Personcentered Nursing in Somatic Care

After completing the course the student, while supervised, shall be able to:

• establish a trustworthy relationship that is characterized by lucidity, empathy and respect,
• communicate with patients and their families, and in their encounters give special regard to the patient’s autonomy, inclusion, integrity and dignity,
• systematically assess, estimate and prioritize the state of health of a few patients from a nursing perspective based on symptoms/signs and progression of ill-health, and thereafter plan, manage and evaluate the health care in collaboration with the patient,
• participate in the planning of patient care in collaboration with other professionals and with respect for laws and technical and hygienic regulations,
• describe and discuss steps to be taken and interaction in the continuum of health care based on patient safety, ethics and inclusion,
• document and report both the patient‘s state of health as well as his/her planned and implemented health care so that continuity and safe care can be achieved,
• prepare, administer and evaluate medication in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way and account for the most common effects of drugs and their side effects,
• reflect upon his/her own attitude and approach in his/her interaction with patients and in his/her own work planning within health care with regards to demands and available resources,
• integrate evidence-based and experience-based knowledge with the patient‘s own wishes in the planning and implementation of health care,
• understand the nurse’s responsibilities when encountering life-threatening states of health and in a controlled practice environment be able to perform CPR on adults,
• provide suggestions for quality-improvement measures to increase the quality of health care and patient safety,
• use and assess technical medical equipment and information systems that are used as tools for decision support in the planning and implementation of health care.

The course content integrates both nursing and medical science. This is expressed when the concept of care/care measures is used. The course applies the nursing process with regard to physical, mental, social, cultural, spiritual and existential aspects and needs. Training in nursing diagnostics and the establishment of nursing plans is included as well as implementation of nursing and medical technical measures based on evidence- and experience-based knowledge with regards to the patient‘s wishes. Training is given in communication and ethics in encounters with the patient, the patient´s family and the health-care team. Integration of nursing and medical knowledge is practised in the clinical assessment as well as prioritizing, planning and implementing the different aspects of health care.

Examination through formative assessment of clinical skills during clinical practice placement (internship). In addition, individual written examinations and oral presentations.

The working methods consist of clinical practice placement and obligatory seminars.

The Swedish grades U–G.

If a student does not achieve the objectives of the clinical practice placement during the regular period, the examiner may decide to extend the internship period by two weeks. This can be done provided that the examiner determines that the student as a result of the extension will be able to achieve the goals and provided that the extension is practically feasible. At the end of the extension, a new assessment of student performance is made. If the student still has not achieved the goals, he/she will be awarded a Fail grade, which means that the placement can be re-examined only if the student redoes the placement in its entirety. Students have the right to a total of three clinical placements. The possibility of extension applies only to the regular clinical practice placement period. Regular means one (1) period even if the extension of two weeks has occurred.

During the clinical practice part, a student can be failed ahead of time if the student exhibits deficiencies in knowledge, skills and/or attitudes that suggest that there would be significant risk that other people would be harmed physically or mentally. The student must then suspend his/her clinical training and will be graded Fail for the course/course element. Decisions on failure ahead of time are taken by the examiner in consultation with the supervisor and clinical lecturer or equivalent. In connection with the decision, an individual development plan for the student is prepared by the examiner after consultation with the student, programme and course coordinator. The development plan shall specify the knowledge skills and attitudes that the student needs to acquire to then gain permission to resume clinical studies. The development plan should also include the time for verification of the eligibility in question. If the student at assessment is not deemed to have acquired the necessary knowledge skills and attitudes, an additional time-point for a new check should be issued. A total of two checks on eligibility to resume clinical training based on individual development after failure ahead of time can be granted.