Butte College

Course Outline

2026-2027 Catalog

NSG 1 - Accelerated Track Foundations of Practice

Catalog Description

Transfer Status
CSU
Prerequisite
Admission to Accelerated Track Registered Nursing Program
Unit(s)
1.00
  • Lecture: 17.00 Contact hours/34.00 Out of class hours/51.00 Total hours/1.00 Unit(s)
  • Total: 17.00 Contact hours/34.00 Out of class hours/51.00 Total hours/1.00 Unit(s)

Course Description: This course utilizes the conceptual framework of the nursing curriculum to provide the foundation for nursing practice. Common threads integrated throughout the program are nursing process, nutrition, medication administration, cultural diversity, communication and professional roles. Topics include an introduction to nursing care, legal and ethical aspects, therapeutic communication, and concepts underlying current professional practice. This course provides a foundation to prepare the student to use critical thinking and the nursing process in providing direct patient care. Graded only.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Explain standards of professional practice, including legal and ethical issues.
  2. Demonstrate basic therapeutic communication.
  3. Describe basic physical assessment of the adult patient.
  4. Discuss the steps of the nursing process.
  5. Discuss patient's values, cultural habits, and ethnicity and their effects on delivery of care.
  6. Discuss the roles of each member of the healthcare team.
  7. Discuss cost efficient strategies to delivery nursing care.
  8. Demonstrate use of computer-assisted instruction.
  9. Analyze the scientific basis for nursing practice.
  10. Discuss physiologic health needs of adult patients.
  11. Discuss life span considerations, the nursing process, and dosage calculation in the administration of medications.

Course Content

Topic Titles / Suggested Time Topic

Lecture

Lecture topics and suggested hours
TopicsLec Hrs

Therapeutic Environment

1.50

Professional Role: Development

2.00

Physical Health Assessment

2.00

Physiological Health (Mobility, Immobility, Rest, Sleep, Pain Management, Fluid and Electrolytes, Nutrition, Oxygenation)

5.00

Nursing Process and Documentation

2.00

Medication Administration and Dosage Calculations

3.00

Skin Integrity and Wound Care

1.50
Total Hours:17.00

Methods of Instruction

  1. Group Discussions
  2. Homework: Students are required to complete two hours of outside-of-class homework for each hour of lecture
  3. Lecture
  4. Multimedia Presentations
  5. Reading Assignments

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Exams/Tests
  2. Homework
  3. Mid-term and final examinations
  4. Group Participation

Examples of Assignments

Reading Assignments

  1. Read the chapter in the "Fundamentals of Nursing" text on infection prevention and control to answer instructor generated objectives. Come to class prepared to discuss these objectives.
  2. Review the reading on Evidenced Based Practice. Discuss the relationship of evidenced based practice to quality of nursing practice.

Writing Assignments

  1. Use the California Board of Registered Nursing website to analyze the scope of practice of the registered nursing in California." Write a 2 to 3 page paper using a question set prepared by the instructor.
  2. Describe the NCLEX RN test plan using the National Council of the State Boards of Nursing website. Write a 2 to 3 page paper addressing areas of the test plan using an instructor prepared question set.

Out-of-Class Assignments

  1. Analyze a series of short patient case vignettes to determine fluid and electrolyte status of each patient and be prepared to discuss in class.
  2. Correlate fluid balance assessment findings with medical disorders on an instructor generated worksheet.

Recommended Materials of Instruction

Doenges, M. E., Moorhouse, M. F., Murr, A. C. (2022). Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales. F.A. Davis, 16th. 978-1-7196-4307-8.

Horntvedt, T. (2023). Dimensional Analysis: Calculating Dosages Safely. F A Davis, 3rd. 978-1-7196-4628-4.

Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Stockert, P. A., & Hall, A. M. (2021). Fundamentals of nursing. Elsevier, 11th. 978-0-323-82958-8.

Minimum Qualifications

Nursing (Masters Required)