Item for: Information PDC051219-6.2c
Appendix A
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER GRADUATE FIELD
Descriptions of Seven Courses
1. Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners 63-550
Pre/co-requisite - 63-581 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing
Seminar – 3 hours/week
Examine theoretical and practice related concepts in pathophysiology as a basis for advanced nursing practice.
Explore alterations in physiological function with an emphasis on age-related, acute, episodic, and chronic conditions found in primary health care practice.
Course Competencies
At the end of the course, successful students will know and be able to :
• Demonstrate of pathophysiological principles, including the clinical manifestations and physiological alterations of organs and systems involved in acute and chronic diseases relevant to primary health care.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the pathophysiology of principal systemic disorders, including the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, reproductive, integumentary, gastrointestinal and nervous systems.
• Integrate the concepts of pathophysiology as an essential foundation for advanced nursing management of clients during acute phases of illness, recovery and rehabilitation.
• Apply pathophysiological concepts to better understand, analyse and interpret diagnostic laboratory and imaging tests.
• Use pathophysiological concepts to explain epidemiological and geographical disease patterns in Ontario, thus understanding the influence of environmental factors on disease progression.
Evaluation measures
A passing grade of 70% is required for the course.
A 10 page written assignment is worth 30% of the final mark
The midterm exam (multiple choice, short answer) is also worth 30% of the final mark
The final exam (multiple choice, short answer) compromises 40% of the final course mark.
2. Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Roles and Responsibilities 63-552
Pre/co-requisite - 63-581 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing;
Pre/co-requisite - 63-583 Research Methods Nursing
Seminar – 3 hours per week
Compare and contrast advanced practice nursing and related frameworks to develop, integrate, sustain, and evaluate the role of the nurse practitioner within primary health care. Critically analyze and develop strategies to implement advanced practice nursing competencies ( research, leadership, collaboration, and health and social policy).
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Course Competencies
At the end of the course, successful students will know and be able to:
• Analyze principles inherent in advanced practice nursing specific to the role and scope of practice of the primary health care nurse practitioner and clearly articulate the role and scope of practice to nursing colleagues, other health care professionals, and the public.
• Demonstrate an ability to influence health and social policy regarding primary health care through comprehensive knowledge of the structure and function of the health care system.
• Examine the concepts of responsibility, accountability, and potential liabilities related to independent and interprofessional practice.
• Analyze and interpret ethical and legal issues according to legislation and standards of practice for the nurse practitioner in primary health care settings.
• Explore concepts essential to establishing the nurse practitioner as equal partner within interdisciplinary health teams.
Evaluation Measures
Letter of Intent: to explore potential government funding 10%
Business proposal: application for funding of NP position 30%
Scholarly Presentation / briefing to a major stakeholder: to influence change 10%
Health Policy paper: identify, research and analyze a current policy issue 20%
Final Exam: Multiple Choice and Short Answer questions 30%
3. Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis I 63-555
Pre/co-requisite – 11-63-550 Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners;
63-581 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing
Seminar – 3 hours per week
Clinical – 6 hours per week
Differentiate concepts and frameworks essential to advanced health assessment, clinical reasoning, and diagnosis in advanced nursing practice. Apply clinical, theoretical, and scientific knowledge in comprehensive and focused health assessment, including history taking, physical examination, diagnostic reasoning, and interpretation for the individual client’s diagnostic plan of care.
Course Competencies
At the end of the course, successful students will know and be able to
• Demonstrates advanced interviewing and history-taking skills using a diagnostic reasoning framework for the adult client.
• Integrates advanced physical assessment skills within focused and comprehensive assessments for the adult client.
• Demonstrates an awareness of the complexity of clinical presentations by using critical thinking skills.
• Select and interpret diagnostic and screening tests in the advanced practice role.
• Uses conceptual frameworks and evidenced based decision making to integrate and analyze health assessment findings.
• Formulate a provisional diagnosis and a diagnostic plan by synthesizing health assessment data.
• Communicate assessment findings and appropriate diagnoses.
• Collaborate and consult with members of the health care team.
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Evaluation Measures
Case Presentation Individual Case presentation with written paper submission 10%
Midterm Examination Multiple Choice and Short-Answer Questions
15%
Diagnostic Plan Learners working in partners
10%
OSCE Simulated Primary Health Care Case Scenario
25%
Final Exam Multiple Choice and Short-Answer Questions
40%
4. Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis II 63-556
Pre/co-requisite – 63-555 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis I;
63-581 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing
Seminar – 3 hours per week
Clinical – 6 hours per week
Integrate conceptual frameworks integral to advanced health assessment, clinical reasoning, and diagnosis in advanced nursing practice. Demonstrate substantive initiative, responsibility, and accountability in complex decision making for individual clients, groups, and/or communities within the nurse practitioner scope of practice.
