http://upei.ca/nursing

Nursing Faculty

Janet Bryanton, Professor Emerita
Christina Murray, Associate Professor, Dean
M. Patrice Drake, Assistant Professor, Interim Associate Dean
Jo-Ann MacDonald, Professor
William Montelpare, Professor
Margie Burns, Assistant Professor
Gail Macartney, Assistant Professor
Brandi Bell, Adjunct Professor
Janet Bryanton, Adjunct Professor
Christine Cassidy, Adjunct Professor
Patricia Charlton, Adjunct Professor
Lisa Garland-Baird, Adjunct Professor
Rosemary J. Herbert, Adjunct Professor
Kathleen MacMillan, Adjunct Professor

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
Since 1992, The Faculty of Nursing at the University of Prince Edward Island has fostered an interactive academic environment that prepares nursing students to become critically reflective practitioners, advocates, educators, and professional leaders grounded in the principles of primary health care.

The curriculum of the Faculty of Nursing is based on the concepts and principles of Primary Health Care. Primary Health Care is defined by the World Health Organization (1978) as “essential health care made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community by means acceptable to them, through their full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford.” The purpose of the program is to prepare nurses to practice according to the concepts and principles of Primary Health Care.

In keeping with the basis of Primary Health Care, nurses collaborate with clients, other health care providers, and people from other sectors of society in promoting health. Nursing roles range from direct caregiver to formulator of healthy public policy and include advocate, leader, educator, researcher, and program developer.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The following regulations govern students’ progression through the program:

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
1. a) Nursing students are expected to be safe, ethical practitioners in all nursing practice situations. Student performance must be in accordance with the legal, ethical, moral and professional standards identified in the profession’s Code of Ethics (CNA, 2017), the Standards for Nursing Practice (CRNPEI, 2018), and the UPEI Faculty of Nursing clinical course objectives. Nursing students are also expected to behave in a professionally appropriate manner, regardless of the setting.

b) The Dean may prohibit a student from attending a clinical placement or dismiss a student from the nursing program if there is reasonable evidence that the student’s professional behaviour, level of clinical competency, or physical or psychological health might be detrimental to clients.

CLINICAL/LABORATORY PERFORMANCE
2. Although clinical/laboratory components of nursing courses may be evaluated by a pass-fail system, students must pass the clinical/laboratory component for successful completion of the course.

3. Attendance at all activities related to clinical/laboratory components of nursing courses is mandatory. Students who are repeatedly absent from clinical/laboratory sessions without just cause will be removed from the course by the Dean and assigned a grade of “F”.

4. Students must successfully complete designated nursing courses that have a clinical component in each semester before progressing to subsequent nursing courses with a clinical component in a subsequent semester.

5. Students who are absent from nursing courses that have a clinical component for more than twelve months must reapply to UPEI through the Office of the Registrar. If readmitted, they will be permitted to register for subsequent nursing courses with a clinical component, only with the permission of the Dean. The Dean may require the student to complete preparatory remedial work before granting this permission to register.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
6. A student may withdraw voluntarily from the clinical component of a course only once during the program. Special consideration may be given for a student with extenuating circumstances.

7. The minimal grade for successful completion of any course with a Nursing acronym is 60%. Supplementals will not be permitted in these courses.

8. The minimal grade for successful completion of all non-nursing courses is 50%.

9. Students must obtain an overall average of at least 60% in all courses successfully completed in each academic year.

10. Students may not take any required course specifically identified under the heading “Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program” more than twice.

11. Students who fail two nursing courses (courses with a nursing number) will be dismissed from the program.

12. Any student who has completed a lab or class on medication or intravenous therapy must write a Mathematics Competency Test, and achieve a grade of 85%. Calculators are not permitted during the test. Detailed information on this policy can be obtained in the Nursing Handbook located on the Faculty of Nursing website.

