1. Apply the nursing process with individuals and families across the life spans that are experiencing chronic health problems.
2. Participate as partners with individuals and families in development of customized therapeutic care process to protect, promote, and restore optimal health within the context of chronic health problems.
3. Apply therapeutic communication when interacting with individuals and their families while they are experiencing chronic health problems.
4. Employ critical thinking in formulating nursing care decisions with individuals and their families.
5. Apply research findings in design and implementation of nursing process with individuals and their families experiencing chronic health problems.
6. Demonstrate partnering by developing collaborative relationships with individuals and their families.
7. Conform to values, codes and principles that govern decisions in nursing practice to resolve issues related to care of persons living with chronic health problems.
8. Demonstrate commitment to knowledge acquisition and development into the professional nursing role.

1. Nursing process application with actual patients experiencing chronic health problems in varied environments of care from home to hospital.
2. Assessment-gathering information about health status of individuals with chronic health problems and their families, analyzing data, making judgments about nursing interventions based on findings, and evaluating or planning evaluation strategies for assessing outcomes or effect of interventions.
3. Perform health risk appraisals regarding chronic diseases.
4. Perform holistic assessments of individuals across the adult lifespan.
5. Assess developmental stages with particular emphasis on changes due to aging.
6. Assess physical, cognitive, social functional ability with emphasis on changes due to a chronic condition, pain or aging.
7. Evaluate individual and family capacity to manage work of living with chronic health problems (to include managing biographies, eliciting assistance, managing medical regimens, managing or averting crises, managing time).
8. Assess environments where patient manages chronic illness. Use assessment data to diagnose, plan, deliver and evaluate quality nursing care.
9. Management of skills acquisition (NG/tube feedings, catherization/indwelling, irrigation and insertion, tracheotomy care and suctioning, ostomy care, chest physiotherapy, closed chest drainage, blood administration, transfers, mobility, crutch walking, IV meds-IVPB or push, and documentation.
10. Demonstrate safe, therapeutic and customized nursing care.
11. Produce clear, accurate, and relevant documentation of nursing process.
12. Use data from varied sources: patient, families, health care providers, and ancillary providers.
13. Communicate with diverse disciplines using varied strategies, both written and oral.
14. Provide relevant and customized health education and counseling to patients and families living with chronic illness and aging.
15. Elicit and clarify patient and family preferences and values.
16. Demonstrate professional role behavior.
17. Use communication to accomplish nursing process, including thorough and accurate documentation.
18. Use multiple forms of communication, including oral, written and technical formats to effectively convey information.
19. Assists patients to access information and to interpret meaning and validity of health information.
20. Adapt communication to patient (individuals experiencing chronic health problems and their families) special needs.
21. Produce clear, accurate and relevant documentation.
22. Use therapeutic communication strategies in diverse situations with diverse audiences.
23. Use health care technology to access information.
24. Demonstrate scholarship for acquisition and application of new knowledge to practice.
25. Participate in self-reflection and collegial dialogue.
26. Use clinical judgment and decision making skills to implement nursing process, including the evaluation of nursing care.
27. Participate in creative problem solving.
28. Use research-based knowledge for practice.
29. Demonstrate accountability and responsibility for own behavior.
30. Apply ethical principles to resolve issues when providing patient care.
31. Use professional code of ethics and professional guidelines when providing care to patient and families.
32. Use ethical decision-making frameworks in clinical situations incorporating moral concepts, professional ethics, law and respect for diverse values and beliefs.
33. Be accountable for practice.
34. Take appropriate action to prevent or limit unsafe or unethical practices.
35. Talk with individuals and their families as they make quality of life and end of life decisions.
36. Incorporate principles of self management to one's own learning.
37. Seek appropriate assistance and utilize guidance to facilitate own learning.
38. Use chronic illness trajectory theory, aging theories and teaching-learning theories when planning care,  prior to clinical experience, including: development of nursing processes, pathoflow charts,  communicating with faculty and agency staff, and identifying and seeking learning opportunities.
39. Use health care technologies to help maximize outcomes when practicing psychomotor skills and developing facility in explaining process and outcomes for application of skills.
40. Use professional standards to guide clinical practice.
41. Demonstrate understanding of scope of practice for second semester student by practicing within guidelines of safe practice, as spelled out in SON handbook.
42. Participate with professional organizations, and work to support agenda that enhance high quality health care, student life, and advancement of nursing.

Successful completion of NURS.3610 requires achievement of the objectives for both the clinical and theory components of the course.

Clinical practice is evaluated according to the clinical objectives on a pass/fail basis. Successful completion of the clinical objectives must be demonstrated for the student to receive a passing grade.

