NRS 490 Professional Nursing Capstone

This course integrates the academic and practical knowledge students have acquired throughout the program. Students will participate in a practicum experience that refines the core competencies of Professional Nursing Practice and the AACN domains and competencies in application to the communities they serve. The clinical practice hours are dedicated to meeting the program outcomes in a community setting by the student nurse serving as a leader, advocate, and change agent by completing a project to improve healthcare quality outcomes in the community. The evidence-based project provides students an opportunity to identify a clinical nursing practice issue and propose a possible solution. The student nurse, in collaboration with their preceptor and faculty, will analyze the nurse practice issue they have identified in the program, develop a change project, and propose an evidence-based solution that reflects synthesis and integration of program content and professional practice.

Credits

4

Prerequisite

Admission to the BSN program

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Make evidence-based decisions by applying knowledge from nursing theory, research, and principles of population health

2. Practice holistic care that respects the client's preferences and values

3. Communicate effectively and compassionately in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of high-quality healthcare using available resources and emerging technologies

4. Model self-reflective, professional, and ethical behaviors that align with the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses

5. Apply quality improvement principles that incorporate best practices in the delivery of care, promote a culture of patient safety, and mitigate unsafe environments

6. Collaborate with the interprofessional team, patients, families, and community partners to improve health outcomes

7. Integrate program and course content to develop a potential solution to a nursing practice issue using ethical and critical thinking decision-making strategies, standards of professional practice, leadership, and effective communication