Course Description
The baccalaureate nursing role is examined expanding on the foundations of associate degree nursing education and liberal arts. Based on incorporating liberal education for baccalaureate generalist nursing practice, the course emphasizes contemporary issues related to and including nursing history and theory, ethics, professional development, scholarship, research and evidence-based practice, intra- and inter-professional relations influencing teamwork and collaboration across healthcare delivery settings, population health, and healthcare policy, finance and regulatory environments. Patient assessment that addresses health/illness beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations is emphasized throughout the course. Students are guided to further consider the links between genetics/genomics and health promotion behaviors such as prevention, screening, and diagnostics.
(3 credits)
Prerequisites
- Admission to the Program or Permission of the Program Director
- Submittal of the Nursing Handbook Agreement
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
- ENG 102: English Composition 2
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Upon completion of this course, the student will have gained knowledge to be able to:
- Examine significant events in nursing history that have influenced the profession’s evolution.
- Discuss the role of nursing theory in guiding practice within an organization.
- Compare the characteristics of research and evidence-based practice.
- Evaluate practices of the professional baccalaureate prepared nurse that support resilience in the face of a dynamic and constantly changing healthcare system.
- Analyze the importance of written and oral presentation skills.
- Discuss the importance of constructive intra-and interprofessional communications in safe, effective patient care.
- Evaluate the similarities and differences in nursing care of individuals, communities and populations.
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle
- Black, B. Professional Nursing: Concepts and Challenges - with Access. 10th ed. Elsevier, 2024. ISBN-10: 0-323-77665-5 or ISBN-13: 978-0-323-77665-3
Course Activities and Grading
| Week | Assignments | Points | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introductory Video (ungraded) | 0 | N/A |
| 1 | Nursing’s Journey Towards a Profession | 75 | 7.5% |
| 1 | Discussion: Progression towards your BSN | 25 | 2.5% |
| 2 | Peer Editing | 75 | 7.5% |
| 2 | Discussion: Knowledge, Skills and Behaviors | 25 | 2.5% |
| 3 | Personal Health | 75 | 7.5% |
| 3 | Discussion: Newspaper Article | 25 | 2.5% |
| 3 | Check-in | 25 | 2.5% |
| 4 | Nursing Scope of Practice | 75 | 7.5% |
| 4 | Discussion: Professional Boundaries | 25 | 2.5% |
| 5 | Culture: When you don’t speak the patient’s language | 75 | 7.5% |
| 5 | Discussion: Social Media | 25 | 2.5% |
| 6 | Research Article Summary | 75 | 7.5% |
| 6 | Discussion: Nursing Theory | 25 | 2.5% |
| 6 | Check-In | 25 | 2.5% |
| 7 | Persuasive Letter | 75 | 7.5% |
| 7 | Discussion: Acts of Advocacy | 25 | 2.5% |
| 8 | The Future of Nursing Synthesis Essay | 225 | 22.5% |
| 8 | Rose, Bud, Thorn | 25 | 2.5% |
Total | 1000 | 100% | |
Notes: Late assignments will not be accepted unless advance arrangements have been made with the instructor. Contact the instructor to prevent a deduction of 10 percent each day the assignment is late. Failure to submit an assignment after 8 days of the due date will result in a zero for that assignment. The assignment must be completed, however, because it needs to be included in the final project. |
Discussions
Each week students will prepare a well-written, edited reply to the week’s discussion prompt(s) utilizing 2-3 peer-reviewed references (no more than 5 years old), APA format.
Students will respond to at least 2 peer’s initial submission by Sunday offering additional resources or information or contribute questions for clarification. Responses are to be well-written, thoughtful, and helpful to your classmate to further develop their initial post.
The Future of Nursing is Me Synthesis Essay
The final assignment for this course is the Synthesis Essay. Synthesis is drawing together two or more sources to support your writing on the topic. Students will take each of the discussion prompts from Week 1-7, combining them with other peer-reviewed sources into an edited essay on the topic. Students are encouraged to review the feedback from the instructor and peers weekly and continue to develop their discussions for this final project as the course continues.
Late Work Policy
Due to the accelerated nature of the NUR 300 & 400 courses, late work severely limits meaningful engagement with students, peers, and faculty, and jeopardizes collaboration and exchange of ideas.
The following standards relate to late submission of any assignment in this and all other NUR 300 & 400 courses:
- All Discussion Posts must be posted by the due date/time deadline. Those posted late will be given a grade of zero.
- All Other Papers/Projects: Failure to turn in, post, or in any way fail to meet the due date/time deadline, will result in a deduction of 10% per day of the total assignment value from the actual grade earned, for up to seven days.
- Students who submit an assignment eight days late will receive a grade of zero for the assignment
- If a student anticipates they will be unable to meet a deadline for any assignment regardless of the reason, they should contact the course faculty immediately.
Emergencies/Extenuating Circumstances: The Faculty and Program Director appreciate that emergencies come up in life. Emergencies/ Extenuating Circumstances are not planned activities and/or are not normally work-related.
- Students will be required to submit reasonable documentation of emergencies/extenuating circumstances to the course faculty.
- Any request(s) relating to emergencies/ extenuating circumstances requires documentation and approval of the course faculty, the Program Director, and other college personnel as necessary.
The following conditions acknowledge unexpected circumstances that impact students’ ability to submit an assignment by the due date:
- If a student anticipates they will be unable to meet a deadline due to an emergency/extenuating circumstance, they should contact the course faculty immediately.
- Students may turn in one assignment up to 7 days after the due date except for a discussion board assignment, a final course project, or other final course assignments, no questions asked.
- Subsequent late submissions will be managed in accordance with the standards outlined above.
Course Schedule
Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1,4,5 | Topics: Welcome to NUR 301 and the Journey to Achieve Your Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
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2 | 2,4 | Topic: Applying the Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Core Competencies to the role of the baccalaureate prepared nurse
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3 | 3,7 | Topics: Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Professional Nursing Practice
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4 | 6 | Topics: Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Professional Nursing Practice
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5 | 6 | Topics: Professional Communication and Collaboration
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6 | 2,3 | Topics: Critical Thinking and Developing Critical Thinking
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7 | 5,6 | Topic: The Nurse as Advocate
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8 | 4,5 | Topic: I am the Future of Nursing
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.