Contemporary Issues in Health Care

NURSE-UN 1248, 3 Credits, (SummerFall)

45 hours: 3 credits. This course will explore current issues in the
evolution of patient care in contemporary health care systems. Embedded in
the human experience of illness and health are rich sub-concepts with ethical
and moral implications such as comfort and suffering, genetics/genomics,
bioethics, addiction, culture and healthcare disparities, LGBT healthcare
needs, interprofessional collaboration, global health issues, and policy.
Ethics is an essential component of nursing practice and is inextricably
linked to quality care. Students will be challenged to think critically and
ethically about what society considers fair and just care as they explore
factors that influence the wellness-illness continuum of human experiences.
Discussions will focus on a variety of sources and formats to include: case
studies, selected evidence-based articles, care protocols, contemporary
editorials, film and student opinions. Students will use evidence-based
sources, to discuss scientific and technological advances that are creating
unprecedented opportunities, choices, and consequences that are inevitable
when illness and health care intersect.