VNRS 155: Social Psychology for the Vocational Nurse

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2025
Credits: 1
Total Contact Hours: 18
Lecture Hours : 18
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 36
Total Student Learning Hours: 54
Prerequisite: NRS 100.
Corequisite: VNRS 150, VNRS 151L, VNRS 152.
Transferable to CSU: No
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

This course introduces basic concepts of psychology while helping students relate them to their patient and themselves. It includes information about personality development, wellness, and personal care, assertiveness, job-related communication, cultural and spiritual differences, employability skills, the role of the LVN, general legal aspects and nursing ethics. 18 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Identify the basic concepts of social psychology.
  • Differentiate between assertiveness, aggressiveness, and passive behavior.
  • Explain the significance of effective and therapeutic communication skills.
  • Describe the communication process, its components, define straightforward and therapeutic communication.
  • Compare and contrast beliefs of specific cultural groups as they relate to health care delivery systems.
  • Have a basic understanding of the general beliefs between major religious groups as related to health care.
  • Identify the therapeutic environment and its basic elements.
  • Discuss how to make the LVN’s career grow.
  • Identify work habits that are important to employers.
  • Explain the relationship between legal aspects and nursing ethics.
  • Discuss learning preferences and how the LVN can apply the Nursing Process.
  • Define the role of the LVN and how the principles of critical thinking enhance health care.
  • Discuss personality development and social development and how it affects success.
  • Identify personal strengths, weakness, and the importance of a strong support system.
  • Discuss learner responsibilities.
  • Describe how the characteristics of optimism, motivation, discipline, and confidence results in a positive attitude.
  • Develop a plan for using techniques of time management, and stress reduction
  • Describe how levels of wellness and personal care in self and others affect your care.
  • Explain why assertiveness is a nursing responsibility; how it can help reduce stress and lead to positive adaptation of the nursing role, using the nursing process

Major Course Content

  1. Evolution of the Practical / Vocational Nurse
    1. Early Vocational Nurse Training Programs
    2. Modern Vocational Nurses
    3. The First School of Nursing
    4. Florence Nightingale
    5. Clara Barton
  2. Nursing Process:  The Practical / Vocational Nurse's Role
    1. Data Collection
    2. Planning
    3. Implementation
    4. Evaluation
  3. Therapeutic Communication
    1. Types of Communication
    2. Communication Strategies
    3. Blocks to Communication
    4. Male / Female Differences
    5. Cultural Differences
    6. Electronic Communication
  4. Critical Thinking and Communication
    1. Critical Thinking and the Licensed Vocational Nurse
    2. Factors Influencing Critical Thinking
    3. Communication Strategies
    4. Barriers to Communication
    5. Conflict Resolution
    6. Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR)
  5. Cultural Competence
    1. Definition of Culture
    2. Characteristics of Culture
    3. Ethnocentrism, Prejudice and Discrimination
    4. Cultural Diversity
    5. Cultural Competency in Health Care Situations
  6. Spiritual Caring
    1. Spirituality and Religion
    2. Spirituality Versus Emotional Dimension
    3. Role in Spiritual Care
  7. Health Promotion and Types of Behavior: The Licensed Vocational Nurse's Role
    1. Importance of Body Mechanics
    2. Nutrition and Physical Activity
    3. Stress and burnout
    4. Chemical Dependence in Nurses and Its Impact/Consequences
    5. Types of Behavior: Passive, Aggressive, Assertive 
    6. Coping Mechanisms
  8. Ethics 
    1. Description and Scope of Ethics
    2. Personal and Professional Ethics
    3. Ethical Decision Making in Healthcare
    4. Ethical and Legal Responsibility in Nursing
  9. Vocational Nursing and the Law
    1. Nurse Practice Act
    2. State Board of Nursing
    3. Disciplinary Process and Action
    4. Nursing Standard of Care
    5. How the Law Affects Licensed Vocational Nurses: Negligence, Malpractice, and Liability
    6. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
    7. Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Journal Articles Internet Articles

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Each student will submit a written portion of a group project (4-5 students) based on an assigned cultural or religious group. Their portion of the group project must also be presented orally to the class. The students must present the following information related to their assigned cultural or religious group:
Overview Health care beliefs Food Preferences Family Structure and Decision Making End of Life Decisions

Examples of Outside Assignments

Reading assigned chapters before coming to class and defining key terms in the front of each assigned chapter.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture