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Nursing Program
N12 - Syllabus
Professional and Practice Principles in Nursing
Course Instructor:
Susana Machado RNc-OB, MSN
Office: Room S-215
Cell: (408) 840-1386 (for emergencies only)
Email: Susana.Machado@evc.edu
Last Updated: 1/08/23 - SM
Office Hours:
Friday = 11:00-12:00 pm (via Zoom)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
Course Information………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………….3
Course Descriptions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
Textbooks Required……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
Textbooks Recommended………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Student Learning Outcomes……………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Content………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
Methods of Evaluation..……………………………………………………………………………………..……………………..5
Attendance……………………………………………………………………..…………………………………..…………………….5
Grading Scale & Policy………………………………………………………………………………………..………………….….6
Student Success…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………….6
Missed Examinations…………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………….7
Policies………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……..……..…….7
Rules for Remote Exam Proctoring Software………………………………………………………………..……..…….7
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
Course Information
a. Units: 2
b. Prerequisites: N10- Nursing Fundamentals in the Medical-Surgical Setting with C or
better
c. Advisory Level: Math 013 or equiv.

Course Description
a. This course introduces students to professional dimensions of nursing practice.
Students will explore theoretical, philosophical, scientific, ethical and legal foundations
of professional nursing practice, as well as past and current issues affecting nursing
practice and healthcare delivery in USA.

Textbooks Required:
a. Black, B. P. (2019). Professional Nursing: Concepts and Challenges (9 th ed.) Saunders.
ISBN-13: 978-0323551137
b. ATI Bundle
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Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
a. Safe & Effective Care
i. Evaluate sources of evidence supporting professional standards and best
practices.
b. Health Promotion and Health Maintenance
i. Analyze the unique contribution of nursing to optimize health outcomes for
individuals, families, communities, and populations.
c. Professional Role of the Nurse
i. Analyze professional standards and legal/ethical principles guiding nursing
practice.
d. Physiological Integrity
i. Analyze the use of nursing process and clinical judgement to support decision
making for optimal health outcomes
e. Psychological Integrity
i. Evaluate the impact of social, cultural and historic context on personal and
shared experience of health and illness.
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
Content
a. Student Learning Outcomes are listed in the Course Schedule. Course lecture content
covers the following topics:
i. Review of Academic Writing Standards for Nursing Education
1. Academic honesty
2. APA publishing guidelines
ii. History and Current Social Context of Nursing
1. History of nursing
2. Social forces shaping nursing profession
iii.
Development of Profession
1. Attributes of profession
2. Entry to practice education
3. Professional roles in nursing
iv.
Introduction to Nursing Ethics
1. Principles of nursing and biomedical ethics
2. Frameworks for ethical decision-making
3. ANA Codes of Ethics for Nurses
4. Ethical issues in contemporary nursing practice
v. Legal Aspects of Professional Nursing Practice
1. Introduction to legal concepts
2. Professional self-regulation and nursing practice regulations
3. Health care regulatory framework
4. Legal issues in contemporary nursing practice
vi.
Culture in Nursing and Healthcare
1. Introduction to trans-cultural nursing
2. Impact of culture on health behaviors
3. Cultural humility and safety in healthcare (Implicit Bias)
vii.
Introduction to Nursing Theory and Science
1. Evidence based practice
2. Nursing theories
3. Nursing models
4. Application to practice
viii.
Evidence Based Practice (EBP)
1. Introduction to EBP
2. Sources of EBP
3. Application to practice
ix.
Healthcare Delivery in USA
1. Structure of healthcare in USA
2. Levels of care: primary, secondary, tertiary, long-term care
3. Health disparities and sources of health disparities
4. Vulnerable groups and populations
x. Advocacy for Better Care and Advancement of the Profession
1. RN as a patient advocate
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xi.
xii.
xiii.
2. Quality improvement
3. Health policies
4. Professional and labor organizations
Principles of Teaching and Learning for Professional Nursing Practice
1. Theories
2. Factors that facilitate or inhibit learning
3. Teaching / learning styles
4. Student learning
5. Application of the nursing process
Community Based Nursing, Health Promotion and Prevention
1. Understanding health promotion
2. Levels of prevention
3. Access to care
4. Collaboration and Healthy People 2030
5. Alternative / Complimentary interventions
6. Home health
7. Hospice
8. Application of the nursing process
Special Topic: End of Life Care
1. Physiological signs of death and psychosocial implications
2. Cultural aspects
3. Legal aspects
4. Application of the nursing process
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Methods of Evaluation
a. Evaluation of completion of each student learning outcome will be based upon
performance in the following:
i. Case Studies / Clinical Reasoning Assignments
ii. Discussions
iii.
Quizzes
iv.
Exams/Project
1. Must pass at least 50% of exams with a 75% or above to pass the
course. If the student does not pass a least one exam with a 75% or
above, the student will not pass the course and cannot receive a
grade higher than a “D”. Test scores will not be rounded up.
v. Other: ATI Practice & Mastery Tests – Community Health, Reading /clinical
reasoning assignments
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Attendance:
 Online attendance is not marked by your physical presence in a classroom, but rather by
your participation and engagement with the course activities and assignments. All
assignments must be completed on time unless you have prior arrangements with your
instructor for due dates etc. The Mandatory Orientation session has been prerecorded and
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you will need to watch it during the first week and complete the Orientation Quiz as proof
of completion.
Instructors may drop students from class if they do not complete assignments during
week #1 and do not contact the instructor prior to the orientation.
Students are expected to complete all assignments. Excessive absences (missing more
than two assignments) may lead to disqualification (being dropped) from a course by the
instructor even after the census date. A student who simply stops attending without
formally dropping the course may receive an unsatisfactory grade and may be required to
repay financial aid funding.