Course Competencies
At the end of the course, successful students will know and be able to:
• Demonstrate advanced health assessment, diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision-making skills to formulate a diagnosis and diagnostic plan for specific populations across the lifespan.
• Select and interpret diagnostic and screening tests in the advanced practice role for specific populations across the lifespan.
• Collaborate with families and apply selected theories and evidence to the assessment and analysis of family structure, development and function.
• Apply selected community assessment frameworks to analyze data and formulate recommendations for community planning and development.
• Applies conceptual frameworks and evidenced based decision making to integrate and analyze health assessment findings for individuals across the lifespan, families and communities.
• Communicate assessment findings and appropriate diagnoses.
• Collaborate and consult with families, communities and members of the health care team.
Evaluation Measures
Case Presentation Individual Case Presentation with written paper submission 10%
Diagnostic Plan Critique Learners working as partners
10%
Midterm Examination Multiple Choice and Short-Answer questions
20%
Community Assessment Group Work for development of a community assessment 20%
Final Exam Multiple Choice and Short Answer question
40%
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5. Therapeutics in Primary Health Care I 63-561
Pre/co-requisite – 63-555 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis l;
63-581 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing;
63-583 Research Methods in Nursing
Critically appraise and interpret concepts and frameworks integral to pharmacotherapy, advanced counseling, and complementary therapies for common conditions across the lifespan. Develop, initiate, manage, and evaluate therapeutic plans of care that incorporate client values and acceptability, goals of therapy, analysis of different approaches, pharmacotherapeutic principles.
Course Competencies
At the end of the course, successful students will know and be able to:
• Apply a critical thinking framework in the assessment, planning, goal setting, implementation, monitoring, coordination, management and evaluation of select therapeutic actions for clients with predominantly common conditions and specific populations across the lifespan.
• Demonstrate sound knowledge and concepts of basic and clinical pharmacology with pharmacotherapeutics applied to clients with common conditions and specific populations across the lifespan.
• Demonstrate and apply knowledge of federal and provincial legislative parameters governing the prescriptive authority of the RN (EC).
• Demonstrate proficiency in prescribing and writing complete prescriptions.
• Develop critical decision-making skills to determine the need for referral and consultation with other health care providers for clients whose conditions are considered to be outside the scope of RN (EC) practice.
• Demonstrate proficiency in educating clients about pharmacological and non-pharmacological regimens, adverse drug effects, interactions, and client responses to these, for various categories of drugs, as legally
• authorized within the RN (EC) scope of practice including those conditions which are chronic but stable.
Demonstrate in client health education and counselling for clients regarding behavioural changes, wellness promotion, illness prevention, symptom management and changes in health status.
• Apply concepts of evidence-based practice, best current standards of practice, growth and development, diversity, client health education, complementary therapies and counselling in selecting and evaluating therapeutic options (pharmacotherapy, non-pharmacotherapy and counselling) for clients with common episodic and chronic conditions, and specific populations across the lifespan.
• Select and evaluate appropriate therapeutic interventions and monitoring with attention to cost, adherence, safety, efficacy, and simplicity in collaboration with clients.
Evaluation Measures
Therapeutics I
Theoretical component
Percentage of final mark Minimum required for satisfactory mark
TCP #1
TCP #2
5%
10%
In-class presentation of TCP #3 15%
Mid-term exam
Final exam
Total
Clinical component
30%
40%
100%
70%
70%
70%
70%
70%
70%
Learning plan draft
Final learning plan
Clinical Practicum 39 hours
Clinical logs
Mid-term clinical evaluation by
Tutor will provide recommendations
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
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preceptor
Final clinical evaluation by preceptor
Satisfactory
Self-evaluation report Satisfactory
6. Therapeutics in Primary Health Care II 63-562
Pre-requisite – 63-561Therapeutics in Primary Health Care I
Co-requisite – 63-556 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis II
Pre-requisite - 63-581 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing
Pre/co-requisite - 63-582 Advanced Statistics; 63 -583 Research Methods in Nursing
Seminar – 3 hours per week
Clinical – 6 hours per week
Integrate conceptual frameworks and evidence underlying the study of pharmacotherapy, advanced counseling, and complementary therapies for complex client situations. Demonstrate substantive initiative, responsibility, and accountability in complex decision making.
Course Competencies
At the end of the course, successful students will know and be able to:
• Apply frameworks of critical thinking in the assessment, planning, goal setting, implementation, monitoring, coordination, management and evaluation of select therapeutic actions for clients with predominantly common conditions and specific populations across the lifespan.
