WEST KENTUCKY COMMUNITY AND
TECHNICAL COLLEGE
ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING
PROGRAM
COURSE HANDBOOK
Course
Title Alternative and Complementary Therapies
Course
Identification NSG 298-B5Z1
(Dept.) (Number)
Credit Hours 3
Contact Hours 3
Prerequisites/Corequisites: Consent of Instructor
Division: Nursing (270-534-3342)
Program: Nursing (270-534-3466)
Faculty
Member preparing Course Handbook Connie
S. Heflin, MSN, RN
Professor
Allied Health Building Office
A203
Office Hours 8-4 M-W-F
Phone: 270-534-3470 (W)
270-554-5852 (H)
Fax: 270-534-3498
E-mail: connie.heflin@kctcs.edu
Mailing Address: 4810 Alben
Barkley Drive
Paducah, KY 42001
Send
copies to: Dean of Academic Affairs
Library (electronic version)
Division Chair
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WEST
KENTUCKY COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
ASSOCIATE DEGREE NURSING
PROGRAM
NURSING 298
ALTERNATIVE AND
COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES
I. COURSE
DESCRIPTION
This
course is designed to present the student with information concerning the impact
of alternative and complementary therapies on nursing practice, as well as an
overview of holistic nursing. The
content focuses on the nurse’s role in enhancing healing of the whole person
from birth to death.
II. COURSE
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, the
student will be able to:
1.
Differentiate between the terms “alternative therapies” and
“complementary
therapies.”
2.
Articulate the nurse’s role in providing holistic nursing care.
3.
Discuss the impact of alternative and complementary therapies on the
nurse’s role
in applying therapeutic
interventions.
4.
Recognize the importance of client education regarding concurrent use of
alternative
and
complementary therapies with traditional (Western) therapies.
5.
Identify the five major categories of alternative and complementary
therapies as
classified by the National Institutes
of Health’s National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM).
6.
Describe the philosophies behind various alternative and complementary
therapies,
including herbal therapies,
diet and nutrition, acupressure and acupuncture,
therapeutic touch, and yoga.
7.
Determine which therapies are safe, beneficial, and cost-effective.
8.
Construct a list of alternative and complementary therapies used to
treat specific
conditions such as stress and
anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia, and cognitive
decline.
9.
Explore information resources available through literature and online
sources, as well
as alternative therapy
organizations that are available in the United States.
10. Discuss the impact of
alternative and complementary therapies on nursing practice,
education, and research.
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III. GENERAL
EDUCATION COMPETENCIES
All
courses which fulfill General Education requirements are required to contain
the following competencies:
a) Writing: To communicate effectively using standard
written English.
Students will fulfill this competency by demonstrating their ability to
write a paper
on
one of the alternative therapies.
b)
Reading: To understand,
analyze, summarize, and interpret a variety of reading
materials.
Students will fulfill this competency by reading the required text as
well as class
reference materials and
information on the Internet.
c) Integrated
Learning: To think critically and
make connections in learning across
the disciplines.
Students will fulfill this competency by using critical thinking skills
in their reflective
writing analysis of selected
alternative therapies as presented in study questions/case
studies.
d)
Creative Thinking: To
elaborate upon knowledge to create thoughts, processes, and/or products that is new to the
student.
Students
will fulfill this competency by participating in group discussion
regarding specific
alternative therapies that result in a broader perception and
knowledge of the subject.
e) Ethics/Values: To demonstrate an awareness of ethical
considerations in making
value choices.
Students will fulfill this competency by
participating in group discussion related
to use of alternative therapies as
they apply to nursing in the practice setting, and also
study questions/case studies to
heighten awareness of their personal value systems.
IV. INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS
Required textbook
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (2003). Nurse’s handbook of alternative &
complementary therapies (2nd
ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Author.
The text may be ordered
through your home college’s bookstore, or any online
bookstore of your choice.
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V. INSTRUCTIONAL
MODES
1.
Assigned text readings/class materials (print materials mailed to each
student)
2.
Web site required readings
3.
Study questions
4.
Internet searches
5.
Group discussion
6.
Written paper
7.
Proctored comprehensive final
examination
VI. COURSE
REQUIREMENTS, EVALUATION, AND POLICIES
A.
Course Requirements
Each student will be required
to:
1. Read assigned text, class materials (mailed
to student), and Web documents.
2.
Answer study questions.
3. Search the Internet for information.
4. Participate in group discussion with other
students regarding assigned study
questions.
5.
Write a paper on one of the alternative therapies.
6. Complete a proctored comprehensive final
examination.
B.
Course Evaluation
1. Study questions will be assigned at regular
intervals. The responses must be
posted by the specified dates.
2. Each assignment will have a specified due
date. For each school day that
an assignment is overdue, 10 points will be
deducted. After a period of five
school
days, a zero will be recorded. The zero score will not be changed.
3. Correct use of the English language (i.e.,
grammar, spelling, legible format,
references, etc.) will be required on all
written work. One point will be deducted
for each grammatical or spelling error.
American Psychological Association
(APA) format, writing style from the Publication Manual of the
American
Psychological Association, 5th
ed., is
required for the written paper. A copy
of the
manual is available in the West Kentucky Community
and Technical College
(WKCTC) Allied Health Building Associate Degree Nursing Lab. APA templates
are loaded on the computers in the WKCTC Allied Health Building Computer
Lab. In addition, information can
be found on the Internet (see APA Writing
Format).
