These nursing rounds illustrate how patients move through the system, from admission at a distant referring hospital, helicopter transport to the cardiac tertiary hospital, cardiovascular intervention, recovery on the cardiac telemetry step-down unit, and eventual discharge. Follow-up care, including cardiac rehabilitation programs and home health services, are introduced during this discussion and continued in session three. The second session also includes visits to the animal research laboratory at the University of Montana and the tissue engineering laboratory at the International Heart Institute of Montana Foundation. Here the students are introduced to ongoing research activities. A discussion with cardiovascular research fellows highlights how local efforts contribute to cardiovascular research.
Lecturers also incorporate discussions about nursing research into each session.
The third session covers recovery and adaptation to cardiovascular disease. Lectures cover the psychosocial aspects of cardiac disease, cardiac rehabilitation, exercise physiology, and recovery. The clinical component of this session includes attending a cardiac rehabilitation class supervised by an exercise physiologist and registered nurse. The course faculty also hold a panel discussion with former patients and their families, who talk about their experiences. The panel enables students to hear firsthand how cardiovascular disease has affected patients and their families.