Course Descriptions
Undergraduate courses
NUR 3106 BASICS OF HEALTH ASSESSMENT
Four hours. Corequisites: NUR3107 and NUR3205.This course prepares the student to collect and document data accurately as required for a basic health assessment of patients across the life span. It includes a skills laboratory component.
NUR 3107 APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY
Two hours. Corequisites: NUR3106 and NUR3205. This course presents current concepts of pharmacology including basic principles of drug action, interaction, and adverse effects. Routes of administration are discussed. Content will be presented using a structured, systematic approach to body systems and drug classifications. Legal, cultural and life span considerations will be included as they apply to the nurse’s role in drug therapy.
NUR 3108 APPLIED HUMAN NUTRITION
Four hours. Prerequisite: NUR3205. Students are prepared to apply fundamental principles of human nutrition in the selection of a healthy diet across the lifespan. The impact of nutrition upon health, illness and healing, cultural and global issues, and health care practice are examined.
NUR 3203 MATERNAL/CHILD NURSING CARE
Six hours. Prerequisite: NUR 3205. Corequisites: NUR3108 and NUR3305. Nursing concepts are presented related to the delivery of nursing care for the childbearing/ childrearing family and children from infancy through adolescence. Principles of growth and development are applied as the student provides health teaching and nursing care directed toward promoting, maintaining, and restoring health or providing end-of-life care that respects cultural and ethnic beliefs for women, infants, and children.
NUR 3205 FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING
Eight hours. Corequisites: NUR3106 and NUR3107. Students are introduced to the scientific basis for nursing practice and the safe care of patients with diverse needs. Nursing skills are simulated and practiced in the clinical skills laboratory prior to performing in the clinical setting. Emphasis is on the promotion of the health, function and wellness of individuals, families and groups across the lifespan.
NUR 3305 ADULT HEALTH NURSING CARE I
Six hours. Prerequisite: NUR 3205. Concepts from behavioral, biological and natural sciences are integrated as knowledge of physical and psychological symptoms related to disease and treatment is advanced. In the clinical area, emphasis is placed on health teaching and the safe implementation of therapeutic nursing interventions for adults who are experiencing acute alterations in health. Nursing students apply current evidence in practice and begin to evaluate nursing care outcomes as care is directed toward promoting, maintaining and restoring heath or providing end of life care for culturally diverse patients in various settings.
NUR 4305 NURSING CARE OF OLDER ADULT
Four hours. Prerequisite: NUR3108 and NUR3305. In this course the student has the opportunity to differentiate normal aging from abnormal processes and conditions and to develop nursing interventions that are unique to the specific needs of the elder. Social, ethical, financial and practical issues facing the older adult, frail elder, and caregiver are presented.
NUR 4306 NURSING THEORY AND RESEARCH
Four hours. Prerequisites: NUR3108 and NUR3305. This course offers a study of nursing theories and models for the practice of professional nursing. It further provides students with opportunities to understand general principles and concepts of the research process in order to integrate research into professional nursing practice.
Gen Ed: SW (Aw)
NUR 4403 COMMUNITY/MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
Six hours. Prerequisite: NUR3108 and NUR3305. Students apply knowledge of concepts, theories, and practice from nursing and public health sciences to assess and analyze the health status of culturally diverse, at-risk groups of vulnerable populations. Mental illness and current issues and therapies for persons with chronic mental illness will be examined. Students will assess physical, social, and cultural environments, identify populations at risk, and implement and evaluate appropriate nursing interventions in partnership with community and health agencies.
NUR 4405 ADULT HEALTH NURSING CARE II
Six hours. Prerequisites: All nursing courses. Co-requisite: NUR 4990. This course will build on previously learned material and will concentrate on the emergent needs of patients with comorbidities, critical illnesses and multi-system failure.
NUR 4990 NURSING LEADERSHIP AND TRANSITION
Six hours. Prerequisite: All nursing courses. Co-requisite: NUR 4405. In this course the student examines his or her personal development as a professional registered nurse and identifies goals for professional development. Leadership skills and life management skills are refined. Political, legal, and advocacy issues in nursing and health care are examined.
Graduate courses
NUR 512 ADVANCE PRACTICE NURSE ROLE
Three hours. Prerequisite: Admission to Nursing graduate program. Roles of the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) are examined with a focus on scope of practice, regulatory issues, professional standards of care, and effective communication. Topics include evidence based practice, professional advocacy, ethical decision making, cultural competence, teaching-coaching, and scholarly writing.
