Course Competency 1: Differentiate scopes of practice within the nursing profession

Learning Objectives:

• Differentiate among levels of nursing education and scopes of practice, including the roles of LPNs, RNs, and UAPs
• Identify the ethical and legal boundaries of the student nurse as outlined in the ANA Code of Ethics and Nurse Practice Act
• Discuss behaviors and practices that support or violate client confidentiality, including HIPAA compliance
• List the roles and contributions of healthcare team members and how nurses collaborate across disciplines
• Explain how evidence-based practice contributes to quality patient care
• Describe factors that contribute to quality in client care and how it influences patient outcomes and safety

Course Competency 2: Investigate elements of a safe care environment

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss safety considerations across the adult lifespan, including developmental stage, sensory and cognitive status, and environmental risks.
• Summarize the purpose and importance of safety regulations and evidence-based practices in maintaining safe healthcare environments.
• Describe how cultural, social, and individual factors influence perceptions and approaches to safety in healthcare.
• Examine ethical, legal, and clinical factors that influence restraint use in patient care.

Course Competency 3: Use professional communication techniques

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the principles and goals of therapeutic communication in nurse-patient interactions
• Describe factors that influence how communication is adapted across diverse clients, interprofessional teams, and clinical situations
• Describe characteristics of evidence-based resources used in nursing practice
• Recognize commonly used medical terminology and abbreviations used in clinical communication.
• Explain the purpose of structured communication tools in promoting patient safety
• Summarize the importance of accurate and timely documentation in relation to legal and professional nursing standards

Course Competency 4: Identify principles of the nursing process, critical thinking, and clinical judgement

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the purpose and sequence of each step in the nursing process (ADPIE)
• Identify how each phase of the nursing process contributes to the client-centered plan of care
• Explain how clinical reasoning and client needs guide prioritization of nursing actions

Course Competency 5: Adapt nursing practice to meet the needs of diverse clients in a variety of settings

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the impact of cultural, developmental, and social factors on individualized nursing interventions
• Describe best practices that promote and protect client dignity
• Discuss how physical, emotional, social, and cultural factors contribute to holistic care
• Discuss strategies nurses use to advocate for client rights
• Describe ways nurses can identify and address clients’ religious and spiritual needs

Course Competency 6: Examine nursing care for clients with sleep, rest, and mobility alterations

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for sleep, rest and mobility issues
• Discuss signs and symptoms indicating alterations in sleep, rest, and mobility
• Utilize non-pharmacological strategies in creating individualized plans for clients with sleep, rest, and mobility alterations
• Discuss the physiological effects of immobility on body systems
• Identify nursing strategies to prevent complications of immobility
• Apply strategies that support clients’ sleep, rest, and mobility needs within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 7: Examine nursing care for clients with comfort alterations

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss signs and symptoms indicating alterations in comfort and pain across the lifespan
• Describe best practices for pain management, including safe pharmacologic and opioid use
• Utilize non-pharmacological strategies in creating individualized plans for clients with comfort alterations
• Apply strategies that support clients’ comfort needs within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 8: Examine nursing care for clients with nutritional, fluid, and electrolyte disturbances

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte disturbances
• Discuss signs and symptoms indicative of disturbances in nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte balance
• Apply common laboratory and diagnostic test results used in the assessment and management relevant to nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte status
• Explain the physiological roles of essential nutrients and their importance to client health
• Discuss the role of nutritional supplements and interventions in managing nutrition alterations
• Apply strategies that support clients’ nutrition, fluid, and electrolyte needs within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 9: Examine nursing care for clients with commonly occurring elimination

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for alterations in urinary and bowel elimination
• Discuss signs and symptoms related to alterations in urinary and bowel elimination across the lifespan
• Apply common laboratory and diagnostic test results used in the assessment and management relevant to alterations in urinary and bowel elimination
• Utilize non-pharmacological strategies in creating individualized plans for clients with clients with alterations in urinary and bowel elimination
• Apply strategies that support clients’ urinary and bowel elimination needs within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 10: Examine nursing care for clients with integumentary disorders

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence alterations in the integumentary system
• Discuss signs and symptoms related to alterations in the integumentary system across the lifespan
• Compare integumentary findings in clients with differing cultural, developmental, and physiological backgrounds
• Apply evidence-based strategies to preserve skin integrity and enhance wound healing in care planning
• Apply strategies that support clients’ integumentary health within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 11: Examine nursing care for clients with infection

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence clients with infection
• Discuss signs and symptoms of infection across the lifespan.
• Describe best practices for infection prevention and control
• Apply common diagnostic test results to the assessment and management of clients with infections
• Explain how developmental, cultural, and health status factors influence infection risk and progression
• Summarize best practices for preventing infection transmission in healthcare environments
• Apply strategies that support clients’ infection prevention and management within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 12: Examine nursing care for clients with cognitive and sensory impairments

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for client with cognitive and sensory impairments
• Discuss signs and symptoms of clients with cognitive and sensory impairments across the lifespan
• Utilize evidence-based strategies to support clients with cognitive or sensory impairments, incorporating cultural, developmental, and individual needs
• Apply strategies that support clients’ cognitive and sensory needs within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 13: Examine nursing care for clients (individual, family, or group) experiencing grief and loss

Learning Objectives:

• Describe emotional, psychological, and behavioral responses to grief and loss across the lifespan
• Discuss available community and healthcare resources that support individuals, families, and groups through grief and loss
• Describe ethical and legal considerations related to end-of-life decisions
• Explain nursing responsibilities during end-of-life and postmortem care, including communication, comfort measures, and ethical practice
• Apply strategies that support clients experiencing grief and loss within a collaborative plan of care

Course Competency 14: Examine nursing care for clients with oxygenation alterations

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how developmental stage, health status, and related conditions influence risk for clients with oxygenation alterations
• Discuss signs and symptoms of clients with oxygenation alterations across the lifespan
• Outline safety measures used in the care of clients with oxygenation alterations, including equipment management and prevention of complications
• Utilize evidence-based strategies to support clients with oxygenation alterations
• Apply diagnostic test results to the assessment and management of clients with oxygenation alterations
• Apply strategies that support clients’ oxygenation needs within a collaborative plan of care

WisTech Open, including the Open RN and Bright Beginnings series, does not provide ancillary or instructor materials. You can instead create free, customized supplementary resources—slides, quizzes, worksheets, study guides, and more - on demand, through our generative AI platform, WisTech Fusion: https://www.wistechopen.org/wistech-fusion. Fusion only uses content from WisTech Open, Open RN, and Bright Beginnings resources. 

To help keep print textbook costs low for our students, please consider using the electronic version, or purchasing a personal print copy, rather than requesting a publisher/desktop version from our printing partner. Orders can be placed through Kendall Hunt: https://he.kendallhunt.com/catalog.