The focus of this course is on developing knowledge and skill for delivering basic nursing care to adults. Principles of communication, concepts of culture, growth and development, and stress and adaptation are introduced. Students utilize health patterns as a framework for assessment and implement common nursing interventions that promote movement of individuals toward optimal health.
Major emphasis is placed on the nursing care needs of the mid-age and older adult.
Using nursing process as a method of problem-solving, students identify human responses to physiological, psychological and sociological factors that impact health. The nursing lab provides students with the opportunity to acquire and demonstrate psychomotor skill proficiency. This course presents principles related to the communication process to enhance effective communication skills and to recognize the barriers to communication. Students will develop the therapeutic use of self as they learn the essential qualities, principles and phases of establishing the nurse-patient relationship. A variety of class activities and clinical experiences offer students the opportunity to develop critical thinking for use in providing nursing care to the adult population.