Core Courses

Prerequisites and corequisites are currently being evaluated for D.N.P. and M.S.N. core courses. Please review the program plan of study with your specialty director to make sure there have not been any corequisite or prerequisite updates or changes since catalog publication.

ADHA 5107 Advanced Health Assessment (3) Building upon basic health assessment skills, this course is designed to provide a core of physical assessment competencies necessary for the nurse in advanced practice. An advanced health assessment includes a comprehensive health history and physical examination related to current health patterns across the life span of the patient within the context of the family. The purpose of an advanced health assessment is to provide an opportunity for the student to develop a comprehensive understanding of the patient in order to determine appropriate and effective health care. It is intended that the knowledge and skills will be reinforced throughout the curriculum as the student prepares for a direct patient care role.

NURS 5104 Advanced Pathophysiology (3) This course focuses on the pathophysiology of common disease conditions affecting human beings across the life span. Content builds on basic anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and chemistry. The pathophysiologic bases of common human health alterations and associated clinical manifestations are discussed.

NURS 5105 Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (3) This course builds upon the student's knowledge of clinical pharmacology and is designed to meet the needs of nurses in advanced practice who are eligible for prescriptive privileges. Pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics of drug classes based on human body systems are explored and content will focus on the pharmacological management of self-limited, episodic complaints and stable chronic disease states across the life span that are commonly managed by advanced practice nurses. This course will examine patterns within which collaborative and autonomous roles and responsibilities of the advanced practice nurse will be performed.

NURS 6010 Clinical Scholarship (2) This seminar will provide the student with the fundamentals of scientific writing and critique and the process involved in the development of a D.N.P. project. The student will be able to gain practical tips to be successful in project management. Students will choose an identified practice area that will provide guidance for their plan of study as they progress through the program. Application of scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and strategic planning skills as related to project management are crucial.

NURS 6020 Management and Analyses of Health Data for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (3) Students manage a variety of data sets to answer quantitative, qualitative, and economic questions at the clinical and population levels. Approaches to data analysis that will be applied in this course include: descriptive and inferential statistics, theme and content analysis, cost effectiveness, and utility analysis. Students will learn how to use a statistical software package to organize and clean data, create and transform variables, and analyze quantitative and economic data using appropriate statistical tests. The interpretation and reporting of results will be emphasized. Prerequisite for all students: NURS 6060. Additional prerequisite for D.N.P. students: NURS 6010.

NURS 6030 D.N.P. Project Planning and Proposal Development (3) The project is an experiential project based upon selection and implementation of evidence-based interventions supported through informatics and technological advances and measurement of outcomes in a selected clinical site(s). The goal of the project is to change practice and develop health care policies that result in improvement in practice/systems outcomes and/or cost savings. Application of scientific inquiry, critical thinking, and strategic planning skills as related to project management is crucial. During this course, steps in the program planning process will be discussed and the actual project proposal will be written. Upon successful completion of the course, the proposal will be approved by the project committee and ready to move to the IRB as needed. This includes a minimum of 500 hours dedicated to the project and completed throughout two to three courses (D.N.P. Project Planning and Proposal Development and D.N.P. Project Implementation; or D.N.P. Project Planning and Proposal Development, D.N.P. Project Implementation I, and D.N.P. Project Implementation II). Prerequisites: NURS 6010, NURS 6020, NURS 6060, NURS 6940, NURS 6980. Recommended prerequisites: NURS 6930, NURS 6780, NURS 6880, NURS 6040, or HVAD 5020. Recommended prerequisites may be required depending on the nature of the project. This assessment will be completed in collaboration with program and D.N.P. Projects/D.N.P. Project Courses Specialty Directors.

NURS 6040 Determinants of Health (3) The focus of this course is to analyze determinants of health and their effects on population and individual health outcomes through the complex interactions between the biological, physical, and social environments using the highest level of scientific evidence. Ethical implications as well as social and economic influences in key populations in geographically-diverse communities are also examined. Evidence-based knowledge will provide foundational content to optimize advanced nursing practice including leadership and service with diverse populations within global, national, state, and local contexts. The range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health status are known as determinants of health.

NURS 6060 Clinical Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice (3) Students will critique scientific evidence within the health sciences. Emphasis is placed on utilizing evidence to either support current practice or gather evidence for transferring and translating evidence into practice. Students will critically evaluate scientific literature in relation to research design, methods, and analysis. Appraisal of research for the creation of systematic reviews will be highlighted. Pre- or corequisite for D.N.P. students: NURS 6010.