STUDENT DISMISSALS
13. Students who have been dismissed from the nursing program as a result of a clinical failure are not eligible for readmission to the program. Students dismissed for reasons other than clinical failures are eligible to apply to the program after eight months following the date of dismissal. Reapplication must be made to the Registrar’s Office. Readmission is not automatic and the Dean may require students who are readmitted to complete preparatory remedial work before returning to the program.

TIME LIMIT
14. Except with special permission of the Dean, students must complete their BScN degree within seven calendar years from the date of their first registration in the program. Except with special permission from the Dean, registration in nursing courses which have a clinical/laboratory component is restricted to students registered in the Faculty of Nursing.

NOTE: As per Academic Regulation #1 h), all undergraduate degree programs require successful completion of IKE-1040, one of UPEI-1010, 1020 or 1030, and a Writing Intensive Course.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

Non-Nursing Course Requirements

1) Required credit for BIO 1060 will be waived only for students who have already successfully completed BIO 2060.

2) Required credit for BIO 1210 will be waived only for students who have already successfully completed BIO 2260.

3) Required credit for BIO 1220 will be waived only for students who have already successfully completed BIO 4010.

For course descriptions of BIO 1060, BIO 1210 and BIO 1220, see Biology Department.

4) Required credit for FN 1020 will be waived only for students who have already successfully completed FN 1010 or FN 2120 prior to the 2017 first summer session. From the 2017 first summer session to date, required credit for FN 1020 will be waived only for students who have already successfully completed FN 3520.

For course description for FN 1020, see Applied Human Sciences Department.

5, 6, 8) For course descriptions of PSY 1010, PSY 1020 and PSY 2010, see Psychology Department.  Required credit for PSY 2010 will be waived only for students who have already successfully completed
FSC 2410.

7)  For course descriptions of UPEI 1010, UPEI 1020 and UPEI 1030, see UPEI First Year Experience.

9) For course description of STAT 1210, see Mathematical and Computational Sciences Department and for course description for PSY 2710, see Psychology Department.

10, 11, 12, 13) Four free electives

Please Note:

1) NURS 4010 will normally meet the UPEI Writing Intensive degree requirement. Please see list of Writing Intensive Courses.

2) For students not accepted to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and looking to upgrade their mark in the English requirement for admission to Nursing for a future application, only UPEI 1010, UPEI 1020 or any course designated/offered by the English Department will meet the requirement.

Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

Students apply for the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Program through the Registrar’s Office, and must submit the UPEI undergraduate application form. Students in the Accelerated Program are required to take the same Nursing courses (NURS-1030 instead of NURS-1010 & 1020) and have the same number of clinical hours as students in the four-year BScN program. They are governed by the academic regulations for Nursing as outlined in the Calendar.  NOTE: As per Academic Regulation #1 h), all undergraduate degree programs require successful completion of IKE-1040, one of UPEI-1010, 1020 or 1030, and a Writing Intensive Course.

To be eligible for the Accelerated BScN Program, applicants must have:

• successfully completed Grade 12 Academic or equivalent courses in English, Math, Chemistry, and Biology;
• successfully completed 60 semester hours of university-level credit;
• of the 60 semester hours of credit noted above, 30 semester hours of credit must come from the list of courses below (at the credit weights noted), with a minimum average of 75% in these 10 courses (30 semester hours) with no individual course grade below 60%:

Human Anatomy (3 semester hours) – lab required
Human Physiology (3 semester hours) – lab required
Microbiology (3 semester hours) – lab required
Introductory Psychology (6 semester hours)
Developmental Psychology (3 semester hours)
Statistics (3 semester hours)
Introductory Nutrition (3 semester hours)
Two (2) English courses (6 semester hours)

(The above noted courses must be successfully completed at an undergraduate degree level at a recognized post-secondary institution.  Courses must have been completed within the past 10 years and fulfill the criteria outlined for regular transfer credit equivalency review).

Note: Required courses in Pathophysiology and Pharmacology can be taken during the Accelerated Program.

Enrolment is limited to 28 students per year. Application deadline for admission is July 15.

