JACKSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING NUR 121 PHARMACOLOGY SYLLABUS DEPARTMENT Nursing CREDITS Three credits INSTRUCTORS (This is a team-taught course) Paula Hopper MSN, RN (517) 796-8510 paula_hopper@jccmi.edu Linda Williams, MSN, RNC (517) 796-8598 linda_williams@jccmi.edu Welcome to NUR 121, Pharmacology. This is a three credit course in beginning pharmacology for nursing students and other allied health students. It is also a good review for practicing nurses. Prerequisites for this course include 1) BIO 155 Anatomy and Physiology, or LPN 141 Body Structure and Function, or an equivalent Anatomy and Physiology class, and 2) MTH 110 or a basic algebra class. This course is offered entirely online, except for proctored midterm, math, and final exams (the math exam and midterm may be taken at the same time to reduce your trips). You may take these exams at Jackson Community College, or if you live outside of Jackson County you may work out a proctored location with your instructors. NUR 121 online is offered during the Fall, Winter, and Spring semesters.
Course Description This course is designed to provide students with the basic knowledge and skill needed to safely administer medications to clients with selfcare needs. Content includes medication action, use, side effects, nursing implications, and client education for major drug groups. Basic Competencies Requirements Ability to read an above average amount of technical material Ability to compute simple algebraic problems Ability to use metric system of measurement Ability to use a computer and navigate the World Wide Web Course Requirements In order to successfully complete this course, you must complete the following requirements. 1. Weekly Assignments These may include: a Check Your Knowledge pre-assessment found in the QUIZZES and EXAMS button. This is for your own review and has no due date or points assigned. a Tutorial in COURSE TUTORIALS that will direct your reading and studying. Group work/discussion questions found under the DISCUSSION button. You must complete each discussion by its due date to receive credit. No credit will be given after 12 noon EST of the due date. a post-quiz found in the QUIZZES and EXAMS button. You must complete each quiz by its due date to receive credit. No credit will be given after 12 noon EST of the due date. 2. The math quiz (in the Course Tutorials Calculations unit) will be done with paper and pencil and sent by snail mail to your instructor at Jackson Community College, 2111 Emmons Road, Jackson, MI 49201. You will need to show all your work. Note: The postmark is used for the due date. You will receive half credit if it is received late. This is because keeping up in this course is very important!
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOU MUST ALSO TAKE A PROCTORED MATH EXAM THAT MUST BE PASSED WITH A 90% GRADE. Therefore it is in your best interest to be sure you understand how to perform math calculations. You will take the proctored math exam at the same time as your midterm exam (see #4 below). Because it is so important to be able to calculate correctly, you must obtain at least a 90% on this exam but don t panic; you can try as many times as you like before the end of the course to pass it. However, if you are well prepared and pass it on your first attempt, you will avoid repeat trips to your proctored site. Once you achieve your 90%, all your attempts will be averaged for your final math exam grade. Unit 3 has a math tutorial using Unit Analysis. We recommend that you use this method, although you may use any mathematically sound method for your math calculations. If you do not pass the math midterm on the first try, however, you MUST use the Unit Analysis method on subsequent attempts. 3. Group Work/Discussions. You will be assigned a small group during the first week of the course. Each Unit will have a Group Work assignment in the DISCUSSION button where you will discuss answers to posted questions. These questions will help you learn key concepts that are important in both your nursing career and in your exam success in this course! Each Unit Group Work assignment is worth a maximum of 5 points. You and your group members will discuss each question until you think you have come to the correct answer. (Some questions will have right and wrong answers, and others will be more for discussion, and not a right or wrong answer.) When the group is ready to submit answers for a grade, simply write Final Answer in the discussion TITLE. EVERY group member must participate to receive the group points. Be sure that ONE PERSON in your group submits the final answer by the due date. It has worked well in the past for students to rotate weeks that they will be the submitter, and to set a due date for the last submission so that the submitter has time to collate and submit final answers. Note: No group work will be accepted after the due date for credit, although feedback will be provided for late submissions to aid learning.
