Assessment 1: Course Definition and Alignment Table
Name
Capella University
FPX-6111
Dr. Name
March, 2024
Course Definition and Alignment Table
The course selected in this paper explores the role of nursing in caring for patients with chronic diseases at community health centers. It’s tailored for registered nurses who seek to enhance their competencies in this area. The curriculum includes various chronic disease management evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention elements. The course prepares nurses to effectively address the complexities and challenges of chronic conditions in a community health setting (Helvaci & Gok, 2020).
Course Description to Support Educational Program Outcomes
Course Title: “Management of Chronic Illnesses by Nurses in Community Healthcare Centers.”
Course Description
This course is designed to equip registered nurses with knowledge and skills in applying evidence-based approaches and methodologies. These skills are crucial for delivering superior care to patients with chronic conditions in community health settings, emphasizing minimizing the incidence of disease-related complications. (Smith et al., 2022).
Vision
The course’s vision is redesigned to enrich registered nurses with essential competencies and insights for delivering exceptional care to individuals with chronic conditions in community health centers.
Rationale
Globally, chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease present major healthcare challenges and are a leading cause of mortality, especially in the United States. These conditions not only lead to loss of life but also contribute significantly to healthcare costs. Nurses play a pivotal role in managing these diseases, but there is often a gap in their expertise and abilities to provide comprehensive care for such conditions (Nagasu et al., 2021). This course is designed to bridge this gap by enhancing nurses’ skills and knowledge, ensuring they can offer superior care to patients suffering from chronic diseases. This approach aligns with recent research emphasizing the need for advanced nursing education in chronic disease management (Barbosa & Queiroz, 2021).
Align Learning Objectives to Program Outcomes Course Learning Objectives
- The course will enhance nurses’ proficiency in implementing treatments and interventions grounded in evidence-based research.
- Training will be provided to streamline the process of evaluating and keeping track of patients suffering from chronic diseases.
- It will include instruction in formulating detailed treatment strategies tailored to the needs of individual patients.
- A significant part of the training will promote teamwork among nurses and other organizational members to optimize patient care.
- The course will emphasize the importance of nurses educating and guiding patients to bolster their self-care abilities and overall health results.
- It will aim to sharpen registered nurses’ analytical thinking capabilities and commitment to maintaining ethical standards in patient care.
- The curriculum will integrate interactive virtual simulation games to provide registered nurses a practical learning experience in managing chronic conditions (Facchinetti et al., 2020).
Program Description
This program offers an extensive educational opportunity for registered nurses aiming to elevate their expertise in managing patients with chronic conditions in community health centers. It encompasses a variety of learning methods, including online modules, in-person workshops, and practical training sessions. These components are carefully designed to deepen nurses’ understanding of chronic disease pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and overall management. Delivered in a flexible, self-paced online format supplemented with interactive and hands-on experiences, the program is structured to be both accessible and comprehensive. Spanning over 12 weeks, it provides a total of 30 hours of instructional content (Gethin et al., 2020).
Program Outcomes
By the end of the program, registered nurses will have developed a range of skills:
- They will be proficient in applying evidence-based nursing interventions to manage chronic diseases, thereby effectively improving patient health outcomes. A key skill acquired will be using technological tools to deliver nursing care for chronic disease patients.
- Nurses will be skilled in consistently evaluating and monitoring patients with chronic diseases, which is crucial for successful disease management and preventing further health complications.
- Creating and implementing detailed care plans will enhance nurses’ abilities to more effectively understand and address patients’ unique needs and concerns with chronic diseases.
- The program will also focus on developing teamwork and collaborative skills among nurses. This will enable them to work effectively in a team setting, understand patient concerns more easily, and improve overall care. Nurses’ Leadership skills will also significantly improve (Charles & Ferris, 2020).
- Participants will learn to employ critical thinking in managing complex cases involving chronic diseases and adhere to ethical patient care principles.
- Through virtual simulation games, nurses will have the opportunity to sharpen their clinical skills. Based on real-life scenarios of chronic disease management, these simulations will prepare them to handle patient care situations more effectively (Haddad et al., 2023).
