Information Systems for Nursing
N684
Fall 2014
Schedule Number: 22432, 22433
COURSE INFORMATION
Class Days: Thursdays
Class Times: 7:00 to 9:40
Class Location: Hardy Tower 183/189 for Lecture/Lab
Professor: Willa Fields, DNSc, RN, FHIMSS
Contact Information:
Office Hours Days: Thursdays
Office Hours Times (and by appointment): 11:00
Office Hours Location: Hardy Tower 174
Course Overview
Information systems and information management in all aspects of nursing practice, including client
care, administration, research, and education. Ethics of computer use and the influence of information
technology on client care. User skills are emphasized.
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
 Discuss the evolution of computing in health care
 Discuss nursing informatics as a component of professional practice.
 Describe the components of a computer system, including input, processing, output, and
networking devices.
 Explain computer applications in all aspects of professional practice, including direct client
care, administration, research, and education.
 Examine effects of information technology, computer-mediated communication, and global
networking on professional practice and health care delivery.
 Describe current information systems in nursing and health care.
 Explain the information systems development process.
 Analyze issue of ethics, privacy, and security related to information systems technologies.
 Demonstrate ability to use computer applications, including word processing, spreadsheet,
database, and statistical analysis packages.
 Apply knowledge of the computer as a tool to the solution of a problem in professional
practice.
 Evaluate potentials for incorporating information technologies into future professional
practice.
Enrollment Information
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the School of Nursing.
Course Materials
Required Hardware and SOFTWARE
Access to a Windows or Macintosh multimedia computer. Preferably one that meets the SDSU
minimum computing standards (see http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~cetc/MinWSStandards2013.pdf).
In addition, the following will be needed to support course participation:
 E-mail system
 Microsoft Office 2013 preferred since the assignments are in Office 2013.
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High-speed Internet connection
Recommended Hardware and Software
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Backup system for computer files
Thumb drive
USB headset or computer with a microphone for participating in remote sessions
Required Texts
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American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.) Washington, DC: Author.
o APA Publication Manual Online Tutorials: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx
Saba, K., & McCormick, K. (2011). Essentials of Nursing Informatics (5th ed.). New York,
McGraw-Hill.
Samarth, A. (2013). Interoperability for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley. Available for free
download at http://www.iheusa.org/ebook.aspx
Miller, A. (2012). Securing Smartphones & Tablets for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley. Available
for free download at http://www.anti-malware.ru/files/SecuringSmartphones.pdf
Poastsy, M. (2014). Exploring Microsoft Office 2013: Volume 1. Upper Saddle River: Prentice
Hall.
o The Microsoft Office materials are a bundle from the publisher for the text and access to
MyITLab (the online web site for practicing and submitting Microsoft assignments). You
can purchase the bundle (hard copy text and access to MyITLab) from the SDSU
Bookstore. Check with the bookstore for the price. You need to create an account on
myitlab.com using the access code that came on the cardboard with your bundle. Do not
discard the cardboard with your access number until the course is over – technical
support uses the access code for support.
o If you do not need a hard copy or e-text book, you can purchase access to MyITLab at
http://www.myitlab.com/
o To register in MyITLab, you need your access code, Course ID fields72844, and the
SDSU zip code (92182).
o You must complete the MyITLab Getting Ready wizard to access the materials.
Downloading the files takes 15 minutes or more, depending on your internet connection
and computer.
o The MAC and PC Microsoft Office versions do not differ by that much. The class uses
the PC 2013 version. In past semesters students with MAC computers had some difficulty
accessing the materials since the program was originally written for PCs. You can use the
computers in the computer lab if you have problems with your MAC.
o If you do not have Microsoft Office 2013, it is not mandatory to purchase it, since the
exercises are completed online in MyITLab. There is not much difference between
Microsoft Office 2010 and 2013, although you might get a little confused between what
you are taught in MyITLab and what you use on your own computer with an older
version of Micrsoft Office..
o MyITLab tech support phone number: 800-677-6337.
o You must earn at least a 90% on each MyITLab graded assignments to receive course
credit. You can repeat the graded assignments as many times as needed to get a passing
grade.
