Course Description

It is essential that professional nurses have communication skills that are effective in promoting optimal interaction with others in a variety of situations. This course focuses on developing expert communications skills when communicating with other health care providers and patients and when communicating professional information through writing and speaking. (Formerly NURS 350) For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

A professional nurse must possess a knowledge base of essential communication behaviors and skills for optimal interaction with others in a variety of venues. The focus of this course is to develop expert communication skills that are necessary when communicating with health care professionals, patients, and families, and when communicating professional information through writing, presentation and speaking.

Measurable Learning Outcomes

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

• Develop leadership skills through formal writing, visual presentation, and spoken communication in professional nursing. RN-BSN PLO – 7; BSN Essential I.4, I.7, II.2, IX.4
• Incorporate current APA formatting guidelines into a formal paper. RN-BSN PLO – 7; BSN Essential VIII.1, VIII.7, IX.4
• Integrate fundamental nursing communication skills into classroom participation, professional practice, and peer group settings. RN-BSN PLO – 7; BSN Essential I.3, II.7, VI.3, IX.4
• Utilize crucial communication techniques in personal, academic, and professional venues. RN-BSN PLO – 7; BSN Essential I.3, II.7, VI.3, IX.4
• Assess personal and patient-related spiritual wellness. RN-BSN PLO – 1,  BSN Essential VII.3, VII.7
• Apply interventions for enhancing holistic outcomes. RN-BSN PLO – 1, 3; BSN Essential  VII.4, VIII.14
• Relate the Christian view of the art of caring to professional nursing. RN-BSN PLO – 1; BSN Essential I.5, VII.3, VII.7
• Please consult Liberty University for details on the requirements for this course.

Course Assignment

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Quiz: Background Check and RN Verification

1. The purpose of this assignment is to complete the RN Verification within the first week of this course.
2. The student will be required to complete a background check provided through Castle Branch to successfully continue in the nursing program.
3. The student will click the link for the RN Verification Survey and complete the RN Verification Survey to verify that he or she is an RN with an active nursing license.
4. This validation is required to progress in the course.
5. Complete the quiz to confirm these matters have been attended to.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided promptly for each discussion. Each thread must be at least 250 words, demonstrate course-related knowledge in formal language, and incorporate 2 peer-reviewed sources published in the last 5 years in the current APA format; in addition to the course textbook and integration of at least 1 cited biblical principle all in APA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 150 words and incorporate 1 peer-reviewed source in the current APA format.

Worldview Checkpoint Assignments (8)

Peer interaction is a key element for satisfaction and engagement in the online classroom. Each module/week, the student will view and discuss an assigned video, expressing his or her personal perspective/worldview to the class discussion board in at least 250 words. Replies and cited materials are not required for this assignment, but they are both encouraged. (Measurable Learning Outcomes 4, 6; RN-BSN PLOs -5; BSN Essentials VIII.6)

1. WV: Staff Satisfaction in a Faith-Based Organization Assignment
2. WV: Listening Well Assignment
3. WV: Reacting to Stress Assignment
4. WV: What Did Jesus Say? Assignment
5. WV: Truth or Assumptions Assignment
6. WV: Crucial Conversations Assignment
7. WV: Self-Reflection Assignment
8. WV: Self-Care Assignment

Cultural Diversity Concise Writing Assignment

The student will submit a 250–300-word essay in the current APA format summarizing the impact of addressing spiritual care appropriate to a patient’s religious and cultural preferences. As the object of this assignment is to cultivate a formal and succinct manner of writing, the length parameter will be tightly enforced. (Measurable Learning Outcomes 2, 4; RN-BSN PLOs – 1; BSN Essentials VIII.6)

APA Formal Paper: Plagiarism in the Academic Setting Assignment

APA Formal Paper: Plagiarism in the Academic Setting Assignment

This formal  APA paper consisting a 1,000–1,500-word paper in the current APA format reflecting an in-depth examination of the assigned topic of Avoiding Plagiarism in the Academic Environment. The paper must be well-organized using APA-level headings. A current APA-formatted title page and the reference page are required but will not count toward the overall length requirement. A minimum of 5 peer-reviewed sources published in the last 5 years must be incorporated. Specifically, the current APA manual, Liberty University’s Honor Code, Penalties, & Appeals Process, and 2 scholarly peer-reviewed journals from the JFL Online University Library, in addition to one other scholarly source must be cited and referenced. The paper will be checked for originality using the designated plagiarism tool.

