Contact Information

Instructor: Kara P Corvino DNP, MSN, RN, CEN
Office Location: PP 401
Office Hours: TBD, Appointment Link
Email: kcorvino@quincycollege.edu

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce the student to the foundational principles of contemporary nursing practice. The focus is on fundamental concepts necessary for safe, patient-centered nursing care for a diverse patient population with well-defined healthcare concerns. Legal and ethical responsibilities of the Registered Nurse will be introduced. The student will begin to use clinical reasoning as applied to nursing practice. Other topics discussed include the nursing process, cultural diversity, and communication techniques utilized when interacting with patients, families, other support persons, and members of the interprofessional team. Program concepts such as evidence-based care, teamwork/collaboration and information technology are also introduced. Select nursing skills are taught in the skills/simulation laboratory; theory and skills are applied in various clinical settings.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

At a basic level provide safe, quality, evidence-based, patient-centered nursing care to promote and maintain physical and mental health in a variety of healthcare settings for a diverse population of patients with well-defined healthcare concerns.
Begin to use basic clinical judgment skills to make patient-centered care decisions for patients with well-defined healthcare concerns.
Discuss quality improvement activities used by the Registered Nurse to improve patient care.
Identify ways the Registered Nurse collaborates with members of the interdisciplinary team when providing patient care across the continuum of care.
Begin to use information technology to support and communicate the provision of patient care.
Describe the scope of practice of the Registered Nurse within the context of legal and ethical practice.

(CLO = Course Learning Outcome)

Course Materials

Course Textbooks:

Giddens, J. (2024). Concepts for nursing practice. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. ISBN: 9780323812092

Morris, D. (2022). Calculate with Confidence (8th ed.). Elsevier - Evolve. ISBN: 9780323696951

Youst, B. & Crawford, L. (2023). Fundamentals of Nursing - 3rd Edition. ISBN: 9780323828222

Leonard, P. C. (2024) Quick & Easy Medical Terminology (10th ed.). ISBN: 9780323933155

Supplemental Recommended Textbooks:

Skidmore-Roth, Linda. (2024). Mosby's 2024 Nursing Drug Reference, 37^th Edition. ISBN: 9780443121340

Jarvis, C. & Eckhardt, A. L (2023). Study Guide & Laboratory Manual for Physical Examination & Health Assessment. ISBN: 9780323827812

Third-party Software:

During this course, you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as Sherpath/Evolve. While some of these could be required assignments, you should not provide personal information about yourself or your classmates on a public site. Where appropriate, you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personal information. If you have any concerns about this process, please contact your instructor.

Course Syllabus

RNU 108 Syllabus 2025-1.docx

RNU 108 Lab Plan.Calendar 2025-1.docx

RNU 108 Classroom Content Fall 2025-1.docx

Academic Integrity

Please read and familiarize yourself with the following Quincy College academic integrity policies:

Student Code of Conduct: Students at Quincy College are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Academic dishonesty is considered a serious breach of these ethical standards because it interferes with the College mission to provide a high-quality education in which no student enjoys an unfair advantage over any other. Please refer to Policy 6.16: Student Code of Conduct Policy in the QC Policy Manual.
Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty is also destructive to the College community, which is grounded in a system of mutual trust and places a high value on personal integrity and individual responsibility. Please refer to Policy 5.15: Academic Integrity Policy in the QC Policy Manual.
The Quincy College Policy Manual: For detailed information about the mission, vision, commitment to excellence, and general policies of Quincy College, please refer to the QC Policy Manual.

Accessibility & Privacy Policies

Various tools and technologies will be utilized throughout this course. For information on the privacy and accessibility standards of specific technologies, please refer to the following policies:

Instructure (Canvas) Privacy
Instructure (Canvas) Accessibility
Zoom Privacy
Zoom Accessibility
Turnitin Privacy
Turnitin Accessibility
Respondus Privacy
Repondus (LockDown Browser) Accessibility
YouTube Privacy
Google (YouTube) Accessibility

QC Student Accessibility Services (SAS) provides academic support, accommodations, and many other services to meet student accessibility needs. For further information, or if you feel you require support, please contact Student Accessibility Services.

QC Student Success

Need Help?

Free support services are available for QC's students. You can access resources and assistance through QC's Student Services.

Next Steps: Begin This Course

Complete the following:

Review the material in the Start Here module.
Complete the "About you" survey.
Participate in the Course introductions discussion board.
Complete the Syllabus & course quiz.

Click the Next ▶ button to continue.