NUR 515 ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY
Three hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512. In this course the student analyzes the principles of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacotherapeutics of drugs commonly used in the management of acute and chronic illnesses in adults. Emphasis is on therapeutic decision-making in drug selection and monitoring therapeutic response for culturally diverse patients. Patient education, legal, ethical, and socio-economic issues are addressed. Practice and regulatory elements of APRN prescribing is included.
NUR 520 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Three hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512. This course prepares the student to understand the underlying mechanisms of changes in physiology by a systematic examination of disease. The advanced practice nursing students will compare and contrast differential diagnosis within physiological systems of sub-cellular and cellular origin, biochemical, and anatomical changes across the life span.
NUR 522 ADVANCED PRACTICE HEALTH ASSESSMENT
Three hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512, undergraduate health assessment. Co-requisite: NUR 520. The learner is provided a strong foundation in the health assessment skills requisite for APRN practice. The focus of the course is on the diagnostic reasoning process as it relates to building a clinical database regarding individual patients. History taking, physical examination skills, laboratory, and diagnostic modalities are included in the course content.
NUR 525 NURSING THEORY AND RESEARCH
Three hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512, undergraduate health assessment. Pre/co-requisite: MAT 510. Research processes, including quantitative and qualitative research designs, are reviewed. Students examine researchable problems in nursing practice, explore ethical and legal issues related to nursing research, and learn to apply a theoretical model in designing a research study.
NUR 535 HEALTH CARE POLICY
Three hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512. This course exposes students to health care policy, health care finance, and the organization of health care delivery systems. Emphasis is placed on the role of the advanced practice nurse in the policy making process and the impact of health policy, finance and organization on advanced nursing practice, consumers’ health and health care options.
NUR 606 CURRICULUM DESIGN & PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Four hours. Pre-requisite: NUR 512. The focus in this course is on preparing the advanced practice nurse for a role in higher education or peer education. Required elements of course and curricula design and program outcome assessment are presented, along with roles of faculty and administrators in these processes. Classroom teaching technologies are introduced.
NUR 611 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE I
Six hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512, NUR 515, NUR 520, NUR 522. In this practical experience, the student functions in the role of advanced practice nurse in settings focused on the care of the acutely ill client. Content focus is on attaining competencies in the domains of advanced nursing practice addressing clients, nurses, and organizations. This course includes 168 hours of clinical experience and a seminar.
NUR 612 NURSE EDUCATOR IN CLINICAL SETTING
Six hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512, NUR 515, NUR 520, NUR 522, NUR 606. In this practical experience, the student functions in the role of advanced practice nurse educator in a clinical setting. Content focus is on attaining competencies as a nursing educator. This course includes 175 hours of clinical experience and a seminar.
NUR 616 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE II
Six hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512, NUR 515, NUR 520, NUR 522. In this practical experience, the student functions in the role of advanced practice nurse in settings focused on care of the client with chronic illness. Management of the healthcare needs of selected populations are addressed incorporating the principles of prioritization, community collaboration, and outcomes measurement. Principles of cost-effective patient outcomes and evidence-based practice are stressed. This course includes 168 hours of clinical experience and a seminar.
NUR 621 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE III
Six hours. Prerequisites: NUR 611, NUR 616. The advanced practice nurse student will develop expertise in a speciality role defined by a client population or practice setting. The focus of this capstone clinical experience is adult health nursing practice. This course includes 168 hours of clinical experience and a seminar.
NUR 625 RESEARCH HOURS
One to four credit hours (variable). Prerequisite: NUR 525 and consent of the instructor. Independent research hours provide the student the opportunity to be mentored in the pursuit of an individual scholarly project. Prior to registering, the student must establish a learning contract with a nursing faculty member. In lieu of a letter grade, the student is awarded the grade of Pass/Fail for research credit hours.
NUR 631 NURSE EDUCATOR IN ACADEMIC SETTING
Six hours. Prerequisite: NUR 512, NUR 515, NUR 520, NUR 522, NUR 606. In this practical experience, the student will engage in classroom and clinical teaching in an academic setting. This course includes 175 hours of clinical experience and a seminar.
MAT 510 APPLIED STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Three hours. Prerequisite: undergraduate statistical analysis and admission to Nursing graduate program. Pre/co-requisite: NUR 525. The emphasis in this course is on application and interpretation of statistical procedures used in health care research. Data management (using SPSS) and the relationship between research design and statistical techniques are also studied.
