Health Assessment: Acute Health Challenges
Curriculum guideline
It is the intent of faculty to facilitate student learning, and promote critical inquiry, reflection and analytical reasoning through a variety of learning processes such as online and audiovisual resources, hands-on practice, and simulation.
In this course, the holistic health assessment of adults experiencing acute health challenges including those associated with surgical experiences and the psychomotor skills commonly used in surgical nursing practice are the foci of discussion. The concepts and essential content that will be addressed relative to these topics are listed below. In addition, the core curriculum concepts are integrated in this course.
Holistic health assessment of adults experiencing acute health challenges in a surgical context with a focus on physical assessment
- Perioperative Care
- Comprehensive and focused assessment
- Neurovascular assessment
- Pain assessment
- Integumentary assessment
- Wound assessment
- Ostomy and peristomal assessment
- Gerontological considerations
Psychomotor skills commonly used in nursing practice with adult clients in a surgical context
- Pain management
- IV therapy
- Medication administration
- Mobilization
- Dressing changes (sterile field)
- Specimen collection
- Nasogastric tube
- Urinary catheters
Safety
- Review of safe work practice
- Infection transmission precautions
- Handling biohazardous materials
- Needlestick injury
- Cultural safety
Nurse’s role
- Consolidation, integration, and application of course and other nursing knowledge in simulated nursing practice experiences.
Concepts relative to health assessment to be explored include:
- Purpose
- Principles
- Engaging with clients
- Planning
- Rationale
- Implementation
- Evaluation
- Preventing complications
At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:
- Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills required for the holistic assessment of adults experiencing acute health challenges with a focus on the assessments of clients preparing for, undergoing, or recovering from surgery.
- Demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes and skills required for the safe implementation of a variety of psychomotor skills commonly used in nursing practice with adults in surgical nursing practice settings.
- Demonstrate the consolidation, integration and application of course and other nursing knowledge in simulated nursing practice experiences.
The course evaluation is consistent with Douglas College Evaluation Policy. A course evaluation schedule and other course evaluation information are provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline which is available to students at the beginning of each semester. This is a graded course.
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline which is available to students at the beginning of each semester.