Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Summer Semester 2026

Foundations of Professional Nursing for the Health Professional (Face-to-Face)

NURS 3112-01

Course: NURS 3112-01
Credits: 2
Term: Summer Semester 2026
Department: NURS
CRN: 21110

Course Description

This course introduces theoretical, professional, and practice concepts that provide a foundation for professional nursing. Students will explore the historical developments of nursing; professional standards of practice; principles of health promotion, as well as develop testing, intervention, and health teaching/promotion skills. Must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better. (Summer)

Required Texts

Nugent, P. M., & Vitale, B. A. (2023). Test Success: Clinical Judgement and Test-Taking Strategies (10th ed.). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis

Supplemental Resources

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome Alignment: A list of learning outcomes for this course is found below. You will demonstrate your understanding of the outcomes through assessment criteria.

  1. Develop an understanding, appreciation for, and apply the lessons from nursing history.
  2. Develop an understanding of and apply basic legal and ethical standards of nursing practice.
  3. Develop a foundation for your individual professional nursing practice.

Course Requirements

Assignment Outline
  • Weekly Preparation/Participation-10%
    Students are active learners who take charge of their own learning by preparing for each class session and participating in class and other learning activities.
  • Nursing History/Theory Presentation-10%
    Nursing history and theories provide nurses with an understanding and perspective concerning nursing values and practice. Nursing history does not consist only of stories to be recalled and retold on special occasions only; rather, history is a vivid testimony of where nursing has been and the difficulties and struggles that brought us to this point. History can incite, instruct, and inspire today's nurses. Theory provides a framework and context to view, develop, and evaluate nursing processes and their impact on health care. History/theory presentations provide a way to share information and insights that inform current practice. First requested=first assigned. However, do not send your request when you are in class or it will be deleted.
    History/Theory Evaluation Criteria
    • Background of theory/theorist. Obtained instructor permission for presentation. Cover history of an influential person or theorist, or historical time in nursing’s past and the theory or impact that came about from that historical person or event. (5pts)
    • Explanation of theory- its principles and tenets. Apply student’s gained knowledge backed by cited references of the theoretical frameworks or impact of life example, list and explain the principle areas of the theory and what makes it unique from others, or how this historical event has had an impact on nursing. (5 pts)
    • Presentation (3 pts) Within the 5-7 minute period. Accurate, logical, clear presentation.
    • Scholarly work/ APA format (2 pts) Cite others work to back up writer’s thoughts, assumptions, and rationales. Format references according to APA standards, and remain free of grammatical errors in presentation. Submit two questions about important points of your presentation to the instructor at the conclusion of your presentation.
  • Class Pledge Development and Ceremony-5%
    Students demonstrate an understanding of ethical values of the nursing profession and commit to uphold those values by creating and taking a professional nursing pledge unique to the class. It is a huge step from being a pre-professional student to becoming a nursing student in a professional nursing program. An important aspect of the transition is the assumption of the values, obligations, and responsibilities attendant to becoming a member of the nursing profession. Ideals of nursing such as moral integrity, ethical values, standards, a nd caring are not something students are to acquire at some future point; rather they are ideals to assimilate now.
  • Test Success-15%
    Students apply a systematic process to develop and strengthen their skill in preparing for and taking examinations. Regardless of how good your heart or how skillful your techniques, you will not be able to practice nursing without passing the NCLEX-RN. Completion of the learning assignments in this text will help you prepare to be successful passing the NCLEX the first time. Complete the independent work assigned that you document in Canvas^ AND show completion of question sections to the student administrative assistant by the dates indicated*.
  • Teaching Presentation-15%
    An important aspect of professional nursing is teaching. Nurses contribute to the health and wellness of patients as they assess knowledge and provide information and incentive to patients to improve and enrich patient’s understanding, self-care ability, and decision making. Teaching is an integral and significant part of the provision of quality nursing care. Students will pick a basic health care principle, conduct a simple pre-teaching evaluation, present and evaluate their teaching outcomes.Submit your written teaching plan at the start of your presentations. Assure information is accurate and applicable. Follow your plan.
  • Care Transitions- 10%
    Students will receive orientation for participation in the Care Transitions program. Following orientation students will contact patients in the hospital, make home visits (in pairs), and complete discussions, teaching, and documentation for the visits.
  • Quizzes and Projects-15%
    Quizzes will be throughout the semester, usually at the beginning of class, to assess cumulative knowledge and new knowledge gained through reading assignments, class discussions and projects.
  • Final - 20%
    A written final taken at the end of the semester which will prompt reflection and evaluation of learning during the semester.
Grading and Progression

Grades will be determined in the undergraduate programs using the following grading scale. To progress in the undergraduate program, students must pass each course with a C (74%) minimum.

A100 % to 94.0%
A-< 93.0 % to 90.0%
B+< 89.0 % to 87.0%
B< 86.0 % to 84.0%
B-< 83.0 % to 80.0%
C+< 79.0 % to 77.0%
C< 76.0 % to 74.0%
F< 74.0 %

Course Outline

  •  due by 8am — Commenced Attendance Quiz
  •  — due by 11:59pm — Historical Presentation
  •  — due by 8am — May 21
  •  — due by 11:59pm — Test Success Chapters 1&2
  •  — due by 8am — May 28
  •  — due by 8am — June 4
  •  — due by 11:59pm — Test Success Chapters 3,4,&5
  •  — due by 8am — Care transitions
  •  — due by 8am — June 11
  •  — due by 8am — June 18
  •  — due by 11:59pm — Test Success Chapters 6,7,&8
  •  — due by 8am — June 25
  •  — due by 8am — July 2
  • — due by 11:59pm — Test Success chapters 9 & 10
  •  — due by 8am — July 16
  •  — due by 8am — July 23
  •  — due by 3pm — Test Success chapter 11
  •  — due by 8am — July 30
  •  — due by 8am — August 6
  •  — due by 4pm — Test Success chapter 12

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

Late Assignments
Papers/assignments are due at the time designated. Ten percent will be deducted from any assignment for each day it is late. Work will not be accepted after one week.

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance is required 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 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. In the case of medical emergencies, notify the faculty member ASAP.

Course Policies

Statement of Safety or Risk Assumption

You are expected to manage your own transportation and assume your own risks when traveling to and from classes, labs, or clinical experiences and when performing duties in class, lab, or clinical experiences. There are inherent risks involved in travel and in lab/clinical experiences. The most obvious risks are accidents, contracting infections or other communicable diseases, or workplace violence. Please take common precautions to prevent accidents, infections and violence.

AI Policy

AI not allowed: https://www.suu.edu/cti/academic-integrity-tools-and-statements.html

When students use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process for this course, students should only use these technologies to improve readability and language, or to generate a basic skeleton of ideas for assignment content. Applying these technologies should be done with careful oversight, and students should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate good-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased. SUU Policy#6.33 on academic integrity should be followed when using AI. If you are unsure to what extent to use AI as part of an assignment, please reach out to me before the assignment is due. If a student uses AI-assisted technologies, the student should disclose in their assignment the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the assignment by following the instructions below. This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc. If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement. Any assignment which has been determined by the professor (using the tools provided by SUU to monitor academic integrity) to have been created using these technologies which were not disclosed by the student is subject to failure.

Disclosure Instructions: Students must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by adding this statement at the end of their assignment:

Statement: During the preparation of this work [THE STUDENT(S)] used [NAME TOOL /SERVICE] in order to [REASON].

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.