Nursing (NURS)

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[1] Graduate Courses in Nursing (NURS)

5310 NURSING ETHICS An elective course designed primarily for nursing students. A study of ethical principles and reasoning applied to particular issues and cases related to health care and especially to nursing concerns. The course will examine standard theoretical approaches to health care/nursing ethics with an emphasis on the application of those theories to the needs of specific providers, clients, individuals, and institutions. The course will include lecture and discussion in an online format.

5325 GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH CARE Overview of alternative/complementary/holistic health care philosophies and therapies and their role in health care decision making. Addressees issues of self-treatment, safety, effectiveness, and resources. Examples include nutritional supplements, massage, aromatherapy, and herbal therapy. Open to all majors, not restricted to nursing majors.

5330 CULTURAL AND HUMAN DIVERSITY IN NURSING Examines the influences of culture on client responses to wellness, health challenges, and health care. The effects of cultural diversity on concepts such as time, health, food, and end-of-life rituals will be investigated. Cultural assessments and the use of these assessments in planning and implementing culturally congruent nursing care will be explored.

6V10 DIRECTED PRACTICUM: SELECTED POPULATION (Variable credit: 1-4 credit hours.) Clinical nursing experiences with selected client populations, determined by needs and goals of student in consultation with instructor and approved by department chair.

6V43 INDEPENDENT STUDY (Variable credit: 1-3 credit hours.) Nursing topic of special interest to the student who wishes to conduct an in-depth concentrated study with faculty guidance.

6V64 CLINICAL IMMERSION FOR FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER (Variable credit: 1 or 2 credit hours.) A clinical course that builds on and expands the clinical competencies developed in the Family Nurse Practitioner track. It requires 90 clinical clock hours of supervised direct patient care per credit hour. Pre-/co-requisite: NURS 6520.

6V99 CONTINUED STUDIES (Variable credit: 1-4 credit hours.) Credit/non-credit course required in subsequent semester(s) when an X-grade is awarded and until course requirements are met. Allows access to faculty guidance and university resources. Does not count toward degree.

6205 EDUCATIONAL CONCEPTS FOR ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE Explores the role of the nurse educator in student education, continuing education, staff development, and patient/client education. Employs theories of education, principles of teaching/learning, learner assessment, selection/development of instructional materials, teaching plans, group instruction strategies, and principles of measurement and evaluation in the development of a teaching module.

6215 FOUNDATIONS FOR ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE Explores the evolution of advanced nursing practice, the current practice environment, and complexities of the advanced nursing role. Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program.

6260 CLINICAL IMMERSION FOR ADULT GERONTOLOGY NURSE PRACTITIONERS This clinical-only course focuses on primary care of the adult/geriatric population building on competencies from previous NP clinical courses. This course is online. Students complete 180 contact hours of approved supervised direct patient care clinical experiences. Prerequisites: NURS 6511 and 6512.

6301 RESEARCH FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE I This is the first of two courses that examines the role of research in building an evidence-based practice. The emphasis of this course is on learning the research process, identifying a clinical question, accessing research evidence, and appraising research evidence for scientific merit and clinical relevance. Prerequisite: Full admission to the MSN program.

6304 RESEARCH FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE II This is the second of two research courses that examines the role of the Master’s-prepared nurse regarding evidence-based clinical practice or teaching. The emphasis of this course is on synthesis of research evidence, research utilization models, identification of practice outcomes, and translation of research into clinical practice. Prerequisite: NURS 6301.

6315 ADVANCED HEALTH ASSESSMENT Focus is on advanced health assessment techniques and data collection that promotes diagnostic reasoning and comprehensive decision making in patient-centered care. Core content includes normal versus abnormal findings, health promotion, disease prevention and diagnostic testing across varied populations. This course is a combination of online and on-campus instruction. Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program.

6320 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY Focus is on the etiology, pathogenesis, and functional consequences of various disease states. Provides the student with an understanding of normal physiologic function and pathologic mechanisms that impact health status. Lays the foundation for clinical decision making and management. This course is delivered online. Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program.

6322 EPIDEMIOLOGY FOR ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE This course introduces the basic principles and methods of epidemiology, with an emphasis on critical thinking, analytic skills, and application to clinical practice and research. Emphasis is placed on the principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation, appropriate summaries and displays of data, and the use of classical statistical approaches to describe the health of populations.

6325 ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY Focus is on pharmacotherapeutics and pharmacokinetics of broad categories of pharmacologic agents. The course provides knowledge to assess, diagnose, and prescribe pharmacologic agents in a safe and cost-effective manner. This course is delivered online. Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program.

6327 HEALTHCARE QUALITY AND LEADERSHIP This course explores and applies concepts related to healthcare quality and improvement. Content will also include organization and systems leadership principles necessary to assure quality and safety of patient care.

