Available by appointment
Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. <strong>The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor. </strong>
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.
Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.
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.
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
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.
Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016
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.
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 .
VNSG-1204-001 Foundations of Nursing
Prerequisites: BIOL 2401 and HITT 1205 OR BIOL 2402 Corequisites: VNSG 1201, VNSG 1331, VNSG 1227, VNSG 1423, VNSG 1260, VNSG 1400
Introduction to the nursing profession including history, standards of practice, legal and ethical issues and role of the vocational nurse. Topics include mental health, therapeutic communication, cultural and spiritual diversity, nursing process and holistic awareness.
Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website
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.
(2 sem hrs; 1 lec, 2 lab)
Hybrid
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
Moreno-Donnelly, L. A., Moseley. B.,(2022). Introductory Medical-Surgical nursing (13th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
Timby, B. K., & Smith, N. E. (2021) Timby’s Fundamental Skills and Concepts. (12th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
(Books included with LVN Digital Bundle, 9781975242527)
Required Computer/Mobile Device (Laptop/Tablet) with Webcam: Students are required to have regular, reliable access to a computer with a stable Internet connection.
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System Requirements | Minimum | Recommended |
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Operating System | Windows Vista, 7, or 8 Mac OSX 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, or 10.9 | Windows 7 or 8 Mac OSX 10.7, 10.8, or 10.9 | |
Processor | 1 GHz processor | 2 GHz or faster processor | |
Memory | 512 MB of RAM | 2 GB of RAM or higher | |
Monitor Resolution | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 768 or higher | |
Free Hard Disk Space | 5 GB of free disk space | 20 GB or higher of free space | |
Internet Connection | Broadband (high-speed) Internet connection with a consistent minimum speed of 1.5 Mbps. | Broadband (high-speed) Internet connection with a speed of 4 Mbps or higher | |
Internet Browser** | Respondus Lockdown Browser and IE8, IE9, Safari 4+, Chrome or Firefox | Respondus Lockdown Browser and Firefox | |
Java | Java is required to use Blackboard. Download Java. | ||
Macromedia Flash Player | Flash is required to play videos within the Blackboard system. Download Flash | ||
This course is an introduction to the nursing profession including history, standards of practice, legal and ethical issues, and the role of the vocational nurse. Other topics include cultural and spiritual diversity, the nursing process, and holistic awareness (2 semester hours; 1 Lecture, 2 Lab).
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".
BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS/CLASSROOM GROUND RULES:
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, and 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.
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.
Family and friends are not to visit students in the classroom or clinical area. Because of cross-contamination concerns and the risk of injury, students are not to visit family or friends in other clinical units. This includes any clinical or class time on campus or at clinical partner sites (Sim Central).
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.
GRADE SCALE:
A: 90-100 B: 89-80 C: 79-75 D: 74-60 F: 59 & below
Students must have a minimum grade of 75 in order to pass the course.
GRADING CRITERIA:
The following criteria will be used to determine your grade:
Exams: 50%
ATI Assignments: 20%
ATI Fundamentals: 10%
Service Learning Project: 10%
Oral Presentation: 10%
The ATI Fundamentals Exam will be graded as follows:
Level 3= 100
Level 2= 88
Level 1= 75
Below Level 1= 65
SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT:
Three hours of community service (anything out of your ordinary experiences – taking an elderly person to the grocery store, taking BP at your church, helping out at the Food Bank, reading to someone in a nursing home, cleaning house for an elderly neighbor) Cannot be done during your “work” time at your place of employment. This assignment consists of 3 parts:
Submit the project idea for approval
Carry out the project
2-page double-spaced paper
The paper must include an introduction, body, and conclusion. Correct Grammar and Spelling are important! Documentation and Verification of experience required (signed note, Visual aids, video, or poster need to be included with experience). A grading rubric is available on Blackboard.
Rounding of Grades:
The final course average will be rounded to the tenth place. For example, a course average of 79.50% would be rounded to 80%. Additional examples of final course averages rounded to the tenth place include:
There will be no rounding of individual clinical assignment scores of earned during a semester.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement, and mandated hours are required by the Texas State Board of Nursing. Therefore, it is the student's responsibility to attend class. 90% attendance of classroom lectures is required. This course is unique, being a hybrid course. Attendance will be assessed by on-time assignment submission and completion of weekly quizzes. Classroom content is 48 hours, which allows a student to miss 5 hours of classroom content. If more than 2.5 hours of classroom content is missed, students will receive a deduction of 5 points on the upcoming exam and potential failure for the course. Attendance contracts will be given to students who miss class.
CLASS SCHEDULE/OUTLINE: Students will receive class schedule on the first day of class. This schedule is subject to change.
