Professional Nursing Internship and Seminar
Course Syllabus – Spring 2016
Credits:
12.0 hours
Internship Dates:
January 14, 2016 - April 23, 2016
Time:
The clinical hours to be arranged based on preceptor schedule.
Location:
University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System
1740 W Taylor Chicago, Illinois 60612
Seminar Dates:
January 12, 2016 - April 26, 2016 Tuesdays
Time:
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM and otherwise indicated
Location:
Chicago Semester (Burnham)
Faculty:
Nursing Coordinator and Seminar Instructor:
Michelle McClure, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
E-mail: michellem@chicagosemester.org
Office: 312.922.3243
Cell: 773.850.0424
(No text messages allowed. No calls after 9PM except in an emergency)
Disclaimer: Changes in the syllabus and/or schedule may be made at any time during the term by
announcement of the faculty. A revised syllabus may be issued at the discretion of the faculty.
Notify faculty at the first sign of concern with internship experience, lack of ability to meet course
outcomes, or issues that cannot be addressed with your preceptor. Contact the faculty as needed
for any issues or concerns via phone or email.
Course Description
The Nursing Internship and Professional Seminar is an off campus program, supervised by the
coordinator of nursing in cooperation with Hope College and a contracted healthcare agency. It is
designed to deepen the student’s socialization into professional nursing and will focus on issues and
services related to healthcare in an urban context as well as leadership and management roles that enhance
the transition from the student role to the professional RN. The students complete an internship from a
wide range of quality clinical specialties of their choice to synthesize the concepts and philosophies of
nursing from previous college courses and to develop competencies and skills that are necessary for the
beginning roles of the professional nurse. The nursing students will have approximately 32 hours a week
of internship mentored by a designate bachelor prepared registered nurse preceptor(s) and the Chicago
Semester faculty. In addition, students will have a weekly professional seminar that will primarily focus
on NCLEX review and discussions of the professional nurse, social justice and healthcare, Christian
worldview, diversity, vocation, and social justice.
Program Outcomes / Learning Objectives
Chicago Semester Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Chicago Semester program we expect graduates to be able to:
1) Apply Christian worldview concepts (wonder, heartbreak, hope) to city life
2) Demonstrate an appreciation for diversity encountered in the city
3) Articulate the meaning and significance of a vocational calling
4) Exhibit high standards of professional behavior and competence
5) Practice responsible citizenship that contributes to social justice
Nursing Internship and Seminar Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course we expect graduates to be able to:
1. Identify the role of the professional nurse as a leader in the profession and health care delivery.
2. Identify the relationship between social justice and citizenship and nursing practice-focusing on
minority health, environmental health, poverty, medically underserved, and uninsured
populations.
3. The students will score a national norm on the ATI tests.
4. Synthesize knowledge from previous college courses to provide evidence based nursing care
5. Utilize the nursing process to provide safe patient care.
6. Engage in the role of professional nurse and incorporate behavior into practice.
7. Promote health of individuals, families, groups, or communities considering the role of the city.
8. Demonstrate accountability for personal and professional development.
Accommodations for Disability
Chicago Semester will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented
disabilities. Students can alert us in the “Additional Information” portion of the Application Form prior to
their coming, or they can notify the Director privately if necessary. Students should also alert their
instructors during the first two weeks of class so that accommodations can be made. For further
assistance contact the executive director of Chicago Semester.
Textbooks
Required:



ATI Content Mastery Series Review Modules
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication of the American psychological
association. (6th ed.). Washington, D.C: Author
Any handouts, journals articles or PowerPoint presentations given in class or posted on Moodle
Recommended – All previous textbooks
Clinical Placement Requirements
The student is responsible for obtaining any facility mandated screening and training prior to starting the
internship. All students must present evidence of current TB screening, immunizations (MMR, Varicella,
Hepatitis B, Tetanus, and Influenza), CPR, and certified background check and sanctions check with 10
panel drug screen.
University of Illinois Health LMS Electronic Orientation
Dress Code
The dress code of Chicago Semester at the internship site is the same as that of Hope College of Nursing.
The students are required to wear their uniform with a patch identifying the school of nursing and be
identified by a photo I.D. badge. Students in specialty areas will wear dress appropriate to the special
nursing setting.
Attendance
Attendance at Internship and the Seminar is mandatory. It is the student's responsibility to be prepared
and on time for all seminars and clinical experiences. A pattern of absences may result in a lowering
of the course grade.
Students who are absent from class are expected to notify the nursing faculty by e-mail or phone
in advance. Please do not come to class if you are ill. Faculty reserves the right to ask for
verification of absences due to illness, family emergencies, etc.
Students who are absent from class are responsible for class content and obtaining handouts.
Students must notify the faculty and their preceptor immediately in the event of absence from
clinical. Students are expected to notify their hospital unit and preceptor if they will be absent or late for
a scheduled shift. Calls should be made at least one hour prior to scheduled shift. Students are expected
to notify faculty with the scheduled make-up shift if they are absent.
There will be no last minute changes in the schedule except in cases of emergencies. If the preceptor
changes the schedule, the student must notify the faculty 24 hour prior to the change.
The policy regarding the makeup work for absences is determined by the clinical faculty.
In addition to the assigned clinical practicum and professional seminar, other learning experiences may be
scheduled. All students are expected to participate.
Academic Integrity
Policies can be found in the Chicago Semester Student Handbook
Assignments
Complete details are located in Moodle
ATI Exams
 Proctored and Non-proctored exams. Each week will require an average of four hours of personal
study time in addition to the 2 hour lectures.
 Laptops will be needed on testing days for class.
 To help assure your success in passing NCLEX-RN, achievement of Level 2 or 3 is preferred on
ATI exams. Students achieving Level 1 or below will be encouraged to complete remediation. ATI
Assessments will be a proctored exam per policy in the Hope CON Student Handbook.
 Online Practice Assessment IDs and Passwords can be found on Moodle.
Journals - The journal is a medium for thoughtful conversation—with yourself, your faculty, and, at times,
maybe your Professional Seminar Group. The exchange can lead to some new insights for all of us.
Reflection is what allows us to learn from our experiences: it is an assessment of where we have been and
where we want to go next.
Weekly Clinical Logs / Schedule
 The student is responsible for maintaining an accurate schedule of upcoming shifts to be submitted to
the clinical faculty prior to the shifts worked. Students will arrange there schedule according to the
preceptor schedule. Students need to turn in a copy of the schedule days they will be on the nursing
unit to the clinical faculty. Clinical faculty must have the schedule no later than 2 weeks before the
time indicated to allow time to plan site visits. If the student changes these times with the preceptor,
they must notify the faculty 24 hour prior to the change. If the student needs to call off, they must call
in to the unit to notify the preceptor, and the clinical faculty member 1 hour before the beginning of
the shift. Late calls or failure to call will reflect on the final internship grade. This is considered a
formal document to be treated with honesty and respect for accuracy and timeliness. The schedule
should be updated as needed prior to the student working the shift, with an exact start-time and endtime of the shift.
 The student is responsible for keeping a log of your clinical hours to be submitted to the clinical
faculty.
 The form can be found on Moodle.
Practicum Plan /ILC
Nursing Portfolio
Case Study
Late assignments
Students are expected to check the course calendar and Moodle for assignment due dates.
All assignments are due on designated dates. Assignments more than 3 days late will not be accepted.
One point will be deducted for each working day or fraction thereof if an assignment is late. The Case
Study presentation and Nursing portfolio will not be accepted late. Changes will be announced in the
professional seminar. Late assignments: schedules, logs, and ILC should be scanned and emailed with the
original copy submitted the next seminar.
Evaluation
Grading Rubrics/Criteria
Assignments will be evaluated using the grading rubrics/criteria posted in the Course Documents section on
Moodle.
The following rating will be used to assess course requirements.
Grading Scale
Excellent – 4
A
90-100
Proficient – 3
B
80-89
Developing Proficiency – 2
C
70-79
Under-developed – 1
Fail
<70
Criteria
Exceeds
expectations
Meets and /or
occasionally
exceeds
expectations
Sometimes meets
expectations
