This document provides information on the NURS 320B Chronic Illness Family Care Plan course, including the objective, format, student learning outcomes, grading criteria, assignments, and policies. The objective is for students to create a family care plan for a patient with a chronic illness based on a case study. Assignments include initial thoughts, discussion posts, an evidence-based assessment tool description, end of life chapter summaries, and a chronic illness family care plan. The final assignment requires students to analyze a case study and design a personalized care plan for the patient and family.

1. NURS 320B Chronic Illness Family Care Plan
NURS 320B Chronic Illness Family Care PlanNURS 320B Chronic Illness Family Care
PlanObjective: Care plans will be based on the case studies posted in D2L (go to the last area
in the content section). Student will synthesize concepts of Rural Nursing Theory, chronic
illness, and principles of patient and family centered care with nursing process to plan
holistic care for a patient/family living with chronic illness. The plan should be specific
enough so that another nurse could adhere to the care plan you wrote – continuity of care is
important!Look appendix F for rubricORDER NOW FOR CUSTOMIZED, PLAGIARISM-FREE
PAPERS1 Southwest Minnesota State University Department of Nursing NURS 320B:
Chronic Illness in Rural Settings Syllabus Spring eight week session 2021 (3 credits)
Professor: Ruth Van Heukelom, DNP, WOCN, RN Email: ruth.vanheukelom@smsu.edu
Phone: (319) 541-0652 Office Hours: available via email, with individual appointment times
via phone, or in Zoom as requested. I am very willing to Zoom conference with individual
learners or groups who have questions about the course. Email me to set up a time that
works for you. To visit with me in Zoom, go to https://minnstate.zoom.us/j/4518969110
The password to the Zoom room is 992830. I will meet you there. If you have any technical
difficulties, call me at (319) 541-0652. Important Note on Sending Email: Please put the
course name and number in your message when you send me an email. This information
could help me with answering your questions more expeditiously. Course Description
Students will explore continuity of care issues that impact the individual, family,
community, and health care systems in the area of chronic illness as well as death and dying
in a rural setting. Palliative care, common trajectories, ethical issues, patient and family
teaching, as well as economic concerns are explored. Admission to the Nursing Program
required. The Department of Nursing reserves the right to remove students from the course
who do not meet the course requirements and prerequisites. This course must be
successfully completed prior to taking NURS 434. Student Learning Objectives 1. Identify
factors that affect chronic illness and rehabilitation of the individual and family. 2. Explore
rural nursing theory and adaptation theories associated with chronic illness that can help to
guide nursing practice today. 3. NURS 320B Chronic Illness Family Care PlanAnalyze key
individual and family intervention strategies related to rural nursing and adaptation to
chronic illness. 4. Apply a holistic approach to the care of individuals with chronic illness in
a rural setting. Nursing Program Goal 2 Provide competent and meaningful care to clients
and communities who are healthy, ill or dying. 2 Student Learning Outcome Integrate
awareness of issues related to chronic illness in rural settings and apply nursing process to

2. meet diverse and unique needs of individuals and families. Format Distance learning is self-
directed learning. It requires a high level of responsibility, dedication, and selfdiscipline on
the part of the student. In this course you are responsible for your own work, your own
progress, and your own grade. In order to succeed, you will need to log in to the course
regularly (I suggest at least three times a week) to check announcements, participate in
discussions, and access course materials. Resources American Nurses Association (2015).
Code of ethics for nurses: With interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD: ANA. This is
available free of charge through the McFarland Library by accessing the following
permalink:
http://ssuproxy.mnpals.net/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true
&db=nlebk& AN=1021757&scope=site American Psychological Association (2020).
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC:
APA. If you have the 6th edition, we can make that work. Larson, P.A. (2019). Lubkin’s
chronic illness: Impact and intervention. (10th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett
Learning Lowey, S.E. (2015). Nursing care at the end of life. Geneseo, NY: Open SUNY
Textbooks, Milne Library. This is available free of charge at
https://textbooks.opensuny.org/nursing-care-at-the-end-of-life/ Winters, C. A. (2013).
Rural nursing: Concepts, theory, and practice. (4thed.). New York: Springer. Available free of
charge through the McFarland Library. Go to library main page; click on books (near the
center of the screen); type ‘Rural Nursing, Winters’ in the search box. Many of these texts
you will use throughout the course of the program. It is highly encouraged to retain these
textbooks for future use in the SMSU Nursing Program. Additional resources: American
Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for
professional nursing practice. Retrieved from
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/educationresources/baccessentials08.pdf (The “Essentials”
document, used to guide the SMSU Nursing Program curriculum, delineates the outcomes
expected of graduates of baccalaureate nursing program while describing the generalist
nursing practice at completion of the nursing program.) 3 QSEN Institute. (2019). QSEN
competencies. Retrieved from http://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas (The
overall goal of QSEN is to address the challenge of preparing future nurses with the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes [KSAs] necessary to continuously improve the quality and
safety of the healthcare systems in which they work.) Grading A= 90-100% B= 80-89.99%
C= 70-79.99% D= 60-69.99% F= less than 60% Nursing students must maintain an overall
GPA of 2.0 and attain a minimum grade of 2.0 in all courses required in the RN to BSN
Nursing Program. Any nursing course (indicated by NURS) may be retaken once to attain a
grade of 2.0. The student may not retake or withdraw from more than two nursing courses.
The student may not progress in the nursing program if • If it becomes necessary for the
student to retake or withdraw from more than two nursing courses. Code of Conduct
Nursing students in the RN to BSN Nursing Program have responsibilities as they transition
to the BSN role of nursing. The National Student Nurses’ Association Code of Academic and
Clinical Conduct is based on such student responsibilities and is used to guide students in
their personal and professional development. NURS 320B Chronic Illness Family Care
PlanFor all learning environments, including academic and clinical settings, the Code of

