Contemporary Issues in Health Care

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.