills and techniques.                            

•           Identify factors influencing communication.

•           Demonstrate familiarity with concepts and methods of infection control 

Textbook:

Required:

Elkin, M. K., Perry, A. G., & Potter, P.A. (2004).  Nursing interventions & clinical skills (4^th ed.).  St Louis: Mosby.  ISBN 978-0-323-04458-5. (or newest edition)

Jensen, S.C. & Peppers, M.P. (2006).  Pharmacology & drug administration for imaging technologists (2^nd. Ed.).  St. Louis: Mosby. ISBN 978-0-323-03075-5 (or newest edition)

Recommended:

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6^th ed). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. [IBSN13: 978-1-4338-0561-5]

Teaching Strategies:

Independent reading assignments, Blackboard open book module quizzes, Clinical assignments, Internet searches, and Blackboard CLOSED book Final Exam are used in this course

Evaluation:

•    Unit Quizzes                                                                             = 15%
•    Shift Assessment                                                                    = 15%
•    EKG assignment                                                                     = 15%
•    Charting Exercise and Pharmaceutical Assessment         = 15%
•    Cultural Communication Exercise                                          =  15%
•    Comprehensive Final Exam                                                   =  25%

Grade Scale:

A = 100 - 90

B = 89 - 80

C = 79 - 70

D = 69 – 60

F = 59 and below

The last opportunity to drop this course with a grade of “W” is 4:00pm March 21, 2011. Refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin for details about receiving a grade of “Incomplete” in a course.  In an emergency or extenuating circumstance, a student may request a grade of “Incomplete” in a course before grades are submitted.  If the instructor grants the “Incomplete,” the student has until thirty (30) days after the beginning of the next long semester to complete the course requirements.  If the student does not complete the course requirements within the deadline, the grade of “Incomplete” will automatically convert into a grade of “F.”

Administrative Process:

Unresolved issues related to this course should be first addressed between the student and the course instructor.  If there is no resolution, students must follow this sequence: 

Department Chair – Dr. Donna Wright (940-397-4615)

College Dean – Dr. Susan Sportsman (940-397-4594)

Dean of Students – Dail Neely (940-397-6273) 

Communication with Instructor:

Contact information for the instructor is listed at the beginning of this syllabus.  Email is the preferred mode of communication.  Students must use their standardized MSU Student email for correspondence about this course.

Faculty members will not be responsible for keeping up with other email addresses for students. If you have not established this account, do so as soon as possible by going to: http://infosys.mwsu.edu/email.asp
 

The instructor will respond or at least acknowledge email messages from students within a maximum of five (5) business days when MSU is in session.  Beyond standard university holidays and breaks, the instructor will notify students of any extended periods of time when email contact is not practical (professional meetings, etc)

When there is a need to contact students, the instructor will use the students’ “students.mwsu.edu” email account. The instructor is not responsible for sending emails to any other email account.   

CLASS ACTIVITIES AND ASSIGNMENTS

Students can proceed through the course content at their own pace within the boundaries set by the Course Schedule and the MSU Academic Calendar.  See the Course Schedule for specific information about activities and due dates. Late work is not accepted and a zero (0) will be recorded after the due date.

HIPAA requirement: Do not place ANY patient name on your assignments. Any proper name that appears on an assignment, other than yours will be considered a HIPAA violation and the assignment will automatically drop one letter grade.

Unit Quizzes (15%)

            When a student has reviewed a module and is ready for the quiz, he or she will log on to Blackboard and receive a customized timed module quiz consisting of randomized multiple choice questions.  See the course schedule for the open and close dates for the quizzes.

It is important to know the module content before attempting the module quizzes because they are timed and the student will have only 30 min to complete the exam.  Quiz scores will be available immediately after a student submits his or her quiz for grading.

All quizzes are open the day that classes begin, so you can work ahead. Quizzes must be completed and submitted by the completion date as indicated on the course schedule. Quizzes not completed by the indicated due dates will be graded as zero (0). Students should contact the instructor in extenuating circumstances; such cases will be dealt with on an individual basis.

If students have technical difficulties during a quiz, they should use the “Help” link at the top toolbar in Blackboard, contact the MSU Information Systems Support Staff, and send an email to the course instructor explaining what happened.

