HLTH 3415 – Professional Clinical Practice

(3 credits) 193 hours practice experience
Second Half of Semester (6 weeks)

This is a clinical practicum that provides Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) with nursing practice experience in caring for adult clients who are experiencing increasingly complex health/illness situations. This course occurs over the second half of a semester and is a continuation of HLTH 3313 – Professional Nursing Skills. This course is designed to provide integration of professional knowledge, clinical reasoning, reasoning skills, communication skills and values within the context of the Canadian health care system.
Emphasis is on furthering understanding of professional nursing practice and registered nursing scope of practice in order for IENs to make a successful transition to professional nursing in Canada.

Prerequisites: English proficiency CARNA’s current CELBAN or IELTs requirements and Health 3313 and any core Bridge to Canadian Nursing (BCN) theory courses as required by CARNA (Health 3221, 3217, 3219 are not considered core BCN courses).

PRE-PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS
The following are the pre-practice requirements needed for the nursing clinical practice in a medical/surgical environment to prepare nurses who have been educated outside of Canada for safe, competent nursing practice in Canadian health care settings.

MASK FIT TESTING
As a prerequisite for acute care clinical practice all students must be fitted for N95 masks in accordance with Alberta Health Services policy. Mask fit testing is valid for two years unless there has been weight gain or loss greater than 4.5 kilograms, or following nasal fracture or facial scarring, in which case, refitting is required sooner. Evidence of mask fit testing is to be provided to the BCN Academic Advisor and students must have their mask size with them for practice experiences. All costs associated with this service are the responsibility of the student.

IMMUNIZATION
Proof of up-to-date immunization status is required for all professional practice courses and is the responsibility of the student. All associated costs are the responsibility of the student. Failure to maintain a current immunization status will result in immediate withdrawal from the clinical practice area.

C.P.R. CERTIFICATION
Students must provide proof of current C.P.R. Certification at the Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider Level C on an annual basis. Evidence of certification s to be shown to the clinical instructor prior to the beginning of all clinical experiences. All associated costs are the responsibility of the student.

POLICE INFORMATION CHECK
Provincial legislation requires that new employees and volunteers in publicly funded agencies including: hospitals, seniors’ lodges, group homes and nursing homes are subject to a police information check and vulnerable sector check. In some cases, agencies may require students to provide proof of a police information check prior to commencing a clinical course. Thus, students may be required to obtain more than one police information check during their program of studies. All costs related to the police information check are the responsibility of the student. If a student is denied a clinical placement, then the student will be unable to meet course requirements and will be required to withdraw from the program. Refer to the statement regarding Police Information and Other Background Checks in the University Calendar.