Essentials of Medication Administration Syllabus for 2024-2025
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Instructor Information

Office Location

<p>Jones Hall Room 272</p>

Office Hours

Posted

Course Information

AI Statement

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COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Enrollment Center, Suite 700. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

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If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

VNSG-1227-001 Essentials of Medication Administration

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: BIOL 2401 and HITT 1205 OR BIOL 2402 Corequisites: VNSG 1423, VNSG 1400, VNSG 1331, VNSG 1204, VNSG 1201, and VNSG 1260

Course Description

General principles of medications administration including determination of dosage, preparation, safe administration and documentation of multiple forms of drugs. Instruction includes various systems of measurement.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(2 sem hrs; 1 lec, 3 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

  Introductory Clinical Pharmacology, Roach, Ford, Lippencott Williams & Wilkins 12th Ed.

(Included in LVN Digital Bundle, 9781975242527)

 Nursing Math simplified, Math Magic, Susan Moore, H&H Publishing Co., Inc., 5th Edition

 

 

 

Supplies

Black Lab Bag available in AC bookstore

Student Performance

  

STUDENT PERFORMANCE/LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The student will identify the roles and responsibilities of the nurse in administering pharmacological agents; and utilize knowledge of pharmacology to demonstrate safe administration of medications. The student will identify the unique psychological and sociological differences and health care practices within culturally diverse individuals that affect the use of pharmacological agents.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

The Vocational Nursing Program is an adult program. Adult and professional behavior is expected in both the classroom and clinical areas. Cell phones should be turned off while in class, out of eyesight, and off of desktops during lectures. Text messaging is not allowed in the classroom. These devices are disruptive, do not answer calls or texts during class. Should there be a family situation/emergency that requires your attention, please inform your instructor before class. Students are expected to participate in all activities. Assigned reading should be completed with the module, attend lectures to supplement the reading, and complete ATI assignments to be successful. 

Students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, not only in interaction with patients, but also with peers, faculty, and staff.  Students represent the Department of Nursing and the nursing profession; thus, students assume responsibilities toward society.  These responsibilities are delineated in the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses Practice Standards and the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2015.  The statements of the code and their interpretation provide guidance for nurses’ behavior in relation to carrying out nursing responsibilities within the framework of ethical decision-making. 

Each student will adhere to the Civility Statement, Student Handbook Policies and Procedures, the Amarillo College VN Honor Code Policy, and the Social Networking Policy. Any violation of these policies and procedures may result in failure of the course and possible dismissal from the program.

 

You may not record class with audio or video recording equipment (phones) without permission; if permission is granted, you agree only to use said recordings for your own personal, educational purposes and will not reproduce, distribute or publicly post the recordings without your instructor’s permission.

 

Instructors are available for assistance during office hours. Professional communication may be conducted through e-mail or in person. 

Grading Criteria

VNSG 1227 Grading Criteria
Unit Exam:                                      40%
Daily work:                                      10%
Dosage & Calculation Test:             10%               
Medication Administration Lab:       40%  
     
A:  90-100      B:  80-89     C:  75-79     D:  74-60     F:  59 & below
 

Students must achieve an 90% on the dosage calculation exam prior to attending clinical. There will be two opportunities to achieve a passing grade. Failure to pass the dosage exam will result in the student failing to meet the objectives for VNSG 1232 and VNSG 1227. Students who do not pass the dosage exam will be required to drop the following courses: VNSG 1231, 1227, 1400, and 1260. 

Attendance

Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement, and mandated hours are required by the Texas State Board of Nursing. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class. 90% attendance of classroom lecture is required. Classroom content is 64 hours which allows a student to miss 7 hours of classroom content. Attendance contracts will be given to students who miss class. If more than 4 hours of classroom content is missed, students will receive a deduction of 5 points on the upcoming exam and potential failure for the course. Students should expect to be in class, lab, or clinical for 8 hours daily. 

Calendar

Unit 1

General Principles of Medication Administration

General Principles of Pharmacology

Administration of Drugs

Review of Arithmetic & Calculation of Drug Dosages

The Nursing Process

Patient & Family Teaching

UNIT 2

Management of Pain

Respiratory System

UNIT 3

GI, GU, & Endocrine System

UNIT 4

Cardiovascular & Hematologic System

UNIT 5 

CNS, PNS, and Neuromuscular System

UNIT 6

Anti-infectives & Immunity

Additional Information

LABORATORY EXPERIENCE:

48 hours of lab and clinical are required in this course. 16 hours are used for skills lab time. The student must fulfill 32 hours of lab hours. Failure to complete and document the 32 hours will result in failure of the course. 

Activities that qualify include: 

  • ATI: Time that students are logged in to ATI working on skills modules.

  • PrepU: Time that students are logged into CoursePoint working on assignments.

  • Skills Practice: Time spent in the NRC to practice skills. 

  • Active learning activities

  • Other activities as designated by the instructor. 

SKILLS LAB

Students will perform return demonstrations of skills in the Nursing Resource Center (NRC) with an instructor. The student must pass all skills labs to pass the course. Upon skills failure, it is the student's responsibility to schedule remediation with NRC staff prior to leaving the NRC. Remediation cannot be completed on the same day as the failed skill. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the second-attempt check-off with their care group leader. Time is limited in this course; remediation and second-attempt must be scheduled within one week of the failed attempt; failure to complete this requirement will result in a zero (0) for the skill. All skills must be completed successfully before clinical orientation. Two failed attempts at a single skill will result in a failure of this course. 