Students must do their own individual work. There may be no sharing of answers for either of these programs. Cheating in any form will not be tolerated and may result in course failure. All unit assignments must be completed by the due date scheduled by the instructor. If not completed by the closing date listed on the lab sheet and/or the date given to you by the instructor, you will receive a zero for that specific unit. A mastery level of 5 is required for PrepU to receive credit. The grade earned on ATI units will be the grade recorded. A minimum of 30 minutes should be spent on all ATI & PrepU assignments to benefit from the content and 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. The student must inform the instructor before the due date, explain the problem, and include the ticket number given by the helpdesk. Technical difficulties will not result in an extended due date if the student waits until the day before the due date to begin working on the assignment.
COURSE WORK:
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 unless specified. Typed 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. To receive credit, the student must achieve a 90% on all ATI assignments and mastery level 5 on PrepU. Students must spend at least 30 minutes per module to receive full benefits from these modules. 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 before 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 is defined as 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.
Quizzes will be scheduled during class time. Quizzes will consist of 20 questions and will be open for one hour. There will be no make-up for missed quizzes.
Student Testing Policy
Specific to Testing and the Testing Center:
A student will:
A student will maintain honesty by:
Student Responsibilities During Test Review/Remediation
Security measures will be taken during tests, between testing times, and during test reviews.
Make-up tests may be essay/short answer questions and must be taken within one week of the scheduled test. It is the student's responsibility to schedule the make-up test. Failure to schedule the make-up exam within one week may result in a grade of 0. Make-up exams may result in a deduction of 10 points (this will be at the instructor's discretion). Failure to notify the instructor before a missed exam may result in a grade of 0 for that exam.
The West Campus Tutoring Center is located in Building D. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The telephone number is 354-6020. The Tutoring Center is open to all nursing students. Any student may schedule an appointment at the center regardless of their academic progress in a course.
Students who do not achieve a minimum passing score of at least 75% on an exam must meet with the instructor and/or a tutor before the next scheduled exam. Remediation is required to help students improve their critical thinking, clinical reasoning skills, and test-taking techniques. Both the course syllabus and student contract include this requirement. Students not completing the required tutoring will receive a 5-point deduction on the exam. The next exam cannot be completed until this requirement is met.
Students may also be required to complete a Required Remediation Assignment before taking the next exam. The instructor will notify the student of the assignment and its due date. The next exam cannot be completed until this requirement is met.
ATI assessments will be done throughout the semester. These assessments establish readiness for the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX). All students will be required to complete the focused review based on the results of these assessments.
The Focused Review must be completed by the due date listed on the respective course calendar(s) in which the student is enrolled. If the focused review is not completed, then the student will not be allowed to sit for the Final Exam and will receive a grade of zero (0) for the Final Exam. Please see the ATI grading and focused review requirement table below:
ATI GRADING TABLE/Focused Review Time:
Level | Conversion Score (%) | Focused Review Time |
Level 3 | 100 | 1 hour |
Level 2 | 88 | 2 hours |
Level 1 | 75 | 3 hours |
Below Level 1 | 65 | 4 hours |
TEXAS BOARD OF NURSING DIFFERENTIATED ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES (DECS)
I. Member of the Profession:
A. Function within the nurse’s legal scope of practice and following the policies and procedures of the employing health care institution or practice setting.
B. Assume responsibility and accountability for the quality of nursing care provided to patients and their families.
C. Contribute to activities that promote the development and practice of vocational nursing.
D. Demonstrate responsibility for continued competence in nursing practice, and develop insight through reflection, self-analysis, self-care, and lifelong learning.
II. Provider of Patient-Centered Care:
A. Use clinical reasoning and established evidence-based policies as the basis for decision-making in nursing practice.
B. Assist in determining the physical and mental health status, needs, and preferences of culturally, ethnically, and socially diverse patients and their families based on the interpretation of health-related data.
C. Report data to assist in identifying problems and formulating goals/ outcomes and patient-centered care plans in collaboration with patients, their families, and the interdisciplinary health care team.
D. Provide safe, compassionate, basic nursing care to assigned patients with predictable health care needs through a supervised, directed scope of practice.
E. Implement aspects of the plan of care within legal, ethical, and regulatory parameters and in consideration of patient factors.
F. Identify and report alterations in patient responses to therapeutic interventions compared to expected outcomes.
G. Implement teaching plans for patients and their families with common health problems and well-defined health learning needs.
H. Assist in coordinating human, information, and material resources in providing care for assigned patients and their families.
III. Patient Safety Advocate:
A. Demonstrate knowledge of the Texas Nursing Practice Act and the Texas Board of Nursing Rules that emphasize safety and all federal, state, and local government and accreditation organization safety requirements and standards.
B. Implement measures to promote quality and a safe environment for patients, self, and others.
C. Assist in the formulation of goals and outcomes to reduce patient risks.
D. Obtain instruction, supervision, or training when implementing nursing procedures or practices.
E. Comply with mandatory reporting requirements of the Texas Nursing Practice Act.
F. Accept and make assignments that consider patient safety and organizational policy.
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