FNP Practicum NURS 5609 4 credit hours Course ... - Regents Online

Course InformationFNP PracticumNURS 56094 credit hoursCourse Description:This practicum experience focuses on the synthesis of previously gained knowledge and skills in theprovision of advanced nursing care to individuals, families and communities. Emphasis is placed onhealth promotion, disease prevention and clinical management of clients with common acute andchronic illness.Course Objectives:Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:1. Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with individuals, families, groups, andcommunities to influence health and health care;2. Integrate data from assessments to develop diagnoses and health care strategies;3. Develop plans for individuals, families, groups, and communities to promote health, preventdisease, and manage acute/chronic illness;4. Manage the health care of clients incorporating ethical, legal, cultural, economic, political,and psychosocial factors;5. Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and management strategies in improving thehealth status of individuals and groups;6. Collaborate with other health professionals and the community to provide comprehensivehealth services to clients;7. Teach individuals, families, groups and communities skills and behaviors to promotemaintain, or restore health; and8. Use research to validate and refine knowledge relevant to advanced nursing practice.Prerequisites and Corequisites:Prerequisites: NURS 5000 Theoretical Foundations; NURS 5601/5602 FNP I; NURS 5603/5604 FNPII; NURS 5605/5606 FNP IIICorequisites: NURS 5990 Scholarly SynthesisCourse Topics:Application of content presented in the pre-requisite theory/clinical courses.Specific Course Requirements:1. Knowledge and Skill in D2L2. Students must complete a total of 240 clinical hours over the course of the semester.In order that the student will benefit from ongoing evaluation and feedback of ReflectionsAssignments, clinical notes and progress, this experience must be spread out over thecourse of the semester rather than condensed into a shorter period of time.Preceptors:Students will need to arrange for a nurse practitioner or physician to precept this primary careexperience. Nurse practitioners must be minimally prepared at the Master's level.Clinical practice experience with an approved NP or MD preceptor in a community setting for 240

hours during the term. A family/primary care setting is the preferred clinical setting. Other settingsmust be approved by the course coordinator/instructor. Specialty clinics may not be used for >40hours of the 240 total. These must be approved by the course instructor and home school advisor.Continuing education offerings are a wonderful way for NP students to begin to build a network ofprofessional contacts, but it is hard to do that while you are in graduate school. However, anycontinuing education offering must be approved, in advance of the student’s attendance, by thecourse coordinator. A maximum of 10 (ten) contact hours of NP-relevant continuing educationofferings may count toward the semester total of clinical hours. The student must provide a programbrochure and evidence of awarded continuing education units (CEUs) in the clinical log asdocumentation of this activity.Preceptor licensure will be verified at http://www2.state.tn.us/health/licensure/index.htm Students areexpected to verify current licensure of a requested preceptor to make certain that informationsubmitted to faculty contains correct spelling, etc. in order to expedite the verification process.The student will submit the approved practice site to the course faculty via email within one week ofthe beginning of the course and before attending clinical. The contract for this site must have beenapproved through the system in the previous semester. In addition, the clinical information must havebeen previously sent to the RODP and the Clinical Coordinator. In the subject of the email write"Preceptor Information" In the body of the email include:• Name of preceptor (as officially listed on the verification site above)• Credentials of preceptor (FNP, MD, DO)• Name and address of practice site• Type of patients served at practice site (e.g., pediatric practice, family practice)THE STUDENT CANNOT BEGIN THE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE UNTIL APPROVAL IS RECEIVEDFROM FACULTY. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTACT FACULTY IF DIFFICULTY ISEXPERIENCED LOCATING A PRECEPTOR.Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software RequirementsRequired Textbooks and Resources:• Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Review Text (of your choice)• E-Value software: Advanced Informatics• RODP Virtual BookstoreAll previous texts for the family nurse practitioner concentrationSupplementary Information:Students are expected to purchase their own lab coat(s), stethoscope with both bell and diaphragm(or stethoscope with a floating diaphragm), goggles and a watch with a second hand. Students mayneed to purchase an otoscope/ophthalmoscope set or other equipment, if this is not provided at theclinic site.Students are expected to have the ability to scan documents and send via e-mail.Students may find a PDA with medical reference applications very helpful. This is not mandatory.Two programs that may be particularly useful are Epocrates DX for PDA(http://www2.epocrates.com) and Merck Medicus for PDA (http://www.merckmedicus.com)

Hardware Requirements:The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/current-students/technical-support.Software Requirements:The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/current-students/technical-support.Additional software requirements for this course include Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint), andAcrobat Reader.Assessment and GradingTesting Procedures:All written course requirements are submitted online.There may be online tests that students must complete as indicated on the calendar.Grading Procedure:Assessment and Grading:Note: If the clinical performance of any student is characterized by unethical, unprofessional orunsafe behavior that places a client in jeopardy, the student will receive a failing grade for the course.Any student who receives an unsatisfactory on their clinical evaluation from the faculty preceptor orfrom the clinical preceptor will receive a failing grade for the course.The course grade is based on the following:Post Graduation & Certification Assignment:• Step-by-step process to certification 20%Reflection Assignments x2 (uploaded to drop-box and/or posted todiscussion board)Discussion Boards x 3Clinical Goals and Objectives: Development (Beginning of semester) andEvaluation (End of semester)Clinical Logs x 540% (20% each)30% (10% each)5% (2.5% each)5% (1% each)Clinical Skills Inventory (Pre-FNP Practicum and end-of-semester)Pass/FailCompletion of 240 hours of clinical practicum with an approved N.P. or M.D. Pass/FailClinical Evaluation by Preceptor (see evaluation tool)Pass/FailMust be submitted at mid-semester and end-of-semesterClinical Site and Preceptor Evaluation by StudentPass/Fail

