The University Of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing MSN Program NURS 5390-001 Special Topics in Nursing Nursing Care at the End of Life SYLLABUS Mary Jo Perley, PHD, RN, PMHNP- BC Clinical Assistant Professor Summer Intersession 2013
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NURS 5390-001 Special Topics in Nursing Nursing Care at the End of Life Winter Interim 2012-2013 Instructor: Mary Jo Perley, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC Clinical Assistant Professor Office Number: Pickard Hall Office Telephone Number: 817-272-2776 Email Address: perley@uta.edu; mobile voicemail/text 830-388-1744 Office Hours: Arranged online or by phone. Please email request. Section Information: NURS 5390-001 Time and Place of Class Meetings: Course is taught online, incorporating self- paced instruction, case studies and asynchronous group discussion Description of Course Content: Addresses concepts of palliative care of patients with life limiting disease and their families. Explores the physiology of end stage disease processes, clinical approaches to pain and symptom management, societal issues and trends in end of life care, models of care delivery and the impact of personal values and beliefs about death Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Analyze complex issues in palliative care, recognizing the influence of personal values, professional ethics and the patient and family preferences. 2. Provide appropriate counseling about palliative care, using resources of a multi- disciplinary healthcare team. 3. Assess and treat multiple dimensions, including physical, physiological, social and spiritual needs, to improve quality at the end of life. 4. Utilize evidence- based approaches in the treating pain and symptoms at the end of life (e.g., pain, dyspnea constipation, anxiety, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and altered cognition) experienced by patients at the end of life. 5. Coordinate care for patients with diverse cultural and spiritual beliefs and customs, across a variety of healthcare settings. 6. Support patient, family, colleagues, and self in coping with suffering, grief, loss, and bereavement in end- of- life care. 7. Promote community awareness of palliative to the dying as an integral part of the system of healthcare delivery. Required Textbooks and Other Course Materials: RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS (OPTIONAL PURCHASE FOR REFERENCE): Ferrell, Coyle & Coyle (2010) Textbook of Palliative Nursing. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0- 19-539134- 3 Matzo & Sherman (2010). Palliative care nursing: Quality care to the end of life. Springer Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0- 8261-5792- 8 Passero & McCaffery (2011) Pain Assessment and Pharmacologic Management Mosby, Inc. ISBN 978-0- 323-05696- 0 Wilkie, D.J., (2005). Toolkit for Nurses Education in End of Life Care- Self Study Module http://www.tneel.uic.edu/tneel- ss/
Descriptions of major assignments and examinations: This is a web- based course. Content and assignments may be found at the UTTC website: http://elearn.uta.edu Course Content (available via course platform; students may study at their own pace) Module 1: Introduction Module 2: Ethics Module 3: Culture Module 4: Communication Module 5: Pain Management Module 6: Other Symptoms Module 7: Last Hours of Life Module 8: Grief & Bereavement Module 9: Renewal Course Assignments: Assignment detail and grading rubric provided on Blackboard Week 1: Instructor- facilitated & Case Study (graded discussion forum) Week 2: Current Issues Power Point and Discussion (graded discussion forum) Week 3: Evidence- Based Practice Assignment with Abstract, Power point presentation and discussion (graded discussion forum) Module post- test (average of 80 on post- tests to pass) 30% 35% 35% P/F Self- assessment: There are nine self- assessments (pre- tests), which are ungraded. There are five post- tests, which are scored and are considered pass/fail. An average grade of 80 is required for a passing grade.. Attendance: Students are expected to access the course on a daily basis during the official class days according to UTA academic calendar. They are expected to participate and/or facilitate in discussion threads within 24 hours of posting. Discussion postings after 5PM on Friday or before an official holiday will be considered as posted at 0800 on the next scheduled school day. Late entries will be graded according to the criteria outlined in the rubric for each assignment. Other Requirements: Accountability for Online Participation: Students must demonstrate the basic computer and word processing skills at the beginning of the course. Online activities can be completed from any computer with internet access. Computers are available in the Learning Resource Center, the main library and through campus computer facilities. In the event of technical difficulties, students are responsible to inform the lead teacher via email and/or telephone within 24 hours. The student remains responsible for all assigned work, regardless of technical difficulties on a remote computer Grading: All grade calculations will be carried out to two decimal places and there will be no rounding of final grades. Letter grades for tests, written assignments and end- of- course grades, etc. shall be: A= 90.00 100.00 B= 80.00-89.99 C= 70.00 79.99 D= 60.00 69.99
The existing rule of C or better to progress remains in effect; therefore, to successfully complete a nursing course, students shall have a course grade of 70.00 or greater. Students are expected to keep track of their performance throughout the semester and seek guidance from available sources (including the instructor) if their performance drops below satisfactory levels. Expectations for Out-of-Class Study: A general rule of thumb is this: for every credit hour earned, a student should spend 3 hours per week working outside of class. Hence, a 3-credit course might have a minimum expectation of 9 hours of reading, study, etc. In the traditional classroom setting, there is a ratio of one hour of class time per week per credit hour. This web-based course is offered in a compressed timeframe during the interim session. Students should expect to spend at least an additional 15 hours per week online in course-related activities, including reading required materials, completing assignments, participating in discussions, preparing for exams, etc. Make-up Exams: Students that miss a scheduled test must notify a faculty member prior to the scheduled exam and make arrangements to take the test within 7 days of the test day. The make-up test will be at the discretion of the instructor. No assigned work will be accepted beyond the date and time due unless prior arrangements have been made with the faculty. Grade Grievances: Any appeal of a grade in this course must follow the procedures and deadlines for grade-related grievances as published in the current graduate catalog. http://www.uta.edu/gradcatalog/2012/general/regulations/#grades. Drop Policy: Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (http://wweb.uta.edu/ses/fao). Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364. Academic Integrity: All students enrolled in this course are expected to adhere to the UT Arlington Honor Code: I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington s tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence. I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code. Per UT System Regents Rule 50101, 2.2, suspected violations of university s standards for academic integrity (including the Honor Code) will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Violators will be
