This course builds upon leadership theories and critiques nursing leadership responsibilities in health policy, planning and implementation of health policy, and the role of professional nursing in building health care systems of the future. Advocacy and the role of nursing in shaping health policy is explored. The role of government, lobbyist, and the inter-relatedness of policy, legislation, and regulation are critiqued regarding current health and nursing practice issues. Typically offered: Summer.

This course is designed to promote excellence in scholarly writing. Students will be required to use information technology to access scholarly literature and complete a variety of assignments aimed at improving scholarly writing using American Psychological Association standards. Typically Offered: Autumn.

Provides the advanced practice nurse with the knowledge and tools to perform a comprehensive health assessment on adolescents, adults, and older adults. Uses experiential and didactic learning activities to facilitate development of evidence informed advanced assessment skills including systematic collection, organization, interpretation, integration, and communication of data. Emphasizes acquisition of critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills as well as on the collection and analysis of relevant data for the development of a comprehensive and holistic assessment. Typically Offered: Autumn.

Lab component of NUR 6211. Typically offered: Autumn.

Prepares students with a foundation in pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice. The focus is on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, drugs in special populations, prescription-writing and the pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics of selected drug groups. Typically offered: Summer.

This course examines ethical and bio-ethical theories and decision making in the context of nursing practice, nursing leadership, and the current health care environment. Students explore the relationship between moral, faith, values development, and spirituality for their own professional practice. Integration of a Biblical understanding of ethics and values are discussed and contrasted with ethical theories and practice dilemmas. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics and evaluation of respect for human dignity in professional practice and leadership is analyzed. This course provides opportunity for personal and professional synthesis. Typically offered: Spring.

Emphasizes individual study of nursing, health care or issues related to these major concepts planned within the scope and expertise of nursing faculty advisors.

Students will work on specialized areas of interest with faculty in advanced nursing coursework.

Focuses on professional identity and responsibilities of advance practice nursing; advanced communication strategies specific to professional communication and leadership; contemporary leadership approaches within complex health care systems; and inter-professional teamwork skills needed to assess and transform practice environments and facilitate change for individuals, and organizations. Typically offered: Autumn.

Provides an overview of healthcare delivery in the context of economics, finance and organizational systems. Addresses the relationship between organizational theory and behavior to transform patient-centered care and improve health outcomes. Students will analyze care delivery systems focusing on stewardship, economics, management of resources, and cost-quality evaluation to enhance value in healthcare delivery. Typically offered: Winter.

Focuses on the presentation and analysis of health care trends, key professional issues influencing advanced practice nursing, and professional leadership role in today’s healthcare environment. Facilitates transition from student to professional entering advanced nursing practice. Typically offered: Winter.

Overview of financial and business management concepts. Develops basic skills used in strategic and business planning, budgeting, and grant writing. Explores the legal and ethical environment in which businesses operate. Typically offered: Winter.

Focuses on the analysis of health promotion, disease prevention, risk reduction theories, and evidence based practices through the lifespan. Analyzes social, psychological, biological, environmental, and cultural factors to assess social determinants of health, health disparities, and vulnerability in individuals, populations, and communities. Focuses on the analysis, application, and evaluation of community health nursing processes and health promotion strategies as applied to the delivery of clinical services to improve public health, reduce disparities, provide leadership in delivery of care, and synthesize one’s clinical role with public health. Typically offered: Winter.

Provides the advanced practice nurse with the knowledge and tools to perform a problem focused health assessment on adolescents, adults, and older adults. Uses experiential and didactic learning activities to outline a framework for systematic collection, organization, interpretation, integration, and communication of data regarding the assessment of symptoms and physical exam findings. Emphasizes further development of critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and clinical judgement in the collection of an in-depth symptom analysis, selection of appropriate examination techniques, and interpretation/synthesis of data to formulate a differential diagnosis. Typically offered: Winter.