4. The
proctored comprehensive final examination is mandatory. It must be
completed by the specified due date.
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5. The following system will be used to
calculate the final course grade:
Study Questions (7) - 40% (weighed
equally)
Group Discussion - 25%
Written Paper on
Selected Topic - 20%
Proctored
Comprehensive Final Exam - 15%
6. The final course grade will be recorded as
calculated, without rounding. The
grading scale will be as
follows:
91 - 100% = A
83 -
90% = B
77 -
82% = C
65 -
76% = D
Below 65% = E
C.
Course Policies
1. Major religious holidays
are defined as excused absences.
Students are
responsible for notifying the instructor in
writing of anticipated absences due to
their observance of such holidays no later than the last day for adding
a class.
2. A
student may withdraw from this course and take a "W" grade, up to
and
including the date of one week after
mid-term. After this date, the
"W" grade will be given at the discretion
of the instructor. The student will not
be allowed to withdraw if he/she opts to take the final examination.
3. The
course policy for cheating and plagiarism, as well as nonacademic
offenses,
follows the KCTCS Code of Student Conduct. KCTCS faculty and students are
bound
by principles of truth and honesty that are recognized as fundamental for
a
community of teachers and scholars.
The college expects students and faculty to
honor, and faculty to enforce, these academic principles. The college affirms that
it
will not tolerate academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, violation
of
academic rights of students and student offenses. A student who violates this
policy also violates the American Nurses’ Association’s Code of
Ethics for
Nurses. Consequently, a violation of this policy will
result in a grade of “E” for
the course. Students may refer to the KCTCS Code of
Student Conduct, Article II
for more information on academic rights, academic offenses, and the
student’s
right to appeal (http://www.kctcs.edu/student/code.htm). It is the ultimate
responsibility of the student to be
knowledgeable of the KCTCS Code of Student
Conduct.
4. Every effort will be made to ensure accessibility
for all students. For maximum
assistance, all students requiring special accommodations due to a
verified
disability should contact the home college’s Disability Resource Office
at least
two weeks prior to the first day of class. Once documentation is
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complete, they must contact faculty to discuss and agree upon
reasonable
accommodations for the class. The ADA accommodation form will be forwarded
to the faculty within one week of receipt in the Disability Resource
Office. For
more information, contact your home college. The Disability Resource Officer at
WKCTC is Gail Ridgeway (270-534-3406).
5.
KCTCS
is a drug-free institution. No instance
of chemical impairment on the campuses will be tolerated. The WKCTC Associate Degree Nursing Program faculty
defines the chemically impaired student as a person who, while in the academic
or clinical setting, is under the influence of, or has abused, either
separately or in combination: alcohol, over-the-counter medication, illegal
drugs, prescribed medications, inhalants, or synthetic designer drugs.
VII.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
In the event that the course management system
becomes inoperable, student and faculty
communication will continue through the use of personal e-mail accounts. Assignments will continue to be submitted as
e-mail attachments, or faxed to the instructor.
The instructor will provide guidance on this.
VIII.
ONLINE STUDENT SERVICES
The success of the student is very important to
the instructor, to the home college, and to the KCTCS. In addition to the bookstore and library, student
services such as counseling, financial aid, homework resources, and tutorials
are available online through the KCTCS Distance Learning Home Page at www.kctcs.edu/distancelearning.
Please contact the instructor for more information.
IX. KCTCS STUDENT E-MAIL ACCOUNT
The
student e-mail account issued by the KCTCS is used to send messages to the
student, and to send the grade report at the end of the semester. Please check this
account periodically for messages.
X. STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEARNING
The student is ultimately responsible for learning. In an Internet course, it is imperative that
the student have the following attributes:
motivation to learn, basic technical skills on the computer, a learning
style that is not contingent upon face-to-face interaction with an instructor,
and strong time management and personal organization skills. To determine your aptitude for an online
class, go to the KCTCS
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Distance Learning Home Page (www.kctcs.edu/distancelearning)
and
click on
“Orientation ” on the top bar. Then read through the “Orientation Topics”
on the left side bar.
It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the
required textbook. Failure to obtain the
textbook for any reason will not be considered as an excuse for late
assignments. It is
the student’s responsibility to maintain a
working e-mail address, since primary mode of personal communication in an
online class is through personal e-mail accounts. It
is the student’s responsibility to maintain
contact with the instructor by phone if his/her personal e-mail account is
inoperable. The instructor is not responsible
for contacting the student if his/her personal e-mail account is inoperable. The student is also responsible for accessing
and navigating the course management system, and notifying the instructor of
any problems with this. The procedure
for accessing the course management system will be sent to the student by the
KVU prior to the beginning of the semester.
The instructor will provide an orientation on navigating the course
management system for any student who requests this.
It is the ultimate responsibility of the student
to be knowledgeable of the policies and procedures set forth in the Course
Handbook.
Additional
information can be found on the Nursing Web site at:
http://nursing.westkentucky.kctcs.edu
XI. UNITS OF STUDY
UNIT I - Understanding Alternative and Complementary
Therapies
UNIT II - Alternative Therapies and Nursing Practice
UNIT III -
Common Alternative Therapies