General provisions

The course is given in semester 2 in the nursing programme. Three (3) credits of this course are coordinated with four and a half (4.5) credits from the course "Nursing and Nursing methods II" (Health Sciences/Nursing) to placement in medical, surgical or geriatric wards or in various municipal healthcare organisations.

Entry requirements

The courses in semester 1, the nursing programme:

Nursing and Nursing Methods I

Anatomy and Physiology

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

After the course, the student should be able to:

* know

- the difference between producer-dependent and producer-independent pharmaceutical information

- producer-independent sources of information on drugs

- recommendations and nursing programmes as support in everyday clinical work

- routines, laws/statutes that guide prescription, use and handling of drugs

* understand and be able to describe

- the concepts of drugs, natural remedies and plant based drugs

- the basic principles of the development of new drugs and society's evaluation of drug usage in treatment

- the palliative, curative and preventive effects of drugs and their importance for health and disease

- modes of action for the most important pharmaceutical groups (pharmacodynamics)

- what happens with drugs in the body (pharmacokinetics)

- different pharmaceutical types and modes of administration

- the implication of the concepts dose-response relationship, concentration-effect relationship and therapeutic width

- the most important mechanisms for interindividual variation in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs and its clinical importance

- the importance of the follow-up of the effects of drugs and of the reconsideration of the need of drugs

- the principles of the use of concentration determination as a tool for the dosage of drugs

- the implication of the concepts polypharmacy and drug interaction, mechanisms and clinical importance

- the most common mechanisms of adverse drug reactions and toxicity, as well as the importance of continuous supervision of drug safety

- the concepts of placebo effect and nocebo effect and their importance when evaluating the effects of drugs

- the concept compliance and its clinical importance

- pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects in connection with drug treatment for the elderly

- the most common drugs for conditions of pain, their modes of action and principles of evaluation of effects

- the most common hypnotics and sedatives and their benefits/risks

- the nurse's role and responsibility in the handling of drugs and drug calculation

- the importance of microorganisms for disease and health

- measures to prevent transmission of diseases

SKILLS AND ABILITY * in clinical care under inspection be able to

- carry out certain actions in drug handling and drug calculation

- observe and register the effects of drugs and adverse drug reactions

- acquire and document data from patients concerning the patient's drug treatment and effects

- take samples and apply hospital hygiene principles

Evaluation ability and attitudes.

After the course the student should be able to evaluate and reflect over

- the most important modes of action of drugs as well as individual needs, variations and reactions

- his/her own ability, precision and responsibility in drug handling

- the importance of following hospital hygiene principles in clinical care

Content

Theoretical studies

- development, follow-up and evidence-based evaluation of drugs

- fundamental pharmacokinetic concepts

- the modes of action of drugs

- the most important causes for variation in responses to medication between patients, including heredity, reduced renal and hepatic function, age, environmental factors, compliance to prescription

- drug interactions and polypharmacy

- handling of drugs and drug calculation

- pharmacology of adverse drug reactions and toxicology

- the pharmacology of pain

- antibiotics

- hypnotics and sedatives

- drugs and the elderly

- laws and statutes within the pharmaceutical field of importance to healthcare

- basic bacteriology

- basic virology

- basic immunology

- hospital hygiene

Placement

- administration of drugs

- observation and registration of the effects of drugs and side effects

- use of the most important sources of information on drugs

- taking of samples and application of hospital hygiene principles

Instruction

The student shall search and apply knowledge based on science and evidence, as well as in nursing and treatment interventions follow current laws, statutes and ordinances.

Theoretical studies

Lectures, work in tutorial group, individual work, seminars and web-based teaching.

Placement

Clinical/practical applications in contemporary healthcare.

Compulsory parts of the course: introduction to the course, scheduled group meetings, seminars, clinical/practical applications,placement, tasks with written submission/minor essay and examination.

Assessment

Examination is continuous throughout the course in the form of written and oral assignments individually and in groups. All compulsory parts included in the course, as well as the individual written final examination, have to be passed to obtain a pass grade for the whole course

During placement, there are examinations of clinical/practical parts as well as theoretical assignments.

Other regulations

A student who has failed the examination is entitled to retake the examination four times (= a total of five examinations).

A student who did not pass the clinical placement may go through a renewed clinical placement once.

PREMATURELY INTERRUPTED PLACEMENT

A student may fail and be forced to interrupt the clinical placement prematurely if there is a noticeable risk that the student due to incompetence may injure another individual or valuable property if he or she continues the clinical placement.

An individual plan should be decided for the student and be given to him or her in writing. This plan, to be decided by the programme committee, must state the knowledge and skill shortages at hand, the support the student may receive from the department and also state how and when the control will take place. A student is entitled to a maximum of two control occasions, however no more than once a year. The student may not participate in the clinical placement again until the programme committee has assessed and accepted that the student has the required knowledge and skills.

Decisions on the individual study plan may be delegated by the programme committee to a student welfare committee or equivalent with student representation.