Reflection Artifact
For your portfolio contribution, please consider how you have developed the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable your achievement of the bachelor\’s/master\’s level nursing competency/ies listed in the syllabus. Then write a minimum of 1000 words describing how this course has helped you achieve these outcomes.
Welcome to your course in the School of Nursing at Aspen University! This course will build on your previous informatics courses to problem-solve complex nursing informatics problems. Issues that we will address include interoperability, integration, health information exchange, quality, meaningful use, electronic health records, education, underserved populations, public health and evidence-based practice.
Being Successful: The most critical strategy for being successful in an online course is to have a clear plan about how you will manage your time on a weekly basis. Most module assignments will be due each week, so this requires that you create a daily schedule for how you will approach the weekly tasks in each module. Please review this website for some tips on how to be successful in online classes: https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2013/01/14/5-tips-to-succeed-in-an-online-course. Below is an example of how you could organize your daily schedule to address the module tasks each week.
Tuesday: Review assignment descriptions for this week; Begin reading textbook and supplemental resources; Determine additional requirements for assignments (e.g., interviewing individuals, acquiring school related documents, observing others, etc.); Review the rubric for grading the assignments, if available.
Wednesday: Brainstorm and create outline for assignments based on assignments requirements; Identify needed resources; Continue reading textbook and supplemental resources.
Thursday: Create a substantive discussion posting, based on evidence-based research and post it according to the instructions in your course room. Finish reading textbook and supplemental resources; Start rough draft of assignments based on outline you created.
Friday: Continue writing; Support your claims with references, as needed.
Saturday: Finish rough drafts; Check to make sure assignments address ALL the components of the assignments description; Compare your draft to the criteria in the assignment rubric, if available.
Sunday: Start final drafts; Edit and revise rough drafts; Polish ideas and focus on organization, flow, and transition of ideas; Strengthen support for your ideas by providing solid citations. Finish virtual assignments, if assigned that week.
Monday: Review final drafts; Focus on mechanics, APA formatting details, spelling, grammar, etc.; Double-check that the assignments address ALL the components required of the assignments description; Submit assignments to instructor.
Finally, you should log-in to your online course every day to check on any updated news from your instructor or classmates, as well as answer and respond to the weekly Discussion Questions.
Instructor: Your enrollment letter from Aspen University provided you with the name and contact information for your instructor. Please refer to that email. Your instructor is a valuable resource who expects you to reach out if you are struggling. Because the instructor has expertise in the area being taught, do not hesitate to ask questions of your instructor.
Academic Honesty: Students need to read and understand the University policy related to academic dishonesty and plagiarism. All student work should be original and should include references where appropriate and use proper APA citation rules when quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing other sources or the thoughts and words of other individuals. Failure to follow this policy could result in dismissal from the University.
Course Description:
N490 – Issues and Trends in Professional Nursing analyzes the impact of economic, demographic and technological forces on health care delivery, and the concerns relating to ethical, legal, and social issues that influence nursing practice. A historical background gives perspective to current nursing problems, and future trends are considered in terms of their impact on roles and practice. Issues impacting professional nursing are examined within a framework set forth by the Institute of Medicines (IOM) five core competencies on quality and healthcare. The potential transformation of nursing practice in response to societal changes will be explored as well as the new opportunities these challenges have for career development.
University Mission and Goals:
The graduate from Aspen University
Exhibits self-directed learning that demonstrates professional behavior and ethics,
Functions successfully in multiple roles and teams showing cultural competence,
Exhibits a self-awareness of professional behavior through leadership and advocacy,
Demonstrates professional performance through research by using evidence-based practices, and
Leverages technology to produce high-value work products.
Program Goals:
The mission of the RN to BSN Program is to prepare nurses for a broader scope of practice, enhance their professional development, and provide a better understanding of the cultural, political, economic, and social issues that affect patients and influence care delivery. Nurses will be prepared to assume roles that demand critical-thinking, decision-making, communication, and leadership skills.
The goals of the RN-to-BSN program are to educate professional nurse generalists who emulate the following characteristics and behaviors:
Professional Behavior/Ethics: Develop a personal values system and value-based behaviors that include the capacity to make and act upon ethical judgments
Cultural Competence: Recognize the need for evidence-based knowledge and sensitivity to variables such as age, gender, culture, health disparities, socioeconomic status, race, and spirituality
Research and Evidence-Based Practice: Use research findings and other evidence in designing, implementing, and evaluating care that is multidimensional, high quality, cost-effective and leads to improved patient outcomes
Leadership/Advocacy: Work within organizational and community arenas to promote high quality patient care through organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement, and safety
Technology: Design and implement measures to modify risk factors and promote healthy lifestyles, utilizing emerging advances in science and technology
Anticipated Program Student Learning Outcomes:
The RN-to-BSN courses have been designed to meet the AACN Baccalaureate Essentials and to support the transition into the graduate-level nursing courses for those who wish to pursue continued education. The unique goals of the RN-to-BSN program are to prepare associate-degree and diploma nurses with the knowledge and skills to deliver safe, cost-effective, and quality nursing care. Upon completion of the RN-to-BSN program, students should be able to:
Analyze the impact of economic, demographic and technological forces on health care delivery, and the concerns relating to ethical, legal, and social issues that influence nursing practice.
