CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT
SYLLABUS 2013-2014
Instructor:
Kris Louque, MSN, RN, CNE
Office Phone:
757-766-1100 (ext 3391)
E-mail:
kris.louque@nhrec.org – best way to contact me
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday
7:15-7:30 a.m. and 2:45-3:15 p.m. (additional times can be
arranged if needed)
Location:
520 Butler Farm Road, Hampton VA 23666
Certification:
Virginia CNA Certification Program-VA Board of Nursing
American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR and First
Aide Course
Textbook:
Sorrentino, Remmert (2012). Mosby’s Textbook for Nursing
Assistants, 8th Edition. Missouri: Saunders /Elsevier
1.
Course Description:
The Nurse Aide course is an occupational preparation course for the
Certified Nursing Assistant Certification. Students study normal growth and
development, simple body structure and function, and medical terminology
and are introduced to microbes and disease. They receive skill training in
patient-nursing assistant relationships; taking and recording of vital signs;
cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and bathing, feeding, dressing, and
transporting of patients in hospitals and nursing homes. The course also
emphasizes advanced skill training in areas such as catheter care, range of
motion, bowel and bladder training, care of the dying, selected procedures
for maternal and infant care, and admission and discharge procedures.
Students learn diseases and body systems as related to advanced clinical care
of the acute medical-surgical patient, the chronically ill, and the elderly. Onthe-job instruction in a licensed nursing home is part of the course. Upon
completion of the nurse aide program, the student is eligible to take the
nurse aide certification exam that leads to employment as a certified nurse
aide in hospitals and nursing homes. Following the successful passing of
this course the student will be able to:
 Sit for the VA State Board Exam
 Communicate and interact on a one to one basis with their clients
 Demonstrate sensitivity to their resident’s emotional, social and
mental health needs through effective interaction
 Assist clients in attaining and maintaining as much functional
independence as possible
 Exhibit behavior in support and promotion of resident’s rights
 Demonstrate skills in observation and documentation needed to
participate in the assessment and care of their client’s health,
physical condition and well-being
2.
Instructional Philosophy:
The classroom will utilize a shared governance approach to decision making
which empowers students and professionals in taking ownership of their
work. The instruction will be a mix of lecture, discussion, role play, skills
demonstration, and clinical internship. The course will encompass both
professional and clinical applications. The course requires extensive study of
medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, basic care of patients, and a
strong geriatric knowledge base. Students will work independently and as
team members to complete various projects and competencies. Healthcare
related films and outside readings will be used to demonstrate concepts and
theories in the course. Classroom attendance and participation are
required and important for the completion of this course.
Assignments will require students to draw upon academic skills in reading,
writing, speaking and listening, mathematics, science, and computer
technology. The students will develop and use the following critical thinking
skills of reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Students are
expected to read all assignments and be aware of all required material
handed out in class. In the event of absences, it is the student’s
responsibility to contact the instructor for any missed work. Students
absent more than 2 consecutive days must contact me by email for
assignments while out of class. Long absences will put you at risk of failure
and difficulty in completing making up work. Students will have 5 days to
complete make up work. Make up work not completed will result in a zero.
Student assessments will be based on group work, journal writing, project
presentations, written reports, chapter tests, quizzes, and return
demonstration of skills. Library and internet research with appropriate
citations will be required. Students will be expected to participate in
remediation when necessary to complete assignments to meet course
standards.
The classroom will operate using a Shared Governance Nursing Model of
teamwork. Additional details will be explained at the beginning of class.
3.
Course Goals:
 To prepare the student to take the nursing assistant certification exam
by the VA Board of Nursing.
 To enhance research, writing, public speaking skills.
 To develop good customer service skills.
 To develop and master good team work skills.
4.
Major Course Concepts
Students will be evaluated weekly according to their employability skills which will be
outlined the first week of school. The VA Board of Nursing requires participation and
completion of at least 24 hours of instruction. More detailed information will be
discussed at a later date. The clinical facility will determine our exact dates; clinical
hours will be determined based on the needs of the facility. Clinical experience will be
performed during the 2nd Semester. Transportation to and from the clinical site is the
responsibility of the student. Students are required to maintain a Clinical Experiences
Journal which will be completed after each clinical visit.
5.
Instructional Delivery Plan
The following is a description of course requirements:
A. Quizzes: During each quarter, there will be a number of quizzes to
evaluate your current knowledge and understanding. The quizzes may be
multiple-choice, matching, true-false or fill in the blank. The quizzes are
designed to test your comprehension of the material being covered.
B. Unit /Chapter: There will be Chapter tests at the end of each Unit. The
tests will be in a multiple choice format to prepare you for the State exam.