Students will receive credit for weekly assignments and forum post/s, late work on
weekly assignments and forum post/s will not be accepted with the following exception:
If a student is seriously ill s/he will only be able to make up the work if s/he has a letter from
a health care provider stating the student was ill and was unable to complete the
assignment AND the student has notified the instructor via email
(Susana.Machado@evc.edu) PRIOR TO THE ASSIGNMENT BEING DUE.
 Grading Scale and Policy:
A letter grade will be assigned based on the grading system adopted by the Nursing Department.
The minimum passing grade is C (75%). Grades will not be rounded up.
 Scale: 90% -100% = A
80% - 89% = B
75% - 79% = C
60% - 74% = D
Below 60% = F
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
Each student must pass at least 50% of the exams with 75% of the total points for the
assignment or greater in order to pass the course.
Student Success
a. We want you to be successful in this course. If you need such assistance, please contact
the Tutoring Center at Extension 6802. It is open on a drop-in basis from 8:30 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Fridays; and 10:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The Tutoring Center is located in the Library/Educational
Technology Center Building, LE-200. Please check to see if they have a nursing student
hired to tutor. This would be the ideal person for you to receive your tutoring.
b. Students are responsible for contacting the Tutoring Center. However, if you are having
difficulty making this contact or not satisfied with the assistance that you receive, please
let the faculty know. There might be other resources available to assist you. Do not wait
until the last minute to seek help. We know that students increase the probability of
success if they seek assistance as early as possible.
c. Evergreen Valley College is committed to improving student success and believes that all
students can succeed in their academic work and achieve their educational goals. Thus,
it has enacted an Early Alert Program allowing instructors early in the semester to notify
students who are struggling in their classes and who might be at-risk of not passing the
course. Once the instructor reports that a student is at-risk of failing the course, the
student will receive an email and a follow-up phone call encouraging the student to talk
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d.
e.
f.
g.
with his/her instructor, seek tutoring (if needed), and/or use other on-campus
resources available to students.
If you need assistance please contact the Nursing Student Success Coordinator. The
Student Success Program is designed to help students develop ways to be successful in
the nursing program and to be lifelong learners. Assistance is available during posted
hours and by appointment. Lab Co-coordinator is also a resource.
As a student, you also have access to Pisces/NetTutor Online Tutoring on Canvas in case
you need any tutoring. It should be found on the course navigation tree to the left on
Canvas. If you are having difficulties, please make sure you use this resource. Do not
wait until the last minute to seek help. We know that students increase the probability
of success if they seek assistance as early as possible.
Disables Support Program: If you have or believe you have a disability, such as a
learning disability or a physical disability, please consider visiting the Disabilities Support
Program (DSP) at Evergreen Valley College. They can provide special accommodations
to qualified students, and all disability information is kept completely confidential within
the DSP. A nursing student can receive accommodations without ever divulging the
nature of her/his disability and utilizing DSP could mean the difference between success
and failure in the nursing program. Some examples of accommodations are: extended
time on tests, use of a computer (in class and on tests), a priority registration. If you
qualify for accommodations and want to utilize them, it is your responsibility to notify
your instructor/s each semester concerning your specific needs. The DSP is located in
the Student Services Building, in room SC-120. The phone number is (408) 270-6447.
Your instructor is also available to assist students during office hours or at other times as
necessary. Please do not hesitate to contact her.
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Missed Examinations
a. All students are expected to take examinations as scheduled. The student must notify
his/her instructor prior to the exam time, if unable to take the exam. Alternative exams
may be administered to students with excused absences. Any student, with an excused
absence, must take the examination on the first day the student returns to school,
including clinical days. The grade a student achieves on the exam will be the grade the
student receives. No one will be allowed to retake any examination.
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Policies
a. The EVC Nursing Program adheres to all of the Evergreen Valley College policies and all
the policies and statements found in the EVC Nursing Program Student Handbook.
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Rules for Remote Exam Proctoring Using Respondus (Found in student Handbook)
1) Students are required to have: (i) Internet access, and (ii) a personal computer or an
equivalent device with a web camera and a microphone and (iii) Respondus LockDown
Browser to take the exam.
2) Students are required to complete Respondus Practice Quiz to test the compliance with
the minimum technical requirements. Failure to complete the test will prevent the
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ability to identify potential of technical problems at the time of exam and may result in
zero grade if the student is unable to complete the exam.
3) The webcam and microphone must be enabled and turned on for the duration of exam.
4) The use of computer(s) not used to take the exam, smart phones and other devices with
recording capacity is absolutely prohibited.
5) All devices with recording capacity must be removed from the room/space where the
student is taking the exam.
6) The exam questions and answers must not be read aloud.
7) Students are allowed to use disposable ear plugs, which must be shown and inserted in
front of the camera before starting the exam. The use of noise cancelling or any other
electronic headphones is strictly prohibited.
8) The room/space where the exam is being taken must be quiet and well lit. No other
person (an adult or a child), moving objects or animals can be present in the
room/space.
9) Food and drinks are never allowed in exam areas. Unless specifically cleared by the
course instructor, the use of note taking materials and other aids is not allowed.
10) Once the student completes the identification procedure, they are required to stay in
front of the camera until they complete the exam.
11) The identification procedure may involve presenting the valid EVC or government issued
ID in front of the camera, and 360 degree recording of the room BEFORE the start of
exam.
12) It is each student’s responsibility to arrange the testing space that meets the outlined
criteria and to ensure that they meet the technical requirements.
13) Any technical issue affecting the student’s ability to commence or continue exam must
be immediately reported to the designated course faculty.
14) Failure to comply with the proctoring rules may be treated as an act of academic
dishonesty.
Last Updated: 1/08/23 - SM