First Year Required:

January – April
NURS 1030 – Fundamentals of Nursing Practice
NURS 2450 – Health Assessment
NURS 2320 – Introductory Pharmacology
NURS 2120 – Pathophysiology for Nursing Students

Mid-April – August
NURS 2130 – Nursing of Young Families
NURS 2230 – Adult Nursing: Transitions in Health

Students in the accelerated BScN Program merge with the year three BScN student cohort in N3230 and remain with this group until NURS 4020X.

September – December
NURS 3230 – Partnerships with Clients and Families Living with Chronic Illness
NURS 3030 – Issues in Nursing and Health Care OR
NURS 3040 – Nursing Research Methods
NURS 3050 – Health Teaching

Second Year Required:

January – April
NURS 3130 – Developing Partnerships with Clients in the Community
NURS 4030 – Leadership for Health Professionals in a Primary Health Care Context
NURS 3030 – Issues in Nursing and Health Care OR
NURS 3040 – Nursing Research Methods
NURS 3060 – Nursing of the Childbearing Family

May – June
NURS 3100 – Integrated Clinical Experience I

July – August
NURS 4020 – Integrated Clinical Experience II

* Upon completion of NURS 4020, students in the Accelerated Program merge with year four students in NURS 4010 and remain with this group until completion of their program in December.

September – December
NURS 4010 – Nursing and Population Health
NURS 4040 – Conceptual Models and Nursing Theories

NURSING COURSES

1010 FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING I
This course is an introduction to the discipline of nursing. Students are introduced to the philosophy of primary health care and the framework for nursing at UPEI. Clinical experiences occur in community settings with well elderly clients. Students learn beginning skills in communication, assessment and psychomotor techniques through active involvement in classroom discussions, labs, tutorials and clinical practice.
PREREQUISITE(S): For Accelerated Nursing Students – Admission to the Accelerated Program
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Lab: 2 Other – Clinical Practice: 30 hours total (includes weekly tutorial)

1020 FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING II
Students are introduced to the theoretical concept of caring for clients within a primary health care context. Using primary health care as a framework, nursing concepts are explored and strategies for nursing care considered. Students begin to develop a conceptual framework to guide their nursing practice while working with clients in long term care settings.
PREREQUISITE(S): Four Year Program – Nursing 1010, Biology 1210; Accelerated Nursing Students – Admission to Accelerated Program and Nursing 1010
Semester hours of credit: 6
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Lab: 2 Other – Clinical Practice: 55 hours total

1030 FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING PRACTICE
Nursing 1030 examines fundamental principles and skills for nursing practice. Students are introduced to Primary Health Care and to the Prince Edward Island Conceptual Model of Nursing: A Nursing Perspective of Primary Health Care. Through this theoretical framework, nursing concepts are explored and strategies for nursing care considered. Students are introduced to beginning communication, assessment, and psychomotor skills through active participation in online and onsite lectures, lab and clinical seminar settings. Students have an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge to clinical practice by partnering with healthy older adults living independently in the community and in long term care settings.
PREREQUISITE(S): Admission to the Accelerated Program and completion of non-nursing required courses
Semester hours of credit: 9
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Lab: 2 Other – Clinical Practice: 86 hours total

2030 HEALTH ASSESSMENT
This course provides the student with knowledge and skills for holistic assessment of individuals. Students learn data collection techniques (interviewing skills, critical thinking skills, and the physical examination techniques of inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation). The focus is on the well individual.
PREREQUISITE(S): Nursing 1020, Biology 1210 and Biology 1220
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Lab: 3

2120 PATHOPHYSIOLOGY FOR NURSING STUDENTS
This course is an overview of pathophysiological mechanisms of disease states. Concepts and processes of abnormal physiology in various body systems are presented using selected diseases as illustrations. Unique features of child and adult responses are presented.
PREREQUISITE: Biology 1220, Nursing 2030 and Nursing 2130
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week

