Course Description

NURS 410: Introduction to Forensic Nursing [3SH (3, 0)]: Examines forensic nurse's role recognizing injuries/patterns of injury. Evidence collection procedures are examined from collection to courtroom presentation. Prerequisite: Prerequisite or concurrent: NURS 245 and NURS 409.

Key to Semester Hour Designation: 3 SH (3,0) = 3 Semester Hours
3 semester hours in lecture, 0 semester hours in lab/clinical
Each semester hour in lecture = 50 minutes contact
Each semester hour in lab/clinical = 3 hours (or 180 minutes) contact

Therefore, this 3-credit course would meet for three (3) 50-minute lecture periods and zero (0) hours of clinical hours per week over a semester.

In general, you should plan on spending 9-12 hours per week on the course. For a more detailed look at what each lesson entails, as well as due dates for assignments and activities, see the Course Schedule.

Overview

This course, an exciting part of the nursing forensics certificate, examines a forensic nurse's role in recognizing injuries and patterns of injury and will include an in-depth video of an autopsy. You will have an opportunity to delve deeper into evidence collection and preservation. This course will build on the concepts and skills introduced in NURS 409. The process of identifying, collecting, preserving and then transferring evidence is crucial to the justice system. Your role as the forensic nurse is to function within the forensic nursing practice guidelines and provide supportive and objective care to all patients.

The importance of being objective cannot be emphasized enough. Each patient needs support, reassurance, and resource sharing but your emotions can never enter the decision making process. As a nurse you will continue to attend to the medical needs of your patients. Your forensic role should compliment your care. Remember to critically think through a forensic lens - consider why they present the way they do, why the injury looks like it does, what might have caused it, does the injury match the explanation?

You are building your forensic knowledge with each course, building to the NURS 411 course where you will go into the community and actually work with a forensic expert. Your hospital, organization, and patients will benefit from this coursework.

Topical Outline

• Legal aspects of evidence collection and preservation
• Crime scene analysis
• Forensic photography
• Physical evidence
• Trace evidence
• Forensic toxicology
• DNA analysis
• Living forensics
• Manner, method, and cause of death

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course you will:

• Discuss the role of the forensic nurse in the collection and preservation of evidential material in accordance with law enforcement and the medical examiner/coroner.
• Identify injuries/patterns of injury and deaths with forensic implications.
• Discuss considerations for evidence collection across the lifespan.
• Identify the role of the forensic nurse in the multidisciplinary team, providing service from initial contact through courtroom adjudication.

Evaluation Methods (Dependent on Site)

Evaluation methods may include quizzes, examinations, written assignments, simulations, reflective journaling, care planning, and mid-course and final clinical performance evaluations.

Required Course Materials

Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.

Required and Recommended Texts (Dependent on Site)

Course textbook (required and recommended) selections are dependent on program faculty and campus site. The College of Nursing uses the current APA Manual criteria for all written assignments.

Articles that you are required to find for any assignments must be cited and must be current, meaning within the last five years.

Technical Requirements

Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)

During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.

Additional Software

One of the benefits of being a registered Penn State student is that you are eligible to receive educational discounts on many software titles. If you are interested in learning more about purchasing software through our affiliate vendor, please visit the Buying Software section of the Course Materials page.

Technical Support

If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.

For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!

Course Requirements and Grading

Grading Requirement

Students must achieve a letter grade of C or better (based on the College of Nursing grading scale) in both theory and clinical components of all nursing courses in order to pass the course and progress in the nursing program.

A student must achieve a minimal final course grade of [75% for UG and 83% for Grad] for successful completion of the course. Each individual examination score is reported to the hundredth place, e.g. 92.76 and not rounded up.  Only the final course grade will be rounded up.  A final course grade of X.50 will be rounded to the next highest whole number (example 72.50 = 73).  A final course grade of X .49 would not round up (example 72.49 = 72).

Academic Progression Policy

The Academic Progression policy delineates the academic standards for pre-licensure students (students without a RN license), who are admitted to the undergraduate nursing program. The policy states that all prerequisite courses may be repeated only one time and failure of two required nursing courses will result in dismissal from the nursing major. Read the details of the Academic Progression Policy in the RN to BSN handbook.

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.

Assignment Policies

• Assignments and course discussions all have a due date for submission to the course instructor. The due dates for each are noted in the Course Schedule section of this syllabus, below. Please make every effort to submit assignments on time, or notify the instructor in advance of a late assignment. Late assignments will be penalized with a 10% grade deduction for each day late unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor. Deadlines will be defined as 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time on the last day of the lesson timeframe, unless noted differently.


• If you know you will be offline the day an assignment is due, please make sure to post it early. Anytime you feel that you might be falling behind in the course, it is best to contact the instructor to discuss your situation. No assignments can be accepted after 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time on the final day of class. If you have an assignment completed by the deadline but are unable to submit to the drop box or post in the forum for technical reasons, contact the IT Service Desk. However, you must submit or post the assignment in the drop box or forum once that becomes available to receive your grade and feedback for the assignment.


• The College of Nursing uses the current APA Manual criteria for all written assignments.


• The articles that you are required to find for any assignments must be cited and must be current, meaning within the last five years.