6329 INFORMATICS FOR ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE This course examines how emerging information and communication technologies are transforming healthcare. Students develop competency in evaluating and utilizing electronic health information systems to document, monitor, and improve health outcomes across multiple health care delivery settings. Informatics applications that affect health care and nursing will be emphasized.

6332 HEALTH POLICY AND ECONOMICS Examines advanced nursing roles in relationship to shaping health policy to positively influence health care quality, access, and cost. Health care law, regulation, professional practice issues, ethics, and health care financing will be explored. Emphasis is on the effect of health policy on health care delivery and population health outcomes.

6340 CLINICAL SPECIALTY FOR THE NURSE EDUCATOR A seminar/clinical course which is a component of the Nurse Educator track. This course provides the clinical foundation for graduate nursing competencies in a clinical specialty under the supervision of approved clinical preceptor/facilitators. Clinical options include community family, geriatric, maternal newborn and women’s health, adult, pediatrics, and psychiatric mental health nursing. Students complete 270 hours of approved supervised clinical experiences. Prerequisites: NURS 6301, 6304, 6315, 6320, 6325, 6345, 6347, and 6348.

6345 EVALUATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION This course examines the theory, construction, evaluation, and current evidence of assessment instruments. It addresses classroom, clinical, online, and simulation assessment/evaluation. The following are emphasized: the role of assessment in instruction, developing instructional objectives and learning outcomes based on professional standards, developing and critiquing assessments; interpreting item and test analysis results, and appraising ethical/social/legal issues in educational and clinical settings. Prerequisite: Full admission to MSN program or other CHBS discipline and statistics.

6347 THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE Focus is on critique, evaluation, and utilization of appropriate theory for practice and/or research. Relevant theories from nursing and other fields are explored. Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program.

6348 INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND TEACHING STRATEGIES Emphasizes the philosophical, theoretical, and empirical foundations of the nurse educator role for student education, continuing education, and staff development, or patient/client education. Core content includes principles of teaching-learning, learner assessment, developing/selecting instructional materials, preparing teaching plans, and classroom, laboratory/simulation, and online instruction strategies. Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program or permission of the department chair.

6349 TEACHING PRACTICUM FOR THE NURSE EDUCATOR A seminar/clinical course providing an experiential foundation for nurse educator competencies under the supervision of approved preceptors/facilitators. Students complete 180 contact hours of supervised teaching practicum experiences. Prerequisite: NURS 6340.

6350 CURRICULUM IN NURSING AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS Explores professional, societal, health care, and educational influences on curriculum development in the health care environment. Students participate in curriculum design and evaluation of program outcomes to promote quality improvement. Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program or permission of the department chair.

6371 CLINICAL NURSE LEADER IMMERSION The second of two seminar/practicum courses in the Clinical Nurse Leader track. Advanced competencies for the Clinical Nurse Leader role. Students complete 300 hours of supervised clinical experiences. Prerequisites: NURS 6327 and 6470.

6413 COMPLEX PRIMARY CARE OF ADULTS FOR FAMILY AND ADULT-GERONTOLOGY NURSE PRACTITIONERS Builds on competencies from previous Nurse Practitioner clinical courses with emphasis on integrating and incorporating advanced clinical knowledge in the care and management of complex co-morbidities, with additional focus on the aging population. Facilitates transition to independent Nurse Practitioner practice. Combination of on line and on campus instruction. Students complete 180 contact hours of approved supervised direct patient care clinical experiences. Prerequisites: NURS 6512.

6414 PRIMARY CARE OF CHILDREN FOR THE FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER Focuses on primary care of children, with emphasis on growth and development, anticipatory guidance, disease management and health promotion/disease prevention. Combination of online and on-campus instruction. Students complete 180 contact hours of approved supervised direct patient care clinical experiences. Prerequisites: NURS 6511 and 6512.

6470 CLINICAL NURSE LEADER PRACTICE The first of two seminar/practicum courses in the Clinical Nurse Leader track. This course provides the theoretical and clinical foundation for beginning graduate nursing roles and competencies as a clinical nurse leader. Students complete 100 hours of supervised clinical experiences. Prerequisites: NURS 6301, 6304, 6329, 6347.

6511 INTRODUCTION TO PRIMARY CARE FOR FAMILY AND ADULT-GERONTOLOGY NURSE PRACTITIONERS Concepts of primary care, differential diagnoses, professional scope and standards, and practice management principles for the Nurse Practitioner. The course focus is on management of simple episodic disease processes, procedural skills, and women’s health with emphasis on health promotion/disease prevention. Combination of online and on-campus instruction. Students complete 180 contact hours of approved supervised direct patient care clinical experiences. Prerequisites: NURS 6315, 6320, and 6325.

