Teaching and learning and the concepts of pain, sleep and cultural issues are included. Clinical practice will be in acute and extended care facilities. Emphasis is on assessment skills and implementation of care using standard nursing care plans for commonly encountered nursing diagnoses. The role of the ADN on the health care team is included. It focuses primarily on healthy, non-institutionalized older adults, their accommodations to normal changes, commonly encountered alterations in health maintenance, prevention and screening programs and national and state health systems.
Students explore community resources for the support of the older adult.
Opportunities are provided for interaction with the healthy older adult to focus on psychosocial, nutritional, and mobility assessment. By the end of the course, students must demonstrate proficiency in calculating drug dosages. This course is the basis for continued learning of pharmacology in subsequent nursing courses. Discussion is directed at general mechanisms of action, clinical indications for use, common adverse reactions, general nursing implications, and significant drug interactions. Students are exposed to representative drugs of each class that are frequently used in clinical practice.