Competencies and Learning Objectives
Course Competency 1: Differentiate scopes of practice within the nursing profession
Learning Objectives:
- Differentiate among levels of nursing education and scopes of practice, including the roles of LPNs, RNs, and UAPs
- Identify the ethical and legal boundaries of the student nurse as outlined in the ANA Code of Ethics and Nurse Practice Act
- Discuss behaviors and practices that support or violate client confidentiality, including HIPAA compliance
- List the roles and contributions of healthcare team members and how nurses collaborate across disciplines
- Explain how evidence-based practice contributes to quality patient care
- Describe factors that contribute to quality in client care and how it influences patient outcomes and safety
Course Competency 2: Investigate elements of a safe care environment
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss safety considerations across the adult lifespan, including developmental stage, sensory and cognitive status, and environmental risks.
- Summarize the purpose and importance of safety regulations and evidence-based practices in maintaining safe healthcare environments.
- Describe how cultural, social, and individual factors influence perceptions and approaches to safety in healthcare.
- Examine ethical, legal, and clinical factors that influence restraint use in patient care.
Course Competency 3: Use professional communication techniques
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the principles and goals of therapeutic communication in nurse-patient interactions
- Describe factors that influence how communication is adapted across diverse clients, interprofessional teams, and clinical situations
- Describe characteristics of evidence-based resources used in nursing practice
- Recognize commonly used medical terminology and abbreviations used in clinical communication.
- Explain the purpose of structured communication tools in promoting patient safety
- Summarize the importance of accurate and timely documentation in relation to legal and professional nursing standards
Course Competency 4: Identify principles of the nursing process, critical thinking, and clinical judgement
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the purpose and sequence of each step in the nursing process (ADPIE)
- Identify how each phase of the nursing process contributes to the client-centered plan of care
- Explain how clinical reasoning and client needs guide prioritization of nursing actions
Course Competency 5: Adapt nursing practice to meet the needs of diverse clients in a variety of settings
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the impact of cultural, developmental, and social factors on individualized nursing interventions
- Describe best practices that promote and protect client dignity
- Discuss how physical, emotional, social, and cultural factors contribute to holistic care
- Discuss strategies nurses use to advocate for client rights
- Describe ways nurses can identify and address clients’ religious and spiritual needs
Course Competency 6: Examine nursing care for clients with sleep, rest, and mobility alterations
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for sleep, rest and mobility issues
- Discuss signs and symptoms indicating alterations in sleep, rest, and mobility
- Utilize non-pharmacological strategies in creating individualized plans for clients with sleep, rest, and mobility alterations
- Discuss the physiological effects of immobility on body systems
- Identify nursing strategies to prevent complications of immobility
- Apply strategies that support clients’ sleep, rest, and mobility needs within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 7: Examine nursing care for clients with comfort alterations
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss signs and symptoms indicating alterations in comfort and pain across the lifespan
- Describe best practices for pain management, including safe pharmacologic and opioid use
- Utilize non-pharmacological strategies in creating individualized plans for clients with comfort alterations
- Apply strategies that support clients’ comfort needs within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 8: Examine nursing care for clients with nutritional, fluid, and electrolyte disturbances
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte disturbances
- Discuss signs and symptoms indicative of disturbances in nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte balance
- Apply common laboratory and diagnostic test results used in the assessment and management relevant to nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte status
- Explain the physiological roles of essential nutrients and their importance to client health
- Discuss the role of nutritional supplements and interventions in managing nutrition alterations
- Apply strategies that support clients’ nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte needs within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 9: Examine nursing care for clients with commonly occurring elimination
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for alterations in urinary and bowel elimination
- Discuss signs and symptoms related to alterations in urinary and bowel elimination across the lifespan
- Apply common laboratory and diagnostic test results used in the assessment and management relevant to alterations in urinary and bowel elimination
- Utilize non-pharmacological strategies in creating individualized plans for clients with clients with alterations in urinary and bowel elimination
- Apply strategies that support clients’ urinary and bowel elimination needs within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 10: Examine nursing care for clients with integumentary disorders
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence alterations in the integumentary system
- Discuss signs and symptoms related to alterations in the integumentary system across the lifespan
- Compare integumentary findings in clients with differing cultural, developmental, and physiological backgrounds
- Apply evidence-based strategies to preserve skin integrity and enhance wound healing in care planning
- Apply strategies that support clients’ integumentary health within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 11: Examine nursing care for clients with infection
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence clients with infection
- Discuss signs and symptoms of infection across the lifespan.
- Describe best practices for infection prevention and control
- Apply common diagnostic test results to the assessment and management of clients with infections
- Explain how developmental, cultural, and health status factors influence infection risk and progression
- Summarize best practices for preventing infection transmission in healthcare environments
- Apply strategies that support clients’ infection prevention and management within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 12: Examine nursing care for clients with cognitive and sensory impairments
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for client with cognitive and sensory impairments
- Discuss signs and symptoms of clients with cognitive and sensory impairments across the lifespan
- Utilize evidence-based strategies to support clients with cognitive or sensory impairments, incorporating cultural, developmental, and individual needs
- Apply strategies that support clients’ cognitive and sensory needs within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 13: Examine nursing care for clients (individual, family, or group) experiencing grief and loss
Learning Objectives:
- Describe emotional, psychological, and behavioral responses to grief and loss across the lifespan
- Discuss available community and healthcare resources that support individuals, families, and groups through grief and loss
- Describe ethical and legal considerations related to end-of-life decisions
- Explain nursing responsibilities during end-of-life and postmortem care, including communication, comfort measures, and ethical practice
- Apply strategies that support clients experiencing grief and loss within a collaborative plan of care
Course Competency 14: Examine nursing care for clients with oxygenation alterations
Learning Objectives:
- Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for clients with oxygenation alterations
- Discuss signs and symptoms of clients with oxygenation alterations across the lifespan
- Outline safety measures used in the care of clients with oxygenation alterations, including equipment management and prevention of complications
- Utilize evidence-based strategies to support clients with oxygenation alterations
- Apply diagnostic test results to the assessment and management of clients with oxygenation alterations
- Apply strategies that support clients’ oxygenation needs within a collaborative plan of care
