NURS 2921: Perinatal Nursing Practice: Developing Competence
Participants apply the theory learned in HLTH 2911, under the supervision of an instructor preceptor. This course, along with HLTH 2911, enables students to meet the licensing requirements of the British Columbia College of Nursing and Midwives (BCCNM). Participants are introduced to perinatal nursing and develop their practice of perinatal competencies expected of entry-level nurses. Meaningful practice-based learning experiences, guided practice, and opportunities for self-reflection are provided. The majority of clinical experience in perinatal nursing takes place in a hospital where students develop competencies in antepartal assessment and care, nursing care during labour and delivery, and postpartal care of women and stable newborns. Students are also placed in an outpatient setting to develop skills in assessing and providing nursing care and support for pregnant women and their families in the antepartal period.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes for this course follow the guidelines established by the BCCNM for maternal/newborn qualifying courses.
- Establish a professional relationship of care and communication with the childbearing family, taking into consideration the individual needs of the client and professional standards of practice.
- Collaborate with other members of the perinatal health care team, providing support to other team members as appropriate.
- Assess your perinatal nursing competencies and identify areas that need development.
- Complete nursing assessments of childbearing women throughout the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum periods.
- Develop nursing care plans for childbearing women throughout the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum periods.
- Provide nursing care to pregnant, labouring, and postpartal women and identify situations requiring interventions from experienced perinatal caregivers.
- Complete nursing assessments of stable newborns in the immediate and early postpartum periods.
- Develop nursing care plans for stable newborns in the immediate and early postpartum periods.
- Provide nursing care to stable newborns and identify situations requiring interventions from experienced neonatal caregivers.
- Assess the client's knowledge and capacity for self care and care of the newborn.
- Develop and implement teaching plans to meet the needs of childbearing families in the antepartal, intrapartal, and postpartal periods.
- Assist postpartal women and childbearing families making the transition to home and the community, providing care, and teaching and direction to other health care resources in the community where appropriate.
Course topics
- Section 1: Pre-Practice Preparation
- Section 2: Orientation to the Perinatal Practice Environment
- Section 3: Practice Rotation
- Section 4: Assessment
Required text and materials
This is a companion course to HLTH 2911, therefore, there is no material package for this course.
Students who did not take HLTH 2911 and do not have a maternity textbook are required to source and purchase their own for this course. Students may consult their Open Learning Faculty Member for a suitable title after registration.
Additional requirements
Most of the work will be completed in the practice environment. However, there will be times when students will consult the course Web site for online resources. Access to a computer and email is essential for communicating with the Open Learning Faculty Member throughout the course.
Assessments
During the practice experience, students will be assessing their nursing competencies and progress on a regular basis and consulting with both the Open Learning Faculty Member and Nurse Preceptor. Student Preceptor will also formally evaluate their competencies at the end of the practice experience. This final evaluation will determine the grade (pass or fail).
| Pre-Practice Assessment | 20% |
| Mid Term Evaluation | 40% |
| Final Evaluation | 40% |
Open Learning Faculty Member Information
An Open Learning Faculty Member is available to assist students. Students will receive the necessary contact information at the start of the course.
