Course Description

Nursing is a dynamic and challenging profession that involves caring for persons across a continuum of age and diverse environments with varying levels of complexity. Nursing concepts and theories that promote healthy growth and development across the lifespan are explored. Emphasis is placed on person-centered care to promote healthy living. Focus is on growth and development concepts through the lifespan.

Vocational Learning Outcomes

This course provides the opportunity for you to achieve the following outcomes:

1704X01FWO - Practical Nursing

VLO 3 Plan safe and competent nursing care, based upon a thorough analysis of available data and evidence-informed practice guidelines. (T, A)
VLO 5 Evaluate the outcomes resulting from all interventions in the nurse-client interaction and modify the plan of care as required. (T, A)
VLO 6 Act equitably and justly with clients and members of the health care team. (T, A)
VLO 8 Contribute to creating a healthy and safe work environment in a variety of health care settings. (T, A)
VLO 9 Practise in a self-regulated, professional and ethical manner, complying with relevant legislation and with the standards of both the regulatory body and the practice setting to provide safe and competent client care. (T, A)

1704Z05FWO - Practical Nursing-Intensive

Assessment Levels —T: Taught A: Assessed CP: Culminating Performance 

Essential Employability Skills

This course contributes to your program by helping you achieve the following Essential Employability Skills:

EES 1 Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken and visual form that fulfills the purpose and meets the needs of the audience. (A)
EES 2 Respond to written, spoken or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective communication. (A)
EES 4 Apply a systematic approach to solve problems. (T, A)
EES 5 Use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems. (T, A)
EES 6 Locate, select, organize and document information using appropriate technology and information systems. (T, A)
EES 7 Analyze, evaluate and apply relevant information from a variety of sources. (T, A)
EES 8 Show respect for diverse opinions, values, belief systems and contributions of others. (T, A)
EES 9 Interact with others in groups or teams in ways that contribute to effective working relationships and the achievement of goals. (T, A)
EES 10 Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects. (T, A)
EES 11 Take responsibility for one's own actions, decisions and consequences. (T, A)
Assessment Levels —T: Taught A: Assessed CP: Culminating Performance 

Course Learning Outcomes / Elements of Performance

When you have earned credit for this course, you will have demonstrated the ability to:

1. Use a holistic view of a person and the three developmental processes of maturation, reproduction, and degeneration to describe the physiological, psychological, and social changes that occur in an individual across the lifespan.

  • Describe the relationship of the person and the environment using a variety of nursing theories relevant to the developmental stages.
  • Define the chronological period for the following developmental stages: fetus, neonate, infant, early childhood, middle childhood, late childhood, adolescence, young adult, middle aged adult,  pregnant mother, older adult and the frail older adult.
  • Collect and analyze data related to the individual's growth and development.
  • Associate the processes of maturation, reproduction, and degeneration with their related developmental stages.
  • Use the holistic view of a person to describe the expected physiological changes that occur in the following stages: fetus, neonate, infant, early childhood, middle childhood, late childhood, adolescence, pregnant young adult, postpartum young adult, middle adult, older adult and frail older adult.
  • Explain using a variety of psychosocial theories on how a person develops psychologically, interpersonally, socially and morally.

2. Use the Nursing Process to assess an individual’s growth and development across the lifespan.

  • Discuss ways the nurse modifies assessments given the person’s age/developmental stage.
  • Discuss the criteria used to interpret data gathered about an individual’s growth and development.
  • Describe developmental norms and individual needs across the lifespan.
  • Identify potential and common health problems across the lifespan.

3. Discuss health promotion across the life span.

  • Identify ways a person may adapt across the lifespan focusing on growth, developmental and cultural health aspects.
  • Support and advocate for health promotion strategies across the lifespan.

4. Provide anticipatory guidance related to the health risks associated with the client’s developmental stage.

  • Define and identify anticipatory guidance across the lifespan.
  • Describe and discuss the role of the nurse in providing anticipatory guidance across the lifespan.

Learning Resources

Potter, P. & Perry, A. (2019) Canadian fundamentals of nursing (5th ed.) Toronto, ON: Mosby Inc.
Keenan-Lindsay, L & Leifer, G. (2020). Leifer's Introduction to Maternity & Pediatric Nursing in Canada, (1st ed.) Toronto, ON: Mosby-Elsevier.
Hirst, S., Lane, A.M., & Miller, C.A. (2015). Miller's NSG for Wellness in Older Adults. Canadian edition. Wolters Kluwer. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

 

Learning Activities

-  Zoom Lectures and/or Guest lectures
-  Online learning materials delivered via BrightSpace
-  Small group discussions/hands-on interactive activities delivered via zoom classrooms
- This course is five hours each week. There are three hours focusing on Maternity/Pediatrics and two hours focusing on Adulthood from young adult to frail older adult. 

