Senior Level: 

  •  NURS40005 Professional Nursing Development
    • In this course I had the opportunity to:
      • Critically examine selected issues and trends as they relate to the development of the professional nurse.
      • Identify the developmental progression of professional growth from novice to expert.
      • Prepare for employment as a professional nurse, including developing interviewing skills and creating a professional portfolio, a letter of interest and resume.
      • Demonstrate effective written and verbal skills for professional communication as a leader or peer professional.
    • Competencies:
      • Critically examined issues and trends and how they related to the development of the professional nurse
      • Demonstrated peer evaluation
      • Prepared for employment by creating a portfolio, resume, and cover letter
    • Patient Teaching:
      • I was able to to inform peers on the importance of the electronic medication administration record in improving patient care.
    • Evidence Based Practice:
    • Personal Reflection
      • This course has helped me to understand much about nursing. We tend to oversee many of the issues that this course brought to light and how they affect nursing now and in the future. This class has helped me see how much I have changed as a nursing student. In this class, I have been able to prepare for employment through the creation of a portfolio, resume, and cover letter, as well as being exposed to various interviewing tips.
  • NURS40010 Nursing of the Critically Ill
    • In this course I had the opportunity to:
      • Use critical and analytical thinking in the application of the nursing process in the care of the critically ill adult.
      • Perform and refine previously acquired skills in the critical care setting.
      • Acquire knowledge and skills specific to nursing practice in the critical care setting.
      • Integrate knowledge and skills specific to nursing practice in the critical care setting.
      • Enhance professional role development through participation in the social, cultural, and political influences on a clinical unit and to facilitate ongoing improvement in the delivery of healthcare services.
      • Enhance professional role development through reflective self-examination of personal and professional attitudes and performance. 
    • Competencies:
      • Computer charting on ICU floor
      • Care of patients with ventilators
      • Applied knowledge and critical thinking to the nursing process in the care of critically ill patients
    • Patient Teaching:
      • I was able to teach clients about the types and purpose of the medications they were receiving.
      • I was able to encourage the patient to deep breath and take fluids to loosen secretions in patient with respiratory issues.
    • Evidence Based Practice:
      • Process Paper
      • Simulation in lab (SARS and Subdural Hematoma cases)
      • Safe use of medications in critically ill patients.
      • Checking PEG tube placement and aspirating gastric contents, as well as instilling content through the PEG tube.
    • Personal Reflection
      • This course was a great experience. It helped incorporate critical thinking into the nursing process. Things just started to "make sense" in this course in regards to why something was done or why something happened. It helped to show me the disease processes in some critical conditions and the care that was needed to be given to those patients with said conditions.
  • NURS40020 Community Health Nursing
    • In this course I had the opportunity to:
      • Use critical thinking in the application of the nursing process with families, population groups, and communities.
      • Use therapeutic communication techniques with families and population groups of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
      • Apply the epidemiological approach to identify subgroups within population that are at risk for disease, disability, and premature death.
      • Collaborate with members of the multidisciplinary team including consumers to promote the health of families, population groups, and communities.
      • Accept responsibility and accountability for nursing actions.
    • Competencies:
      • Health promotion
      • Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention
    • Patient Teaching:
      • Educated high school students at Alliance High School on heart health, heart healthy behaviors, and resources available within the community that can be used to promote good heart health.
    • Evidence Based Practice:
    • Personal Reflection
      • This course helped me to understand the nurses role within a community. The nurse does not only help in the care of treating the ill, but is also there to help the community in prevention of disease. I was able to see what skills were needed in assessing whole populations within a community and how to promote healthy behaviors based on the information extracted form the community assessment.
  • NURS40030 Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health Nursing Care
    • In this course I had the opportunity to:
      • Apply selected theories from nursing, the humanities and the sciences in providing therapeutic patient care.
      • Provide nursing care in a manner that is consistent with patient values, beliefs and culture.
      • Demonstrate a sound mastery of therapeutic communication and therapeutic relationship skills.
      • Demonstrate awareness of own attitudes, values and beliefs about mental illness and psychiatric nursing.
      • Practice in a safe, ethical, professional manner consistent with psychiatric nursing standards of practice.
      • Discuss the impact of professional, economic, and political issues and policy on the experience and treatment of mental illness.
      • Use technological and other resources effectively in providing nursing care in a psychiatric clinical setting.
      • Provide direct evidence-based patient care in a safe, clinically appropriate, collaborative, and effective manner.
    • Competencies:
      • Therapeutic communication
      • Psychiatric diagnoses and medications
      • Legal and ethical issues surrounding psychiatric patients
    • Patient Teaching:
      • Educated psychiatric patient on anxiety relieving and relaxation techniques, like yoga and the use of scents 
    • Evidence Based Practice:
      • IPR
      • Biopsychosocial Assessment and Nursing Care Plan for a Patient with Schizophrenia
    • Personal Reflection
      • This course helped me to understand the nurses role within a psychiatric setting. The nurse in this setting uses therapeutic communication to help patients probe through their inner workings and find a way them to get better. This course and rotation helped me hone and improve my therapeutic communication skills. I was also able to improve my knowledge on psychiatric diagnoses and medications. In this course, I was able to interact with many various patients with various diagnoses, which allowed me to practice and employ various therapeutic communication methods.
  • NURS40045 Integration of Leadership and Management in Nursing
    • In this course I had the opportunity to:
      • Apply leadership concepts, skills, and decision making in the provision of high quality nursing care, health care team coordination, and oversight and accountability for health care delivery.
      • Utilize leadership, communication, team building, priority setting, and delegation skills when managing a group of patients.
      • Describe the scope of practice and responsibilities of the registered nurse and use professional communication and collaborative skills to deliver evidence–based, patient-centered care.
      • Demonstrate basic nursing competencies expected of entry-level staff nurses.
      • Describe how health care is organized and financed.
      • Synthesize professional standards of conduct.
      • Identify factors that create a culture of safety and quality.
    • Competencies:
      • Completed 120 hours with an experience emergency department nurse in the emergency department Mercy Medical Center
      • Improved time management, prioritization, and delegation skills
      • Patient discharge and teaching
      • Health promotion
      • Various technical nursing skills, like medication administration through various routes and IV insertion
    • Patient Teaching:
      • Educated patients on discharge diagnosis, medication side effects, indications of when to come back to the emergency room, and follow-up appointments.
    • Evidence Based Practice:
    • Personal Reflection
      • This course helped me to grow significantly as a nurse.  I completed 120 hours with a nursing preceptor in an emergency department. Throughout this rotation, I was exposed to many different patients and clinical diagnoses. I was able to also improve my technical nursing skills, time management, prioritization of patient care, and delegation. I was able to start providing independent care to patients that were assigned to my preceptor. By the end of my rotation was able to independently take care of a good portion of my preceptors patient load. This course and practicum helped me build upon education from previous courses and put it all together.