4. A Pharmacist Interview. This is a fun opportunity to talk with a pharmacist in your neighborhood. You will complete the interview found in the PHARMACIST INTERVIEW button, and report your findings in the DISCUSSION area during the week your drug class is assigned. For example if you choose Lipitor you would present your information when we are covering Cardiovascular medications. You will find your drug assignment linked to the interview. 5. A proctored (supervised) math exam, midterm, and final exam. These can be taken at the Jackson Community College Testing Center in the Learning Resources Center. The midterm, the first attempt at the math exam, and the final must be completed and at JCC by the dates listed on the course calendar. If you live out of the Jackson County area, you may make arrangements with a school testing center that is local to you. You must find a testing center willing to proctor your exams and email us the contact person s name, email address, and phone number. We will then contact this person and if they meet proctoring criteria we will send them your exams with instructions. Please be aware that some testing centers charge a fee for testing, usually $10. Students who registered for the course through the MCCVLC should not be charged. IF YOU WISH TO TAKE THE EXAMS OUTSIDE OF JCC, YOU MUST SEND THE NAME OF YOUR PROCTOR TO US BY THE FIFTH WEEK OF CLASS. Any proctored exam not taken by the due dates listed on your course calendar will have 10% deducted from the final score unless prior arrangements have been made. Please plan to take them on time!!! Grading Policies Each student is evaluated on satisfactory knowledge of theory as demonstrated by the grade averaged from tests and class assignments. See the Course Points section below for more information. Testing will be based on the behavioral objectives identified in the Tutorials. Quizzes will consist primarily of multiple choice, matching and short answer questions.
Any test question determined by the instructor to be unworthy of counting against the grade (i.e., bad question) will be cheerfully adjusted by giving credit for any answer on that question. Since you will be taking your quizzes independently, it is up to you whether or not you use your book. We strongly recommend that you study all material prior to taking any quiz. Your midterm and final exams will be proctored and you will NOT be able to use your book, so it is important to know the material without the aid of your book or notes. Any student who chooses to cheat on the midterm or final exam will automatically fail the course (see Academic Honesty policy below). This course contains three grading components. One component is the average of the midterm and final exams. The second component is the math competency exam. The third component will consist of quizzes, group work and other activities. A student must earn a minimum of 78% average on the proctored exams and a 90% on the proctored math exam and a 78% average in the course in order to pass the course requirements for the JCC Nursing Program. Although the student may pass the course with less than 78% average on quizzes, group work, or other activities, the student should be aware that the grade in these components will still be averaged into the final grade and could cause a failure. A student who earns less than a 78% average on the test component or less than a 78% average on all components averaged together, or less than 90% on the math competency will receive a maximum grade of 1.5 for the course. Summary of Grading Components The following requirements must be met to pass NUR 121: 1. Minimum of 78% average on proctored pharm content exams 2. Minimum of 90% on math competency exam (may be retaken until mastered) 3. Minimum of 78% average on all course requirements combined A final grade of 2.0 (78%) or above is required for entering or continuing in the Jackson Community College nursing program. Each student is expected to keep a record of grades so he/she will be aware of his/her grade at all times. See COURSE MATERIALS for grading guidelines. The grading scale is:
4.0 = 94-100% 1.5 = 74-77% 3.5 = 90-93% 1.0 = 70-73% 3.0 = 86-89% 0.5 = 66-69% 2.5 = 82-85% 0.0 = 65% or below 2.0 = 78-81% Textbooks Kee, JL and Hayes, ER (2003). Pharmacology: a Nursing Process Approach. Saunders, Philadelphia. Recommended Textbooks: Garner Moore, S. Nursing Math Simplified, 4 th ed. H&H Publishing Company, 2002. or Craig, G. Clinical Calculations Made Easy, 3 rd ed. Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins, 2005. (Or any calculation book.) Deglin, J.H. and Vallerand, A.H. Davis s Drug Guide for Nurses. F.A.Davis, 2001. (Or any current medications handbook.) This was already here. Just not on bookstore list. Supporting Textbooks: Miller, Benjamin F. and Keane, Claire B., Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health. (Or any current medical/nursing dictionary) Any anatomy and physiology text.