disciplined in accordance with University policy, which may result in the student s suspension or expulsion from the University. Student Support Services: UT Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to their courses. Resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers, developmental education, advising and mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals, students may visit the reception desk at University College (Ransom Hall), call the Maverick Resource Hotline at 817-272-6107, send a message to resources@uta.edu, or view the information at www.uta.edu/resources. Electronic Communication: UT Arlington has adopted MavMail as its official means to communicate with students about important deadlines and events, as well as to transact university-related business regarding financial aid, tuition, grades, graduation, etc. All students are assigned a MavMail account and are responsible for checking the inbox regularly. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, which remains active even after graduation. Information about activating and using MavMail is available at http://www.uta.edu/oit/cs/email/mavmail.php. Student Feedback Survey: At the end of each term, students enrolled in classes categorized as lecture, seminar, or laboratory shall be directed to complete a Student Feedback Survey (SFS). Instructions on how to access the SFS for this course will be sent directly to each student through MavMail approximately 10 days before the end of the term. Each student s feedback enters the SFS database anonymously and is aggregated with that of other students enrolled in the course. UT Arlington s effort to solicit, gather, tabulate, and publish student feedback is required by state law; students are strongly urged to participate. For more information, visit http://www.uta.edu/sfs. Final Review Week: A period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes, research problems or exercises of similar scope that have a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabus. During Final Review Week, an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10% or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and laboratory examinations. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final Review Week. During this week, classes are held as scheduled. In addition, instructors are not required to limit content to topics that have been previously covered; they may introduce new concepts as appropriate. Librarian to Contact: Helen Hough, Nursing Librarian (817-272-7429, Email: hough@uta.edu The following is a list of commonly used library resources: Library Home Page... http://www.uta.edu/library Subject Guides... http://libguides.uta.edu Subject Librarians... http://www-test.uta.edu/library/help/subject-librarians.php Database List... http://www-test.uta.edu/library/databases/index.php Course Reserves... http://pulse.uta.edu/vwebv/entercoursereserve.do Library Catalog... http://discover.uta.edu/ E-Journals... http://utalink.uta.edu:9003/utalink/az Library Tutorials... http://www.uta.edu/library/help/tutorials.php Connecting from Off- Campus... http://libguides.uta.edu/offcampus Ask A Librarian... http://ask.uta.edu
Graduate Program Support Staff: Brittany Bazile, Sr. Office Assistant Office # 624 Pickard Hall (817) 272-2043, ext 24798 Email: Bazile@uta.edu Felicia Chamberlain, Administrative Assistant Office #623 Pickard Hall, (817) 272-2043 (817) 272-0659 Direct Line, (817) 272-0663 Fax Email: chamberl@uta.edu COURSE SCHEDULE. May 15, 2013 0800 Course begins. Review the welcome message and post introduction. Check your group discussion board daily. Module study is self- paced. Pre- test and post- test are pass/fail May 16, 2013 0800 May 21, 2013 1800 Instructor- facilitated and case study discussion (graded forum). Respond to new threads in instructor- facilitated discussion and assigned case study within 24 hours. May 22, 2013 0800- May 24, 2013 1800 Current issues discussion. Post new reference on chosen topic on three consecutive days and comment on all group posts. Facilitate discussion of you current issues posts. May 23, 2013 Last day to drop classes. May 27, 2013 Memorial Day Holiday. No graded online activities. Course platform remains open. May 28, 2013 0800 Post Evidence- Based Practice assignment on designated discussion board. May 28-30, 2013 Facilitate discussion of Evidence Based Practice research; participate in discussion of peer presentations (graded forum) May 31, 2013 1800 Case studies and discussions are closed. All quizzes and assignments must be completed. As the instructor for this course, I reserve the right to adjust this schedule in any way that serves the educational needs of the students enrolled in this course. Mary Jo Perley, PhD, RN, PMHNP SCHOOL OF NURSING INFORMATION: APA FORMAT: All nursing papers are expected to follow APA format, unless otherwise specified. In addition to the APA manual, a brief summary of commonly used APA information may be found under the UTA SON Undergraduate Student Handbook-2006 CLASSROOM CONDUCT GUIDELINES: The Faculty believes that classroom teaching has two goals: the provision of content pertinent to the discipline of nursing and the socialization of students into the professional role. We are committed to providing the curriculum in an atmosphere conducive to student learning and in a manner that will prepare graduates to be successful in the health care workplace. CLINICAL DRESS CODE: The clinical dress code applies to all graduate and undergraduate students of the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing (UTASON), and has two primary purposes: to insure that, whenever in the clinical setting, students of the UTASON: 1) represent the nursing profession and UTASON in a professional and appropriate manner, and 2) are readily identifiable as students. Students are to adhere to the dress code any time they present themselves to a clinical agency in the role of nursing student. This includes going to the agency prior to clinical to select a patient, arriving at the agency in street clothes to change into hospital scrubs, and attending post-conference or classroom time at the agency, as well as when attending clinical. Clinical faculty has final judgment
on the appropriateness of student attire. Refer to UTA SON Undergraduate Student Handbook-2006 for more information. NO GIFT POLICY: In accordance with Regents Rules, Regulations, and the UTA Standards of Conduct, the School of Nursing has a no gift policy. A donation to the UTA School of Nursing Scholarship Fund would be an appropriate way to recognize a faculty member s contribution to your learning. For information regarding the Scholarship Fund, please contact the Dean s office.