Pre-defined Evaluation / Earning Credit

The following list provides evidence of this course's learning achievements and the outcomes they validate:

Midterm Exam(s) (25%)

Validates Outcomes:  CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4, EES 1, EES 2, EES 4, EES 5, EES 6, EES 7, EES 8, EES 9, EES 10, EES 11

Midterm Exam(s) (20%)

Validates Outcomes:  CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4, EES 1, EES 2, EES 4, EES 5, EES 6, EES 7, EES 8, EES 9, EES 10, EES 11

Final Exam (30%)

Validates Outcomes:  CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4, EES 1, EES 2, EES 4, EES 5, EES 6, EES 7, EES 8, EES 9, EES 10, EES 11

Final Exam (20%)

Validates Outcomes:  CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4, EES 1, EES 2, EES 4, EES 5, EES 11

Online Activity(ies)/Assignment(s) (5%)

Validates Outcomes:  CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 3, CLO 4, EES 1, EES 4, EES 5, EES 8, EES 9, EES 10, EES 11

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

Students who wish to apply for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) need to demonstrate competency at a post-secondary level in all outlined course learning outcomes. Evidence of learning achievement for PLAR candidates includes:

  • Portfolio
  • Challenge Exam
  • Project/Assignment

Other Information

Students are required to respect the confidentiality of employer, client and/or patient information, interactions, and practices that occur either on Algonquin College premises, or at an affiliated clinical/field/co-op placement site. Concerns regarding clients, patients, and/or employer practices are to be brought to the attention of the program coordinator, or designated field/clinical/co-op placement supervisor so that they may be resolved collaboratively. Such concerns are not to be raised publically either verbally, in writing, or in electronic forums. These matters are to be addressed through established program communication pathways.

Course Related Information

Please refer to the Course Section Information (CSI) / weekly schedule for specific course-related information as provided by your professor.

Program Information

1704X01FWO - Practical Nursing

Privacy Statement

I understand that within my course of study, I may have access to personal information, which may include personal health information (PHI) belonging to clients of Algonquin College’s community partner agencies.  Furthermore, I understand that I am responsible for the safekeeping of any personal information in my custody, and that I am accountable to the College for my actions in respect of this information. I agree that I will treat all personal information to which I have access as confidential, that I will access only that information which is needed for the purposes of my studies, and that I will not disclose this information, electronically, verbally or otherwise, for any other purpose.

I understand that a breach of this agreement may lead to academic discipline up to and including my removal from the program, and may further expose me to liability for breach of statute, including the Ontario Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
 

College Related Information

Algonquin College’s policies have been developed to ensure the health, safety and security of all students, faculty and staff, and the proper and fair operation of the College as an academic institution and employer.  Please refer to the Algonquin College Policies website for the most current policy information available at http://www.algonquincollege.com/policies/.

Students are especially encouraged to be aware of the following College expectations

Academic Integrity 
Algonquin College is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity, and students are expected to uphold these standards as part of the learning process. Any academic work submitted by a student is expected to be their own work, unless designated otherwise and all sources must be attributed. All students should be familiar with the Algonquin College policy AA48: Academic Integrity .  In some courses, online proctoring may be used to discourage cheating. Additional information can be found at https://www.algonquincollege.com/studentsupportservices/student-learning-kit/preparing-to-learn-online/. Students with any questions about the course expectations for academic dishonesty and plagiarism are encouraged to speak to their professor.

Centre for Accessible Learning
Students with visible and/or non-visible disabilities are encouraged to register with the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) in order to be eligible for appropriate learning supports and/or accommodations.  Students are strongly encouraged to make an appointment at the Centre for Accessible Learning as early as possible when starting a program. Once your needs are identified, a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) will be issued which you can share with your professors. If you are a returning student, please ensure that professors are given a copy of your LOA each semester.

College Email
Students at Algonquin College are provided with a college email account. This is the address that will be used when the College, your professors, or your fellow students communicate important information about your program or course activities.  Your network credentials can be found in the ACSIS portal and you are expected to check your Algonquin email regularly and to use it to send and receive college-related email. Support is available through the college Information Technology Service (ITS) at: https://www.algonquincollege.com/its/

Retroactive Accommodations
Students are expected to meet evaluation and completion deadlines as stated in course outline and course section information documents. In circumstances where evaluation and/or completion deadlines are missed or student performance has been affected by a temporary or permanent disability (including mental health), interim or retroactive accommodations may be considered. In such instances, please consult your course faculty member. For other situations where deferral of evaluations may be warranted, please consult Algonquin College Policy AA21: Deferred Evaluation.

Student Course Feedback
Algonquin College’s invites students to share their course experience by completing a student course feedback survey for each course they take. For further details consult Algonquin College Policy AA25: Student Course Feedback.

Use of Mobile Devices in Class
With the proliferation of small, personal mobile devices used for communications and data storage, Algonquin College believes there is a need to address their use during classes and examinations. During classes, the use of such devices can be  disruptive and disrespectful to others. During examinations, the use of such devices may facilitate cheating. For further details consult Algonquin College Policy AA32: Use of Mobile Devices in Class

Technology Requirements
As Algonquin College continues to respond to public health guidelines, many courses will be offered through remote delivery. As such, students will be required to have access to a computer and to the internet. There may also be additional technology-related resources required to participate in a course that are not included in the course materials fee, such as headphones, webcams, specialized software, etc. Details on these requirements can be found in the Course Section Information of the course outline for each course available on Brightspace.

Transfer of Credit
It is the student’s responsibility to retain course outlines for possible future use to support applications for transfer of credit to other educational institutions.