APA Formal Paper: Review and Corrections Assignment

The student will review the instructor feedback included in his/her returned APA Formal Paper and prepare and submit a new paper addressing APA errors –  noting formatting, grammar, and spelling errors. In 250–500 words, the student will formulate and complete an APA paper with an action plan to address these errors. The student will explain what was incorrect and how it should look instead. Identify both the formatting errors, and the corrected formatting, and cite the APA manual that reflects the corrected formatting. This assignment must follow APA format and include a title page, body of the paper, and reference page.

(Measurable Learning Outcomes 2; RN-BSN PLOs -7; BSN Essentials III.4, VIII.1, VIII.2)

Group PowerPoint Presentation: Communication Techniques Assignments

• The student will work in an assigned group throughout the duration of the course to compile a 10–15-slide Group PowerPoint Presentation based on the principles from the course textbook.
• The group presentation must include a minimum of 4 peer-reviewed sources published within the last 5 years.
• The presentation will be completed in the following 4 parts:

Group Covenant and Work Plan Assignment

The student will interact with his or her group members in the Group Discussion area to establish group goals, basic rules, expected behaviors, and consequences for failing to adhere to the agreed-upon expectations.

Individual Group PowerPoint Submission Assignment

The student will submit his or her individual contribution to the group project as delegated and agreed upon by the group. The student will be responsible to ensure proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are used before submitting it to the Group Discussion area.

Group Draft PowerPoint Presentation Assignment

Each group will select 1 team member to represent them as the group leader, combine the individual submission portions together into a cohesive whole, and submit the draft to the Group Discussion area.

Final PowerPoint Presentation Assignment

All members of the group will review the draft for needed corrections and work together as a team to make corrections to resubmit the final product. The leader will then be responsible for submitting the final PowerPoint presentation for grading and to the general Discussion area to share with other groups.

(Measurable Learning Outcomes 1, 3; RN-BSN PLOs -7;  BSN Essentials VI.4, VI.5)

Personal PowerPoint Presentation: Enhancing Communication Through the Use of Visual Presentations Assignment

The student will submit a 2–3-slide PowerPoint Presentation (not including the required title slide and reference slide) demonstrating his/her ability to both assess an emotional reaction scenario and enhance information through the use of visual communication. The student will be required to create a professional presentation he or she would use to present his or her information to an organization. (Measurable Learning Outcomes 1, 3; RN-BSN PLOs -7; BSN Essentials VIII.4)

Total No. of APA Quizzes (6)

• The student will complete 5 quizzes to master elements of a current APA-formatted paper.
• Each element will be taught individually in anticipation of the final product.
• The student will demonstrate retention of the learned APA requirements by completing 5 quizzes and one comprehensive quiz.
• The basic quizzes will be open-book/open-notes, contain 5-10 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a 30-minute time limit for each quiz.
• The Quiz: APA Formatting will be open-book/open-notes, contain 20 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a one-hour time limit.
• The student will have 1 attempt at the test. (Measurable Learning Outcomes 2; RN-BSN PLOs -7; BSN Essentials I.4)

1. Quiz: Title Page
2. Quiz: Abstract
3. Quiz: Citations
4. Quiz: References
5. Quiz: Headings
6. Quiz: APA Formatting

Self-Plan of Care Assignment

The student will write a 400–500-word paper in the current APA format that will communicate his/her value in God’s eyes and specific measurable ways that the student will care for him/herself. Principles from the textbook, in addition to biblical integration, must be reflected and cited in the paper. No outside citations will be required. While a title page and the reference page are required, they will not count toward the total word count. (Measurable Learning Outcomes 2, 4, 5; RN-BSN PLOs -6; BSN Essentials I.9, VIII.3)