Component of NUR 7212. Typically offered: Winter.

Investigates human responses to stress and disease by analyzing selected clinical cases, comparing study findings with accepted health states and applying research-based diagnostic methods. Studies pathophysiology of common conditions including epigenetics and psychiatric disorders; enhances integration of concepts learned through presentation, discussion, and literature review. Typically offered: Spring.

Advances core primary care pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse clinical practice, including case study application of advanced pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics for more complex disease management. Typically offered: Autumn.

Overview of major statistical concepts/techniques commonly used in healthcare environment such as hypothesis testing, effect size, descriptive and inferential statistics. Explores statistical analysis and interpretation with application to solve problems in practice and its clinical significance. Typically offered: Winter.

Course explores the philosophical, ethical, and scientific underpinnings for nursing to build a scholarly understanding of the discipline. Drawing on a critical analysis of the knowledge and methods from biophysical, social, behavioral, and organizational sciences, the course will address frameworks, concepts and modes of inquiry that frame the knowledge of advanced practice nursing. Provides practice in analyzing modes of inquiry and applying critical thinking skills to debate and develop students’ own foundational understanding of nursing science and practice. Further, develop habits of mind that integrate scientific discovery in their advanced nursing practice careers and to share that knowledge with patients and other healthcare professionals. Typically offered: Autumn.

Course explores methodologies to achieve quality health care outcomes including quality improvement, program evaluation, and implementation science. The course prepares students to assess, design, implement and evaluate evidence-based, quality health care practices in a variety of healthcare contexts with an emphasis on quality improvement and program evaluation. Strategies for measurement and analysis of quality improvement data are also addressed. Typically offered: Autumn.

Course provides the student with the knowledge and skills to obtain, understand and critique theory and research from nursing and related fields as a basis for evidence-based practice. Emphasis is on major methods for scholarly research with particular attention to analyzing, interpreting and summarizing results as a foundation for practice-based inquiry. The role of the advanced practice nurse to ensure ethics and advocacy in research and evidence-based practice is also addressed. Typically offered: Spring.

Students will develop skills to critically evaluate and synthesize evidence for translation to clinical practice. Analyze and apply methodologies for implementing evidence into practice. Examine methods of designing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining processes to improve practice and healthcare outcomes. Typically offered: Summer.

An introductory course providing an overview of health informatics including applications for care delivery, use of data for health promotion, planning and evaluation of health outcomes. Provides a foundation for informatics concepts and competencies integrated into subsequent course offerings. Includes topics regarding terminology, framework for knowledge, clinical information systems, information literacy, legal and ethical dimensions, and new technologies for patient- and healthcare systems. Typically offered: Autumn.

Prepares the advanced practice nurse to provide care for the pediatric population, from birth through adolescence. Emphasizes the integration of advanced practice nursing process and theory, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, clinical judgement, and evidence based practice with techniques of clinical health assessment and management of infants, children, and adolescents. Didactic content addresses advanced history taking; physical and developmental assessment; wellness promotion and illness prevention; comprehensive diagnosis and management of common health problems; and follow-up care for children with both acute and chronic conditions. Strong emphasis is placed on health promotion; disease prevention; and providing ethical and culturally competent care to underserved, marginalized, and diverse patients/populations. Typically offered: Spring.

This course focuses on evidence-based, patient-centered care at the individual and population level in the assessment and management of older adults with multiple chronic conditions, including prevention and management of geriatric syndromes. Analysis of the healthcare delivery system to support optimal care transition, maximizing quality and function across the health continuum and care settings. Health promotion; disease prevention; and providing ethical and culturally competent care to underserved, marginalized, and diverse patients/populations are addressed. Typically offered: Autumn.

