Form 3b: New Course Thoughts

Complete the following form and upload to the Dropbox. Use this form if you are proposing a new course.

Description: What will this course be about? Where/how will it be taught? The licensed vocational nurse(LVN or Licensed Practical Nurse { LPN} according to region) can take an accelerated track to become a Registered Nurse (RN) by entering a LVN to RN transition program. The LVN is considered a practical or technical nurse as opposed to the RN who is considered a professional nurse. Clinical decision making is the primary responsibility of the RN. The LVN may be directed to carry out clinical activities but the development of nursing care plans is only within the scope of the Registered Nurse. In the LVN to RN transition program, the LVN must become aware of the scope of practice of the RN, must develop the ability to plan patient care and must demonstrate basic nursing skills learned in the LVN program. The Transition to Professional Practice course will be blended learning with didactic delivery fully online and skills demonstration in a simulated setting. Learners: Who are the learners? What do you know about them that might make a difference in what you design? (Think about age, prior knowledge, familiarity with technology) Students will be recruited from the surrounding region since skills performance will be evaluated in our Simulation Center in Lubbock. The students enrolling in the course will have completed a licensed vocational nursing program (1 year), completed at least 30 hours of general education college courses, and worked as an LVN for at least 1 year in the past 4 years. Age and experience of the students will vary widely. The choice to pursue vocational nursing rather than professional nursing as a primary post-secondary education track is frequently influenced by socio-economic factors. Vocational nursing programs typically have no college prerequisites and are completed in 9-12 months. The students may need to complete a the shorter VN program and begin working to support family. So experience in higher education is limited to the required pre-requisite courses for the RN program. Taking an online course may be challenging to these students from a participation standpoint if online learning exposure is limited in prerequisite course work. A thorough multi-media orientation and learning guides will be developed to address this challenge. Internet connectivity may be another challenge. While internet access would be a program requirement, type of access will vary from student to student. Module resources and activities will need to be designed to be downloaded when access is available or faster. There may need to be multiple options for testing or quizzes if utilized. Things that you want to accentuate in my course. This can be related to what or how you teach, how students respond, or about the technology. What do you want to see happen in this course? I want the students to be able to clearly articulate the difference in scope of nursing practice between an LVN and an RN. The student must be able to put aside the role of the LVN and
Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

assume the professional responsibilities of the RN. Some healthcare organizations utilize the LVN in nearly the same capacity as RNs, blurring the line between the vocational and professional nursing roles. This is an attitude that may be difficult to influence but must be affected. Because many of the students may not have practiced in an acute care setting for years, they will need the opportunity to review and practice clinical skills. In conjunction with performing skills, they will need to understand the requirements of delegating to other healthcare providers. I would like to see the students safely and competently perform basic and sterile procedures required in professional nursing care. Problems that youd like to avoid in my course. Based on past experience, what would you predict will drag you down? It could be technology, disinterested students, lack of discussion, etc. I would expect technology to be the main challenge in the course. Access, use of purchased educational support materials, and module development will all be challenging due to limited technology support from the Health system. While the Health system does employ one instructional designer, he is fully committed and occupied by the Regulatory and Continuing Education department. I am limited in my ability to use technology. While I am capable of learning, I find my learning curve to be fairly steep and my patience to be fairly short when it comes to computer technology. What might be the most problematic aspect of this course as you teach it? The students most likely will not have experienced learner center courses. Nursing programs generally use lecture/skills lab/ bedside clinicals as the curriculum delivery method. Ultimately, nursing students in any program type must pass a multiple choice, computer assisted licensing exam to practice. Completing a certificate or degree does not guarantee licensure. Program accreditation is judged by first time pass rate on the licensing exams so schools of nursing are intensely aware of the licensing exam blueprint. Decades of nursing education delivery is based on lecture/skill/clinicals design with success -- at least in passing a licensing exam. So, to make a long story short, students may find a course that requires discussion, projects and self -organized learning difficult to adapt to in the time allotted for the course (probably 8 weeks). The most time consuming aspect of this course as you teach it will be: Providing feedback for discussion postings and projects.

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.