• For activities where a written document is needed, you are required to use Microsoft Word to complete your activity. Once you have uploaded your file to an activity, it is a good idea to click the link to the file to make certain that it is viewable or accessible for downloading. For lengthy discussion posts, it is recommended that you draft your post using Notepad (PC) or TextEdit (Mac) and then copy and paste the information into your discussion. That way you will have a copy saved on your computer should anything go wrong!


• You will receive assignment grades and feedback privately within the specific assignment drop box or discussion forum. You can always check your grades through the Grades link on the left menu or through the gradebook on the Reports link.


• Please keep a copy of ALL your work. We cannot assume responsibility for lost items.

APA Grading Guidelines

It is essential in professional and academic writing that each author follow formal formatting guidelines. In Nursing the profession follows the American Psychological Association guidelines or APA. We are currently in the 6th edition of the guideline book which if the version you should follow for this course. Below are the expectations for the use of APA in this course:

• Every assignment shall contain a references page with each reference in APA style.
• Every assignment in which you take information from other sources (most assignments) will include citations for where you obtained that information either in-text if direct or close to direct quotes or as a reference at the end.
• You will be provided with the opportunity to get used to APA format for the first few lesson assignments, but after that you are expected to have reviewed the APA resources (see the link in the left menu) and will use those resources when formatting and when you have questions about a formatting issue.
• Starting with the assignment in Lesson 4, up to 15 points will be deducted for not following APA guidelines. Point deductions will be determined as follows:
  • 15 points if no APA formatting was provided (missing reference page, no in-text citations)
  • 10 points will be deducted if some formatting exists, but it is incorrect
  • 9-1 points if items or details are missing from the citation such as missing punctuation

Make-up Exams

Make-up exams are only given for exceptional circumstances in nursing courses that have exams. Since exam dates are already specified in the syllabus, it is expected that students will adjust any scheduling issues they have to accommodate taking the exam. Recognizing, however, that one cannot plan to avoid or reschedule sickness, a family death, or a few other limited circumstances, make-up exams will be given at the discretion of the instructor. Make-up exams must be completed within one week of the missed event. The student must contact the instructor directly by phone or in person to make arrangements prior to the regularly scheduled exam period. The make-up exam will be equivalent in content covered and level of difficulty; however, the instructor reserves the right to alter the format of the make-up exam, i.e., to include short answers or essay questions. If a student should miss a schedule make-up exam, the student will receive a zero for the test. [Undergraduate Affairs Committee Approval--Fall 2011]

Course Schedule

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deceptions and is an educational objective of this institution. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

• cheating,
• plagiarizing,
• fabricating of information or citations,
• facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others,
• having unauthorized possession of examinations,
• making copies in any manner of exams or papers,
• submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, and
• tampering with the academic work of other students.

At the beginning of each course, it is the responsibility of the instructor to provide a statement clarifying the application of academic integrity criteria to that course. A student charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge by the instructor. If students believe they have been falsely accused, they should seek redress through normal discussion with the instructor, department head, dean, or campus executive officer. If the instructor believes that the infraction is sufficiently serious to warrant referral of the case to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, or if the instructor will award a final grade of “F” in the course because of the infraction, the student and instructor will be afforded formal due process (review Academic Integrity information, policy, and procedure on the College of Nursing website).

How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled

In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response..

All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us.

Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, as well as a civil community.

For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State

Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of the following URLs:

• Penn State Academic Integrity site
• Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
• Turnitin (a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system)

Course Policies

Registration Status

All students in "Registration Not Complete" status must resolve issues before the first day of clinical or before the 10th day after classes begin, whichever comes first. Students who do not complete registration will not be able to remain in nursing clinical courses. University policy on completing registration can be found at the Office of the University Registrar.

Attendance, Student Responsibilities, and Conduct

1. Attendance and participation in all scheduled classes is expected and will be monitored. Excessive absence can seriously affect a student's success in passing this course.
2. If an evaluative event (exam, quiz, presentation or other form of assessment for grading) will be missed due to an unavoidable absence, the student must contact the instructor prior to the scheduled evaluative event.
   1. If the student does not contact the course coordinator/instructor prior to the evaluative event, it will be considered an unexcused absence and an opportunity to take a make-up exam will not be offered.
   2. Students will be held responsible for using only legitimate, unavoidable reasons for requesting a make-up in the event of a missed class or evaluative event. Requests for missing class or an evaluative event due to reasons that are based on false claims may be considered violations of the policy on Academic Integrity.
3. Students are responsible for keeping track of changes in the course syllabus made by the instructor throughout the semester.
4. Students are responsible for monitoring their grades.
5. If extra credit assignments are offered, they must be offered to all students and should not be used to boost the grade of an individual student.
6. Behaviors that disrupt other students' learning are not acceptable and will be addressed by the instructor.
7. For severe and chronic problems with student disruptive behavior, please refer to Penn State Student Affairs Conduct Information for Faculty and Staff web site.
8. Students are responsible for following appropriate netiquette (network etiquette) when communicating with their instructor and classmates. Pursuing a degree online has its challenges! We've created a series of tips and strategies to help you achieve your academic goals.

Additional Course Policies

For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.

Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.

Senate approval: 2003
Revised: 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2011