Minimum Course Hours: 65

Course Description

Learners apply and adapt knowledge gained in Level 1, 2, and 3 courses to community care settings. Learners explore concepts of cultural safety, cultural humility, trauma-informed practice, and mental health and/or substance use. They will also explore clinical judgment, critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership. Learners may gain experience through simulation and in a variety of settings with a focus on concepts outlined in Integrated Nursing Practice 3.

Note: These hours may be offered as Consolidated Practice Experience 3 or integrated into the Integrated Nursing Practice 3 course as practice hours.

Prerequisites: Professional Communication 2; Professional Practice 2; Variations in Health 2; Health Promotion 2; Integrated Nursing Practice 2

Corequisites: Professional Communication 3; Professional Practice 3; Variations in Health 3; Health Promotion 3; Integrated Nursing Practice 3

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course and with faculty guidance and input from the interprofessional health care team, the learner will be able to:

1. Practise within legislation; the current British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) LPN Professional Standards, Practice Standards, and Entry-Level Competencies; and facility-specific policy and procedures relevant to care in community settings.
   • 1.1 Examine the practical nurse’s role and responsibility and the unique considerations of leadership, direction, assignment, and supervision of unregulated care providers within the context of community care.
   • 1.2 Explore the impact of Professional and Practice Standards on nursing practice in community settings.
   • 1.3 Use facility-specific resources, policies, and procedures in the delivery of care in community settings.
   • 1.4 Demonstrate accountability and responsibility for one’s own decisions and actions.
2. Apply critical thinking, clinical judgment, and knowledge of holistic assessment to plan, implement and evaluate care for clients from across the lifespan receiving care in a community setting.
   • 2.1 Apply knowledge of mental health and/or substance use conditions in the provision of care in the practice setting.
   • 2.2 Demonstrate a trauma-informed, person-centred, and recovery-oriented approach when providing care for clients experiencing mental health and/or substance use conditions.
3. Initiate, maintain, and conclude therapeutic relationships when caring for clients across the lifespan in community settings, including clients with mental health and/or substance use conditions.
   • 3.1 Interact in a manner that respects the rights, needs, interests, and preferences of clients.
   • 3.2 Maintain appropriate interpersonal and professional boundaries.
   • 3.3 Identify personal biases and barriers to communicating effectively with the health care team and clients, particularly those with mental health and/or substance use issues.
   • 3.4 Provide clear information to clients about the care or service to be provided.
   • 3.5 Respond to questions and concerns in a calm and caring manner.
4. Reflect on the practical nurse’s role as advocate when caring for clients across the lifespan in community settings, including clients with mental health and/or substance use conditions.
   • 4.1 Advocate on the behalf of the rights, needs, interests, and fair treatment of clients and their families.
   • 4.2 Identify how evidence-informed decision making can advocate for change in the community setting.
5. Participate in collaborative practice decisions that are client specific and consider client acuity, complexity, and variability as well as available resources in a supervised practice setting.
   • 5.1 Develop collaborative relationships with clients in a caring community environment.
   • 5.2 Seek clarification, guidance, and assistance from other health care team members when needed.
   • 5.3 Use problem-solving and decision-making skills with the interprofessional team and clients to develop a plan for care in the community.
6. Provide culturally safe, trauma-informed, and relational care that recognizes diversity and respects the uniqueness of each individual.
   • 6.1 Communicate verbally and in writing in an objective and non-stigmatizing manner.
   • 6.2 Evaluate how interactions with clients and other members of the health care team in the community are influenced by one’s own biases, values, and assumptions.
7. Engage in continuous learning to maintain and enhance personal and professional competence.
   • 7.1 Use self-reflection to identify practice areas for improvement.
   • 7.2 Cope constructively with unanticipated or unusual situations.
   • 7.3 Respond non-defensively to feedback, even when provided in a critical or confrontational manner.

Course Concepts

Course outcomes will be met through examination and exploration of the following:

• Professional communication
• Nurse‐client relationship/therapeutic relationship
• Comprehensive assessments across the lifespan
• Mental health assessment
• Interprofessional approach to care
• Ethical practice
• Wellness and health promotion
• Nursing care and documentation
• Self‐reflective approach to practice and lifelong learning
• Cultural safety and cultural humility, and anti-racism, particularly Indigenous-specific anti-racism
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion