Course Descriptions (AAS)
SCIENCE
SCI 101 SELECTED TOPICS IN CHEMISTRY AND MATHEMATICS
4.5 quarter credits
Lecture: Three 75-minute sessions per week
A passing grade in this course is required for admission into the College. SCI 101 is divided into two parts over a ten-week period. Mathematical concepts important in medical dosage calculations and intravenous flow rate are discussed during the first four weeks. The latter part of the quarter focuses on selected topics in chemistry with particular relevance to the health field. This portion of the course includes topics in inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry with emphasis on the major organic compounds (carbohydrates, lipids and proteins). This course may be taken with NUR 121: Clinical Nursing Skills.
SCI 201 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY I
3 quarter credits
Lecture:
One 75-minute session per week = 1.5 quarter credits
Laboratory: Two 75-minute sessions per week = 1.5 quarter credits
Two major themes are emphasized throughout this course – the organization of the human body, and the principles of support and locomotion in the body. The study of the organization of the human body examines the relationship between body structure and function. Students are introduced to gross anatomy, histology of the four major tissue types and normal physiology. The concept of homeostasis and its role is introduced. Microscopy, cell structure and function are also covered in this course. Major systems discussed in detail include the integumentary, skeletal and muscular systems. Lecture, laboratory investigations and demonstrations are integrated throughout the course.
Prerequisite: SCI 101.
SCI 202 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY II
4.5 quarter credits
Lecture:
Two 75-minute sessions per week = 3 quarter credits
Laboratory: Two 75-minute sessions per week = 1.5 quarter credits
This course is a continuation of Anatomy & Physiology I. SCI 202 extensively discusses the principal control systems of the human body – the nervous and endocrine systems – with relevance to maintaining homeostasis in the body. The second major component of this course, covered in the latter half of the course, is the concept of continuity of life, with reference to male and female reproductive systems and developmental biology. Principles of heredity and genetics are introduced, thus serving as a framework for discussion of pathophysiology of common genetic abnormalities. Lecture, laboratory investigations and demonstrations are integrated throughout the course.
Prerequisite: SCI 201.
SCI 203 ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY III
3 quarter credits
Lecture:
One 75-minute session per week = 1.5 quarter credits
Laboratory: Two 75-minute sessions per week = 1.5 quarter credits
SCI 203 examines the structure and function of the following systems: cardiovascular, lymphatic, immune, respiratory, digestive and urinary systems. Nutrition and metabolism are discussed in conjunction with the digestive system. The study of fluids/electrolytes and acid-base balance is explored in order to fully understand their relation to buffer systems and respiratory/renal physiology in the maintenance of homeostasis. Lecture, laboratory investigations and laboratory demonstrations are integrated throughout the course.
Prerequisite: SCI 202.
SCI 204 MICROBIOLOGY
4.5 quarter credits
Lecture:
Two 75-minute sessions per week = 3 quarter credits
Laboratory: Two 75-minute sessions per week = 1.5 quarter credits
The structural and physiological characteristics of the major types of microorganisms are discussed in this course. Host-parasite relationships, as well as the methods used to destroy and control transmission of microorganisms are treated. Principles of immunology as they pertain to infection by microorganisms are also reviewed and reinforced. Basic principles of epidemiology of selected infectious diseases are elaborated. Lecture, laboratory investigations and laboratory demonstrations are integrated throughout the course.
Prerequisite: SCI 203.
NURSING
NUR 121 CLINICAL NURSING SKILLS
1.5 quarter credits
Nursing Arts Laboratory: Four 75-minute sessions per week for five weeks
A passing grade in this course is required for admission into the College. This five-week course provides instruction in clinical skills that students are expected to be able to perform prior to starting Medical-Surgical Nursing I (NUR 221). In the Nursing Arts Laboratory students demonstrate skills such as measuring vital signs, providing enteral feeding, performing wound care, urinary catheterizations, tracheostomy care, and medical administration with a focus on providing safe, patient-centered care, and recognizing and preventing patient complications. The course incorporates beginning critical thinking and clinical judgment, basic communication skills, and professional behaviors. This course may be taken with SCI 101: Selected Topics in Chemistry and Mathematics.
NUR 221 MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING I
9 quarter credits
Lecture:
Four 75-minute sessions per week = 6 quarter credits
Clinical: Six 75-minute sessions per week = 3 quarter credits
Medical-Surgical Nursing I utilizes the NLN Educational Competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing programs, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Model for Nursing Education, and the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) in applying the nursing process as a problem solving tool in health care delivery to clients experiencing chronic and terminal illness. Professional behaviors, communication, assessment, clinical decision making, caring interventions, teaching and learning, provide the content in the classroom and clinical/laboratory experience. Nursing 221 builds upon previous knowledge and skills acquired by the student as an LPN. Evidenced-based practice and the development of critical thinking skills are introduced as essential components of professional nursing practice.
Prerequisites: SCI 101, CPR certification. Corequisites: ENG 281, BEH 231, SCI 201.