Identification of Assumption
The assumption is that registered nurses are interested in improving their knowledge and skills in caring for patients with chronic diseases in a community health center setting. Chronic diseases are a significant healthcare issue affecting a large patient population. The course will help nurses by providing excessive learning to enhance their productivity.
| No | Learning Objectives | Program Outcomes | External Standards |
| 1 | Emphasizing interventions based on scientific evidence. | Nurses are trained to implement evidence-based nursing interventions to manage chronic conditions better and improve patient wellness. They are also taught to leverage technological solutions in providing care to these patients. | The NCSBN Nursing Practice Act highlights the critical role of evidence-informed nursing practices in caring for patients with chronic illnesses and the integration of technology in nursing care delivery. |
| 2 | Evaluating and supervising patients with ongoing illnesses. | Through the program, nurses gain skills to evaluate and supervise patients with chronic diseases, ensuring effective management and prevention of further complications. | The NCSBN Nursing Practice Act underlines the necessity for safe and effective nursing practices |
| 3 | Crafting all-encompassing patient care strategies. | The curriculum focuses on creating comprehensive care plans, enabling nurses to more effectively address the needs and concerns of patients with chronic illnesses. | According to the ANA Standards of Practice, there’s a strong emphasis on the nursing process, encompassing assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation, especially in the context of chronic disease care |
| 4 | Promoting teamwork among nurses and other health organization members. | The program aims to bolster collaborative skills among nurses, encourage teamwork for optimal care of patients with chronic diseases, and enhance nurses’ leadership abilities. | The ANA Standards of Practice stress the importance of collaboration with healthcare professionals, patient education, and ongoing professional development in nursing practice |
| 5 | Concentrating on critical thinking and adhering to ethical standards. | Nurses are guided to use critical thinking in managing complex cases of chronic illnesses and to adhere to ethical standards in patient care. | The NCSBN Nursing Practice Act emphasizes adhering to ethical norms in nursing |
| 6 | Introducing virtual simulation training for nurses. | The program includes virtual simulation games designed to enhance nurses’ clinical skills in managing patients with chronic conditions. | The ANA has introduced various activities to improve nurses’ learning experiences, such as virtual simulations. |
Part 2 – Memo to Department Supervisor
To the Department Supervisor,
I propose introducing a continuing education course for registered nurses at our community health center, titled “Management of Chronic Illnesses by Nurses in Community Healthcare Centers.” This course aims to improve nurses’ ability to provide high-quality care to patients with chronic diseases. Due to the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, nurses must have the latest knowledge and skills to manage such conditions effectively. Research indicates that the number of older adults with chronic conditions is expected to increase significantly in the United States, underscoring the need for better chronic disease management (Ansah & Chiu, 2023).
The course content will cover various topics, including pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and management of chronic diseases, aligning with recent findings and practices. For example, updates on chronic pain management emphasize a multimodal, interdisciplinary approach, underscoring the importance of such comprehensive training for nurses (Cohen et al., 2021).
To assess the effectiveness of the course, we will implement a pre- and post-course knowledge assessment and skills demonstration. This approach will help us evaluate the course’s impact on nurses’ knowledge and practical skills. While the proposed evaluation design is a robust starting point, we also recognize the need for ongoing research to optimize the assessment of real-world applications of the course learnings. Further investigation into the best practices for translating educational outcomes into patient care improvements would be invaluable.
This course will benefit our nurses’ professional development and ultimately enhance patient care in our community health center.
Thank you for considering this proposal.
Align Appropriate Professional Standards and Regulations
We are committed to implementing several key strategies to ensure that our nursing education course’s learning objectives meet professional standards and regulations. Firstly, we will align our objectives with the core competencies the American Nurses Association (ANA) identified, emphasizing critical areas. Additionally, our course will comply with the Nurse Practice Act and relevant state regulations, covering essential knowledge and skills, legal and ethical considerations, and the scope of practice for nurses (Leaver et al., 2022). We will ensure that our course aligns with the standards set by the NCSBN to guarantee its quality and effectiveness in nursing education. Our efforts aim to provide a comprehensive and compliant educational experience that equips nurses with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their profession (Welch & Smith, 2022).