This course provides the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) student opportunities to increase the depth of their acute care knowledge and the integration of the CNS competencies and spheres of influence in the hospitalized, acutely ill adult patient. Students will synthesize knowledge of complex disease, multisystem pathophysiology, and advanced physical assessment to plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based, clinical management for patients with selected clinical problems. A central focus will be on strategies to guide effective use of clinical protocols, direct patient care, intra- and interprofessional consultation, and system-level interventions to improve health outcomes for the selected populations. Typically offered: Winter.

Prepares the advanced practice nurse to provide care for select common conditions in adolescents and adults. Emphasizes the integration of advanced practice nursing process and theory, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, clinical judgement, and evidence based practice with techniques of clinical health assessment and management of adolescents and adults. Didactic content addresses comprehensive diagnosis and management of common health problems and follow-up care for patients with both acute and chronic conditions. Strong emphasis is placed on health promotion; disease prevention; and providing ethical and culturally competent care to underserved, marginalized, and diverse patients/populations. Typically offered: Winter.

Prepares the advanced practice nurse to provide care for select common, complex chronic, and behavioral health conditions in adolescents and adults. Emphasizes the integration of advanced practice nursing process and theory, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, clinical judgement, and evidence based practice with techniques of clinical health assessment and management of adolescents and adults. Didactic content addresses comprehensive diagnosis, management, evaluation, and follow-up of chronic, behavioral health, and multi-system complex conditions. Strong emphasis is placed on health promotion and providing ethical and culturally competent care to underserved, marginalized, and diverse patients/populations. Typically offered: Summer.

Prepares the advanced practice nurse to provide care for select gender related conditions and obstetrical care. Emphasizes the integration of advanced practice nursing process and theory, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, clinical judgement, and evidence based practice with techniques of clinical health assessment and management of adolescents and adults. Didactic content addresses wellness promotion, illness prevention, and comprehensive diagnosis and management of common health problems and follow-up care for pregnant women as well as clients with both acute and chronic gender related conditions. Strong emphasis is placed on health promotion and providing ethical and culturally competent care to underserved, marginalized, and diverse patients/populations. Typically offered: Autumn.

Emphasized individual study of nursing, health care or issues related to these major concepts planned within the scope and expertise of nursing faculty advisors.

This primary care practicum continues to expand the knowledge of health assessment principles specific to the role of the nurse practitioner within the student’s targeted specialty population. Emphasis is on the utilization of critical thinking, relevant theories of health and illness, and evidence-based practice to assess, diagnose, manage, and evaluate common health care problems, disease prevention, and health promoting strategies. The course integrates content from prior coursework and uses a standardized patient case-based format as well as field experiences. Typically offered: Spring.

This primary care practicum continues to expand the knowledge of health assessment principles specific to the role of the nurse practitioner within the student’s targeted specialty population. Emphasis is on disease prevention; health promotion strategies; the utilization of critical thinking; relevant theories of health and illness; and evidence-based practice to assess, diagnose, manage, and evaluate common health care problems. The course integrates content from prior coursework and uses a case-based format in Seminar as well as field experiences in Clinical Practicum. Typically offered: Summer.

This practicum course and connected clinical seminars continue to expand nurse practitioner competencies in complex health care management for individuals and populations. With minimal to moderate assistance, students develop evidence-based approaches to assessment, differential diagnosis, and management, considering cultural, socio-economic and diversity factors for their practice population. The course integrates content from prior coursework and includes exploration and analysis of leadership roles and identifying practice inquiry questions related to health or system concerns. Students continue to develop self-reflection and self-analysis skills to promote advanced practice competency and professional development. Typically offered: Autumn.

This practicum course and connected clinical seminars continue to expand nurse practitioner clinical competencies with emerging independence in management of patient problems. Focuses on integration and application of evidence-based approaches to assessment, diagnosis, and management of complex clinical problems in primary care. Emphasis is on the synthesis of advanced knowledge and skills with management of complex clinical problems utilizing inter-professional collaboration, leadership role development, and systems thinking to improve healthcare outcomes. Students continue to develop self-reflection and self-analysis skills to promote advanced practice competency and professional development. Typically offered: Winter.

