Personal Class Design

Introduction

Many people in the world today have an experience on the care given by nurses or are aware of such care from experiences shared by friends or family. The first thing that they point out is that they want to be cared for by a nurse who is qualified, meaning that he/she is skilled, knowledgeable and competent (Butts & Rich, 2013). They also identified the fact that they would want to be treated well every time they visit a healthcare institution. The latter expectation is that the treatment they receive would be a human beings and not as cases. Making patients feel safe and comfortable is one of the mandates of nurses. They should not only care for patients but should also care about them (Gastmans, 2013). Thus, nurses should have a good attitude all the time so as to care for patients with the respect, compassion and empathy that they deserve.

The guaranteed way of ensuring that nurses treat their patients in the most humane way possible is to ensure that they are aware of the ethics that they should abide to. Nursing ethics form a guideline that outlines how nurses ought to treat their patients and which boundaries not to cross (Benjamin & Curtis, 2010). Therefore, this class is meant to impart ethical behavior in students. The thesis statement developed for this paper is that there is a need to impart ethics into aspiring and practicing healthcare practitioners and this can be done within an intensive four-hour class. There may be skepticism on the length of time available for covering such a large topic exhaustively. However, this class is designed in a way that it uses empirical evidence from normal human behavior and expectations to draw conclusions (Kress & Selander, 2012). Rather than teach abstract and generic topics and theory, this paper is designed to appeal to the human nature of the students by allowing them to take part in the discussion from both the positions of practitioners and patients. It will also draw on their individual experiences during visits to healthcare institutions in order to strike a rapport with them and gain relevance.

Class design

Classes	Learning activities	Assessment activities
Part 1: Ethical Decision-Making (1 hour 10 minutes)	·   Lecture ·   Small group discussion ·   Assigned chapters ·   journals and websites ·   Scenario enactments	Quizzes Random questions Enactments
Part 2: Nursing liability (1 hour 20 minutes)	·   Lecture ·   Small group discussion ·   Assigned chapters and articles from journals and websites	Quizzes Random questions Enactments
Part 3: Prevention of liability (1 hour 30 minutes)	·   Lecture ·   Small group discussion ·   Assigned chapters and articles from journals and websites ·   Scenario enactments	Quizzes Random questions Enactments Final paper

 

Description of sponsoring organization

Nursing ethics are important for healthcare professions as they are the template on which care is based and are important in avoiding liabilities. The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is an organization that is charged with the improvement and promotion of health in entire populations with specific focus on individuals, families and communities (National Institute of Nursing Research, 2013). The major role of this organization is to conduct both basic and clinical research and also to conduct training in order to build on the existent scientific knowledge on the management of disease symptoms, prevention of diseases and disability, and improvement of end-of-life and palliative care. The intramural and extramural research programs conducted by this organization are geared towards the incorporation of scientific exploration in order to improve the quality of health services and health outcomes in general. This institution funds the research that is aimed at cultivating more qualified nurse scientists and ensures this by conducting extensive trainings for new nurses as well as for veteran nurses. This organization focuses mostly on provision of training to those nurses that are from disadvantaged backgrounds or are from underrepresented areas.

In order to ensure that nurses are armed with the relevant knowledge and skills, NINR works closely with other disciplines that have overlapping interests like those that offer long term care for older people, those that deal with special needs for women throughout their lives, departments that deal with the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and many more. Additionally, the NINR works closely with the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program in order to recognize extraordinary contributions to the nursing practice.

The NINR is mostly involved in conducting research and training nurses. It is driven by the desire to improve on the scientific and evidence-based care systems that are already developed. This class deals specifically with ethical issues and in particular with ethical decision-making, nursing liability and the prevention of liability. The NINR outlines these topics in such a way that they are not only supported in law but are also supported by research into the desires of patients. Instead of just imparting this knowledge on the students, the NINR has conducted research into the ways that patients and their friends and relatives would like to be treated in care institutions. Thus, the empirical data that is sourced from these researches will form the basis for the class.

