The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.
Khalil Gibran
Course Reflections
BIOL 563- Human Pathophysiology.
The study of basic processes underlying diseases with an emphasis on correlating anatomical, functional, and biochemical alterations with clinical manifestations.
Human pathophysiology discussed disease processes at the molecular level. Case studies were utilized to develop the information learned to evaluate and analyze how the cascade of events unfold and how body systems are affected. It involved the understanding of lab values, signs and symptoms presented, and how cells respond to various stimuli.
I enjoy the discussion of how the body responds at a molecular level and it gave me a greater appreciation of disease processes. This is invaluable to me as an instructor in helping my students understand lab values and how to develop a medical diagnosis on the floor and what they need to be looking for as they provide treatment and care to their patients.
NURSING 600 – Theoretical Foundations for Nursing Practice
This course critically examined the development of nursing knowledge; with critique, evaluation and application of a variety of theories from nursing, family and other related disciplines as a base for advanced nursing practice.
There was a review and discussion of the various non-nursing and nursing theories and their application in nursing advance practice. I never really understand the value of various nursing theories until this course. Two other students and I cooperated in writing a paper on Callista Roy's Adaptation Theory as it applied to the elderly. I was attracted to her philosophy because she was a nun and incorporated a strong spiritual piece into her theory. One of the ironic pieces to this project was that one of the students I wrote it with passed away shortly after we completed the project from cancer. I am not a religious person but very spiritually orientated. So within the Adaption theory, I lost a good friend and had to adapt and my friend adapted by passing on. It is important for us to understand as nurses that death is an adaptation. Our role is to help the person pass as peacefully as possible and to help the family adapt with their loss.
"Do not underestimate the power of a person to cope. He may be dependent now but deep within him lies the energy to adapt." Sister Callista Roy
Nurse Theory Analysis
NURS602 Health Care Policy and Finance
This course analyzed policy research relevant to health care, finance and integrated care systems. Focus was placed on the evaluation of the effects of local, regional, national and international health policy and trends on delivery systems and advanced nursing practice.
The course was a review of the cost of health care, current delivery systems, and policies. This is an area I can be very passionate about as I believe everyone has the right to healthcare but our current system of delivery does not meet the needs of consumers and is too expensive. The required reading for this course was “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,.” It told the story of Hmong refugees and the obstacles they faced within our health care system. The link below was a discussion on that topic.
Module A
NURSING 610 – Advanced Evidence Application
Application of evidence to advance nursing practice. Includes issue identification, research process, statistical principles, and outcomes evaluation.
This course introduced me to evidence-based research and how to develop a project question. Myself and two fellow students worked together on the question: In an acute care hospital setting do bachelor prepared registered nurses have better patient outcomes when compared to other licensed nurses with less education?
We researched the current literature and extracted the appropriate data that supported the conclusion that utilizing bachelor prepared registered nurses resulted in better outcomes for patients with lower morbidity. Yet, hiring only bachelor prepared registered nurses also meant increase costs to shareholders and the phasing out of associate degree registered nursing curriculums. With the present nursing instructor shortage, implementation may be difficult.
Plan for Implementation
NURS 612 Health Care of Rural Communities
Utilize appropriate epidemiological, social, and environmental data sources to conduct rural community assessment. Emphasis on developing culturally relevant care systems at the communitylevel.
This course focused on rural health care issues and the development of a project that would utilize a community assessment to determine the needs of a selected community. Using an advance practice nurse in the role of facilitating the project, a program description was developed from the existing literature. The process included establishing a timeline and budget and then providing the information to the shareholders for consideration.
The developed project was to provide telemental health resources to manage depression in a rural population. Interestingly, since the study was written, a Dr. Adrian Dean is currently starting to provide acute mental health assessments via telemental health in southern Idaho and the state has begun to use telemental health in the rural counties. More work needs to be done, and I used this as a framework in developing my master's thesis on telemental health. I would like to refine my paper and deliver it to the Idaho Legislature as a proposal for expanding telemental health services within the state.
Final Course Project
Nursing 621 – Advanced Nursing Roles
Integration of theory and research related to role development, transition and ambiguity in advanced nursing practice. Emphasis on evaluation of health care delivery, ethical decision-making, partnership development, collaborative practice and accountability for quality.
