Course Objectives

In major course unit 1 students students will:

• Develop an exploratory and critical approach to knowledge and learning.
• Acquire an understanding of the historical, ethical and scientific foundations of the nursing profession.
• Develop an investigative understanding of research-based practice of nursing.
• Be able to describe specialised and professional functions.
• Observe, evaluate and coordinate care in order to meet patients’ basic needs.
• Exercise basic nursing skills and maintain hygienic principles.
• Develop good manual skills.
• Develop the ability to meet the individual patient and their family with sensitivity, empathy and a sense of moral responsibility.
• Be aware of and recognise a professional and personal responsibility for one’s own actions and evaluations.
• Practise nursing in accordance with national and international professional and ethical guidelines.
• Develop knowledge and skills which focus on preventing complications and additional illnesses.
• Be able to give an account of the human body’s structure, function, development and ageing.
• Have knowledge of nutritional physiology.
• Be able to give an account of the psychological development and maturation of the human being from a life cycle perspective.
• Develop an investigative understanding of health and social policies.

Course Description

COURSE UNIT 1: NURSING’S THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

18 ECTS

Course unit 1A: Scientific Foundation of Nursing

Course unit 1B: Natural Science Foundation of Nursing

Course unit 1C: Social Science Foundation of Nursing

Objectives:

The student will:

Acquire knowledge and develop understanding of nursing’s historical, scientific and ethical foundations.

Acquire insight into the normal structure of the human body, its development and functions during the life cycle.

Acquire knowledge of nutritional physiology and nutrition for the elderly.

Develop understanding of the interaction between people, the environment and society.

Acquire knowledge of the individual’s psychological develop and maturation.

Acquire knowledge and understanding of the concept of the welfare state, its organisation, institutions and the legal system that regulates it.

Content:

The course unit covers nursing’s historical development, the ethical and scientific foundations of the discipline of nursing, and its professional functions. Further, the course unit focuses on people’s basic needs regarding nutrition (with a special emphasis on the nutritional needs of the elderly); the structure and function of human beings, psychological maturation and growth and humans’ interaction with their surroundings. Health and social policy topics, especially in relation to the care of the elderly, will be focused on.

Assessment Methods:

Course unit 1 has one assessment assignment and four documentation assignments.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO1

Documentation assignment: The assignment is an introduction to the discipline of nursing. It involves student groups collecting and presenting material, and is concluded with individual responses (700 words).

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO2

Documentation assignment: The assignment is a multiple-choice test in anatomy and physiology which will be held online via the Internet. The test will show the level of knowledge and will be used to plan further work on the subject, individually and in the learning groups.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO3

Documentation assignment: A reflection note related to institutionalisation. Individual response, 1000 words.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO4

Documentation assignment: The assignment will demonstrate the students' understanding of how important history and tradition is for today's nursing. Group assignment 3000 words.

Course unit code 051HOEM1 1-1

Assessment assignment 1-1: Knowledge-based nursing

This assignment will illustrate basic understanding of principle concepts in the discipline of nursing. Individual response, 2000 words. The assignment will be assessed with a grade (A-F) and counts for 30% of the course grade.

COURSE UNIT 2: HEALTH AND SICKNESS

2 ECTS

Course unit 2A: The Discipline of Nursing’s Perspectives on Health and Sickness

Course unit 2B: Natural Sciences and Medical Perspectives on Health and Sickness

Course unit 2C: Social Science Perspectives on Health and Sickness

Objectives:

The student will:

Acquire knowledge and develop an understanding of health and sickness.

Acquire knowledge of the spread of disease and the reasons for the population’s state of health.

Acquire knowledge of the relationship between social development and health.

Acquire knowledge and understanding of old age and health.

Content:

The course unit covers the concepts health and sickness considered from the perspectives of nursing, the natural sciences and the social sciences. There will be a particular focus on the health and illnesses of elderly people. The prevention of the spread of disease, the importance of hygiene for preventing the spread of disease, and the population’s state of health will be emphasised.

Assessment Methods:

Course unit 2 has one assessment assignment.

Course unit code 051HOEM1 1-2

Assessment assignment 1-2: Prevention of communicable diseases and microbiology

The assignment will be administered online via the Internet, assessed on a pass/fail basis. A minimum score of 80% is required in order to pass the assignment.

COURSE UNIT 3: METHODS FOR EDUCATION AND PROFESSION

4 ECTS

Course unit 3A: Learning Together in Groups

Course unit 3B: Written Work

Course unit 3C: Nursing Procedures and Practical Skills

Objectives:

The student will:

Acquire knowledge and skills in communication and interaction.

Develop knowledge of strategies aimed at constructive cooperation.