3. Academic and Clinical Conduct will guide student conduct as well as faculty evaluation of
student accountability. The Academic and Clinical Conduct is available in the SMSU
Department of Nursing Student Handbook and should be adhered to by every nursing
student. Netiquette Guidelines 1. Be respectful in your posts and comments to others and
about others. 2. Postings should be professional. 3. Stay on topic. 4. Humor is often
misinterpreted online, so it is best to keep humor to a minimum. Avoid sarcasm. 5. Avoid
the use of texting abbreviations. 6. Please do not use all capitals in discussions as this is
considered yelling online. The exception to this would be some abbreviations, such as RN or
USA. 4 Attendance Being a member of a learning community in the SMSU RN to BSN
Program, attendance in this online course means active participation in the course through
participation in discussion assignments, group projects, and course assignments.
Implications for lack of participation are reflected in the grading criteria and points
awarded for assignments, as noted throughout the syllabus. Assignments
Syllabus/orientation quiz 10 points Initial thoughts 20 points Synthesis and application
posts (4) with substantive additions 30 points each 120 points Evidence based assessment
tool description 20 points Video Dialog with substantive additions 20 points End of Life
chapter summaries with substantive additions 30 points Chronic Illness Family Care Plan
80 points 300 points total Learning Activities Interactions are vital in all learning
environments. Discussions are used as teaching/learning strategies. As you write in this
course, please remember that integrating your own thoughts with evidence from the
literature is an effective to demonstrate synthesis and critical analysis. Sometimes a few
short direct quotes add value to your work. But remember that quotes generally serve to
share someone else’s thoughts, rather than your analysis. Initial Thoughts: to foster student
engagement and consider potential assumptions and biases. Appendix A is the rubric for
this assignment. Synthesis and application with substantive additions: These assignments
require synthesis of the assigned readings and integration of a minimum of one professional
nursing journal article in addition to assigned readings. Question will be posed for each of
these dialogs in the discussion area. Students will choose one of the posed questions to
address in the discussion forum. This is also an opportunity to review what your peers have
addressed and build on their knowledge and insights. You are required to build on two
topics other than the one addressed in your original synthesis and application post. See
grading rubric Appendix B 5 Evidence based assessment tool assignment: A patient and
family centered care plan is only as good as the assessment it is based on. Using evidence-
based assessment tools, relevant to the unique situation can help the nurse uncover data
that can be easily overlooked. Use should help focus your plan on specific concerns to
facilitate individualized care that focuses on specific contributing factors. You will find one
evidence-based assessment tool that you have limited or no familiarity with that would be
appropriate to use in chronic illness situations. You will share with your peers in the
discussion board. The grading rubric is found in Appendix C. NURS 320B Chronic Illness
Family Care PlanVideo reflections dialog: The objective of this assignment is to stimulate
both cognitive and affective learning in the realm of end-of-life care. Peers will add to your
initial post. The grading rubric is found in Appendix D. End of Life chapter summaries and
dialog: Each student will review a chapter from Nursing Care at the End of Life, posting their

