NURSE 407

Fundamentals of Health and Nursing Care

This course utilizes the conceptual framework of the curriculum (Basic Human Needs, Life Cycle Development, Health Illness Continuum, Significant Health Problems, and Stress Adaptation) to provide the foundation for the following three semesters of the program. It includes an introduction to professional nursing, its evolution, present trends and issues, legal aspects, and concepts underlying current practice. Basic principles of delegation, management, teamwork, and collaboration are introduced and integrated into appropriate content. The theory and related clinical experiences prepare the student to apply the nursing process when providing direct patient care to patients with common medical surgical problems, with a focus on basic human needs. The student is introduced to critical thinking and clinical decision-making, while using evidence-based practice to support patients' adaptive mechanisms for attaining and maintaining wellness during early, middle, and late adulthood. The sub concepts integrated throughout the course are personal hygiene, safety, nutrition, communication, human sexuality, cultural/spiritual diversity, legal/ethical aspects, pharmacology, and pathophysiology. Emphasis is given to the promotion of health and risk reduction in adults and elders in theory, clinical, and the simulation lab.

Units: 12.0

Hours: 108 hours LEC ; 324 hours LAB