Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Critical Care Nursing (Face-to-Face)

NURS 4430-01

Course: NURS 4430-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: NURS
CRN: 32882

Course Description

This course focuses on care of individuals across the lifespan with multiple complex health alterations. Students practice critical decision-making in a variety of settings. Must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better.

Required Texts

No required texts.

Learning Outcomes

  • Students will gain a cumulative knowledge of critical care nursing, acute and chronic disease processes, and nursing care associated with critical patients of all ages.
  • Students will demonstrate understanding and competency in hemodynamic monitoring, oxygenation, blood chemistry, ECG Monitoring, pharmacologic treatment and acid base balance of the critically ill patient
  • Students will develop effective communication techniques to educate patients about medical conditions
  • Students will be able to discuss the ethical and legal issues relevant to the care of medically complex patients.

Course Requirements

Evaluation and Grading
Attendance & Participation (includes active learning assignments and HURST review)15%
Assignments30%
Quizzes20%
Exam 1, 2 and midterm case study35%
Total100%
Grading Scale

94-100% = A 77-79% = C+
90-93% = A- 74 -76% = C
87-89% = B+ <74% = F
84 -86% = B
80-83% = B-

Passing Grade

A cumulative score of 74% or higher is needed to successfully complete nursing courses with a passing grade.

Grading Feedback

Every effort will be made to have all assignments, tests and quizzes graded within 7 calendar days of the date the assignment was due. Exceptions to this are the midterm case study which will be graded within 14 calendar days to allow for more significant feedback. Any other exceptions will be announced in the announcement section of the canvas course.

Description of Graded Assignments
Attendance and Participation

In this class we will have many hands-on opportunities and learning activities during our scheduled class time. Therefore, attendance in class is mandatory and points for attendance and participation will be assigned. The only exceptions are as mandated by the University for university excused activities (ie: required sporting events etc). It is your responsibility to obtain the information presented in class from another classmate or resource if you are absent. All assignments will be due on the date in canvas whether in class or not. Additionally there are 4 assignments that will be completed in class during lab activities. You must be present to turn these assignments in and get credit for them. Make up will not be provided.

HURST Review

Attendance at the HURST review is required and points for it are assigned to one of your courses. This semester that assignment is in this course. There are points assigned and they will be divided up by days and number of times that faculty check on you during the HURST review. You will lose points for missing and for being late (in the morning and after lunch) or leaving early. These points are combined in with attendance and participation throughout the semester for this course, but are worth approximately 4-7% of your total grade in this class.

Exams

Exams will be given as scheduled in the course calendar. They will be administered on canvas and you will complete them on your own time. They are open resource but are to be individual effort and not taken together with another classmate. If you have not completed your exam 2 by the date and time assigned on finals week, you will come take it in class and will be closed resource. Additional instructions will be given in class.

Assignments

Assignments will be available in canvas. Assignments are case studies or other assignments and instructions will be given on canvas and in class. Assignments are to enhance thought processes, critical thinking skills and working through a critical illness in a methodical way. Points are generally given for critical thinking in the case study more so than specific correct answers. Due dates and specific instructions for each assignment will be available in canvas. You are expected to complete these individually.

Quizzes

Quizzes will be given each week that are due prior to class. These quizzes are on pre-class content that hasn’t been covered in class yet. This is to encourage you to do the reading each week. The quizzes are open, not timed and you may open them several times (although you may only submit them once). They are to be used as a study guide as to what topics you may want to focus on for the pre-class content. They are online, on canvas, and due 8 am the morning of class.

Course Outline

Topics that will be covered:
Trauma Assessment
Airway/Ventilation
Respiratory disorders
Cardiac disorders
EKG interpretation
ABG's
Neurology
Liver diseases
Kidney diseases
Toxicology
Endocrine disorders
Hyperthermia
Hypothermia

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignments

Papers/assignments are submitted through canvas and are due at the time designated by faculty. No late work will be accepted.

Do not email assignments to the professor or instructor. Assignments emailed to the professor or instructor will not be graded and will receive a zero score. With unforeseen circumstances, you may not be able to submit an assignment on the designated due date. It is your responsibility to notify the instructor and negotiate a reasonable alternate due date. The grade will reflect a zero for all missed work or testing.

Make-up Work

Make-up work for extra credit or in place of missed assignments for theory classes will not be provided.

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance is strongly encouraged at all classes and course-related experiences. Missing class is a choice that you make. Consequences of missing class include but are not limited to: missing in class activities, missing important information, participation points being subtracted from grade, missing in class quizzes, etc. If you know you are going to miss class in advance, the faculty should be notified in advance. If you are ill and need to stay home from class you will be expected to join the class synchronously through zoom. It is your responsibility to let the professor know before the class starts. You may call or text me, especially if it is just prior to the class starting. If I do not respond, assume I have not received it and attempt to contact a classmate that can relay the information. Generally speaking, zoom will not be recorded for later viewing, you must attend synchronously. Participation points will not be given for attending on zoom.

Prerequisites, Co-requisite, and Registration Restrictions

Prerequisites: Completion of level 3 courses
Corequisites: Level 4 courses

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.