2130 NURSING OF YOUNG FAMILIES
The focus of this course is on caring for healthy children and families in a variety of settings. Students are introduced to the concepts of family-centred care and empowerment and examine structure, function, and tasks of families at various stages of their development. Determinants of health are used as the framework for exploring factors which influence the health of children and families. Common childhood illnesses are also discussed.
PREREQUISITES: (Four Year Program – Nursing 1020, Biology 1210, Biology 1220, Biology 1060 and Psychology 2010 can be taken concurrently); (Accelerated Program – Admission to Accelerated Program, Nursing 1010 and 1020)
Semester hours of credit: 6
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Lab/Seminar: 3 Other – Clinical Practice: 120 hours total

2230 ADULT NURSING: TRANSITIONS IN HEALTH
In this course, the student focuses on the experience of illness and the impact of illness, both acute and chronic, on the hospitalized client. The primary focus is the individual client; however, the individual is considered within the context of the family. Each student has clinical rotations working with adults in a hospital setting who are experiencing an acute episode of illness or an exacerbation of a chronic illness. Students learn to apply the principles of primary health care to nursing practice in the acute care setting.
PREREQUISITES: Four Year Program – Nursing 2030, Nursing 2130; Accelerated Program – Nursing 2130, 2450, and admission to the Accelerated Program
Semester hours of credit: 6
Hours per week; Lecture: 3 Lab/Seminar: 3 Other – Clinical Practice: 168 hours total

2320 INTRODUCTORY PHARMACOLOGY
This course is an introduction to the discipline of pharmacology and the response of the human body to pharmacological agents used to manage disease and promote wellness. The principal objective is to provide an introduction to the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of each major class of drugs used in nursing practise. As well, clinical case studies are included so the student gains knowledge of nursing assessments of drug efficacy, side effects and drug interactions, special considerations for geriatric and pediatric patients, drugs used in public health, emergencies and over-the-counter medications, and non-pharmacological ways to manage or prevent disease.
PREREQUISITES: Biology 1220, Nursing 2030, and 2130. Exceptions are made with permission of the Dean
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture 3

2420W HEALTH ASSESSMENT FOR PRACTICING NURSES
Health Assessment is a three credit, 13-week course which emphasizes the knowledge and skills required for comprehensive health assessment. Specifically, the content focuses on helping learners’ develop health history interviewing skills, physical examination techniques, and nutritional assessment techniques for clinical practice and to identify the wide range of “normal” health states for adults. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing assessment findings to identify health concerns as a basis for planning care.
PREREQUISITE: Available for any practising nurse
Web-based course

2450X HEALTH ASSESSMENT
This course provides the student with knowledge and skills for holistic assessment of individuals. Students learn data collection techniques (interviewing skills, critical thinking skills, and the physical examination techniques of inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation). The focus is on the well individual.
PREREQUISITE: Four-Year Program – Biology 1210 and Biology 1220. Accelerated Program – Admission to the Accelerated Program
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Lab: 3

2910 SPECIAL TOPICS
Creation of course code for special topics offered by Nursing at the 2000 level.

3030 ISSUES IN NURSING AND HEALTH CARE
In this course students examine ethical, legal, political, and economic issues in a changing health care system and issues related to the profession and to patient care. Students apply principles of organizational theory and ethical decision making models in analyzing issues in nursing and health care. This course offers a study of the professional practice of nursing and the values upon which to analyze current issues in Canadian nursing. Strategies for resolving issues in nursing will be emphasized.
PREREQUISITE: Permission of the instructor if not currently enrolled in the third year of the program.
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture: 3

3040 NURSING RESEARCH METHODS
This course is an introduction to quantitative and qualitative nursing research. It provides students with a solid foundation for the continued study of research and nursing scholarship. Students will develop an understanding of and appreciation for all phases of the research process, with an emphasis on the novice professional’s role as an informed consumer of research. Students will develop skills in critiquing published studies and in making judgements about the usefulness of research for nursing practice.
PREREQUISITE: A course in statistics and permission of the instructor if not currently enrolled in the third year of the program.
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Lab/Seminar: 3 Other – Clinical Practice: 120 hours total

