INTRODUCTION A patient is not a passive object on which we perform nursing care procedures. A patient should never be thought of, or discussed, as merely a condition or injury. It is not acceptable to think of, or refer to, your patient as "the gallbladder" or "the fractured hip" or "the bleeding ulcer." A patient is much more than the condition that brought him to the hospital. A patient is a human being, possessing physical and emotional needs and wants.

The relationship between the patient and the nursing staff is extremely dynamic and personal. The patient places his trust in the nursing staff and they, in return, must utilize all their knowledge and skills to ensure the patient's well-being and assist in his return to good health and independence. This is accomplished by developing a therapeutic relationship between the patient, his family, and the health care professionals.

 

The nursing paraprofessional relates very closely with the patient and his family by virtue of his participation in providing nursing care and his presence at the bedside. It is often the nursing paraprofessional who makes the initial observation that something is not as it should be. Nursing paraprofessionals who are responsible, educated, and observant are assets to the therapeutic environment necessary for patient recovery. To help foster this therapeutic environment, the nursing paraprofessional must do the following:

• Assess the patient's ability to express himself.
   

• Assess the patient's mechanisms for coping.
   

• Assess the patient's level of understanding about his condition and the teaching provided by the health care professionals.
   

• Assist the patient to establish a trusting relationship with the health care providers.
   

• Utilize the nursing process to provide the best possible care.
   

• Continue to pursue his own education in order to sustain and enhance professional knowledge and skills.

The purpose of this subcourse is to enhance your knowledge of medical surgical nursing care related to the sensory and neurological systems and the role of the nursing paraprofessional in providing that care.

 

Subcourse Components:

 

This subcourse consists of two lessons. The lessons are as follows:

Lesson 1, Nursing Care Related to the Sensory System.

Lesson 2, Nursing Care Related to the Neurological System.

Credit Awarded:

 

Students who desire credit hours for this correspondence subcourse must meet eligibility requirements and must enroll through the Nonresident Instruction Branch of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDDC&S). Examination Answer Sheets and Student Comment Forms are available by downloading the original correspondence course manual and printing the forms from it. The manual is available here.

To receive credit hours, you must be officially enrolled and complete an examination furnished by the Nonresident Instruction Section at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Upon successful completion of the examination for this subcourse, you will be awarded 12 credit hours.

 

You can enroll by going to the web site http://atrrs.army.mil and enrolling under "Self Development" (School Code 555).

 

A listing of correspondence courses and subcourses available through the Nonresident Instruction Section is found in Chapter 4 of DA Pamphlet 350-59, Army Correspondence Course Program Catalog. The DA PAM is available at the following website: http://www.usapa.army.mil/pdffiles/p350-59.pdf .