• Attendance/Tardy: Attendance in Class, Clinical, and Clinical Skills Lab is required. Absences and tardy behavior jeopardize achievement of course objectives.
• Clinical attendance is checked for each clinical experience.  Clinical Skills Lab attendance is checked each lab.
• Students are expected to complete the designated number of course clinical hours.
• If a student misses greater than 10% of clinical time in a course with clinical hours less than 100, the student will not progress in that specific course that semester. 
• In the event of a holiday or designated school function on a clinical day, students will be provided with an alternate learning activity. 
• Missed clinical hours cannot be "made up.  Clinical faculty may assign alternative learning activities for missed clinical experience.
• NURS 3610 has two categories of clinical hours required: In-hospital experience (9 hours/week) and Clinical Skills Lab (2.5 hours/week).
• In-hospital clinical hours = 97.5 total for the semester
• 10% of 97.5 hours = 9.75 hours maximum absence for hospital clinical experience
• Skills Lab clinical hours = 37.5 total for the semester
• 10% of 37.5 hours = 3.75 hours maximum absence from Skills Lab
• A student who misses greater than 13.5 clinical hours in NURS 3610 will not progress in the course, regardless of grade/clinical performance.

Examination Policies:

• Students are required to take all five course examinations and the ATI exam.
• Students are expected to take the exams at the time and date scheduled.
• Missed exams will be recorded as "0" zero until made-up.
• All make-up exams are administered on one day.  The date is determined by the course coordinator and noted on the official course calendar.
• Make-up exams have ½ the number of questions as the original exam.
• To be eligible for a make-up exam, students must notify the course coordinator prior to missing an exam.
• Course Coordinator:  Laurie Singel, MSN, RN, BC office:  567-6538; pager:  230-3633.
• Failure to notify course coordinator before testing begins will result in a "zero" for the exam.

Examination Process:

1. Students without their official UTHSCSA I.D. will not be permitted in the exam room.
2. Students must have their UTHSCSA I.D. worn in such a fashion that is visible to exam proctors at all times.
3. Personal belongings are NOT allowed in the exam room, nor can they be left in the hallways or areas outside the exam room.
4. Students are responsible for securing their personal items before entering the exam room.  Additional time will not be given for any delayed entrance to the exam.
5. Hats are not allowed to be worn during the exam.
6. Professional courtesy is expected.  Please refrain from use of perfume and cologne as other students may experience unpleasant reactions.
7. Bathroom breaks are not provided during regular exams.  Students will be escorted by a proctor to the bathroom during the final exam only. 
8. No drinks or food are allowed in the exam room during testing.
9. Students may be assigned to seats by faculty proctors for the exam.  Special requests for seating must be directed to the proctors prior to entering the exam room.
10. Electronic devices are not allowed in the testing room; calculators will be provided.
11. Students are NOT allowed to leave the exam room during testing.
12. Students are expected to report to testing area 10 minutes prior to exam time to allow time for seating.
13. Students need to know their exam I.D. number and are required to put it on all exams in this course.
14. Only answers marked on the Scantron form are used to determine exam scores.  Items / markings in test booklet do not count in determining an exam score.
15. Students must turn in their test booklet, Scantron sheet, pencils and calculator to the faculty proctor when finished with the exam.
16. Students are responsible for making sure that they have fully completed the exam before turning it in to a proctor. Students are NOT allowed to retrieve their exam materials after turning them in.
17. Follow up questions about the exam are to be addressed directly to the faculty who taught that content
    within two weeks after the exam.
18. Faculty will provide their clinical students with feedback concerning topics missed on a given exam. An appointment must be made with the clinical instructor to discuss exam results.
19. The final exam is comprehensive for all lectures, skills lab sessions, and assignments.
20. Testable material is based on course and class objectives. All required readings, lecture and discussion content, related material in the course syllabus, content covered by media presented in or required for
    class, and material given as handouts or placed in the copy box are considered testable material.
21. The UTHSCSA School of Nursing Scholastic Dishonesty Policy will be followed.
22. Refer to the UTHSCSA Student Guide for policies on Scholastic Dishonesty.

Course Assignments:

1. All assignments / course work are expected to be completed on or before the assigned due date. Under extraordinary circumstances a student may request an extension of a due date. Arrangements for an extension must be made with the student’s clinical instructor prior to the due date.
2. All course assignments must represent the student's own work. Disciplinary action will be taken in the event of scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty includes such acts as cheating, plagiarism, and collusion.
3. The NURS. 3610 teaching team reserves the right to make additional or alternate assignments in order to meet the needs of an individual student or a particular class.