3050 HEALTH TEACHING
In this course, students are introduced to theories and principles of teaching and learning within a primary health care context. The course focuses on the nurse’s role as health educator and change agent in promoting healthier lifestyles and enhancing wellness through the use of an empowering approach. Students have an opportunity to apply theory and to develop teaching skills through participation in a variety of community-based teaching activities throughout the semester.
PREREQUISITE: Nursing 1010 and permission of instructor if not currently enrolled in the third year of the program. Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture/Teaching practice: 3

3060 NURSING OF THE CHILDBEARING FAMILY
This course focuses on theories, issues, and trends related to the care of the childbearing family. Pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum are viewed as normal life processes with family members as partners in care. The roles of the nurse are considered in relation to family-centred care and primary health care with an emphasis on the determinants of health and premature, preventive, and curative services. Students apply theory from this course to their clinical practice in Nursing 3130 and Nursing 3100.
PREREQUISITE: Four Year Program – Nursing 3230; Accelerated Program—Nursing 2230 and admission to the Accelerated Program
Semester hour of credit: 3
Hours per week: Four Year Program – 1.5 hours tutorial/seminar, Clinical Practice: 184 hours in total between N 3130 and 3060; Accelerated Program – Lecture: 3 Tutorial: 1.5 hours; Other – Clinical Practice: 184 hours in total

3070 GLOBAL HEALTH IN A CHANGING WORLD
This course explores multiple aspects of global health and examines how factors such as internationalization, mobility and cultural diversity shape local, national and international communities. Throughout the course, students will gain an understanding of, and appreciation for, social, economic and political factors that are influencing global health. As students from multiple disciplines learn together, a deeper understanding of global health and how it relates to them within a local, national and international context will emerge.
Semester hours of credit: 3

3100 INTEGRATED CLINICAL EXPERIENCE I
This course provides a consolidated clinical experience in which students can integrate theory and practice on a daily basis. Clinical experiences prepare students for the final year of study. Placements are arranged in a variety of settings with clients across the life span. This course is graded Pass/Fail.
PREREQUISITE(S): Nursing 3060, 3130, 3230
Semester hours of credit: 6
Hours per week: Other – Clinical Practice: 288 hours in total

3130 DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH CLIENTS IN THE COMMUNITY
This course focuses on promoting and maintaining health and providing support and assistance to individuals, families, and groups in the home and community. Students work in situations of increasing complexity, assessing health, providing and evaluating interventions, and building partnerships and supportive relationships. Students become more aware of community agencies and resources and begin to participate actively in the referral process. The course involves extensive travel throughout the province.
PREREQUISITE: Nursing 3230
Semester hours of credit: 6
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Other – Clinical Practice: 184 hours total between N3130 and N3060

3230 PARTNERSHIPS WITH CLIENTS AND FAMILIES LIVING WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS
This course encourages students to develop partnerships with clients and families to enhance the quality of life of those experiencing increasingly complex chronic illnesses. The principles of primary health care pertaining to accessibility, intersectoral collaboration and public participation for clients and their families with chronic illness will be examined in depth. Application of these principles to the population of adults experiencing increasingly complex illnesses in acute medical/surgical and mental health settings will be emphasized.
PREREQUISITE: Nursing 2230, Nursing 2320, and VBS 2120
Semester hours of credit: 6
Hours per week: Lecture /Seminar: 3 Lab: 2 Other – Clinical Practice: 192 hours in total

3240 MENTAL HEALTH NURSING OF OLDER PEOPLE
This specialty course focuses on theories, issues, and trends related to the care of older persons who have, or who are at risk of developing, mental health needs. Emphasis is on a person-centered holistic approach to care, which focuses on older persons within the context of their lives, experiences, and relationships. The roles of the nurse as advocate, care provider, and educator are considered in relation to the services of primary health care. Concepts such as collaboration, prevention, promotion of mental health, as well as the treatment, care, and rehabilitation of mental health disorders in later life are reviewed.
PREREQUISITE: Available for any practising nurse or nursing student
Semester hours of credit: 3