C. Final Exam: There will also be a final exam at the end of the year based
on the CNA certification exam. These exams are multiple-choice.
D. Class Participation: Class participation is a very important element of
the learning experience. I expect all students to be actively engaged with this
class. I expect each student to contribute to class discussions and class
exercises.
E. Competency Exercises: Scenario Exercises and “Hands- On” Activities
include CPR and First Aid and clinical competencies. Students will be role
playing and are required to act as the professional, patient, and rater.
F. Homework: May be given to prepare you to discuss, understand and
clarify subject matter being presented. It is an important part of the learning
process. Homework not completed by the due date will result in a 50%
reduction.
H. Attendance: - Attendance is required and unexcused absences could result in
a failed course. All missed work must be made up. Please see the Student
Handbook for a detailed explanation of the attendance policy. An explanation of
excused absences is listed in the student handbook.
6. Assessment Plan
Grades for the course will be based on the following levels of performance
Grade
Performance Standard
A
Independent Learner
Did research, designed and planned; applied academic skills;
evaluated work and made adjustments; did quality work;
needed little help from the teacher, sought and found resources
independently; demonstrated knowledge with a grade of 90 or
higher.
B
Semi-Independent Learner
Did research, designed and planned; needed some help from the
teacher; did quality work with a few flaws; needed feedback
from the teacher to realize work did not meet standards; redid
work to meet standards; demonstrated knowledge with a grade
of 80 or higher.
C
Dependent Learner
Needed help to research, design and plan or had to be given a
plan; relied a great deal on the teacher; had to be given
procedures for performing tasks; required significant help to
produce a quality product; final product still did not meet
standards; demonstrated knowledge with a grade of 70 or
higher.
D
Supervised Learner
If projects were completed, they were of very poor quality; did
not adequately document procedures; did not show criteria for
determining quality; scored less than 70 on knowledge tests.
F
Failure
Did not complete projects; if projects were completed, they
were of such low quality that they did not pass; failed to
document procedures; did not show criteria for determining
quality; scored less than 60 on knowledge tests.
7. Student Evaluation
Evaluation Criteria:
Employability Skills
30% of grade
Employability skills equates to professionalism. These are the
necessary skills you will need to be successful in the workforce.
The overall employability grade is based on the following
factors: your ability to communicate effectively, your use of
time, your cooperation in class, your ability to follow
instructions, your ability to work independently, your care of
the worksite, your ability to follow safety rules, your
appearance in class, your ability for problem solving, and
bringing your materials to each class. Additionally, students
must demonstrate the following: reading skills on a level
required for employment in healthcare; writing skills on a level
required for employment in healthcare; speaking and listening
skills on a level required for employment in healthcare;
computer literacy skills on a level required for employment in
healthcare; reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making
skills; understanding the “big picture;” strong work ethic;
positive attitude; independence and initiative; self-presentation
skills; satisfactory attendance; and participation as a team
member to accomplish goals.
Related Instruction
35% of grade
Quizzes, unit exams, journal writing, research project,
worksheets, and other projects will be used to determine the
overall related instruction grade.
Clinical Competencies
35% of grade
Include clinical skills checkoffs as outlined by the VA Board of
Nursing
8. Course Fees
Activity fund
CNA pin
Smock/Badge
State Certification Exam
Criminal Background Check
$16.00
$ 8.00
$16.00
$94.00
$20.00
Total:
$154.00 made out to New Horizons REC
(due by 9/30/2013-payment plans can be arranged if needed)
Uniforms are required for the clinical rotation. Color and style will be decided
by the class and information given at a later date.
Other Essential Supplies
Composition Notebook- for journal writing
Flash drive- at least 2GB – with a ring to clip in binder
Flash Cards-helpful to review terminology
Head phones-for classroom video review
Computer Access- students will have computer based assignments they will need to
access computers at home, Home School or Library or after and before school here at
NHREC
******Please note that any of the above except course fees may be changed due to
feedback from the individual Shared Governance teams*********
Email addresses – If you have not yet made an email address, please do so now as
we will use it often during the year.
Free Resources – When signing up for these resources when it asks for occupation put
student or nursing student
Education Planner. Org- www.educationplanner.org - great resource for assessing
learning style and learning study habits (Students, Self-Assessments, What’s Your
Learning Style)
Advance for Nurses- www.advanceweb.com/Nurses - sign up for print or digital or both
– takes 6/8 wks to begin
Virginia Wizard- www.virginiawizard.org- site that offers a wealth of resources for
parents and students about colleges, resumes, and other information within the State.
Parents and students can both have accounts.
Health Journal - www. thehealthjournal.com- free health newspaper – it may be delivered
to your house or can usually be picked up free at doctors’ offices and some retailers.