Primary Health Care Nursing Perspectives

Course Details

• 3 sections: Mon: 9am-12pm
• Sim Lab: TBD Clinical: 16 hours

NUR461 focuses on an examination of the multiple factors and processes that impact health and health care for individuals across the lifespan. Rather than situating health as the result of personal choice or individual behavior of clients and families, discussion in this course will focus on examining health and healthcare access as socially determined, including the complex contexts and everyday circumstances in which members of different social groups experience health and negotiate access to the mainstream healthcare system. Factors such as social class, income, gender, migration, race/ethnicity, ability/disability, and sexual orientation will be explored using social justice and intersectionality as organizing concepts to guide class discussions and assignments. Students will be introduced to the role of the community health nurse and how it is framed around the model of Primary Health Care and the Standards of Practice developed by the Community Health Nurses of Canada.

This course introduces advanced theoretical and conceptual perspectives and is designed to provide students with clinical practice skills caring for individuals, families, and communities. Primary Health Care is positioned as a model for health care reform, and an organizing system for health care that supports partnership relationships, community activism and advocacy, facilitating access and equity, and capacity building. The dynamic role of nursing and the importance of practicing collaboratively with members of inter-professional health teams and diverse communities is emphasized.

This course involves a two-hour in-person seminar class on Mondays and a weekly one-hour online synchronous post-clinical conference, as well as 16 hours of clinical practice in the community each week. All students lead one group seminar with their peers, and everyone is encouraged to participate actively in seminar discussion and small group work. Students in all sections can develop and apply their knowledge in both synchronous and asynchronous clinical learning activities.