Clinical Application of Laboratory Tests

Catalog description

A study of the background, meaning, and nursing implications of laboratory test results. NURS 303 Clinical Application of Laboratory Tests (1) NURS 303 is a study of the background, meaning, and nursing implications of laboratory test results. It is designed to assist the nursing student in comprehending the patient's laboratory results in a clinical setting. Lab values are correlated to patient's condition and physiology of the disease process. Physical assessment data are compared to the various blood and urine lab test results also. Students are evaluated through written examination and the interpretation of case study scenarios. The course is offered in the spring semester and is open to all nursing students who have completed the introductory nursing course at the 200 level. Enrollment is not limited. The course objectives follow.Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: a. Identify important clinical implications associated with a wide variety of blood and urine tests. b. Correlate lab data with physical assessment findings and other indicators of patient status. c. Recognize constellations of changes that may precede deterioration in clinical status. d. Discriminate between changes in lab values that require immediate reporting to the physician and those changes that do not require immediate reporting. e. Synthesize laboratory test results with assessment findings and pathophysiology and identify appropriate nursing actions.