Evaluation of Alignment Criteria
To ascertain that the learning objectives of our nursing course align effectively with established professional standards and regulations, we plan to implement a multi-faceted evaluation strategy. The course’s learning objectives will clearly articulate the specific nursing core competencies they aim to address, detailing their integration into the course structure. To validate their relevance and compliance, nursing professionals and key stakeholders will review these objectives, ensuring they align with the Nurse Practice Act and state-specific regulations where the course is being offered. This approach will help identify and rectify potential gaps or inconsistencies, ensuring our course meets these critical standards. This thorough evaluation process is instrumental in ensuring that the course meets and exceeds the professional criteria necessary for high-quality nursing education (Dickerson & Durkin, 2022).
NURS FPX 6111 Assessment 1 : Course Definition and Alignment Table Conclusion :
Managing chronic diseases effectively is crucial, and nurses are at the forefront of this challenge. They provide essential care and contribute significantly to these patients’ wellness and overall quality of care. Our chosen course focuses on enhancing nurses’ skills in patient-centered care specifically tailored for individuals with chronic diseases in community health settings. The research underscores the importance of this approach. Effective collaboration and a deep understanding of strategies to manage the health of patients with chronic conditions are key factors in improving patient care. This approach is aligned with recent findings, emphasizing the vital role of nurses in ensuring better health outcomes in community health centers (Kim et al., 2020).
NURS FPX 6111 Assessment 1 : Course Definition and Alignment Table References :
Ansah, J. P., & Chiu, C. T. (2023). Projecting the chronic disease burden among the adult population in the United States using a multi-state population model. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1082183. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1082183
Barbosa, H. C., & Queiroz Oliveira, J. A. de. (2021). Empowerment-oriented strategies to identify behavior change in patients with chronic diseases: An integrative review of the literature. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(4), 689–702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.01.011
Charles, C., & Ferris, A. H. (2020). Chronic Kidney Disease. Primary Care, 47(4), 585–595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pop.2020.08.001
Cohen, S. P., Vase, L., & Hooten, W. M. (2021). Chronic pain: an update on burden, best practices, and new advances. Lancet, 397(10289), 2082–2097. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00393-7
Dickerson, P. S., & Durkin, G. J. (2022). Nursing professional development standards of practice. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 38(4), 248–250. https://doi.org/10.1097/nnd.0000000000000900
Facchinetti, G., D’Angelo, D., Piredda, M., Petitti, T., Matarese, M., Oliveti, A., & De Marinis,
M. G. (2020). Continuity of care interventions for preventing hospital readmission of older people with chronic diseases: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.10339
Gethin, G., Probst, S., Stryja, J., Christiansen, N., & Price, P. (2020). Evidence for person- centred care in chronic wound care: A systematic review and recommendations for practice. Journal of Wound Care, 29(9), S1–S22. https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2020.29.sup9b.s1
Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2023). Nursing ethical considerations. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Helvaci, A., & Gok Metin, Z. (2020). The effects of nurse‐driven self‐management programs on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14505
Kim, S., Lee, K., & Kim, S. (2020). Knowledge, attitude, confidence, and educational needs of palliative care in nurses caring for non-cancer patients: A cross-sectional, descriptive study. BMC Palliative Care, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-020-00581-6
Leaver, C. A., Stanley, J. M., & Goodwin Veenema, T. (2022). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future of nursing education. Academic medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 97(3S), S82–S89. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000004528
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Smith, C. J., DesRoches, S. L., Street, N. W., & Hyatt, J. (2022). New graduate registered nurses: Risk mitigation strategies to ensure safety and successful transition to practice. Journal of Healthcare Risk Management. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhrm.21514
Welch, T. D., & Smith, T. B. (2022). AACN essentials as the conceptual thread of nursing education. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 46(3), 234–244. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000541
