The instructor greeted the students and apologized for the technical hitches at the start. She asked everyone how they were doing around the country, and the students responded that they were busy. The instructor mentioned that she was emotionally drained and she was a bit anxious. She urged the students to take a minute and relax before the start of the session. She emphasized that nurses should take some time and take care of themselves since their primary role is providing care to the general population.
The instructor mentioned the power politics, finance, and regulations issue. She said that the current politics was a complex issue in the United States, yet they directly impact population health. She gave an example of the Affordable Care Act and its role in providing access to healthcare by a majority of Americans who do not have health insurance. She also mentioned that there would be three more seminars before the end of the course. The learning activities are not graded, but they would help the students to learn more. The discussion boards enhance understanding ion the population of interest and health care concerns. She mentioned that the students should have three posts by the end of Tuesday and the initial post by Saturday. She also informed students that they can always ask for an extension of the deadline if they get caught up.
The significant assignments left are in units 4 to 8, where the students will focus on legislative letter assignments. Several legislation pieces affect the population of interest at the local, county, state, or national level. The health regulations are vast and keep coming up; hence, the student should address the professional letter to a lawmaker whether to support or oppose the clauses’ statements. The students will introduce themselves and the population of interest concerning legislation that positively or otherwise affects the community based on the outcome. This would be eye-opening on the type of power that the students have. In unit 6, the students will be required to do a PowerPoint presentation on care informatics and emerging technologies that support the population of interest that the students have chosen.
In units 9 and 10, the students will think about where they will like to be in three or five years. Career planning and professional vision. In unit 9, the instructor mentioned that there would be a summative evaluation done though a phone call with the tutor. The instructor also informed the students to submit the practice experience logs for assignments submitted in a continuous format. This will enable the students to quantify the time spent in clinical activities on their population of interest.