NUR 222 PSYCHIATRIC-COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
7.5 quarter credits
Lecture:
Three 75-minute sessions per week = 4.5 quarter credits
Clinical: Six 75-minute sessions per week = 3.0 quarter credits
This course builds on the knowledge and experience acquired in Nursing 221. The course is developed utilizing the NLN Educational Competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing Programs, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Model for Nursing Education, and the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) in addressing clients with psychosocial needs. The foci are on implementing the nursing process based upon assessment and observation of behaviors caused by stress, principles of therapeutic communication, group process, and principles of community mental health. Developmental tasks, biological, maturational and situational stresses along the life continuum are identified, as emphasis is placed upon clients’ behavioral reactions in both hospital and community treatment programs. Students engage in a variety of intervention modalities: individual, group and behavioral counseling and medication instruction.
Prerequisites: NUR 221, BEH 231. Corequisites: ENG 282, BEH 232, SCI 202.
NUR 223 PARENT-CHILD HEALTH NURSING
9 quarter credits
Lecture:
Four 75-minute sessions per week = 6 quarter credits
Clinical: Six 75-minute sessions per week = 3 quarter credits
Parent-Child Health Nursing 223 utilizes the NLN Education Competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing Programs, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Model for Nursing Education, as the basis for providing nursing care. This course is designed to build on the maternal child health knowledge and skills taught in the practical nursing curriculum. This course encourages the use of critical thinking and increasing self-direction in the utilization of the nursing process to the care of the childbearing/childrearing family. Normal growth and development patterns are considered throughout the course. Classroom and clinical experiences focus on the use of the nursing process as a major tool in assisting the family as it progresses through the childbearing/childrearing years. Health promotion, maintenance, restoration and rehabilitation are major phases addressed as the nursing process is applied to clients in different health care settings.
Prerequisites: NUR 222, BEH 232. Corequisites: BEH 233, SCI 203.
NUR 224 MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING II
7.5 quarter credits
Lecture:
Three 75-minute sessions per week = 4.5 quarter credits
Clinical: Six 75-minute sessions per week = 3.0 quarter credits
Medical-Surgical Nursing II utilizes the NLN Educational Competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing Programs, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Model for Nursing Education, and the Roy Adaptation Model (RAM) as the basis for providing nursing care. This course encourages the use of critical thinking and increasing self-direction in the utilization of the nursing process to the care of adult clients experiencing stress related to acute and complex health problems. Emphasis is on the understanding of concepts to promote adaptation under life-threatening physiologic stressors for clients in acute and ambulatory settings. Increased independent learning is expected from the students in this course. A student-conducted workshop on selected nursing techniques is arranged to provide students with the opportunity to organize, articulate, and share their learning experiences with peers and faculty. The leadership role of the registered nurse as a member of the health team in a variety of settings is examined. Clinical experiences include specialized areas that easily lend themselves to the application of knowledge to practice. The National League for Nursing Core competencies (professional behaviors, communication, assessment, clinical decision making, caring interventions, teaching and learning, collaboration, managing care) continue to provide the commonalities of content in the classroom and the clinical setting.
Prerequisite: NUR 223. Corequisites: NUR 225, SCI 204.
NUR 225 PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATIONS
3 quarter credits
Lecture: Two 75-minute sessions per week
Professional Foundations is developed utilizing the National League for Nursing Educational Competencies for Graduates of Associate Degree Nursing Programs, the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Model for Nursing Education, the Roy Adaptation Model, and the nursing process. The course is designed to increase the students’ understanding of nursing as a profession; its relationship to other professions, and other stimuli which affect and influence nursing. Course content includes nursing’s historical traditions, professional development, current and future trends, and legal and ethical aspects. Cultural influences on nursing, ethical decision-making, nursing models, management of healthcare delivery and leadership roles, and principles of effective delegation are discussed.
Prerequisite: NUR 223. Corequisites: NUR 224, SCI 204.
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
BEH 231 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
4.5 quarter credits
Lecture: Three 75-minute sessions per week
This course introduces the scientific study of human behavior. It includes an overview of current theories in the areas of learning, motivation, psychopathology, social psychology and personality. The course provides a basic awareness of the biological, intrapersonal, interpersonal and cultural forces that motivate behavior thereby fostering an understanding of self and others.
BEH 232 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
4.5 quarter credits
Lecture: Three 75-minute sessions per week
This course provides an overview of the biological, social and psychological processes that contribute to human growth and development across the life span. The course is designed to create an understanding of both normal and abnormal development by examining developmental forces through life’s continuum from conception to death.
Prerequisite: BEH 231
BEH 233 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
4.5 quarter credits
Lecture: Three 75-minute sessions per week
This course is designed to provide a sociological perspective to the study of social behavior. It will familiarize students with the basic concepts and theories of the field, relating them to everyday life. The course will focus upon sociological issues of continued interest: culture and society; socialization, gender roles, marriage and family; religion; inequality; and medicine as an institution.
ENGLISH
ENG 281 COMPOSITION AND INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
4.5 credits
Lecture: Three 75-minute sessions per week
This course provides instruction and practice in college writing and an introduction to library research. In English 281, students will analyze and interpret college-level fiction and non-fiction readings, write essays that respond to a text, develop an original thesis, integrate evidence, and document their sources in APA-style. English 281 is offered in hybrid and regular format in alternating quarters.
ENG 282 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
4.5 quarter credits
Lecture: Three 75-minute sessions per week
This course engages students with a range of world literature from antiquity to modernity, including short stories, poetry, and drama. Writing assignments emphasize critical approaches to literature. Lectures and class discussion help the student to develop critical skills and an active appreciation of language and literature. Students use APA-style documentation. English 282 is offered in hybrid and regular format in alternating quarters.
Prerequisite: ENG 281.