Nursing (RN to BSN)

The legal and ethical aspects of the nurse’s role in leading and managing safe and effective patient-centered care are examined in this course The ethical responsibilities of the nurse as well as decision-making models related to health care situations will be discussed. The content focuses on the identification and analysis of legal and ethical concepts and principles underlying nursing practice and health care. Topics include an exploration of current ethical and legal issues that impact professional nursing and health care practice.

Building on previous knowledge and skills applicable to the practice of professional nursing, this course enhances the transition of registered nurses to the baccalaureate prepared professional nurse role. Emphasis is on the challenging role of the nurse in today’s global healthcare system. Content focuses on the interrelated concepts of nursing theory, models of health and illness, evidence-based practice, critical thinking, and clinical judgment. Changes in the health care environment and the impact on the professional nurse’s role as part of the interprofessional healthcare team are discussed.

This course is designed to assist the students to acquire an understanding of the applications of statistical methods as a basis for identifying research problems, planning and implementing a research plan. The focus of the content is on the knowledge and skills to use, and interpret output from, statistical analysis techniques that are frequently encountered in the clinical literature of nursing, medicine, psychology and epidemiology, and other health related disciplines. Emphasis is placed on application and solid conceptual understanding of statistical inference with different study designs.

This course will examine the role of nursing in providing care to vulnerable populations within the community. Theories of community health and nursing practice will be discussed as well as concepts of health promotion and preventative care for vulnerable individuals, families, groups and communities. Content focuses on risk reduction, health maintenance, and promotion of high level wellness to individuals, families, and groups of all ages throughout the health continuum.

This course introduces global health care systems and models and their influence on health disparities in the delivery of healthcare. Content provides a foundation to examine factors influencing the health of communities and populations locally, nationally and globally. Basic public health principles and sciences are used to identify factors that influence promote and maintain health of populations. The use of epidemiological data and knowledge of environmental health, social determinants of health, genetics/genomics, and the influence of culture on health behaviors will be discussed.

This course focuses on the development of nursing knowledge and the improvement of nursing practice through current relevant evidence. Research methods are examined and current issues are analyzed in relation to the implementation of evidence-based practice in selected settings. Content includes identification of clinical questions, analysis of evidence for potential solutions/innovations, planning and implementing practice changes, evaluating outcomes and identifying gaps in nursing knowledge. Processes for leading and managing practice changes through the use of evidence based research to promote effective or positive patient outcomes are explored.

Synthesis of theories and concepts related to leadership and management such as, critical thinking, clinical judgment or reasoning, change theory, conflict resolution, delegation, and changes that impact the health care delivery system is discussed. The aspects of the role of the nurse as leader and manager are explored in depth, with a special emphasis on the role of the nurse as change agent. The course will provide practical information for the practicing nurse to strengthen problem solving, decision- making, and critical thinking abilities, which are all vital in today’s rapidly changing health care delivery systems.

This course provides the student the opportunity to synthesize previous knowledge and skills in a supervised practicum experience with the guidance and approval of the faculty. The clinical project provides students with the opportunity to explore a problem or issue of particular personal or professional interest that is related to one of the following nursing competencies: patient-centered care, teamwork/collaboration, evidence based practice, quality improvement, safety or informatics (QSEN: http://www. qsen. org).

This course explores essential collaboration and communication skills for health care providers. Interprofessional collaboration and its significance in safe patient centered care is a focus of this course. Students will review the Interprofessional competencies and discuss the role of the nurse in improving interprofessional collaboration in the healthcare setting. Professional written and oral communication as key to leading and managing safe patient care will also be addressed.