• Integrate sound knowledge and concepts of basic and clinical pharmacology with pharmacotherapeutics applied to clients with common conditions and specific populations across the lifespan.
• Interpret and apply knowledge of federal and provincial legislative parameters governing the prescriptive authority of the RN(EC).
• Demonstrate proficiency in prescribing and writing complete prescriptions.
• Apply critical decision making skills in determining the need for referral and consultation with other health care providers for clients whose conditions are considered to be outside the scope of RN(EC) practice.
• Develop and implement health education plans and strategies for clients about pharmacological and nonpharmacological regimens, adverse drug effects, interactions, and client responses to these, for various categories of drugs, as legally authorized within the RN(EC) scope of practice including those conditions which are chronic but stable.
• Develop and implement health education plans and advanced counselling strategies for clients regarding behavioural changes, wellness promotion, illness prevention, symptom management and changes in health status.
• Critically appraise and apply concepts of evidence-based practice, best current standards of practice, growth and development, diversity, client health education, complementary therapies and counselling in selecting and evaluating therapeutic options (pharmacotherapy, non-pharmacotherapy and counselling) for clients with common episodic and chronic conditions, and specific populations across the lifespan.
• Critically appraise, apply and evaluate appropriate therapeutic interventions and monitoring with attention to cost, adherence, safety, efficacy, and simplicity in collaboration with clients.
• Demonstrate proficiency in advanced counselling to assist clients with health problems attain optimal levels of functioning.
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Evaluation Measures
Therapeutics II Percentage of final mark Minimum required for
satisfactory mark
Theoretical component
TCTCP #1
TCTCP #2
In-lass presentation of TCP
#3
Counselling assignment
Final exam
Total
10%
10%
70%
70%
20% 70%
20%
40%
100%
70%
70%
70%
Clinical component
Learning plan draft
Final learning plan
Clinical Practicum 39 hours
Clinical logs
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Satisfactory Mid-term clinical evaluation by preceptor
Final clinical evaluation by preceptor
Self-evaluation report
Tutor will provide recommendations
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
Satisfactory
7. Integrative Practicum in Primary Health Care 63-595
Pre-requisite: All PHCNP courses; 63-581; 63-582; 63-583.
Seminar – 3 hours per week
Clinical – 32 hours per week
Synthesize competencies essential to advanced practice nursing to provide primary health care for clients across the life span. Demonstrate autonomy in decision-making, and critical analysis of organizational and system issues that influence scope of practice, professional accountability, and outcomes.
Course Competencies
At the end of the course, successful students will know and be able to:
• Synthesize knowledge and advanced clinical skills in pathophysiology, health assessment and diagnosis, health promotion, and therapeutics for diverse populations across the lifespan.
• Formulate comprehensive plans of care, including follow-up, consultation, and referral for clients with acute and chronic conditions.
• Incorporate theoretical frameworks in the assessment, diagnosis, and care of individuals, families and communities.
• Integrate client values and beliefs, research, experience, and resources in the provision of primary health care services.
• Apply the regulations, standards, and principles guiding the primary health care nurse practitioner scope of practice and role development.
• Develop strategies to promote the primary health care nurse practitioner role within organizations, incorporating advanced practice nursing competencies and ethical and legal considerations.
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Evaluation Measures
To successfully achieve a passing grade for this course requires submission of all assignments and forms, an overall minimum grade of 70% in the assignments/exam component and an overall "Satisfactory" grade in the clinical component.
Component Grade
Paper to critically appraise a research article related to the individual, team, and system/organizational factors that influence early NP practice and develop strategies to proactively reduce or eliminate one of the identified team or organizational barriers to practice. Due Week 5
25 %
Paper & Presentation to demonstrate application of family theory in the assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of a complex family situation.
Due Week 9
35 %
Final Exam to assess the learner's achievement of the overall program outcomes including the integration and application of knowledge in clinical decision making, problem solving, and critical thinking within the context of primary health care and the extended scope of practice. The exam will include multiple choice questions and case studies with short answer questions. The final exam is written during week 14.
40 %
TOTAL Assignments/Exam Component 100 %
Clinical Component
Includes:
• mandatory seminar attendance
• seminar leadership
• seminar participation
• mandatory clinical practicum. The clinical practicum is evaluated by the clinical preceptor(s) and tutor in collaboration with the learner, through direct observation, chart review, case discussion, and seminar participation. The tutor determines whether completion of the clinical practicum is satisfactory.
Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory (seminar and clinical practicum)
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