Second-Degree Program Courses

NURS 202 Culture, Lifestyle, and Health (3) Examines the effects of cultural and lifestyle differences on health from the human, rather than biological, viewpoint, through the perspective and role of the professional nurse. Discussions will encompass cultural, social, economic, ethnic, and religious perspectives on healthy behaviors, disease, coping, and healing. Using this information as background, the course will focus on interventions for health promotion across the life span and examine the way in which health policy is used to promote health and prevent illness, disability, and premature death in the United States.

NURS 223 History, Trends, and Issues in Health Care Delivery (3) Introduces students to contemporary concepts of health, the health care delivery system, and the workforce in that system. Critical issues are addressed from an historical perspective and future developments in health care are identified with particular emphasis on the emergent roles and evidence-based practice. Prerequisites: NURS 341, 370, 395, 411. Corequisites: NURS 223, 342, 380, 390.

NURS 245 Pathophysiology (3) This course focuses on the pathophysiology of commonly occurring diseases affecting human beings across the life span with the major focus on adult disease. Content builds on basic knowledge and principles of anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and chemistry. The pathophysiologic bases of common human health alterations and associated clinical manifestations are explored. Prerequisites: Anatomy and Physiology I and II. Corequisites: NURS 202, 304, 306, 490.

NURS 304 Foundations of Nursing Practice (4) Focuses on the theoretical and clinical foundations of professional nursing. Students will begin to develop clinical reasoning/judgment to provide nursing care for individuals and families. Classroom experiences, seminars, and clinical and simulated lab settings will provide students opportunities to explore clinical concepts basic to nursing. Corequisites: NURS 202, 245, 304, 306, 490.

NURS 306 Health Assessment (3) This course focuses on the development and application of health assessment skills of the client. The student will be able to apply the skills learned to perform a complete health history and physical exam incorporating the ethical, social, and cultural differences. Differences between normal and abnormal findings are explored. Corequisites: NURS 202, 245, 304, 490.

NURS 341 Health and Illness of Adults and Older Adults I (5) Focuses on the theoretical, clinical, and scientific knowledge relevant to the nursing care of culturally diverse adults and older adults. Emphasis is placed on knowledge and clinical reasoning/judgments pertinent to health promotion, risk reduction, and management of acute and chronic health conditions and disease prevention in adults and older adults. Nursing strategies pertaining to the management of illness and symptom management of adults will also be discussed. Faculty supervised clinical experiences in simulation and health care settings enable students to apply acquired knowledge in a variety of clinical settings. Prerequisites: NURS 292, 245, 304, 306, 490. Corequisites: NURS 370, 395, 411.

NURS 342 Health and Illness of Adults and Older Adults II (5) Building on the knowledge acquired in Health and Illness of Adults and Older Adults I, this course focuses on the theoretical, clinical, and scientific knowledge relevant to the nursing care of culturally diverse adults and older adults. Emphasis is placed on knowledge and clinical reasoning/judgments pertinent to the management of multisystem health conditions. Faculty supervised clinical experiences in simulation and health care settings enable students to apply acquired knowledge in a variety of clinical settings. Prerequisites: NURS 341, 370, 395, 411. Corequisites: NURS 223, 380, 390.

NURS 370 Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (5) This course focuses on the theoretical, clinical, and scientific knowledge relevant to the nursing care of culturally diverse psychiatric clients. Clinical applications of knowledge in the nursing care of individuals, families, and groups with acute and chronic alterations in psychological functioning are applied and evaluated. Emphasis is placed on knowledge and clinical reasoning/judgments pertinent to health promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention in psychiatric clients across the life span. Nursing strategies pertaining to the management of illness and symptom management of the psychiatric client are discussed. Prerequisites: NURS 292, 245, 304, 306, 490. Corequisites: NURS 341, 395, 411.

NURS 380 The Childbearing Family (4) Focuses on the nursing care of childbearing families, recognizing their diverse cultural, ethnic, spiritual, and socioeconomic backgrounds and values. Family-centered nursing care provided during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period in a variety of settings, based on professional standards of care and evidence-based practice will be discussed. Health promotion, risk assessment, biological, psychosocial, legal/ethical, cultural, and educational factors related to nursing care of childbearing families will be examined. The role of the nurse as a member of a multidisciplinary team within the health care system will be explored. Prerequisites: NURS 341, 370, 395, 411. Corequisites: NURS 223, 342, 390.

NURS 390 Health and Illness of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (4) This course enables students to expand their understanding of evolving family patterns to promote optimal health for patients from infancy through adolescence as they interact with their environment. Students are provided with an opportunity to understand patterns of health promotion, family-centered care, growth and development, nursing implications, and health outcomes for common and complex health conditions among the pediatric population. To reinforce these concepts, students provide nursing care to culturally diverse pediatric patients and families within varied practice settings. Prerequisites: NURS 341, 370, 395, 411. Corequisites: NURS 223, 342, 380.

NURS 395 Pharmacotherapeutics (3) This required course provides students with current knowledge concerning a wide spectrum of pharmacologic agents. Emphasis is placed on the nurse's role in the administration of safe, therapeutically effective drug therapy. Major drug classifications are discussed in relation to administration methods, pharmacologic effects, toxicity, nursing precautions, and implications. Cultural, ethical, legal, and political variables are explored. Prerequisites: NURS 292, 245, 304, 306, 490. Corequisites: NURS 3421, 370, 411.

NURS 411 Research Process Applied to Evidence-Based Nursing Practice (3) Focuses on the research process and interrelationships among nursing theory, ethics, research, and practice. Emphasis is placed on critiquing published studies and developing plans for using research findings in practice. Prerequisites: NURS 292, 245, 304, 306, 490. Corequisites: NURS 341, 370, 395.

NURS 419 Capstone (5) Examines issues that must be addressed for the nursing student to successfully transition to the role of professional nurse. The emphasis is on the application of the professional role in the clinical setting. Prerequisites: NURS 223, 342, 380, 390. Corequisites: NURS 420, 444.

NURS 420 Nursing Leadership and Management (3) The focus of this course is the professional nurse's leadership and management role within health care delivery systems. The multifaceted aspects of the role of the nurse as leader and manager are explored in depth, with emphasis on the role of the nurse as change agent. Organizational behavior, decision making, the change process, and the management of health care organizations are components of this course. The concepts of professionalism, leadership-management, research, and teaching-learning are integrated with the professional nurse's role as a manager. This course prepares students to function as change agents in the health care delivery system. Prerequisites: NURS 223, 342, 380, 390. Corequisites: NURS 419, 444.

NURS 444 Community Health Nursing (6) Explores how community health nurses use concepts from nursing and public health to provide comprehensive, continuous, preventive health care thereby promoting health for communities, populations at risk, aggregates, families, and individuals. Students will use critical thinking skills to formulate health care strategies which consider the biopsychosocial, cultural, ethical, legal, and economic issues impacting the community as a client. The clinical practicum focuses on community as client with individuals, families, groups, and populations with diverse needs in a variety of community-based settings.

NURS 490 Nursing Informatics (3) Focuses on the integration of nursing science with computer technology and information science to identify, gather, process, and manage information. Current advances in informatics and technology as these influence nursing and health care practice, education, and research are explored. Corequisites: NURS 245, 304, 306.