Course Structure and Conduct
Lecture/Discussion/Computer Lab: face to face and on-line sessions; directed readings and
discussions; audio-visual presentations; demonstration/return demonstration, and written, computer,
and oral assignments.
The course has one lecture section and two lab sections. Course includes 30 hours of lecture and 45
hours of lab for a total of three graduate level course credits. See class schedule since scheduled in
class lecture and lab times vary.
All students are expected to attend the first class session, and encouraged to attend other sessions on
campus. If you are unable to attend a session on campus, you can remotely participate through
Blackboard (USB headset required to verbally participate) or listen to the recorded session at a more
convenient time. Participation will be monitored through Blackboard discussions and recorded
session data.
The lab component (MS Office 2013) of the course is competency based. Lab sessions are offered for
those students who want additional instruction on MS Office 2013 applications. You can participate
in either lab section. Students are not required to attend lab. Lab sessions are not recorded for remote
access. Students are required to demonstrate MS Office 2013 competency through completion of the
specified assignments online at www.myitlab.com
For successful completion of NURS 684, students are required to complete all course requirements.
Grade determination and due dates are specified below. Each assignment is worth 100 points. For
late assignments, the grade will be dropped 5 points for each day late unless prior faculty approval for
an extension has been obtained. Assignments may be submitted early. Submit a hard copy of the
literature search assignment. Submit the final paper and group presentation via email to
willa.fields@sbcglobal.net. Do not use the Blackboard drop box. Assignments are graded in the order
received. Once an assignment has been emailed, it is considered final, and no revisions can be
submitted. Group presentations should be emailed no later 4:00 PM on the day of the scheduled
presentation. Submit Microsoft Office assignments through MyITLab online.
Assignments
Class Participation
Purpose:
The purpose of class participation is to facilitate the student’s ability to analyze, synthesize, apply,
and critique class content with professional experiences and literature based evidence. Class
participation will be through in-class and on Blackboard discussions.
Requirements:
The student is expected to actively participate in class and laboratory sessions by making substantive
contributions to the content covered. You may attend lectures on campus, remotely during the live
class session, or remotely with the recorded session. You must attend the field trip to Sharp
Operations Center and at least five class lectures on campus, unless prior arrangements have been
made with the instructor.
Preparation:
Review literature related to weekly class content.
Grade: 5%
Evaluation will be based on class attendance (in class or online), quality of student participation in
class discussions, and demonstration of the ability to analyze, synthesize, apply, and critique
discussed concepts.
Conference/Webinar Writeup
Purpose:
The purpose of attending a conference or webinar related to informatics is to expose the student to the
broad range of informatics information available beyond NURS 684.
Requirements:
Attend of professional conference or webinar of at least two and a half hours on a topic related to
informatics. Email a brief summary of the presentation, and how the session related to the course
content, and what you gained from the experience to willa.fields@sbcglobal.net.
Grade:
Evaluation will be based on completeness of summary information. Grading will be pass/fail and a
component of class participation.
You are strongly encouraged to complete the assignments throughout the semester. Summaries are
due no later than 7:00 PM on the last class. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Literature Search Assignment
Purpose:
The purpose of the Literature Search assignment is to facilitate the student’s ability to utilize SDSU
library resources for a scholarly, electronic, literature search.
Requirements:
Choose a topic for your informatics paper (or you can conduct the search on your research class
topic), formulate a PICO or research question as appropriate to the topic, construct a table of related
terms, and conduct a literature search per process taught in class to answer the question from
CINAHL, MedLine, or other database. Follow the literature search assignment instructions in the
syllabus.
Submit the grading sheet, literature search write-up, search history (with number of results per
search), copy of first 10 listed references with the abstracts no later than the due date.
Do not staple the pages – use a paper clip.
Grade: 20%
Evaluation will be based the quality of the final search criteria and content in the assignment
materials. See Literature Search Grading Sheet for point distribution. Assignments may be submitted
before the due date. Late assignments will be accepted, although the final grade will be dropped by
five points for each day late after 7:00 PM on the due date.