Does not meet
expectations
The final grade for the professional seminar/internship experience will be based on one third of the
seminar grade and two thirds of the practicum.
Course Grade
100%
Internship (Practicum)
75%
Midpoint and Final Evaluation
Practicum Plan (ILC)
35%
5%
Internship Journals / Practicum Logs
15%
Case Study
15%
Nursing Portfolio
5%
Seminar
25%
ATI Exams
20%
Critical Thinking –
Fundamental - 5%
Pharmacology - 5%
Comprehensive - 10%
Class Participation
5%
Practicum Evaluation Forms will be collected at midpoint and at the end of the semester. A satisfactory
evaluation is required in order to complete the Chicago Semester program. Students must schedule a
midpoint evaluation and final evaluation with their preceptor and clinical faculty. At your halfway
evaluation, the student must determine with the preceptor a plan for successful completion of the
internship
Nursing Seminar and Internship Schedule
Week
1
Date
1/12/16
Topics
Orientation - Introduction
Review of the Syllabus
Readings
Syllabus
Assignments Due
Introduction
Verify you have accessed the
syllabus
2
1/19/16
Seminar: Role of the Professional
Nurse
MLK Day off - 24hrs of Internship
3
1/26/16
Seminar: A Place Matters
ATI Exam: Critical Thinking
4
2/2/16
Seminar: Cardiovascular
ATI
Online Practice Exams /
Completed ILC
Reflection Journal / Log #1
5
2/9/16
Seminar: Respiratory
ATI
Online Practice Exams
6
2/16/16
Seminar: GI
ATI Exam: Fundamentals
ATI
Online Fundamentals 2010 A/B
Online Practice Exam
7
2/21/16
Seminar: Hull House (Sunday)
Mid – Evaluations
8
3/1/16
Seminar: Nuerosensory
Mid – Evaluations
ATI
Online Practice Exams
Midpoint Evaluation
Journal - Hull House / Log #2
9
3/8/16
Seminar: Maternal –Child
ATI Exam: Pharmacology
ATI
Online Practice Exams
10
3/15/16
ATI
11
3/22/16
Online Practice Exam
No Internship Today
Online Practice Exam
12
3/29/16
Seminar: Renal
Service Project 3/16/16
Seminar: Electrolyte
24hrs of Internship / Day off 3/25/16
Happy Easter
Seminar: ATI Exam: Comprehensive
24hrs of Internship / Day off 3/28/16
13
4/5/16
Seminar: Career Development
14
4/12/16
Seminar: ATI Exam: Comprehensive
15
4/19/16
Seminar: Case Study Presentations
16
4/25/16
Final Class – Alumni Panel
Student to Professional
Preceptor Contact information
Discussion: Reflect on the Image
of Nursing
Video
Midpoint Evaluations
Midpoint Reflection
ATI
ATI
Online Practice Exams
Reflection Journal / Log Due #3
Vocation and Paid Work
Shuurman’s Discerning Our Callings
Journal # 4: Vocation
ATI
See Moodle
Nursing Portfolio
Final Evaluations
Final Reflection / Log
.
Practicum Plan / Internship Learning Contract
Purpose
The Practicum Plan is an individualized plan developed by the student in conjunction with the
preceptor and the faculty member. The Practicum Plan provides an opportunity for students to
customize the learning experience based on their personal interests, their learning and skill
development needs, and the opportunities for experience in their placement area.
It also provides experience in planning, goal setting, and evaluation that can be applied in work
with clients.
Process
The preceptor and student are to begin to develop a learning plan during the initial weeks of the
course and submitted in the seminar week 4 of the course. The practicum plan should identify the
individual learning needs and experiences of the student and the unique learning opportunities
available on the unit that will meet the student’s learning needs.
Development
A minimal of four learning objectives should be specified. Indicate the planned learning
activities that will allow the student to acquire the knowledge or skill needed to meet the
objective, indicate the criteria by which the student’s efforts to attain the objective will be
evaluated, and indicate the date by which the objective is to be attained.
 Utilize the form posted in Moodle. It will require more than 1 page.
Professional Nursing Portfolio
This is designed to empower you as you launch your career. A journal of your
accomplishments.
Criteria
1. Place in a three ring binder (simple and professional). Suggest using protector sheets.
2. Organize your data into sections - Suggested
a. Quick Reference Biographical Data: name, address, contact information, license
b. Resume
c. Practicum Summary if not on resume
d. College Transcripts
e. Competency Checklist
f. Evaluations
g. References and recommendations
h. List of Volunteer Work and positions with documentation
i. List of Professional Organizations and positons with documentation
j. List of Conferences attended with documentation
k. List of In-services attended with documentation (may not apply at this time)
l. Samples of academic work i.e. research and educational projects such as inservices
m. Health Records
n. Awards
o. Thank-you notes and letters from patients, families, and colleagues
3. Place a table of contents in the front.
4. Label each section with binder tabs
5. It is good practice to place the resume at the beginning of the portfolio because this has
your name and contact information on it.
6. Organize each section in chronological order, if possible.
Case Study
You are to choose one patient and complete a comprehensive case study. The case study will include
a neighborhood visit and community assessment. You can’t understand Chicago unless you see its
neighborhoods. So, as part of the nursing practicum seminar, you will visit and explore a
neighborhood of one patient. No paper will be required. This case will be an oral presentation. It
should reflect the student ability to interpret and analyze the data. The grade for this case study
will account for 10% of each student’s final grade. This is a group project. Sign up is posted in
Moodle.
*****Important*****
Section
Introduction
Information to Include

