Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice

NURS 5000

3 Credit Hours

This course provides the student with the theoretical foundations for advanced nursing. The focus of the course is on the critical components of contemporary nursing knowledge; exploration of the nature of theory development in nursing; examination of relevance of concepts from basic and applied sciences; analysis and evaluation of nursing and related theories; and relevance of theory in terms of impact on professional nursing practice, and  individuals, families, groups as clients in health care systems.

At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:

1.      Differentiate the components, structure, and development of theories/models.

2.      Apply appropriate theories from nursing and related fields to identify factors to improve health care delivery.

3.      Describe the theoretical basis for advanced nursing practice in specific professional nursing environments.

4.      Utilize critical thinking skills in the application of theories/models in the in a variety of clinical environments. 

5.      Critically review theories and conceptual models from nursing and other disciplines for use in advanced professional nursing practice.

6.   Implement strategies for theory development within the discipline of nursing.

Admission to the RODP-MSN program or permission of Coordinator.

             I.                  Historical Perspectives of Nursing Theory and Science

II.                  Ways of knowing.

III.                Concept Development and Analysis

IV.        Nursing Theory Development, Analysis, and Evaluation

VI.              Analysis and Evaluation Conceptual Models of Nursing

VII.      Analysis and Evaluation of Middle Range and Practice Theories

            VIII.     Analysis and Evaluation of Non-Nursing Theories

            IX.       Application of Theoretical Nursing Knowledge to Practice

            X.        Impact of Theoretical Nursing Knowledge in Practice.

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course: http://rodp.bkstr.com   

Supplemental periodicals and journal articles assigned by instructor.

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. 

A video-camera may also required for this course. 

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. 

Additional software requirements for this course include Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint), Acrobat Reader, and supporting software for video-conferencing.

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

All course requirements are submitted online. 

A  = 93-100
B  = 85-92
C  = 77-84
D  = 70-76
F  = <70

Participation in weekly online discussions of course content is expected as topics are introduced and as applied to assigned readings.  The student is expected to identify an area of interest in nursing, locate examples of theory application and opportunities for enhancement of existing nursing environments by utilization of theory application. The proposed application is developed into a scholarly paper and presented to a group of professionals of the student’s choice as well as to online classmates.  Online resources and technology are used for the virtual presentation. 

Participation in weekly class assignments and online class discussions (25%)

All students are expected to complete all weekly online assignments as instructed.  Weekly assignments may involved discussion board postings and require interaction/responses to other class participants. Other weekly assignments may require the student to complete an assignment that will be submitted via the "drop box".  Grades for this portion of the class will be based upon the percentage of points accumulated out of the total points possible.  Points for discussion board postings are as listed below.  Maximum points for any individual weekly assignments that are to be submitted via the "drop box" will be listed with the assignment for that week. 

All students are expected to actively participate in online class discussions. Participation in weekly online discussions of course content is expected as topics are introduced and as applied to assigned readings.  Each discussion question posted will be assigned a date by which the student must respond.  If a student is unable to fulfill this requirement for any reason, he/she should notify the instructor prior to the class and make alternative arrangements.  The aim is to encourage interaction among students and faculty, not simply to present information. Students are required to respond to all discussion questions. Student responses to discussion questions must be substantive, that is, thoughtful and analytical. Because the WebCT system has its own way of formatting material posted on the discussion feature, the student will not be expected to strictly follow APA guidelines for online submissions. However, the student is held to academic standards of writing style and the use of proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. 

 Grade points for postings to the course discussion board are based on the student’s depth of participation.  All students must participate in the discussion forums in order to meet the course requirements. The discussion board will be evaluated each week.  The final grade for class participation will be dependent on the level at which the student generally participates throughout the semester.   

Discussion Board points are assigned as follows: 

·         Excellent – 10 points

·         Good –  9 points

·         Average – 7 -8 points

·         Poor – 0 points 

Grading rubric for postings:           

            An excellent posting includes but is not limited to:

                  ·         In depth response to assigned discussion question.

·         Additional responses to required number of assigned responses.  Responses demonstrate in-depth understanding and knowledge citing/utilizing class materials, resources, and personal experiences (if applicable). 

A good posting includes but is not limited to : 

      ·         Response to assigned discussion question

     ·         Response to required number of response postings demonstrating an understanding of the discussion topic.    

An average posting includes but is not limited to:

     ·         Response to assigned discussion question

•   Responses to postings superficial, lack substance/support from readings, exercises, etc. 

A poor response does not meet any of the above criteria.

Concept Analysis Paper (25%)

This purpose of this paper is to analyze a concept relevant to the student's nursing practice. The student is to select a concept to analyze.  There are many methods for concept development and several are included in the required readings and will also be presented in class. Use of exemplars by the instructor and peer discussion on concept analysis will be incorporated in to the class to assist the student in the development of this paper. The criteria for evaluation is located at the end of this syllabus.  The maximum length of this paper is to be no more than 12 typed, double spaced pages (not including references or appendices) using APA format.  Paper submitted after the due date will be deducted 5 points per day.

Theory Critique Presentation (25%)

Students will select a middle range theory of nursing or a non-nursing middle range theory.  The presentation is to include a description, analysis, application, and evaluation of the theory.  The presentation should be no longer than 20-25 minutes in length, if you were to present it in class.  Guidelines are located at the end of this syllabus. Online resources and technology are used for the virtual presentation. Student in the course will be expected to review and critique the presentations.

Theory Utilization and Application Paper (25%)

Using the theory selected for the presentation, the student is expected to identify an area of interest in nursing, locate examples of the theory's application and utilization in practice.  Addtionally, opportunities for enhancement of existing nursing environments by utilization of theory application will addressed. The guidelines for this paper is located at the end of the syllabus.  The paper should be no more than than ten typewritten pages, using appropriate APA format.

Students are expected to:

•         Check the course calendar for the due dates of assignments.

•         Check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements. 

The student is expected to:

•         Learn how to navigate in the WebCT system.

•         Participate by responding to all discussion questions.

•         Keep abreast of course announcements.

•         Use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed to a personal e-mail address.

•         Contact the instructor if unclear about assignment expectations.

•         Address technical problems immediately.

         Email:

•         Always include a subject line.

•         Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way.

•         Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emotions might be helpful in some cases.

•         Use standard fonts.

•         Do not send large attachments without permission.

•         Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.

•         Respect the privacy of other class members.   

            Discussion Groups:

•         Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion.

•         Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.

•         Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group.

•         Be respectful of others’ ideas.

•         Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.

•         Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.

•         Be positive and constructive in group discussions.

•         Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

            Chat:

•         Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.

•         Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.

•         Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.

•         Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.

•         Be constructive in your comments and suggestions.

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with his/her home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

If you are having problems logging into the course, timing out of the course, using the course web site tools, or other technical problems, please visit the AskRODP Customer Support web page at http://askrodp.custhelp.com or call the AskRODP Help Desk at      1-866-550-RODP (1-866-550-7637)

Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice

Theory Critique Presentation - Guidelines and Grading Criteria

This presentation will be evaluated upon a 20-25 minute timeframe.

Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice

Theory Usage and Application Paper - Guidelines and Grading Criteria

In this paper, you will describe a nursing theory and its application to nursing practice.  This paper should be no more than 10 pages long.  It should coincide to the theory presentation that you will be giving online at the end of the semester.  The focus of this paper is on the application of theory to nursing practice.  A brief description of the components of the theory should be presented in this paper, however, since this should be done in your presentation the focus here will be on application.  The proposed guidelines are based on Chinn and Kramer (2004).