Grades will be earned on each skill. Skills Check-off grades will be the following: 

  • 1st attempt pass: 100

  • 2nd attempt pass: 75

COURSE WORK

In order to succeed in this course, there will be required assignments. Assignments must be hand-written (unless otherwise specified)  and submitted to the appropriate drop box in Blackboard. Typed assignments will not be accepted. Assignments must be compatible with Microsoft Office (Microsoft Word, etc.). Any submission that is incompatible with the campus computer system will not be accepted and will result in a zero for the assignment. 

If assignments are not completed by the closing date, you will receive a zero for that specific assignment. Students will be provided with a list of required ATI and PrepU assignments. The student must achieve a 90% on all ATI assignments, and mastery level 5 on PrepU to receive credit. In order to receive full benefits from these modules, students must spend at least 30 minutes per module. Insufficient time will not receive credit.

Students are required to do their own individual work. There may be no sharing of answers for ATI or PrepU. Students are not to write down questions or answers for either of these programs. Students may not take screenshots of any questions for either of these programs. Any cheating in any form will not be tolerated and can result in course failure. 

If there are problems accessing and/or working within PrepU or ATI, the student must contact PrepU or ATI helpdesk. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor prior to the due date, explain the problem, and include the ticket number given by the helpdesk. 

PARTICIPATION

There will be active learning activities in class. Participation is required. Active learning may include group work. These activities are structured to provide a deeper understanding of the material and gain experience with collaboration. Collaboration is a necessary skill for nurses to provide safe care. 

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is defined as the following: the use of someone else’s exact word(s) that are neither quoted nor cited; paraphrasing someone else’s words without citing them; or citing someone else’s research without citing it.  

Copying any part of another student’s work and submitting it as original work is plagiarism. 

Plagiarism may receive a penalty of zero.  

Student Testing Policy

Specific to Testing and the Testing Center:

A student will:

  1. find the schedule for tests on the class calendar.
  2. arrive 10 minutes prior to start of test in the Testing Center.
    1. A student arriving after a scheduled test has started will not be allowed to take the test at that time.
    2. The student will need to reschedule with the course instructor.
    3. A 5-point deduction from the exam will be enforced for students unable to test due to tardiness or failure to comply with testing center procedure.
  3. provide picture identification and student ID# at a test (student ID badge will fulfil these requirements).
    1. Students without acceptable identification will not be allowed to test and must reschedule with their instructor.
    2. A 5-point deduction from the exam will be enforced for students unable to test due to tardiness or failure to comply with testing center procedure.
  4. sit in the assigned seat as identified by the instructor(s).
  5. have no personal belongings (i.e., books, papers, or reading materials) at a testing station.
    1. Scratch paper, pencil, and/or calculator will be provided when necessary.
    2. Students will not be allowed to bring personal calculators or supplies into the testing center.
  6. be required to leave hats, scarves, gloves and coats outside the testing room.
    1. Provisions are made for religious and cultural dress.
  7. be required to leave all, tablets, smart watches, mp3 players, fitness bands, jump drives, cameras or any other electronic devices outside of the testing room.
    1. Students will be provided a holder for keys and cellular devices in the testing center. 
    2. The student will place these items in the holder prior to the exam.
    3. Students will not be able to access these items during the exam. 
    4. Student may retrieve items only after their exam has been submitted.
  8. raise his/her hand to ask a question.
    1. Instructor or Testing Center personnel will come to the student. There will be no other talking during a test.
  9. bring no food or drinks in the Testing Center
  10. be permitted to take a test one time only.
  11. Tests are computerized and will be taken in the nursing testing center and will be multiple choice questions. 
    1. Make-up tests may be essay/short answer questions and must be taken within one week of the scheduled test.  Make-up exams may result in a deduction of 5 points (this will be at the discretion of the instructor). 
    2. Failure to notify instructor of a missed exam may result in a grade of 0 for that exam.
  12. Level II: PrepU and assigned ATI must be complete before the exam
    1. Failure to complete assignments will result in a 5-point deduction from the exam grade at the discretion of the instructor.
  13. Take all exams including the final, no exemptions.  Students will receive the grade earned on all exams, including the final.
  14.  Students may review their exam results with an instructor after any module exam. Appointments should be scheduled within one week of the exam. 
    1. No module exam may be reviewed after the next scheduled module exam is given. The final exam will not be reviewed.
  15. demonstrate ethical, professional behaviors and will adhere to this testing policy.
    1. Instructors and/or testing personnel will report to the Nursing Department Chair any incident where there is suspicion or evidence of cheating or infraction of this policy with possible consequences:
      1. Invalidation of test scores for the class or for the individual
      2. Loss of grade for the individual, or
      3. Dismissal of individual from the program

A student will maintain honesty by:

  1. not removing any materials, documents, or recordings with any test information from the room after taking or reviewing a test. 
  2. not discussing examination items with peers.
  3. not giving help to students or receiving help from any student during a test.
  4. not sharing any test information with other students between and after testing times.
  5. Violations of academic code of conduct will be subject to disciplinary action as per the Amarillo College Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Student Responsibilities During Test Review/Remediation

  1. Students may review their individual exam results with an instructor after any module exam. Appointments should be scheduled within one week of the exam.  No module exam may be reviewed after the next scheduled module exam is given unless deemed necessary by the instructor. Final exam will not be reviewed.
  2. Cell phones and audio recording equipment are to be turned off. All personal electronic devices should be placed in backpacks or purses.
  3. Test questions in any form must not be shared, discussed or copied on social media. Examples include but are not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, etc.
  4. Students will not engage in any cheating activities, including but not limited to those scenarios listed above.

Security measures will be taken during tests, between testing times, and during test reviews.

If you need additional resources or financial assistance please visit the following website.  www.actx.edu/resources

Syllabus Created on:

08/13/24 11:32 AM

Last Edited on:

08/13/24 11:42 AM