4. summary in the discussion forum. Peers will add to your summary. The grading rubric if
found in Appendix E. Chronic Illness Family Care Plan: Each student will analyze a
patient/family case study and create a plan of care. Note that you will choose a case study
(found in the content section) that includes the scenario and some assessment data. You
will also decide what additional data is needed to provide optimal care and use evidence-
based tools to collect that data (refer to Module 9). Desired individualized and
patient/family centered outcomes and interventions will be proposed. Additionally,
consider the impact rural residence has on the patient and family living with chronic illness.
Appendix F is the rubric for the Chronic Illness Family Care Plan. Throughout the course,
late assignments will be deducted 25% per each day late, unless otherwise indicated within
the syllabus. In every NURS course, the assignments are linked to course objectives. All
course objectives must be met to successfully complete the course. Omission of any
assignments equates to not meeting all course objectives. Thus, all assignments must be
completed and submitted to pass the course, even if they are completed past the due date
and will not earn a grade for the course. This means that the lack of completion of any
assignments, such as a discussion or paper assignment, will result in an “F” course grade. If
a student has missing coursework at the end of the semester, this coursework must be
submitted no later than Sunday night at midnight before finals week, or the last Friday night
at midnight of summer session. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances are
considered for late work with previous approval from faculty. Ultimately, this means that if
all coursework is not submitted by Sunday night before finals week, or the last Friday of
summer session, the student will not pass this course. No late work is accepted after these
dates unless previous arrangements have been made with faculty. Assignment Usage
Disclaimer All assignments and written work submitted by students are subject to being
shared with others for the purpose of meeting accreditation and regulatory requirements.
Course material may also be used anonymously for assessment of student learning
outcomes (SLOs) addressed by the Department of Nursing as well as assessment of the
SMSU Liberal Education Program (LEP) Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). When student
assignments are shared, the student’s identity will be protected. Course artifacts may also
be used for campus-wide LEP or program assessment. 6 Student Responsibilities 1. Read
the syllabus. 2.NURS 320B Chronic Illness Family Care PlanTurn assignments in on time.
Each day the assignment is late 25% will be deducted. 3. Participate in discussion. 4. Be
respectful to classmates and professor. 5. Practice professional conduct. Technology
Requirements Course syllabus, assignments, discussions, and all announcements will be
posted on D2L Brightspace. To find D2L Brightspace, go to the SMSU home page and follow
the instructions below. -Click on “Quick Links” in the navigation bar using CHROME as the
recommended browser -Click on D2L Brightspace from the drop down list -A list of courses
you enrolled in will appear. Click on the course you choose to enter. If you have trouble
accessing D2L Brightspace, contact the MinnState Service Desk at
https://servicedesk.minnstate.edu/CherwellPortal/MNSO#0 or 877-GO MNSCU (877-
4666728), or seek help at the Help Desk, Library Main Floor Southwest Minnesota State
University at 507-537-6111, or email the:Helpdesk@smsu.edu@smsu.edu ***Technology
failure is not an adequate excuse for late assignments. ***All correspondence for this course

5. will be through your SMSU email Students with Disabilities Statement Any student who
feels she/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a documented disability
should contact Pam Ekstrom in Disability Services at 507-537-7672 or
pam.ekstrom@smsu.edu. Disability Services is located in Bellows Academic 246 and the
office hours are from 9 – 5 Monday – Friday. After you have met with Pam, please meet with
the course instructor to review course requirements and discuss your accommodation
needs. Library and Online Data Search The library online database search can be found at
http://www.smsu.edu/library/ You will need to have your library ID number to gain access
to the online databases. Be sure to use the “Ask the Librarian” feature for questions you may
have related to online searches or potential books you may need to enrich your learning
experience. 7 Student Portfolio For each nursing course taken in the nursing program,
students will be asked to submit an assignment they completed to their personal portfolio
(NURS 1000). The portfolio is designed to highlight the work that you have completed
throughout the program. At the end of the course your professor will give you instructions
on where you can post the assignment online. For this course, your Chronic Illness Family
Care Plan will be part of the portfolio. Your final grade will not be posted for the course until
the assignment is placed in the portfolio. Professional Nursing Journal Articles and
References – The journal cannot be bought at a grocery store The journal is not a
newspaper The article is not an editorial or advertisement The article is at least 3 pages in
length The journal will be found in CINAHL The article is less than 5 yrs. NURS 320B
Chronic Illness Family Care Plan