6512 PRIMARY CARE OF ADULTS FOR FAMILY AND ADULT-GERONTOLOGY NURSE PRACTITIONERS Builds on the competencies from NURS 6511 with added emphasis on the primary care Nurse Practitioner provider in clinical decision making, disease management, and health promotion/disease prevention. The course introduces chronic disease management in the adult population and expands practice management principles for the Nurse Practitioner. Combination of online and on-campus instruction. Students complete 180 contact hours of approved supervised direct patient care clinical experiences. Prerequisite: NURS 6511.

6520 PRIMARY CARE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN A course that focuses on the primary care of women and children. It provides an introduction to primary care from wellness to illness in these special populations. This course is a combination of online and on-campus seminar instruction. It requires 180 hours of supervised direct patient care. Prerequisite: Admission to NP track and NURS 6301, 6304, 6305, 6315, 6320, 6322, 6325, 6332, and 6347 (all Foundation Courses).

6521 ADULT/GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE I A course that focuses on the primary care of the adult/older-adult population. It provides an introduction to primary care from wellness to illness. This course is a combination of online and on-campus seminar instruction. It requires 180 hours of supervised direct patient care. Prerequisites: NURS 6301, 6305, 6315, 6304, 6320, 6322, 6325, 6332, and 6347 (all Foundation Courses) and, if Family NP track, 6520.

6526 ADULT/GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE II A course that focuses on the primary care of the adult/older-adult population. It builds on competencies acquired in previous clinical courses. This course is a combination of online and on-campus seminar instruction. It requires 180 hours of supervised direct patient care. Prerequisite: NURS 6521.

7V15 DNP CLINICAL INTERNSHIP (Variable credit: 1-4 credit hours) The emphasis in the clinical internship is on transformational leadership in the practice setting to deliver advanced nursing services to individuals, families, communities, or systems. Students are expected to synthesize theoretical, empirical, and clinical knowledge to implement and evaluate the DNP Capstone project. The internship course hours are variable and repeatable; each student must complete a minimum of six clinical internship credit hours to complete the degree. Each credit hour requires 90 clock hours of internship.

7220 DNP CAPSTONE PROJECT I Faculty guided study in which students will write the DNP Capstone project proposal. Activities from the Clinical Internship I provide the framework for the DNP Capstone project. Prerequisites: NURS 7310, 7320, 7330, 7340, 7350, 7360, and 7370.

7225 DNP CAPSTONE PROJECT II The DNP Capstone Project course is a continuation of student work initiated in NURS 7220. The focus of this course is completion and dissemination of the DNP Capstone project. Prerequisites: NURS 7220.

7310 PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE Presents philosophical, theoretical, and ethical perspectives and foundations of the discipline. Advanced nursing practice will be studied in the context of complex clinical, business, legal, ethical, and system issues that confront individual recipients of care, populations, health care professionals, organizations, and society. Prerequisite: Admission to the DNP Program.

7320 HEALTH ECONOMICS AND FINANCE Addresses basic economic theory, market drivers and restraints, health care finance and reimbursement, cost/benefit analysis and health care entrepreneurism. Explores equity and justice in healthcare. Integrated throughout this course is the application of health economic theories. Focus is on the role of the DNP within the contemporary healthcare environment. Prerequisite: Admission to the DNP Program.

7330 ADVANCED HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS Presents an overview of informatics, the transformation of data into information, knowledge, decisions and actions to improve outcomes. In addition, students will be prepared to use available technology tools to present, interpret, and organize data. Prerequisite: Admission to the DNP Program.

7340 LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS Explores critical topics in organizational and systems leadership that emphasizes intra- and inter-professional collaboration, and the opportunity for nursing innovation to transform service delivery, improve health outcomes, and ensure quality and safety. Leadership, management and communication strategies to move interdisciplinary groups toward common goals and objectives will be examined. Prerequisites: NURS 7310, 7320 and 7330.

7350 TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS Explores the science of research translation. Emphasis is on analysis, evaluation, and use of evidence. Students will examine methods to promote the systematic uptake of science into routine practice to improve quality and effectiveness of health care. Prerequisites: HSC 6330 or PSYC 6330.

7360 POPULATION HEALTH AND PUBLIC POLICY Uses a synthesis of public health theory, epidemiology, theories of health promotion, and nursing theory to enable students to identify health concerns and promote health and wellness. The impact of current practices, policies, and laws on community health will be addressed. Issues in population health over the lifespan will be explored, such as environmental health, emerging infectious diseases, vulnerable populations, chronic illness, and global health care. Prerequisites: NURS 7310, 7320, and 7340.

7370 APPLIED CLINICAL GENETICS AND GENOMICS Provides students with the information and resources necessary to incorporate a genetic focus into clinical practice. Students will learn about basic genetic science/molecular concepts, the ethical and social implications of genetic information, commonly used genetic tests, genetic history taking, and pedigree construction and will become experienced in the use of professional and client-based resources to support evidence based health care and life-long learning in applied human genetics and genomics. Prerequisite: Admission to the DNP Program.