https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/reynolds/courses/NSG270-NursingCapstone

Effective: 2025-05-01

Course Description

Provides students with the opportunity to comprehensively apply and integrate learned concepts from previous nursing courses into a capstone experience. Emphasizes the mastery of patient- centered care, safety, nursing judgment, professional behaviors, informatics, quality improvement, and collaboration in the achievement of optimal outcomes of care. Provides supervised learning experiences in faculty and/or preceptor-guided college nursing laboratories, clinical/community settings, and/or simulated environments.
Laboratory 12 hours. Total 12 hours per week.
4 credits

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

The purpose of this course is to expand on the role of the professional nurse in the healthcare environment in preparation for practice as a registered nurse.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: NSG 210 and NSG 211

Course Objectives

  • Provide patient-centered care promoting therapeutic relationships, caring behaviors, and self-determination across the lifespan for diverse populations.
  • Practice safe nursing care that minimizes risk of harm across systems and client populations.
  • Integrate clinical judgment when collaborating with the healthcare team in the management of care for complex clients.
  • Practice professional behaviors that encompass the legal/ethical framework while incorporating self-reflection, leadership and a commitment to recognize the value of life-long learning.
  • Manage client care through quality improvement processes, information technology, and fiscal responsibility to meet client needs and support organizational outcomes.
  • Demonstrate principles of collaborative practice within the nursing and interdisciplinary teams fostering mutual respect and shared decision-making to achieve optimal outcomes of care.
  • Manage the principles of pharmacology to the identified concepts for clients with complex conditions across the lifespan.
  • Manage the appropriateness, accuracy, and client response to pharmacology principles for clients with complex conditions.

Major Topics to be Included

  • Management of Patient-Centered Care Concepts
    • Patient advocacy, respect and caring
    • Development of a patient centered plan of care
    • Time management and workload organization
    • Incorporation of evidence-based practices and technology in patient care
    • Use of therapeutic communication skills
  • Safety Concepts
    • Safety and Infection Control implementation in patient care
    • Incorporation of safety principles
    • Use of safety enhancing technologies
    • Incorporation of National Patient Safety Goals
  • Clinical Judgment Concepts
    • Develop an individualized plan of care based on patient values, clinical expertise and reliable evidence
    • Recognize changes in patient status and intervene appropriately
    • Apply clinical judgment to guide care
    • Prioritize patient care accurately using relevant data and best evidence.
    • Incorporate and value evidence-based practice, evaluate existing practices and seek creative approaches to problem solving
  • Professionalism Concepts
    • Ethical and Legal Issues in patient care
    • Responsibility and accountability for delivering safe patient care
    • Professional demeanor in interactions with patients, families and healthcare providers.
    • Reflective thinking for the purpose of improving nursing practice.
    • Initiating a plan for ongoing professional development
  • Quality Concepts
    • Common quality measures encountered in clinical practice
    • Technology and information management tools to support safe, patient care.
    • Fiscal responsibility in the delivery of patient care
  • Teamwork and Collaboration Concepts
    • The effect nursing and other interdisciplinary team members have upon care processes and outcomes for patients and families within any healthcare setting
    • Collaboration with members of the healthcare team
    • Appreciation of different communication styles and cultural differences in team members.
    • Management skills and principles of delegation
    • Identification of own strengths and weaknesses to improve individual as well as team performance