(Patient And
Problem)


History




Where Do They
Live




Explain who the patient is (Identify each patient in terms of
DOB, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, education,
religion, employment, income, insurance
Indicate each patient's primary and secondary diagnoses, as
well as the patient's reason for seeking health care (What
brought them to the hospital)
Explain the disease (What are the risk factors? What causes it?
What are the symptoms?)
Past Medical History - (past illnesses injuries and
hospitalizations. Has she/he been diagnosed with other
diseases?) Detail any and all previous treatments / or is he/she
on medication?)
Surgical History – previous surgeries
Family History
Social History
Neighborhood visit – Take photos
General demographics can include: population age race,
ethnicity, gender, income, employment, unemployment, and
educational attainment of the community.
Discuss the physical environment (boundaries, housing,
transportation, condition of environment, sanitation,
workplaces, recreational facilities, schools, places of worship,
and health services, library law enforcement, fire dept, crime
and communication, grocery sores
Live births, deaths, communicable diseases, non-communicable
diseases, leading cause of death
Points
10
10
20


Current
Medications
Laboratory
Data/Diagnostic
Other public health issues
Determine problems / strengths
List medications and explain why the patient is on each drug and
relevant nursing assessment & monitoring required
5
Identify normal & abnormal findings with appropriate
interventions.
5
Tests
Nursing Physical

List all the patient’s health stats in sentences with specific
numbers/levels (vital signs, bowel sounds, ambulation, etc.)
5

Explain what treatments the patient is receiving because of
his/her disease
5



Nursing Diagnosis & Patient Goal
Explain what your goal is for helping the patient recover
Nursing Interventions - Explain how you will accomplish your
nursing goals, and support this with citations
Patient / Family Education - (Reference the literature)
Evaluation - Explain how effective the nursing intervention was
(What happened after your nursing intervention? Did the patient
get better?)
Assessment
Related Treatments
Nursing Care Plan

Recommendations
APA Format
Total Points

Explain what the patient or nurse should do in the future to
continue recovery/improvement both individual / community




References
Grammar, clarity, and spelling
Organization and clarity
Case study presented on designated date
20
10
10
100
Patient confidentiality must be maintained throughout presentation. Use patient’s initials or fake
name. Please do not use any reports with the patient’s name. Any breech in HIPPA/ confidentiality will
result in a grade “0” for this presentation. Any questions or concerns please contact the instructor
prior to submission.