This is currently a work in progress and this e-portfolio is part of that project.
NURSING 633 – Rethinking Nursing Education
Theoretical perspective on teaching and learning in nursing education, creating a theoretical base for the education curriculum. The learners learning and explore their application to nursing education.
This was my first course in the graduate program and we began by all the students meeting with Dr. Susan Steiner in a relaxed atmosphere and given instructions to develop a course syllabus. We were told to do what we felt was important with minimal boundaries. What an amazing feeling to be as creative as we wanted. There was an analyzing of various learning theories and a fostering of learner-centered education which was modeled by Dr. Steiner. There have been several influential people in my nursing education and Dr. Steiner was one.
During the course we also developed our own personal philosophy and I found that the research I did for the philosophy paper only reinforced what I already felt about how education. So I discovered that there was evidenced-based research that validated my own personal thoughts about how students learn and the type of environment that promotes intellectual stimulation.
Personal Philosophy
NURS635 Curriculum Issues and Development
This course examined various external and internal issues influencing nursing curriculum. Curriculum components and designs were explored and a model curriculum developed.
The purpose of this course was the development of a curriculum that would meet the needs of the students and the community. There was a review of the literature discussing current issues and national trends to help guide the process. Watson's Caring Theory and Duldt-Battey's Humanistic Nursing Communication Theory were used for the theoretical framework. There was the establishment of a school philosophy and Mission Statement that formed the foundation of the curriculum. Curriculum map was developed and courses designed that included online, hybrid, and face-to-face. It involved three people exchanging information using a WIKI link where information was shared and modified by the three students developing the curriculum.
Curriculum Paper
NURS639 Teaching and Learning Strategies in Nursing Education
This course explored a variety of strategies to facilitate achievement of curriculum outcomes. The use of current technology and learner-centered strategies were emphasized.
In this course I was required to use a variety of teaching strategies in presenting information to a class. It involved using technology and developing a teaching plan. I am a live-in-class instructor. I love the interaction and the ability to see my students' faces which helps me guide the discussion. So developing a podcast was out of my comfort zone and I was concerned about if the students were understanding the material. This created a need for formative and summative evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the presentation. I realize the need to develop technologies that provide the ability to reach students wherever they are and how technologies enhance learning. I just don't want to depersonalize learning. I will have to develop myself and see if the technologies can be used in a way that enhances my ability to be even more connected in a personal way with students when online. It will be a challenge.
Teaching Plan
NURS 640 Evaluation Issues and Strategies in Nursing Education
Examination of issues surrounding program and student evaluation. Plans for formative and summative evaluation will be developed.
One of my favorite classes and full of information on helping me improve my instructional style. The text, Billings and Halsted's Teaching Nursing: A guide for faculty, described how to build rubrics, constructing various learning tools and assessments, use of Bloom's taxonomy, and how to use text statistics. The most important piece for me was the discussion on reflective journaling. I have always felt reflective journaling was an important piece in students' clinical journaling and wrote a paper on the subject for this course.
Final Paper
Nursing 647 – Advanced Practicum in Nursing Education
Application of learning theories, strategies and evaluation in a nursing program. The learners will explore and practice various facets of the faculty role.
I learned more in this class about teaching than any of the previous classes. It involved 288 hours of practicum, development of a project, teaching two courses for ISU, restructuring of my courses at CSI, 12 hours of committee work, and a reflective journal of my experiences. My two courses at ISU were in conjunction with Mary Ovitt and her NURS 4418 Leadership and Management class. Mary was such a wonderful mentor and role model. She taught me how to use Moodle and how to set up my class. It was a lot of work, but very enjoyable. I taught Conflict Management/Problem Solving and Professional Values/Ethical Practice/Role Transition by recording a video for the class and developing learning activities. I developed pre/post-assessments for the presentations and graded a discussion board. My reflective journaling using Mezirow's model was so insightful. I redeveloped my med/surg courses at CSI and utilized all of the cumulative knowledge from my Masters program to bring best practices into my courses. And finally, there was the e-portfolio. This was a real hurdle for me as I am techno-challenged. I loved the development of the site and struggled with the technology, but it was a learning experience and my colleague assisted me. It has all been a great experience. But now I am tired and will enjoy some time off before I tackle my next project. Whatever that might be.