NURS 6600 Health Care Financing, Budgeting, and Economics (3) This course will examine both health care economics and the business of practice. The relationship of economic issues, health policy, and clinical practice will be explored. Economic concepts and tools will be used to examine issues and solve problems/issues pertaining to health care and the delivery of health care services. Approaches to economic evaluations will be explored and students will use findings from economic evaluations to inform policymakers about the costs and effects of medical interventions to support their decisions on the allocation of health care resources. Evidence-based critique skills will be expanded to include critical appraisal of economic evaluation studies, and Actuari software will be used to conduct an economic systematic review. Relevant finance concepts will be explored to develop skills in assessing the practice/organizations' financial condition, budgeting, and profit analysis. Only post-master's D.N.P. students may register for this course.

NURS 6780 Health Care Economics and Business Practices for Advanced Practice Nurses (3) This course will present the economics and business of health care. The impact of theories and principles on health care will be examined on both a macro and micro level. Application of the advanced practice role will be highlighted as students learn to apply economic theories and principles to current situations. Topics will include, but are not limited to, scope of practice, requirements for payment, employment options, contracts, ethical dilemmas regarding business practices, risk management, and business planning techniques. Business practices will be evaluated based on the triple aim of access, quality, and cost.

NURS 6880 Leadership for Advanced Practice Nurses (3) The four leadership domains will be explored through the lens of leadership theories and concepts. These four domains include clinical, professional, systems, and health policy leadership. The benefits and risks of current health policies on D.N.P. practice will be analyzed. Mechanisms for asserting power influence and conflict resolution techniques appropriately will be emphasized.

NURS 6930 Information Technology for Evidence-Based Practice (3) This course explores the many ways in which information is used in making health, health care, and nursing decisions. Emphasis is placed on locating, accessing, and evaluating information through search and critical appraisal skills as a basis for evidence-based practice. Integration and communication of information for decision-making is a prominent feature of this course.

NURS 6940 Evidence Translation and Implementation Science (3) The translation of evidence and the resulting implementation of that knowledge is a complex, multidimensional, and dynamic process. In this course, students will critique the theoretical development of knowledge translation and the science of evidence implementation. The integration of systems, innovation, and other relevant theories used to support the application of knowledge translation will be highlighted. Linear versus nonlinear models and frameworks will be contrasted. Application of knowledge translation theory to real-world clinical problems will be emphasized. Prerequisite for all students: NURS 6060. Additional prerequisite for D.N.P. students: NURS 6010.

NURS 6960 D.N.P. Project Implementation I (3) Using online discussion, seminars, and a project-focused practicum, this course will provide students with the support and direction needed to implement and evaluate an evidence-based project plan under the guidance of a clinical mentor and sponsoring faculty. Students will assess implementation issues and utilize skills in leadership, communication, and collaboration to implement the project plan. This course includes 250 hours in a setting approved for the project, and is the first of two culminating courses. Prerequisites: NURS 6030.

NURS 6970 D.N.P. Project Implementation II (3) Using online discussion, seminars, and a project-focused practicum, this course continues to provide students with the support and direction needed to implement and evaluate an evidence-based project in collaboration with an approved facility and sponsoring faculty. This course also provides the opportunity for intensive reflection on the best practice approaches associated with the project plan and the influences of fiscal, quality improvement, informatics, and policy concepts on the environment of care and the advanced practice role. Included in this course are methods for dissemination of findings from the project and the development of an electronic D.N.P. portfolio. This includes a minimum of 500 hours dedicated to the project and completed throughout the three courses (Project Panning and Proposal Development, Project Implementation I, and Project Implementation II). Prerequisite: NURS 6960.

NURS 6980 Epidemiology and Population Health (3) Provides an introduction to the principles and methods of epidemiology including patterns of illness in populations and research designs for investigating the etiology of disease and their application in advanced nursing practice. Special attention is given to understanding the burden of disease as a global health problem, methods of control and prevention, ethical issues, and the development and evaluation of health programs and their relationship to policy, planning, practice, and leadership in advanced nursing practice. The course introduces quantitative measures to determine risk, association, and procedures for standardization of rates. Prerequisite for all students: NURS 6060. Additional prerequisite for D.N.P. students: NURS 6010.

NURS 6982 D.N.P. Project Impmlementation (3) This hybrid course provides D.N.P. students the direction needed to implement, evaluate, and plan to disseminate an evidence-based D.N.P. project plan in collaboration with an approved facility and sponsoring faculty. This course provides the opportunity for reflection on project impact in the areas of economics, quality improvement, informatics, policy, and the advanced practice role. Included in this course are methods for dissemination of findings from the project. Project hours in an approved site will be applied to the total 500 hours required for the D.N.P. degree. IRB approval must be in place prior to the beginning of this course. Prerequisite: NURS 6030.