This practicum continues to build on knowledge of previous course work and specific principles of the advanced practice nurse and the core competencies for the clinical nurse specialist (CNS). Students will work within three spheres of influence: patient/family, nursing and other health care personnel, and organizational systems utilizing a multidisciplinary approach through application and integration of theory, practice inquiry, and clinical knowledge. Emphasis is on clinical judgment, assessment, interdisciplinary collaboration, and communication. Concepts of role development for consultation, coaching and mentoring will be integrated with CNS specific simulation exercises, case based scenarios, and field experiences. Typically offered: Spring.

This is the first in a series of practica and connected clinical seminars designed to provide the clinical nurse specialist student with opportunities to develop advanced nursing practice competencies within the specialty population (e.g. Adult/Gerontology) across a variety of health care settings with moderate assistance. Emphasis is on the utilization of clinical reasoning, relevant theories of health and illness, and evidence-based practice to advance leadership skills, clinical judgment, advocacy and a caring practice within care delivery systems. The course integrates content from prior coursework and includes beginning exploration of leadership roles and identification of practice inquiry questions related to health promotion, health care delivery, and system concerns. Typically offered: Summer.

This is the second in a series of practica and connected clinical seminars designed to provide the clinical nurse specialist student with opportunities to develop advanced nursing practice competencies with a targeted patient population from diverse backgrounds across a variety of health care settings with minimal to moderate assistance. Emphasis is on the utilization of critical thinking, relevant theories of health and illness, and evidence-based practice to assess, diagnose, treat and evaluate health care problems across the age-span of specialty focus. The course integrates content from prior coursework and includes exploration of leadership roles and identifying practice inquiry questions related to common health or system concerns. Utilizes skills of self-reflection and self-analysis to evaluate ongoing development of advance practice competency with plan for continued professional development. Typically offered: Autumn.

This is the third in a series of practica and connected clinical seminars designed to provide the clinical nurse specialist student with opportunities to develop advanced nursing practice competencies with a targeted patient population from diverse backgrounds across a variety of health care settings with emerging independence. Emphasis is on the utilization of critical thinking, relevant theories of health and illness, and evidence-based practice to assess, diagnose, treat and evaluate health care problems across the age-span of specialty focus. The course integrates content from prior coursework and includes exploration of leadership roles and identifying practice inquiry questions related to common health or system concerns. Utilizes skills of self-reflection and self-analysis to evaluate ongoing development of advance practice competency with plan for continued professional development. Typically offered: Winter.

This course is a concentrated immersion experience to implement the doctorally prepared advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) role in preparation for independent entry-level practice. Focus will be on the integration and application of APRN competencies, leadership strategies and practice inquiry as they relate to care management from wellness to acute care in the context of the individual, population/community, and health system. Typically offered: Spring.

This synthesis course integrates Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) competencies for the post-Master’s board certified advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Focus will be on the synthesis of the application of DNP competencies within the APRN specialty at an organizational level and the most advanced level of APRN practice. Typically offered: Occasionally.

Students will work on specialized areas of interest with faculty in advanced nursing coursework.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project exemplifies scholarship of advanced nursing practice for the DNP student. Students will synthesize, integrate and translate newly acquired knowledge and skills from previous DNP courses. Translational research methods and implementation and dissemination sciences are foundational to the project. This is the first in a sequence of courses guiding the development and dissemination of a scholarly work that contributes to evidence-based practice in a nursing specialty. Emphasis for this course will be on proposal development. Typically offered: Autumn.

This course continues the process of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project as described in the DNP Scholarly Project Proposal course. Emphasis will be on the implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of the project. Conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Typically offered: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter.

This course is the culmination of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Project. Emphasis will be on deliverables and the dissemination of the project. Conducted under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Typically offered: Autumn, Spring, Summer, Winter.