Outcomes:

After completing this class, students should be able to:

• Nursing VI, the final course in a series of three medical/surgical nursing courses, allows the learner to integrate the nursing theory acquired in all the courses that precede and are concurrent within this course. The emphasis is on providing comprehensive nursing care to a group of acutely ill patients who are coping with complex medical problems. Skill in utilizing the nursing process to plan care, which addresses the unique needs of the patients, is an expected outcome.
• Learning activities enable the student to work with clients whose health problems are associated with altered motor and sensory status, metabolic and/or hormonal imbalances, HIV/Aids infection, skin disease, and burns. In addition, nursing concerns related to the client with substance abuse or psychiatric health problems in the acute medical/surgical setting will be discussed. The student will learn about the care of the older adult. There will be focus on the biological and psychosocialcultural aspects of aging. Emphasis will be directed toward identification of deficits in basic needs and, in particular, how these deficits or problems impact the client’s functional ability. Skills in identifying individual resources and ways of coping with the resultant problems or need deficits is an expected outcome. Health promotion and illness preventions will be emphasized, in addition to a review of commonly occurring health problems. Lecture topics will also include a discussion of the attitudes of society and individuals toward older adults.
• The transition to the role of the professional practitioner as a provider and manager of care, with an orientation to the laws and ethics governing the profession, is a critical feature of this course. Experience in patient care management will be provided; emphasizing professional interactions