Apply a solid foundation of research and theory, focusing on the interrelationships and application of these concepts to nursing practice, education, and leadership
Improve population health across the lifespan and across the continuum of healthcare environments through health promotion and disease prevention strategies
Explore leadership and management concepts that directly and indirectly influence the nature and functioning of the healthcare system and professional nursing practice
Assess health among a diverse patient population, devising strategies for the prevention and early detection of disease across the life span
Integrate professional values, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors into nursing practice
Professional Standards
AACN Baccalaureate Essentials:
Liberal education for baccalaureate generalist nursing practice
Basic organizational and systems leadership for quality care and patient safety
Scholarship for evidence-based practice
Information management and application of patient care technology
Healthcare policy, finance, and regulatory environments
Interprofessional communication and collaboration for improving patient health outcomes
Clinical prevention and population health
Professionalism and professional values
Baccalaureate generalist nursing practice
IOM Core Competencies:
Patient-centered care
Work in interdisciplinary teams
Evidence-based practice
Quality improvement
Informatics
Course Goals
This course has been based on the following learning goals. At the completion of this course, students should have the knowledge and skills to:
Explain the dynamics of history that have formed the current image and affected the role of professional nursing.
Describe challenges facing health care that impact the delivery of nursing care.
Discuss the role of the professional nurse in ethical and legal issues related to health care.
Assess the quality of health care as measured against the Institute of Medicines five core competencies
Adapt nursing practice in response to economic, demographic, and social forces
Identify strategies that promote the socialization of the nurse into a professional role.
Prerequisites: None.
Course Materials
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association(6th). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1433805615.
Blais, K. K. & Hayes, J. S. (2016). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (7th). Boston, MO: Pearson.
Course Structure and Calendar
Modules: A course is divided into 8 modules. Each module will present you with a topic, the associated sections in the text, and essay questions. Students should work to complete the course modules in order. All essays within a module must be submitted at the same time.
Important: University policy requires every student to perform a substantive assignment during the first week of every course to avoid automatic administrative withdrawal from that course. The purpose of the policy is to ensure every student: understands what the course covers; resolves any confusion about what the course covers; submits the assignment; and participates in a discussion. This exercise helps remove barriers to progress that can disrupt and discourage students.
Failure to respond to the Discussion Question by Day 3 and submit the First Required Assignment by the end of the 7th day of class after the official start date will result in an automatic administrative withdrawal of the student from the course.
Module 1: Nursing as a Profession
Module 2: Legal and Ethical Issues
Module 3: The Nurse as a Leader, Teacher, and Healthcare Promoter
Module 4: EBP, Quality and Safety Standards, and Politics
Module 5: Teamwork, Communication, Change, and Informatics
Module 6: Holistic, Cultural, and Spiritual Nursing
Module 7: Global Health and Violence
Module 8: Advanced Nursing Roles, Continuing Education, and the Future of Nursing, Self-Reflection
Module 8 will also provide you an opportunity to provide your instructor as well as the university with feedback on this course.
Course Assignments
Knowledge acquisition
Required reading- Each module will provide you with a section of the textbook that corresponds to the topics discussed in the module. Students must read this section prior to completing all other assignments or discussion.
Additional activities (e.g. internet research, videos, etc.)- Additional activities may be provided for the student based on the subject matter discussed in the module.
Knowledge and Skill Verification (Essay questions, etc.)
Content- You will be given a series of essay questions per module meant to encourage further contemplation on the topics discussed in the module and, in many cases, apply the information to real-world situations.
Length- Each essay question responses should adequately and completely answer the essay question posed. Specific length requirements will be given for each assignment. Students are expected to utilize the necessary length of the response in order to sufficiently answer the question.
Acceptable style and references- Essay question responses should be written using APA formatting, and all references should be provided. For more information on APA formatting, please see the Aspen University APA Style Guide.
Submission- Each module provides an Essay Questions and Submissions section in which students will find a list of associated essay questions for that module, as well as an assignment submission tool.