Lab Assignments
Purpose:
The purpose of the MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access lab assignments is to reinforce student
understanding and expertise of these applications.
Requirements:
Follow instructions for graded assignments on MyITLab.
Grade: 20% (5% for each assignment)
You must earn a minimum of a 90% for each graded assignment in MyITLab to received credit. You
can retake the graded assignments for as many times as you desire. You are strongly encouraged to
complete the assignments throughout the semester. All MyITLab assignments are due no later than
7:00 PM on the last class. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Group Presentation
Purpose:
The purpose of the group presentation is to give students an opportunity to explore an informatics
topic in depth and demonstrate competence in PowerPoint presentations.
Requirements:
In 15 minutes or less, utilizing PowerPoint slides, present information on a selected informatics topic.
The presentation should be logically developed and include objectives, topic description, relevant
scholarly reports and research related to the topic, recommendations for nursing practice, conclusion,
and references.
Format slides on the master slide, number slides, use at least two different slide layouts and at least
one graphic and one table.
Email the presentation to willa.fields@sbcglobal.net no later than 4:00 PM on the day of your
presentation.
Presentation topic must be different from paper topic.
Grade: 15%
Evaluation will be based on instructor and peer ratings of the presentation and use of PowerPoint.
Peers will use the Peer Evaluation Form.
A half letter grade will be deducted for each three minutes over the allotted 15 minutes. It is the
students’ responsibility to be aware of the elapsed time.
Paper
Purpose:
The purpose of the paper is to synthesize the student’s informatics learning into a description of a
nursing practice problem that could be improved with an informatics solution.
Requirements:
The paper will begin with an introduction to the topic that sets the stage for the paper, describes the
significance of what is going to be written about, and clearly states the purpose of the paper. In the
following sections, with APA 6th edition style headings, provide a description of the problem
(clinical, educational, or administrative) being addressed, a proposed informatics solution that is
based on the current evidence in informatics, a description of the implementation of the solution and
barriers to be overcome, a description of how the proposed solution will be evaluated for success,
advantages and disadvantages of the proposed solution, recommendations for nursing practice, and a
conclusion. An abstract is not required.
The paper should be logically developed and grounded in published, evidenced-based literature. The
paper is to be written in MS Word and presented in APA format not to exceed 10 pages (excluding
the title and reference pages). Sample papers are posted on Blackboard.
Paper topic must be different from presentation topic.
The paper must be submitted electronically to the instructor’s email address on or before 7:00 PM on
the due date. Do not submit paper on Blackboard.
Grade: 40%
The paper will be evaluated on the clarity of writing, presentation and synthesis of concepts,
organization of content, and incorporation of evidenced-based literature. Evidence of critical thinking,
analysis of the literature, interpretations, inferences, and rationale for proposal is expected. Correct
spelling, punctuation, sentence/paragraph construction, use of MS Word, and APA style are expected.
See grading rubric for point assignment.
Papers may be submitted before the due date. Late papers will be accepted, although the final grade
will be dropped five points for each day late after 7:00 PM on the due date.
Course Assessment and Grading
GRADING SCALE
A = 93-100, A-=90-92, B+=87-89, B=83-8, B-=80-82, C+=77-79, C=73-76, C-=70-72, D+=67-69,
D=63-66, F=62 or less
Rounding points are at the instructor’s discretion.
REQUIREMENT
PERCENT OF GRADE
Class participation/conference
5%
Literature Search
20%
MS Office Assignments
20% (5% each)
Group Presentation
10%
Paper
45%
DUE DATE
ongoing
10/2
12/4
per sign up sheet
12/4
All assignments are due by 7:00 PM. Assignments submitted on the due date and after 7:00 PM will
be considered late. Five points will be deducted from grade for each day late.
Other Course Policies
STUDENT DISABILITY SERVICES
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is
your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in
the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as
possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide
accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from Student
Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.