DCE NURS 208: Therapeutic Communication
RN to BSN

Anne Hedger, MN, ACNP-CS, ANP-CS, PNP-AC, CCRN
Adjunct Online Faculty

Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing

Spring 2007

Course Number:

NUR 208

Course Title:

Therapeutic Communication  

Faculty:

Anne Hedger, MN, ACNP-CS, ANP-CS, PNP-AC, CCRN
Adjunct Online Faculty
ahedger@linfield.edu

annehedger@yahoo.com  (alternate)

 

 

Catalog Description:

Interdisciplinary approach to the study of therapeutic communication as applicable to the health sciences. Specific therapeutic interviewing techniques will be explored to improve interviewing skills, promote an understanding of human suffering, and enhance listening sensitivity. 3 credits.

 

Course Objectives:

1. Analyze available evidence regarding biopsychosocial factors that affect the nurse-client interaction.

2. Maintain professional boundaries in nurse-client relationships.

3. Conduct a problem-solving interview that demonstrates competent use of microcounseling skills.

4. Evaluate effectiveness of own and others therapeutic communication.

5. Incorporate consideration of diversity in therapeutic relationships within the context of family and community.

 

Topical Outline:

I.                    Conceptual Foundations of the Nurse-Client Relationship

II.                 Communication Strategies

III.               Special Needs

IV.              Professional Issues

 

Teaching Strategies:

Lecture/discussion online
Audiovisual aids
Reading assignments
Homework assignments

Small group work

Evaluation Methods:

APA paper

Participation and Discussion

Journal Submission and personal introspection

 

Required Texts:

Arnold, E.C. & Boggs, K.U. (2007).  Interpersonal Relationships; Professional Communication Skills for Nurses (5th ed.).  St. Louis: Sauders.  

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th  ed.). (2001). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

 

COURSE WEEK

The online week begins on Thursday and ends on Wednesday.

Class opens on Thursdays at 12:00am (midnight) and close the following Wednesday at 11:59pm, PST.

Day 1 – Thursday

Day 2 – Friday

Day 3 – Saturday

Day 4 – Sunday

Day 5 – Monday

Day 6 – Tuesday

Day 7 - Wednesday

EVALUATION

Each assignment will comprise the following points toward your final grade:

Assignments                                       Points

Journal Exercise                                    60

   3 submissions (20 pts each)    

APA Paper                                          80       
Participation                                         60                           

Total                                                    200 pts

 

Grade  Points              Percentage

A         186-200           (93-100)

A-        180-185           (90-92)

B+       172-179           (86-89)

B          166-171           (83-85)

B-        160-165           (80-82)

C+       152-159           (76-79)

C         146-151           (73-75)

C-        140-145           (70-72) Unacceptable Grade

D+       132-139           (66-69)

D         126-131           (63-65)

D-        120-125           (60-62)

F          0-119              (0-59)

 

Penalty for Assignments Submitted Late:

Please be timely in submitting your assignments.  Assignments are due by 11:55pm on the due date, pacific standard time.  There will be a 10% per day deduction for late work, with a minimum deduction of one point. If you know you're going to be away on a day an assignment is due, know that I will ALWAYS accept work early (without a penalty!), so send it on in a day or two ahead of time. I do not accept any assignment more than three (3) days late.   No assignments are accepted after the last day of class.

Incomplete Course Work

A grade of incomplete will not be given for NUR 208 except for extremely extenuating circumstances. Before such a grade is awarded, a contract specifying remaining requirements and due dates must be agreed upon by the student and instructor.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic work is evaluated on the assumption that the work presented is the student's own, unless designated otherwise. Anything less is unacceptable and is considered academic dishonesty.

Cheating consists of using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic work submitted for credit. 

Plagiarism is the submission of academic work for credit that includes materials copied or paraphrased from published or unpublished works without documentation.

Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in academic work.

Facilitating academic dishonesty consists of helping or attempting to help another student to violate the college's policy on academic dishonesty.

The course instructor will, when discovering a case of academic dishonesty, inform the Dean of Students, as well as the student, in writing of the incident within ten days of the discovery of the offense. The written document detailing the incident will also be placed in the student's permanent file in the Records Office. Engaging in academic dishonesty will result in not passing the course. The Dean of Students is responsible for referring all cases involving more than one offense to the College Judicial Council, which may impose College-level penalties. Students may appeal a decision.

 

 

Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodation, who have any emergency medical information that the instructor should know, or who require special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should meet with the instructor as early as possible, no later than the first week of class.

 

Disability

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A.   Journal Entries

For this course, you will need to develop a journal.  Each week you will be given a topic to write about, or a task to complete with some writing about your experience with that task.  These journals will not be shared with anyone else in class, but will be submitted to your instructor several times through the course.

The purpose of the journal is to analyze yourself as you also try to analyze others as we study therapeutic communication.  You will be given tasks throughout the course to include in your journal, relevant to the material we will be studying. 

 

Journal requirements:

  • Written in Word format.  Save it to your desktop or memory stick, and keep a backup copy at all times.
  • Written in at least weekly.  Please date each entry as you write it.  You can always continue to focus on previous weeks, but date these entries so the progression of thought is noted.
  • Each week you will receive new assignments/objectives to include in your journal.  
  • Organize your journal so that it flows logically.  
  • No minimum or maximum word count, but you will be evaluated on the thoroughness of your entries, your insight and ability to utilize the course material in your entries.
  • Several due dates for journal submissions throughout the term.  Please pay attention to these.

Submission Date #1  March 14, 2007

Submission Date #2  April 11, 2007

Submission Date #3  May 16, 2007

 

B.  Scholarly Paper

You are required to write one scholarly paper for this course.  Choose from the following list of topics:

 

1.     The relationship between medical errors and communication.

2.     Pros and cons of telephone triage in medical and nursing care.

3.     Communication problems and benefits with telemedicine.

4.     Communication issues with clients who are illiterate.

Process:

1.     Identify the topic and summarize the issue you are addressing in an introductory paragraph.   

2.     Give a background on the issue, and explain what opinions and positions are held on your topic.

3.     Discuss what role communication has on your issue.   Give specific examples, with relevant studies to support your opinions and findings.

4.     Offer recommendations as appropriate. 

5.     Summarize your paper with a conclusion paragraph.

 

Evaluation:

1.     It should be written in APA format (5th edition), with a title page, headings and references. 

2.     Length should be no more than 10 double-spaced pages in length (12 point font) and one inch margins.

3.     Utilize at least 3 scholarly studies and integrate these references with personal reflections and opinions. 

  1. Submitted by due date as an attachment to assignments section.

 

Due Date:  May 2, 2007

 

C.  Participation and Discussion

Much of this course will be in the form of group discussion.  You will be graded on your involvement in the discussions and substantial ability to generate further thought.

1.     You will be placed in discussion groups for the term.

2.     Each week you will need to respond to the discussion question for your specific group, by the due date.

3.     You are required to also reply to three other persons in groups other than your own group, in their response to their discussion question.  Your reply should be substantial and not just “I agree.”

4.     Should someone reply to you in your group, you should pay attention to that thread and reply back as appropriate. 

5.     Discussions will be closed at the end of the week, as we move onto the next week.