Needs assessment 

There are many methods that are used in combating different types of conditions in patients. In offering care, nurses might be overwhelmed by the different types of care that are needed for specific patients. This leaves gaps where patients might be accorded the wrong type of care hence making the nurses and the institutions liable. In order to avoid liability in the course of care giving, nursing ethics are paramount. There is a need gap in the way that ethics are imparted. This is because, most nurses are taught to follow rigid procedures in the course of giving care. This class, as sponsored by the NINR, is meant to teach nursing ethics differently. Instead of teaching wholesale concepts to students, they will source the information in the researches conducted by the institution so that they internalize it. Evidence-based ethical practice is bound to have a more profound effect on the students as compared to theory-based practice.

Class description    

The class will dwell on the ethical practices that are expected in nursing practice. Ethics are described as those values within the conduct of humans that deal with the degree of right or wrong of actions taken, the nature of their motives either good or bad, and the consequences of such actions. Thus, the basic aim of the class will be to teach students on the actions, motives and consequences of their actions in different circumstances. The lessons contained herein will be based on the laws, rules and regulations, which determine the decisions that nurses make. The class will also outline the various liabilities that may be incurred by nurses and modes of preventing them. The entire class will take four hours to complete and will be divided into three parts; ethical decision-making, nursing liabilities and prevention of liabilities. Ethical decision-making will take the least time, 1 hour and 10 minutes, with the ten minutes at the end being the time that the instructor will take to assess whether the students have understood the information dispensed using a five-minute quiz. The nursing liability part will take ten more minutes than the previous section as it will start by reviewing what was taught in the first part as well as relaying the results on the performance of the first part. The rest of the class structure will resemble the first. The last part will start as the second with a discussion of the previous sections and dispensing results for the previous part. This section will however end with a more comprehensive test that will take fifteen minutes to gauge the general understanding of the students of the entire four-hour class.

Target audience

            Ethics classes are usually relevant to many practitioners as they are universal. This class is therefore targeted at all groups of individuals that come into contact with patients in and outside healthcare institutions and who assist the patients in management of their conditions. This may include nurses, doctors, clinical officers and laboratory technicians. The course will be aimed at imparting the requisite knowledge to this group of people before they embark on their chosen careers. Thus, it targets a large number of high school graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare. Due to the sheer size of the targeted group, there will be need of a comprehensive assessment mechanism to ensure that the information dispensed is internalized by the students. One of the reasons for the existent of doubt to the extent to which students internalize academic material is because the current education system extrinsically motivates them to learn these materials for the sake of getting good grades and progress to the next level. However, this case is unique because nursing ethics are not to be cruised through as they form the core onto which more technical nursing concepts and other healthcare principles will be transposed.

As stated above, there will be need for comprehensive assessment in order to ensure that the concepts are internalized. There are a number of ways in which this will be achieved. First, there will be short, five-minute quizzes done at the end of every discussion. This will be handed to the instructors at the end of the lesson so that the level of student comprehension can be assessed. The instructor will also constantly ask random questions in the course of the discussions. Another technique for assessment will be the enactment of healthcare scenarios where students will be required to mimic different characters. Through this means, instructors can identify whether the students have grasped the basic information. It also helps those that have not understood the importance or application of ethical practices to visualize them in the enactments. At the end of the entire class, there will be a standardized fifteen-minute exam that will test the overall understanding of the information taught.

Learning resources

Carrol, P. (2004). Community health nursing: A practical guide. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar publications.

Centers for Disease Control (2008). Community guide to prevention. Atlanta, GA.

Corbin, J. (2008). Is caring a lost art in nursing? International Journal of Nursing Studies, 42(2),163-165.

Council of Community Health Nurses (1988). Standards of community health nursing practice. Kansas City: American Nurse’s Association.

Dawoud, D. & Maben, J. (2008). Nurses in society: starting the debate. Written evidence. London: National Nursing Research Unit, King’s College

Henderson, A., Van Eps, M.A., Pearson, K., James, C. & Henderson, P. (2007). ‘Caring for’ behaviours that indicate to patients that nurses ‘care about’ them. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(2),146-153.