Grading Scale:A = 93 - 100B = 85 - 92C = 77 - 84D = 70 - 76F =

Cheating is an act of deception by which a student misrepresents or misleadingly demonstratesthat he or she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he or she has notmastered, including the giving or receiving of unauthorized help in an academic exercise.An example:• Resubmitting substantially the same work that was produced for anotherassignment without the knowledge and permission of the instructorClinical Log:Students are required to log all patient encounters. The patient encounter log should be typed anduploaded to D2L as per the course calendar.You must upload scanned copies of your clinical log, with preceptor signature, to the dropbox asindicated on the calendar. You must send the original forms to the Concentration Coordinator. Keep acopy for your files.Class Participation:Students are expected to participate in all interactive aspects of the course. As an instructor, I use thediscussion board as my primary method of communicating with students. Unless it is a personalissue, most questions should be asked, and answered, on the discussion board. Students shouldcheck the course bulletin board at least twice a week for any announcements and/or ongoingdiscussions.Students are expected to participate in all scheduled clinical conferences. These will take place onthe Discussion Board.It is especially important for students in an on-line course to maintain contact with their instructor. Theinstructor must hear from every student at least once a week; if during a given week, a student fails tomake contact in some way (by submitting an assignment or participating in a chat or discussion), heor she must email the instructor, even if the student is sick or out of town. A student who fails tocontact the instructor on a regular basis may miss important updates or even fail the course.Clinical Skills Inventory:Students are required to use the clinical skills inventory to track procedures performed in the clinicalsetting. Students are expected to seek out opportunities to develop all skills listed.Students are required to use the clinical skills inventory to track procedures performed in the clinicalsetting. Students must fill out the clinical skills inventory prior to beginning FNP Practicum. Reviewthe completed form with your preceptor and upload to the assignment drop-box. Throughout thesemester, continue to update this form as you perform new clinical skills or improve established skills.Seek opportunities to expand and develop the skills listed on the inventory. At the end of your clinicalrotation, review with your preceptor and upload the final completed inventory to D2L. Keep a copy foryour records. You may want to use this inventory as evidence of your skills as you begin to explorepotential FNP positions.

Clinical Performance EvaluationThe preceptor will use the Clinical Performance Evaluation Tool to evaluate clinical competence.Because this tool measures competency, criteria are evaluated as pass/fail. All items must be passedfor the student to satisfactorily complete this course and advance in the program.General Clinical GuidelinesConduct:Professional conduct in the clinical site is expected.Problem/disagreements are to be handled in a quiet, professional manner, away from the patient.If any problem arrives, you MUST contact the clinical faculty in a timely manner.Dress:Professional dress (usually a lab coat) and visible identification badge is required. There may becertain sites/situations where lab coats may not be desired (i.e. pediatrics). No sandals, or open toeshoes, or jeans should be worn to clinical.Absences/Delays:Arrive on time at all clinical sites. If you are unexpectedly delayed, call the preceptor as soon aspossible. Notify the preceptor of any anticipated absence prior to the start of the clinical day. Failureto notify the preceptor of any delay or absence as stated above may result in an unsatisfactory gradefor the clinical experience. Arrangements must be made with the clinical coordinator for any make-uptime for absences.Equipment:Students are expected to bring any equipment not supplied by the clinical site (i.e. stethoscope,otoscope/opthalmascope, pen light, percussion hammers, etc.).Valuables:Avoid bringing valuables into the clinical site. Neither the home school nor the clinical site isresponsible for valuables.Medications/Medical Procedures:Students may not administer medications or perform medical procedures without prior approval of thepreceptor.Course Ground RulesStudents are expected to:• Learn how to navigate and use tools in D2L• Keep abreast of course announcements• Use D2L for all communication UNLESS problems occur with online delivery of the D2Lcourse• Contact technical support for any D2L problems (number provided below)• Notify faculty of any difficulties related to the preceptor, clinical issues, or other factorsaffecting participation or performance in this courseGuidelines for CommunicationsEmail:• Always include a subject line.

• Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Becareful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.• Use standard fonts.• Do not send large attachments without permission.• Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoidedunless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.• Respect the privacy of other class membersDiscussion Groups:• Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then adiscussant.• Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.• Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group.Be respectful of other’s ideas.• Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering yourremarks.• Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.• Be positive and constructive in group discussions.• Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.Chat:• Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.• Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.• Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.• Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.• Be constructive in your comments and suggestionWeb Resources:• Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor• Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.htmlA resource that looks extremely useful for APA referencing is the Citation Machinehttp://citationmachine.net by David WarlickLibraryThe Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program.Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves,dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learnersto complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.Students With DisabilitiesQualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academicaccommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their homeinstitution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receivewritten verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability servicesstaff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their homeinstitution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having theaccommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus ChangesThe instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes arenecessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of suchchanges both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature ofchange(s) on the course bulletin board.Technical SupportTelephone Support:If you are having problems logging into your course,timing out of your course, using your course website tools or other technical problems, please contact the Help Desk by calling1-866-550-7637 (toll free) or go to their website at:http://askrodp.custhelp.com