This course introduces the student to the profession of nursing as a practice discipline. This mandatory course introduces students to the social, political, and economic context of health care as it relates to nursing. The Canadian Health Care System will be examined with the focus on current issues and policies affecting the delivery of health care. Within this context, the history of nursing and its development as a profession will be studied. The evolution of professional nursing organizations and their relationship to the development of the profession will be examined. Current status of these professional organizations will be analyzed through examples of their activities within the context of social and political action on issues affecting health care. Students will be introduced to the ethical and legal parameters of professional practice. The design of the course is guided by principles of critical social theory, phenomenology, and cooperative learning, which are described in the Collaborative Nursing Degree Program Student Handbook.
This course builds on and interrelates with other year one courses and therefore theory and practice from semester one will be utilized. For example, contributions from the theory course include critical thinking, person and caring, group theory, primary health, health promotion, and determinants of health. This course contributes to the development of a professional identity and nursing practice through gaining understanding of the professional self, group interaction skills, and the nursing profession.
Year One Joint Statement
Year one of the program focuses on "knowledge of self in the context of health" (see collaborative handbook for more information). Your core nursing courses include NSE 11, NSE 12, NSE 13 and NSE 112.These courses, in addition to psychology, nutrition, anatomy and physiology, and your liberal studies course, will increase your awareness of self. In addition, these courses will emphasize the importance of wellness, and the relationship of health promotion in supporting and maintaining wellness, and an appreciation of diversity. In your core nursing courses, concepts from each individual course will build on each other. Throughout the year, you will begin to integrate and apply the knowledge obtained in all first year courses to inform your practice as a first year nursing student.
Professionalism in our Learning Community
Students and faculty within the school of nursing are colleagues in nursing. All members of our learning community are expected to act with professionalism and academic integrity. Honesty is the basic hallmark of academic integrity https://www.torontomu.ca/academicintegrity/ Community members are expected to credit others’ ideas in written work, make a fair contribution to group work, and behave with integrity during tests and exams. Trust, respect and fairness are values that underpin effective collaboration and life-long learning (The Center for Academic Integrity, 2008). The Toronto Metropolitan University, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program expects students to listen to one another’s viewpoints and to be respectful in communication. Students are required to attend all classes and labs, to be prepared, to be on time and to give adequate notice if circumstances prevent them from attending. Positive collegial professional relationships between students and faculty members contribute to excellence in both nursing education and nursing practice. “The Recipient of Health Care is Considered the End Goal of Nursing Education” (Storch, Wagner, & Berry, 2004, p. 13).
Storch, J.L., Wagner, S., & Berry, L. (2004). Final Candidacy Report of the Review Team of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing for the Toronto Metropolitan University, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program. Toronto: Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.
The Center for Academic Integrity (2008). The fundamental values of academic integrity: honesty, trust, respect, fairness, responsibility [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://www.academicintegrit.org/fundamental_values_project/index.php