Master's Thesis
The study of basic processes underlying diseases with an emphasis on correlating anatomical, functional, and biochemical alterations with clinical manifestations.
Human pathophysiology discussed disease processes at the molecular level. Case studies were utilized to develop the information learned to evaluate and analyze how the cascade of events unfold and how body systems are affected. It involved the understanding of lab values, signs and symptoms presented, and how cells respond to various stimuli.
I enjoy the discussion of how the body responds at a molecular level and it gave me a greater appreciation of disease processes. This is invaluable to me as an instructor in helping my students understand lab values and how to develop a medical diagnosis on the floor and what they need to be looking for as they provide treatment and care to their patients.
NURSING 600 – Theoretical Foundations for Nursing Practice
This course critically examined the development of nursing knowledge; with critique, evaluation and application of a variety of theories from nursing, family and other related disciplines as a base for advanced nursing practice.
There was a review and discussion of the various non-nursing and nursing theories and their application in nursing advance practice. I never really understand the value of various nursing theories until this course. Two other students and I cooperated in writing a paper on Callista Roy's Adaptation Theory as it applied to the elderly. I was attracted to her philosophy because she was a nun and incorporated a strong spiritual piece into her theory. One of the ironic pieces to this project was that one of the students I wrote it with passed away shortly after we completed the project from cancer. I am not a religious person but very spiritually orientated. So within the Adaption theory, I lost a good friend and had to adapt and my friend adapted by passing on. It is important for us to understand as nurses that death is an adaptation. Our role is to help the person pass as peacefully as possible and to help the family adapt with their loss.
"Do not underestimate the power of a person to cope. He may be dependent now but deep within him lies the energy to adapt." Sister Callista Roy
Nurse Theory Analysis
NURS602 Health Care Policy and Finance
This course analyzed policy research relevant to health care, finance and integrated care systems. Focus was placed on the evaluation of the effects of local, regional, national and international health policy and trends on delivery systems and advanced nursing practice.
The course was a review of the cost of health care, current delivery systems, and policies. This is an area I can be very passionate about as I believe everyone has the right to healthcare but our current system of delivery does not meet the needs of consumers and is too expensive. The required reading for this course was “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,.” It told the story of Hmong refugees and the obstacles they faced within our health care system. The link below was a discussion on that topic.
Module A
NURSING 610 – Advanced Evidence Application
Application of evidence to advance nursing practice. Includes issue identification, research process, statistical principles, and outcomes evaluation.
This course introduced me to evidence-based research and how to develop a project question. Myself and two fellow students worked together on the question: In an acute care hospital setting do bachelor prepared registered nurses have better patient outcomes when compared to other licensed nurses with less education?
We researched the current literature and extracted the appropriate data that supported the conclusion that utilizing bachelor prepared registered nurses resulted in better outcomes for patients with lower morbidity. Yet, hiring only bachelor prepared registered nurses also meant increase costs to shareholders and the phasing out of associate degree registered nursing curriculums. With the present nursing instructor shortage, implementation may be difficult.
Plan for Implementation
NURS 612 Health Care of Rural Communities
Utilize appropriate epidemiological, social, and environmental data sources to conduct rural community assessment. Emphasis on developing culturally relevant care systems at the communitylevel.
This course focused on rural health care issues and the development of a project that would utilize a community assessment to determine the needs of a selected community. Using an advance practice nurse in the role of facilitating the project, a program description was developed from the existing literature. The process included establishing a timeline and budget and then providing the information to the shareholders for consideration.
The developed project was to provide telemental health resources to manage depression in a rural population. Interestingly, since the study was written, a Dr. Adrian Dean is currently starting to provide acute mental health assessments via telemental health in southern Idaho and the state has begun to use telemental health in the rural counties. More work needs to be done, and I used this as a framework in developing my master's thesis on telemental health. I would like to refine my paper and deliver it to the Idaho Legislature as a proposal for expanding telemental health services within the state.
Final Course Project
Nursing 621 – Advanced Nursing Roles
Integration of theory and research related to role development, transition and ambiguity in advanced nursing practice. Emphasis on evaluation of health care delivery, ethical decision-making, partnership development, collaborative practice and accountability for quality.
This is currently a work in progress and this e-portfolio is part of that project.