Academic Honesty Honesty and integrity are essential qualities in the profession of nursing. Any student found to be cheating on an exam, quiz, or other assessment will receive a maximum grade of 1.5 in the course. Lack of integrity in the classroom or clinical setting may result in failing a course or removal from the program. Cheating can take on many forms. These may include but are not limited to: bringing an answer source to the testing site. copying from another student s test. changing an answer after a test has been submitted. sharing information about a test with someone who has not yet taken it. Plagiarism is another form of cheating. This may involve but is not limited to: submitting a paper written by someone else (obtained from the web or a fellow student). using direct quotes from any source without crediting the source. Additional areas of concern specific to nursing include but are not limited to: covering up or not reporting a clinical error. charting something that was not done. altering any legal documentation. Not everything is cheating. Some examples of acceptable practices include: studying together prior to an exam. sharing notes from class. using quotes in papers and referencing them appropriately. If you are unsure if a practice might be considered cheating, please check with an instructor and/or do not engage in that practice. Please remember that failing a course may mean permanent dismissal from the program. THE BEST POLICY IS ALWAYS HONESTY AND INTEGRITY.
Course Outline Drug action, measurement, administration, use, side effects, nursing implications, and client education related to the following drug categories will be covered: 1. Drugs used to treat infections 2. Drugs used in cancer treatment 3. Drugs that affect the autonomic nervous system 4. Drugs that affect the central nervous system 5. Drugs that affect the cardiovascular system 6. Drugs that affect the endocrine system 7. Drugs that affect the respiratory system 8. Drugs that affect the digestive system
Course Points Print this worksheet to keep track of your progress in unit assignment order. However you will want to know your grading component summary as that is how a passing grade is figured. There is a component summary table at the bottom that organizes the grading components for you to know your component averages. When calculating a component grade, add earned component points to date, and divide by all the possible same component points to date. (Or use total points for the course if calculating the final course total). This will give you your percentage. The percentage grading scale is below. Topic Group work/discussion Quiz Points Earned Total Possible Total Earned Percent = Total earned divided by Total possible Scavenger hunt 10 10 Intro 5 15 Nsg Process; Legal/Ethical; Pharm Princ 5 40 60 Math 30 90 Med Admin 5 15 110 CNS 5 25 140 ANS 5 15 160 CV 5 25 190 Endocrine 5 25 220 Proctored Midterm Exam 50 270 Proctored 30 300
Math Exam Respiratory 5 25 330 Antibiotics 5 25 360 Oncology 5 15 380 GI 5 25 410 Pharmacist Interview Proctored Final Exam 10 420 100 520 Grading Component: 1 2 3 Final Exams Points Your Earned Your Math Exam Quiz, discussion, Final Percent Points Points group work points 50 points Midterm Final Total # of points on exams Passing Criteria 100 points 150 / 150 Exam Percentage Total Earned Points % (78% required) + * 90 % needed on one exam; all points averaged. % (90% required) + = / 520 = %
Performance Outcomes Provider of Care 1. Define the terms used in the study of pharmacology. 2. Identify and describe the principles of drug action including absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion; drug-receptor interactions and categories of adverse effects. 3. Demonstrate an understanding of common characteristics of drug classes: mechanisms of action, uses, side effects, examples of common drugs in each category and nursing responsibilities related to the administration of drugs in each class. 4. Demonstrate the use of the nursing process in drug therapy. 5. Demonstrate accuracy in calculating dosages of drugs and intravenous drip rates. 6. Describe a teaching plan for a patient learning to use a new medication. 7. Discuss the implications of self-care theory when working with patients on drug therapy. 8. Describe the alterations in drug effect on the elderly patient. Demonstrate ability to think critically during class and small group discussions. 9. Identify appropriate patient care resources on the world wide web. Manager of Care: Identify members of the health team who may collaborate with the nurse in providing self care for patients receiving medications. Member of Profession: Describe the legal and ethical responsibilities of the professional nurse when administering medications. Evaluate legitimate medication information on the World Wide Web.