3420W CULTURE IN NURSING (web-based course)
This course focuses on multi-cultural awareness and recognition of specific health care beliefs and values, exploring the role of the nurse within each country’s health care system, and participating in a cultural immersion experience. Opportunities are provided to allow students to achieve a better understanding of cultural similarities and differences in a selected setting.
PREREQUISITE: Available for any practising nurse or nursing student

3910 SPECIAL TOPICS
Creation of a course code for special topics offered by Nursing at the 3000 level.

4010 NURSING AND POPULATION HEALTH
This course provides theoretical and clinical opportunities to examine and apply concepts and skills related to population health. Emphasis is placed on the determinants of health, populations at risk for both physical and psychosocial disruptions in health, strategies to promote the health of populations and the role of the nurse in an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach to health promotion. A unit on epidemiology is included. Students work with community members in the development of a program to promote the health of the community. Students are assigned to work with a preceptor and gain experience in one or two of a wide variety of settings in rural and urban communities.
PREREQUISITE: Nursing 3100
Semester hours of credit: 9
Hours per week: Lecture: 3 Tutorial: 1.5 Other – Clinical Practice: 290 hours in total

4020 INTEGRATED CLINICAL EXPERIENCE II
This course provides a final opportunity for students to synthesize their knowledge, skills, and professional values in a selected nursing practice setting. Emphasis is on the complexity of comprehensive nursing care and the significance of health promotion measures. Students select an area of focus in consultation with a faculty member and a clinical preceptor. Placement is dependent on the availability of appropriate clinical experience. Students work with selected clients (individuals, families, and/or aggregates) to enhance their current level of health and maximize their active participation within various facets of health care. This course is graded Pass/Fail.
PREREQUISITE: Nursing 4010
PREREQUISITE for Accelerated Program: Nursing 310 and admission to the Accelerated Program
Semester hours of credit: 6
Hours per week: Four Year Program – Lecture/Seminar: 2 Other: Clinical Practice: 320 hours in total; Accelerated Program – Lecture/Seminar: 2 Other – Clinical Practice: 329 hours in total.

4030 NURSING LEADERSHIP AND PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
This course extends the student’s ability to examine theoretical and practice concepts in nursing leadership/management and primary health care. Students discuss concepts in health care organization(s) and management and the implications of those concepts when analyzing leadership styles in a clinical setting. Students explore leadership roles assumed by nurses and examine challenges confronting nursing leaders in an era of change. Emphasis is placed on strategies to enhance nursing influence on the evolving Canadian health care system. Models of partnership, decision making, collaboration and communication and the importance of teamwork are stressed.
PREREQUISITE: Nursing 3100 or permission of the instructor if not currently enrolled in the fourth year of the program. Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture: 3

4040 CONCEPTUAL MODELS AND NURSING THEORIES
In this course, students are introduced to the works of selected nurse theorists. Students develop skills in critical analysis and application of conceptual models and theories to practice.
PREREQUISITE: Nursing 3100
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: 3
Lecture: 3

4050 LEADERSHIP FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN A PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CONTEXT
This web-based course will include blended learning techniques that examine theoretical and practice concepts in health care leadership/management within the context of Primary Health Care. Students will critically analyze concepts in health care organization(s) and management and the implications of those concepts using a variety of leadership styles in a clinical setting. Students explore leadership roles assumed by health care professionals and examine challenges confronting these leaders. Emphasis is placed on strategic methods that enhance leadership to influence the evolving Canadian health care system. Models of partnership, decision making, collaboration and communication and the importance of teamwork are stressed.
PREREQUISITE: Accelerated Program – Admission to the Accelerated Program
Semester hours of credit: 3
Hours per week: Lecture 3