If a student finds a faulty quiz test item or believes that a quiz question has been scored incorrectly, he or she should send an email to

the course instructor that includes the following:

• Module Quiz Number (I –VI)
• Answer the Student Thinks Should be Correct
• Rationale Supporting Why the Student’s Answer is Correct
• Page numbers must be included when referencing the textbook in a rationale

After reviewing the case, if the course instructor thinks a revision is justified, the student’s quiz score will be revised to reflect the additional points and the test bank will be updated.  It may take several weeks for the student to receive a response because the instructor works on batches of questions for a particular quiz at a time.

Shift Assignment (15%)

On a volunteer, using information found in chapter 12 of Nursing Interventions and Clinical Skills and any other sources needed, perform the portions of a shift assessment. The table and instructions are found in the unit notes.  You are to address every item listed in the table, recording your observations and the clinical implications/significance of each.  Please note that "normal" is an impression (the examiner's diagnosis or assessment of a problem, disease or condition) and NOT an implication (what may be causing what it is you are observing).  DESCRIBE the implications/significance of what you observe for the “implications/significance" section.  Be thorough and complete.  The assignment is to be typed as a WORD document only with a cover page.  E-mail the assignment to your professor for grading.  This assignment MUST have a correctly formatted MSU cover page.

EKG Assignment (15%)

Each student must perform an EKG and obtain an EKG strip. The EKG strip is to be analyzed according to the criteria listed in the supplemental notes on EKG.  Mail the original strip and written description to MSU for grading along with a brief, SIGNED, statement from a qualified individual stating that you performed the EKG. Remember: This assignment must be postmarked by the due date at the end of the syllabus, NO EXCEPTIONS. This assignment MUST have a correctly formatted MSU cover page. Assignments with postmarked dates after the due date will not be accepted and a “0” will be recorded.

 Charting Exercise and Pharmaceutical Assessment (15%)

There are two parts to the assignment for this unit.

Part 1 (Hand-written Assignment):Using one of the formats found in Box 1-7, page 14 (4^th ed.) or the format of the facility in which you work  and the supplemental notes above, chart ANY FOUR PATIENT RELATED procedures YOU perform at your facility. NOTE: This is ahand-written assignment, regardless of your facilities protocol; you must follow the criteria as specified by the instructor for this assignment. Follow the criteria as mentioned prior to and after the assignment. 

Part 2(Medication Information):Find one medication listed in any patient chart, you may even use the package insert from contrast media. Locate a Physician's Desk Reference (PDR), or any suitable reference and provide the following information in the clearly labeled sections seen below. Please provide a correctly formatted MSU cover sheet

1. Trade/Brand Name  (If more than one type, injection liquid, tablet, specify which one you are using).

2.   Manufacturer

3.   Generic Name

4.   Chemical Name or empirical formula

5.   Drug Classification (analgesic, narcotic, etc.)

6.   Indications (what is it used for)

7.   Contraindications

8.   Adverse reaction (summarize if needed)

9.   Dosages

10.Methods of drug administered

NOTE: If you are using a source other than the PDR for the medication portion of this assignment, please include the package insert or the URL of the website where you got your information.

The assignment must be written legibly (illegible is assumed incorrect).  If not hand written, this portion of the assignment will be dropped 1 letter grade. This assignment must postmarked by the due date in the syllabus. NO EXCEPTIONS. Assignments with postmarked dates after the due date will not be accepted and a “0” will be recorded.

Cultural Communication Exercise (15%)

Using the Internet, research a culture that might interest you and how you would adapt to that culture in your workplace. If you are unsure what a culture is please look up the definition. African-American is not a culture, it is a term to identify a race. The same is for Caucasian.

Although the Hispanic culture is an interesting culture to research, this culture constitutes the majority minority of this area and region of Texas and perhaps other areas of the country. To avoid replication of this assignment, I am limiting research of the Hispanic culture to five (5) reports. Please pick cultures that you are not a member, ie if you are from the Hispanic culture please pick a culture besides Hispanic.

Students must get the topic of their cultural report approved by the instructor prior to beginning this assignment.Post topic on the Discussion Board under correct category. Place the culture you have chosen in the subject area. Instructor will respond with approval or disapproval. Please check the calendar and the course schedule for the due dates for posting of the culture and assignment.

With the information you find and information from your textbook, address the following:

• Describe how you would obtain an allergic history (or other type of history)
• Describe how you would explain a diagnostic procedure of your choosing to a patient of this culture. 
• Describe verbal and non-verbal communication. 
• Discuss cultural taboos, norms, and culturally competent communication skills regarding the culture you choose. 