NURSING 633 – Rethinking Nursing Education
Theoretical perspective on teaching and learning in nursing education, creating a theoretical base for the education curriculum. The learners learning and explore their application to nursing education.
This was my first course in the graduate program and we began by all the students meeting with Dr. Susan Steiner in a relaxed atmosphere and given instructions to develop a course syllabus. We were told to do what we felt was important with minimal boundaries. What an amazing feeling to be as creative as we wanted. There was an analyzing of various learning theories and a fostering of learner-centered education which was modeled by Dr. Steiner. There have been several influential people in my nursing education and Dr. Steiner was one.
During the course we also developed our own personal philosophy and I found that the research I did for the philosophy paper only reinforced what I already felt about how education. So I discovered that there was evidenced-based research that validated my own personal thoughts about how students learn and the type of environment that promotes intellectual stimulation.
Personal Philosophy
NURS635 Curriculum Issues and Development
This course examined various external and internal issues influencing nursing curriculum. Curriculum components and designs were explored and a model curriculum developed.
The purpose of this course was the development of a curriculum that would meet the needs of the students and the community. There was a review of the literature discussing current issues and national trends to help guide the process. Watson's Caring Theory and Duldt-Battey's Humanistic Nursing Communication Theory were used for the theoretical framework. There was the establishment of a school philosophy and Mission Statement that formed the foundation of the curriculum. Curriculum map was developed and courses designed that included online, hybrid, and face-to-face. It involved three people exchanging information using a WIKI link where information was shared and modified by the three students developing the curriculum.
Curriculum Paper
NURS639 Teaching and Learning Strategies in Nursing Education
This course explored a variety of strategies to facilitate achievement of curriculum outcomes. The use of current technology and learner-centered strategies were emphasized.
In this course I was required to use a variety of teaching strategies in presenting information to a class. It involved using technology and developing a teaching plan. I am a live-in-class instructor. I love the interaction and the ability to see my students' faces which helps me guide the discussion. So developing a podcast was out of my comfort zone and I was concerned about if the students were understanding the material. This created a need for formative and summative evaluations to determine the effectiveness of the presentation. I realize the need to develop technologies that provide the ability to reach students wherever they are and how technologies enhance learning. I just don't want to depersonalize learning. I will have to develop myself and see if the technologies can be used in a way that enhances my ability to be even more connected in a personal way with students when online. It will be a challenge.
Teaching Plan
NURS 640 Evaluation Issues and Strategies in Nursing Education
Examination of issues surrounding program and student evaluation. Plans for formative and summative evaluation will be developed.
One of my favorite classes and full of information on helping me improve my instructional style. The text, Billings and Halsted's Teaching Nursing: A guide for faculty, described how to build rubrics, constructing various learning tools and assessments, use of Bloom's taxonomy, and how to use text statistics. The most important piece for me was the discussion on reflective journaling. I have always felt reflective journaling was an important piece in students' clinical journaling and wrote a paper on the subject for this course.
Final Paper
Nursing 647 – Advanced Practicum in Nursing Education
Application of learning theories, strategies and evaluation in a nursing program. The learners will explore and practice various facets of the faculty role.
I learned more in this class about teaching than any of the previous classes. It involved 288 hours of practicum, development of a project, teaching two courses for ISU, restructuring of my courses at CSI, 12 hours of committee work, and a reflective journal of my experiences. My two courses at ISU were in conjunction with Mary Ovitt and her NURS 4418 Leadership and Management class. Mary was such a wonderful mentor and role model. She taught me how to use Moodle and how to set up my class. It was a lot of work, but very enjoyable. I taught Conflict Management/Problem Solving and Professional Values/Ethical Practice/Role Transition by recording a video for the class and developing learning activities. I developed pre/post-assessments for the presentations and graded a discussion board. My reflective journaling using Mezirow's model was so insightful. I redeveloped my med/surg courses at CSI and utilized all of the cumulative knowledge from my Masters program to bring best practices into my courses. And finally, there was the e-portfolio. This was a real hurdle for me as I am techno-challenged. I loved the development of the site and struggled with the technology, but it was a learning experience and my colleague assisted me. It has all been a great experience. But now I am tired and will enjoy some time off before I tackle my next project. Whatever that might be.
Master's Thesis