Learn to use concepts related to the discipline and develop a repertoire of written forms of expression.

Become skilled in conducting searches of the scientific literature.

Develop skills in practical procedures.

Develops skills in basic first aid.

Content:

The course covers establishing the role of the student in the learning process. Necessary knowledge and skills in communication and cooperation will be practised. The students will be given instruction in the use of ICT and in literature searches. The ability to develop the use of specialised vocabulary, and various written forms and genres, will be emphasised. Teaching and supervision in practical skills relevant to professional practice will be given (attendance mandatory).

Assessment Methods:

Course unit 3 has one assessment assignment and four documentation assignments.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO5

Documentation assignment: The learning group will draft a working plan and contract for cooperation for the academic year. Group response (maximum 700 words).

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO6

Documentation assignment: On the basis of a given text, students will be asked to identify 10 relevant sources using a literature search. Group response (350 words).

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO7

Documentation assignment: Demonstration of skills in basic first aid. Individual assignment.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO8

Documentation assignment: A report will be written on specific topics in order to evaluate the content and the learning gains made during the first year of study, which will lead to suggestions for improvements. The student will also propose his or her own learning aims for the coming year. 1000 words.

Course unit code 051HOEM1 1-3

Assessment assignment 1-3: Test in basic practical skills

The student will be tested during the clinical studies period, with the nurse and the teacher present, and be evaluated in relation to both practical and communicative nursing skills. The test will be assessed on a pass/fail basis.

COURSE UNIT 4: CLINICAL NURSING

12 ECTS

Course unit 4A: Clinical Nursing Practice

Course unit 4B: Communication and Interaction

Course unit 4C: Decision-Making Processes in Nursing

Course unit 4D: Clinical Nursing in Nursing Homes

Objectives:

The student will:

Acquire knowledge and understanding of the nurse’s functions and tasks.

Develop basic nursing skills.

Develop the ability to observe and evaluate the basic needs of nursing home patients, resources, their perception of their own health and ability to cope with a difficult life situation.

Become aware of and recognise a professional and personal responsibility for one’s own actions and evaluations.

Develop knowledge and skills which focus on preventing complications and additional illnesses.

Practise nursing in accordance with national and international professional and ethical guidelines.

Acquire knowledge and skills related to caring for nursing home patients.

Develop the ability to empathise, show care for and interact with nursing home patients and their families.

Content:

The content of the course unit emphasises knowledge and understanding of the nurse’s functions and tasks. Basic nursing skills will be developed, and in the clinical studies phase, the student’s ability to evaluate and meet the needs of nursing home patients will be developed.

Assessment Methods:

Course unit 4 has one assessment assignment and four documentation assignments.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 DO9

Documentation assignment: Assignment concerning nutrition. Group response (1500 words).

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 D10

Documentation assignment:

On the basis of a case study, students will mediate knowledge regarding basic needs and the necessity of decision-making processes in nursing by drafting a plan of action in an electronic patient journal (EPJ). Group response with an oral presentation and fellow students’ responses.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 D11

Documentation assignment: Collection of data during the clinical studies phase, with evaluation of the importance a patient’s life history has for understanding the patient’s situation. The student will also explain how this information may be used in the nursing services which are offered to the patient.

Course unit code: 051HOEM1 D12

Documentation assignment: A reflection note based on a patient situation which has been experienced by the student. Individual response (1500 words).

Course unit code 051HOEM1 1-4

Assessment assignment 1-4: Clinical studies in a nursing home, 240 hours.

The student will be supervised and assessed through the clinical studies, on a pass/fail basis.

COURSE UNIT 5: THE REFLECTIVE NURSE IN CARE OF THE ELDERLY

9 ECTS

Course unit 5A: Ethics and Nursing

Course unit 5B: Basic Challenges in the Nursing Profession

Objectives:

The student will:

Develop basic ethical awareness related to nursing home patients.

Reflect on knowledge and experience and develop a basic understanding of complexity in the nursing profession.

Content:

The course unit comprises an introduction to the theories and principles of ethics, and the nurse’s professional ethical guidelines including the importance of the nurse’s pledge of confidentiality.

Assessment Methods:

Course unit 5 has one assessment assignment

Course unit code 051HOEM1 1-5

Assessment assignment 1-5: Care of the elderly and challenges from a professional nursing perspective

A written assignment in which the student demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the ethical and professional challenges which may arise in the care of the elderly. Individual response (2500 words). Assessed with a graded mark (A-F), which counts for 70% of the course grade.

Learning Methods

The study programme will alternate between classroom teaching, studio lectures, group work with supervision, teaching and training in the practice department and clinical studies with reflection groups and supervision.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean