NUR 4837 HEALTHCARE ISSUES, POLICY AND ECONOMICS

College of Nursing, University of Central Florida

 

 

	COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor:	Dana McKay, MSN, RNC-MNN	Term:	Spring 2016
Phone:	407-823-2744 UCF Nursing Office	Class Meeting Days:	WWW
E-Mail:	dana.mckay@ucf.edu	Class Meeting Hours:	WWW
		Class Location:	WWW
		Office hours:	Virtual

 

 

I. Welcome!

Welcome to Healthcare Issues, Policy and Economics! I am glad to have you in the course.  This course will explore many aspects of nursing that are important to the practice of the professional nurse.  Don’t be intimidated by the title of the course!  This course explores many important aspects of nursing away from bedside care that are important for the professional nurse to be knowledgeable about.

 

II. University Course Catalog Description

Study of selected health care policy issues relevant to the financing, organization, and delivery of nursing services to populations in the community

 

III. Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course the RN student will:

1. Evaluate the current health care delivery system in the United States.
2. Describe the influence of law, legislation, legal issues, economic principles and health care policy on the professional practice of nursing in the delivery of health care.
3. Relate the activities of individual nurses and the nursing profession to the health policy process.
4. Examine the implications of health care issues for the delivery of nursing services to clients and client systems across the continuum of care.
5. Analyze demographic and social trends and their impact on the United States health care systems.
6. Discuss the implications of culture, diversity, values, ethics, and the law for the development and implementation of health care.

 

IV. Course Credits

Three semester credit hours (3)

 

V. Required Texts and Materials

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. (2014). Contemporary nursing. Issues, trends, and management, 6th Edition. St. Lewis: Elsevier Mosby  ISBN 9780323101097

American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6^th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Library Resources: As needed

Articles and web sites in course pages

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

 

VI. Supplementary (Optional) Texts and Materials

Several web-based and professional resources, both local and national, will be explored.

 

VII. Basis for Final Grade

 

Overview of Assignments:

Assignment	Description	Possible Points
Discussions	Discussion questions, Responses, and One Minute Read posts	30
Analysis Paper	Single page critique of a media article	10
Legislator Letter	A letter addressing an issue related to health care in Florida intended to be sent to a legislator responsible for that issue. One extra credit point will be awarded should a response be received.	9 (+1)
Midterm	Exam	15
Policy Proposal	Learning teams will develop a proposal for a desired policy related to health care	20
Final	Final	15
Learning Introduction	Bio - Introduction	1
Total		100

*Refer to the Module Section for detailed instructions and grading criteria for the different assignments.

Please note, as of Fall 2014, all faculty members are required to document students' academic activity at the beginning of each course. Students, in order to document that you began this course, please complete the Student Introduction by January 14, 2016. Failure to do so can result in a delay in the disbursement of your financial aid.

 

 

Undergraduate Course Grading Scale

Grading Scale (%)
92-100		A
87-91		B+
83-86		B
79-82		C+
75-78		C
69-74		D
0-68		F

 

You can access your scores at any time by viewing your grades in the Grades tab.  The course is worth 100 points total for all assignments.

VIII. Course Policies: Grades

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups/Extra Credit

As adult learners and professional nurses, you are expected to be able to plan accordingly to ensure that you meet all published deadlines. However, I realize that life does sometimes get in the way of the most perfect of plans. In the event that unforeseen events occur that may jeopardize your ability to meet a future deadline, contact me immediately to arrange for an alternate due date. Alternate due dates are at the discretion of the faculty.

Arrangements must be made no later than 24 hours in advance and grading penalties will be associated with all late assignments (25% grade reduction for each 24 hours late). If the student fails to contact me in advance, the assignment will not be accepted. The preferred method of contacting me is via course mail in this course. Secondary contact may be made via my UCF e-mail address.

**Incomplete assignments, including tests and papers, receive a 0 in this course.

Extra Credit Policy: 

Extra credit opportunities may be offered during the course of the semester.

 Group Work Assignment

This course includes a group assignment.  Groups will be assigned and each student is required to participate in the group assignment.  There will be a group work area set up in the Discussion Boards for the groups to share information and ideas.  This area will be monitored to check for individual participation.  While this is a group project grades will be assigned individually.  Individual participation will factor in the grades earned.

 

Grades of "Incomplete”

The current university policy concerning incomplete grades will be followed in this course. Incomplete grades are given only in situations where unexpected emergencies prevent a student from completing the course and the remaining work can be completed the next semester. Your instructor is the final authority on whether you qualify for an incomplete. Incomplete work must be finished by the end of the subsequent semester or the “I” will automatically be recorded as an “F” on your transcript.

 

Rewrite Policy:

Assignments are due on the dates assigned. Re-writes or re-dos are not allowed.

 

 

IX. Course Policies: Technology and Media

Email: Email is the primary means of communication in this course.  Please use the course mail in Canvas as the first way of reaching me.  If you need to reach me through my UCF email you may do so at: dana.mckay@ucf.edu. 

I check my messages frequently.  I would recommend that students check the course and their messages frequently also.  If I need to reach you regarding an assignment I will use the Canvas course mail.

 

Webcourses: This is a web course, with no face to face time. You are responsible to review your email, announcements for updates or changes. I would recommend checking the course and your Canvas course email for messages regularly.  I will use the Announcements tab in the course to pass along important information during the semester.  Please check the Announcements tab frequently.

 

 

X. Course Policies: Student Expectations

Attendance Policy:

This course is web-based, fully online and considered a "W" course. Students are expected to complete and participate in all online activities and assignments.

 

Disability Access:

The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor.

 

Professionalism Policy:

As adult learners it is expected that you will behave in a professional manner in the course work and discussions. In course discussions other students may have differing ideas or opinions.  Learning from each other’s thoughts and ideas is an important part of learning.  Please be respectful of other students and their thoughts and ideas even if they differ from your own.

 Academic Conduct Policy:

Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. If you are uncertain as to what constitutes academic dishonesty, please consult The Golden Rule, the University of Central Florida's Student Handbook (http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/) for further details.  As in all University courses, The Golden Rule Rules of Conduct will be applied.  Violations of these rules will result in a record of the infraction being placed in your file and receiving a zero on the work in question AT A MINIMUM.  At the instructor’s discretion, you may also receive a failing grade for the course.  Confirmation of such incidents can also result in expulsion from the University

 University Writing Center:

The University Writing Center is a campus resource that offers free individual and small-group consultations to UCF community members, for any writing in any situation. Our purpose is not merely to fix papers but to teach writers strategies to understand and to navigate complex situations for writing, both in and outside the University.

On-line consultations are available through The University Writing Center. This link will take you to the information regarding on-line consultations:http://uwc.cah.ucf.edu/attend-online/

 Turinitin.com:

In this course we will utilize turnitin.com, an automated system which instructors can use to quickly and easily compare each student's assignment with billions of web sites, as well as an enormous database of student papers that grows with each submission. After the assignment is processed, as instructor I receive a report from turnitin.com that states if and how another author’s work was used in the assignment. For a more detailed look at this process visit http://www.turnitin.com (Links to an external site.). In this course the assignments that will be required to be checked by turnitin.com will be set to automatically be submitted to turnitin.com on submission.

 

XI. Important Dates to Remember

Please review the listing of Assignments in the Assignment tab for the due dates for the various assignments in the course.

Other important dates:

Withdrawal Deadline:                                                                                                 March 23, 2016

Spring Break:                                                                                                             March 7 – 12, 2016

 

XII.          Assignments:

See the Modules tab for information on the different assignments.

 

 

This syllabus may be modified at the discretion of the instructor. Changes will be shared in the Announcements tab and/or through Course mail.