PRACTICAL NURSING Curricular Design
The practical/vocational nurse uses “specialized knowledge and skills which meet the health needs of people in a variety of settings under the direction of qualified health professionals” (NFLPN, 2003). The practical/vocational nurse uses a clinical problem-solving process (the nursing process) to collect and organize relevant health care data, assist in the identification of the health needs/problems throughout the client’s life span and contribute to the interdisciplinary team in a variety of settings. The entry-level practical/vocational nurse demonstrates the essential competencies needed to care for clients with commonly occurring health problems that have predictable outcomes. “Competency implies knowledge, understanding, and skills that transcend specific tasks and is guided by a commitment to ethical/legal principles” (NAPNES, 2004). The design of the curriculum and organizing framework for the practical nursing program is based on the elements of the following: 1. Oregon State Board of Nursing: (OSBN) Nurse Practice Act, Division 21: Standards for the Approval of Educational Programs in Nursing, Preparing Candidates for Licensure as Practical or Registered Nurses • A minimum of 18 quarter credits of biological, applied, social, and behavioral sciences and humanities and a minimum of 12 credits of clinical practicum 2. National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc., Test Plan for the National Council Licensure Examination for Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses (NCLEX-PN Examination) • Safe and effective care environment • Coordinated care • Safety and infection control • Health promotion and maintenance
• Psychosocial integrity • Physiologic integrity • Basic care and comfort • Pharmacologic therapies • Reduction of risk potential • Physiologic adaptation 3. Core Curriculum Committee of Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Course 4. Guidelines for Undergraduate Instruction of Human Anatomy and Physiology 5. Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not, by Florence Nightingale
6. The Nightingale Philosophy of Nursing 7. The OMEGA-7 Conceptual Framework • OMEGA-7 is included in all syllabi in the Sumner College Practical Nursing Program. In NUR 101 Nursing Fundamentals I, the essential elements of OMEGA-7 are introduced and this course provides the basis upon which all other nursing courses are built. Throughout the curriculum, the practical nursing student has the opportunity to create an 8th essential element, to provide ownership of their practical nursing approach to caring for a person’s health and environment. Integrating the essential elements of OMEGA-7 in the practical nursing data collection or focused assessment provides the person in their environment the opportunity to “tell their story.” Development of this practical nursing program is also consistent with the following documents: 1. Oregon Health Career Center: LPN Supply & Demand: The Future of Licensed Practical Nurses in Oregon, by Karen Burke, RN, MS, Community College Healthcare Action Plan (CCHAP) Consultant, January 2004 • Anticipating the need for practical nurses in long-term care and acute care in rural communities.
34 Sumner College Student Handbook
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