Overview
Nursing 441: Consolidated Professional Practice is a focused practicum course completed with the guidance of a preceptor. This clinical course provides students with the opportunity for application, integration, synthesis, and further growth of nursing knowledge, skills, and attitudes in a selected nursing practice setting (e.g., mental health, medical-surgical, community health). The emphasis is on the complexity of nursing care with clients (individuals, families, and/or aggregates).
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of NURS 441, the student will achieve or exceed the following learning outcomes:
- demonstrate the synthesis and integration of theory, practice, and research while working with complex clients (individuals, families, and/or aggregates)
- apply management and leadership theory throughout the clinical practice experience
- apply concepts related to population health, primary health care, and health promotion while working with individuals, families, and groups/aggregates with complex health care problems
- work independently and collaboratively with other disciplines and across health care sectors
- comply with the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) Entry-level Competencies for the Practice of Registered Nurses (2019) while demonstrating registered nurse practice consistent with:
- CRNA Practice Standards for Registrants (2023) and all other CRNA standards and guidelines;
- CNA Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (2017);
- Health Professions Act (HPA, 2024)
- Federal and Provincial legislation and common law that directs practice
Registered Nurses Skills & Abilities
Understanding the general demands and performance expectations on registered nurses is key to successfully meeting the Entry-Level Competencies for the Practice of Registered Nurses (CRNA, 2019). The Requisite Skills and Abilities for Becoming a Registered Nurse in Alberta (CRNA, 2022) document outlines seven categories of basic requisite skills and abilities that allows the individual to transition along the continuum from a nursing student to a registered nurse.
Evaluation
To receive credit for NURS 441, students must complete all of the required assignments. All papers submitted must follow the guidelines of the current APA Publication Manual. The clinical practicum is graded on a pass/fail basis and students must successfully complete the practicum in order to pass the course. The required assignments are as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Learning Plan | Pass/Fail |
| Assignment 2: Clinical Practice Forum Discussions | Pass/Fail |
| Assignment 3A: Formative (Midterm) Evaluation using the "Post-LPN Clinical Evaluation Tool" | Pass/Fail |
| Assignment 3B: Summative (Final) Evaluation using the "Post-LPN Clinical Evaluation Tool" | Pass/Fail |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.
Other Materials
A variety of electronic journals and websites are used in the course and paper copies.
There are no required textbooks for NURS 441. It is expected that students will consult reference materials, including textbooks, journals and Internet resources, for information directly related to their clinical practice.