The paper should follow guidelines of the American Psychological Association. It is recommended that you obtain a copy of the APA publication manual. You can also find helpful tips in the APA Help folder on the course homepage

 The paper:

• must have a MSU cover page
• is to be a Word document only
•  1-2 pages,
• double spaced,
• 1” margins
• Times New Roman 12 point font ONLY
•  References appropriately cited in the text of the paper according to APA guidelines see APA 6^th ed chapter 6.
• A  minimum of two references submitted on a separate reference page

Submit the assignment by in the assignment section of the course menu by attaching as a single WORD document to the submission section of the assignment DO NOT WRITE ASSIGNMENT IN THE SUBMISSION SECTION Assignment is due by the deadline listed in the syllabus.

The paper will be graded on correct APA usage, content (make sure to complete the four instructions above), grammar, and tone (informal or formal) and format (including cover page).

Note:Assignments turned in are considered completed assignments and will be graded accordingly. Review your work to that of the assignment criteria prior to handing in the assignment.

Blackboard Closed Book Final Exam – (25%)

            The final examination is a proctored, "closed book", comprehensive examination of multiple-choice format.  The final exam is a timed, ninety (90) minute test. Students must complete the final (and all course work) by the dates published in the course schedule.All final examinations will be administered during the designated date(s) and time(s) listed in the calendar and/or syllabus. There will be NO alteration of any type to this schedule.

Extenuating circumstances may be discussed and an alternative arrangement may be made at the discretion of the instructor.

Note:Any decision by the instructor is final and there will be no further changes made.

Please schedule the time for the final with your proctor when completing the required Proctor Application form and returning the application by the due date in the course schedule. You are encouraged to try accessing the course from the proctor's computer prior to showing up for your Final so that access issues (such as pop-up blockers & firewall) can be remedied prior to your scheduled test time.

The unit objectives, study guides, and examinations can be utilized to review for the final. 

Typically acceptable proctor sites and candidates include: 

• College or University Testing Centers
• http://www.ncta-testing.org/cctc/find.php
• Officials at military base education offices
• Commercial testing services such as Sylvan, Thomson-Prometric, or Pearson VUE Testing Centers are NOT accepted as testing centers.

The exam site must have reliable Internet connections and should have at least two Internet browsers available (Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer).  Sites with extensive firewalls and high security mechanisms may not work for testing.  Please test to be sure you can connect to Blackboard before committing to a proctor site.  High speed connections are more desirable than traditional phone line connections.  The site must support an independent phone line in addition to the computer connection so that calls can be made while the student is connected online.  The proctor must have moderate computer expertise including the ability and authorization to reboot the remote computer.  The student is responsible for any fees proctors charge for their services. 

Even if someone has served as a proctor in previous courses, he or she will not be accepted as a proctor for this course if he or she does not meet these criteria.  Proctor emails will only be sent to commercial or educational email addresses.  Proctor approval is at the discretion of the course instructor.

The proctor form is available in .pdf format from Blackboard.  The proctor forms for this course have been redesigned so please use the appropriate proctor forms.   Students should review the form and get the proctor information ahead of time.  Students should then open the Adobe PDF file and type the required information in the boxes on the forms.  Students should print the forms and have the proctor sign the forms.  The students should then fax the forms to the course instructor (Fax Number 940-397-4845). 

Each student can set his/her exam appointment anytime between 9am and 9pm.  It is better to take the exam during normal working hours to be sure that MSU Technical Support will be available.  The course instructor will provide the examination password to the proctor by email. 

The instructor may be available by phone and email during the exam time in case there are technical difficulties with the electronic version of the exam.  If there are any problems during the exam, the proctor should call the course instructor (Toll Free 866-575-4305, Direct 940-397-4083, Cell 940-249-0100) If the instructor is not available, contact MSU Technical Support through MSU Blackboard, and send an email to the instructor explaining what happened.  The exam may have to be rescheduled. 

Students can proceed through the course content at their own pace within the boundaries set by the Course Schedule and the MSU Academic Calendar.  See the Course Schedule for specific information about activities and due dates. Late work is not accepted and a zero (0) will be recorded after the due date. 

Attendance:

This is an online course and there are no mandatory sessions.  However, the student should be vigilant in logging onto Blackboard.  Regular checks will insure that messages from the instructor are received in a timely manner.  

Spring 2011 COURSE SCHEDULE