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. Prerequisites: Acceptance into the nursing program and completion of all 4300 level courses. Co-requisite NURS4435.

No required texts.

• 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.

Grading Scale:

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

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. 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.

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.

Participation in Classroom and Lab

Success in nursing courses is achieved with active participation; this means modeling positive communication skills that are civil and non-disruptive. Many of our classes with include active learning in the lab, you must actively participate in these activities to receive all of the participation points for the day.

Communication with the professor:

Communication for this course specifically is best accomplished through email (urgent clinical questions for 4435 is explained in that syllabus). Every effort will be made to respond to emails within 3 business days. If I have not responded in that time frame, please feel free to resend the email.

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.

• Nursing PDQ for critical care (2 ed). (2011). Phil., PA: Mosby.
• American Psychological Association ( 2010 ). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). American Psychological Association. ISBN: 1557988102
• American Psychological Association ( 2010 ). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). American
  Psychological Association. ISBN: 1557988102
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008). The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice.
  Washington DC: AACN available through
• American Nurses Association (2004). Nursing: Scope & Standards of Practice. Washington DC:
  Nursesbooks.org ISBN: 1-55810-215-9

Lippincott Nursing Procedures (2019). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Online resource through SUU Library

Refer to the Nursing Student Handbook posted on the SUU Department of Nursing homepage for specific policies and procedures related to program and course management and progress.

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 and clinical experiences. This includes managing your own fatigue when planning for driving before and after night shifts. 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.

The Professor’s Role is to: Clarify. Illustrate. Give examples. Emphasize certain points or topics. Assist the student in providing a framework for organizing information provided in the text and class. Establish deadlines for various components of the course. Provide you with opportunities to practice, sharpen, and present learned concepts and skills. Give you feedback on your academic progress in the profession of nursing. Help the student answer questions pertaining to nursing.

Although satisfactory academic performance is prerequisite to advancement, it is not the sole criterion in the consideration of the suitability of a student for promotion or graduation. Remember that you are in the program not just to learn nursing but to ‘become a nurse’. Appropriate professional behavior in all settings is an expectation of students in the nursing program. The Department of Nursing reserves the right to require a student to withdraw from the SUU Nursing Program if considered to be unsuited to proceed with the study or practice of nursing based upon unprofessional student behavior.

Online evaluations will be administered through canvas by SUU and are anonymous to the professor.

“Information contained in this syllabus, other than grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor” (Course Syllabus Policy 6.36, SUU). I will announce any changes to the syllabus in class. It is your responsibility to determine changes to the syllabus or assignments announced in your absence.