Kuhse, H. & Singer, P. (2009). A Companion to Bioethics. Chichester UK: Blackwells

Maben, J. & Griffiths, P. (2008). Nurses in Society: starting the debate London: National Nursing Research Unit, King’s College

Tschudin, V. (2003). Ethics in Nursing: the caring relationship (3rd ed.). Edinburgh: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Wood, V. (2008). Nurses in Society: starting the debate. Oral evidence. London: Lala & Wood

Relevant journals

Journal of Public Health Policy

American Association of Occupational Health Nursing Journal

Journal of Community Health Nursing

Family and Community Health

Journal of School Nursing

American Journal of Public Health

Home Health Care Nursing

Public Health Nursing

Useful internet sources

Internet Health Coalition: www.ihealthcoalition.org

US department of Health and Human Service Office of Minority Health: www.omhrc.gov

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov

Program outcomes

There are many outcomes that are expected from this class. First, there should be a greater focus on the health and prevention of aggravation in patients. Here, emphasis is on a holistic approach to the emotional, physical and mental conditions of the patients. Students should be aware of the basics of nursing ethics which are patient-centered. Thus, all activities that are geared towards the alleviation of pain or discomfort are important for the patient and the student.

The second outcome is that the care afforded to the patient must be effective and efficient and delivered with a combination of compassion and humanity. Thus, the class will enable students to focus on improving the quality of care they give by using the right facilities, equipment and other materials in the right manner for the right purposes.

The third outcome is that students must be aware of the evidence-based approaches to nursing care. This is especially so in the expectations that patients, their families and friends have of them. This information will be sourced by review of the numerous researches done by NINR.

The students will also be aware of the importance of seamless working through teams. The most important concept here is that nurses cannot and should not work in isolation. Therefore, the ethics that they learn should also be applicable to their team members so that the quality of care afforded a patient is of the highest quality guaranteed by collaboration.

The last outcome is that students must recognize that the patient is the focal point of care and is thus invaluable. This means that the patient should be consulted at all times in any decisions made. He/she should also be communicated to in the best way possible with empathy, courtesy and compassion.

Learner objectives

Specific learning objectives for the three-part class are listed below.

Ethical Decision-Making

Students will be in a position to:

• understand the code of ethics in regards to compassion and empathy
• describe the primary roles of nursing
• understand the responsibilities of nurses towards patients and other stakeholders in healthcare
• use various decision-making models
• develop nursing values

Nursing liability

Students will be in a position to:

• identify the different scenarios that can lead to malpractice and negligence
• carry out the responsibilities of nursing to the fullest without instances oversight
• learn the different consequences of malpractice and other liabilities

Prevention of liability

Students will be in a position to:

• develop friendly relationships with patients and their friends and families
• accurately document all the information including treatment data, evaluations and response of patients to care
• identify established standards for quality nursing care
• collaborate with other caregivers in affording patients the best care
• learn the different laws that govern the nursing practice

Domains of learning

There are three domains of learning, namely: cognitive, psychomotor and affective (Fadul, 2009). They deal with knowledge, skills and attitudes respectively. In the learning objectives for ethical decision-making, understanding the code of ethics in regards to compassion and empathy, and understanding the responsibilities of nurses towards patients and other stakeholders in healthcare represent the cognitive domain whereas describing the primary roles of nursing and developing nursing values are affective with using various decision-making models representing the psychomotor domain.

In the nursing liability part of the class, identifying the different scenarios that can lead to malpractice and negligence represents the affective domain, while carrying out the responsibilities of nursing to the fullest without instances oversight represents the psychomotor domain and learning the different consequences of malpractice and other liabilities representing the cognitive domain.

Finally, the prevention of liability part has the cognitive domain being represented by learning the different laws that govern the nursing practice, while psychomotor domain is represented by accurately documenting all the information including treatment data, evaluations and response of patients to care and collaborating with other caregivers in affording patients the best care. Identifying established standards for quality nursing care and developing friendly relationships with patients and their friends and families comprise the affective domain.

 

 

 

References

Benjamin, M. & Curtis, J. (2010). Ethics in Nursing: Cases, Principles, and Reasoning. New York: Oxford University Press

Butts, J. B. & Rich, K. (2013). Nursing Ethics: Across the Curriculum and Into Practice. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning

Fadul, J. A. (2009). Collective Learning: Applying distributed cognition for collective intelligence. The International Journal of Learning, 16(4)

Gastmans, C. (2013). Dignity-enhancing nursing care: A foundational ethical framework. Nursing Ethics, 20(2), 142–149.

Kress, G. & Selander, S. (2012). Multimodal design, learning and cultures of recognition. Internet and Higher Education, 15(1), 265–268.

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) (2013). Mission. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved March 18, 2014 from http://www.nih.gov/about/almanac/organization/NINR.htm

 

 

 

 

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