Nursing Course Descriptions
NU-101 Foundations of Nursing Practice (9 credits)
The focus of the first nursing course is health promotion, restoration and maintenance. The health promotion and maintenance focus addresses basic need satisfaction; e.g., safety, oxygenation, hygiene, food and fluid, rest, activity and elimination. The health restoration focus addresses the nursing actions precipitated by selected adult patients experiencing pain, inflammation, infection, surgery, alterations in oxygenation and mobility status. Communication, basic research skills, informatics and technology, a philosophy of caring, and ethical/legal standards of practice are presented as essential to professional role development.
The course introduces the student to the major categories of patient needs: Safe, Effective Care Environment, Health Promotion and Maintenance, Psychosocial Integrity and Physiological Integrity. The concepts of adaptation, nursing process, communication, clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice are included in the design, along with the Nurse of the Future Concepts, Skills and NLN Core Values.
The concurrent clinical component of the course provides the students the opportunity to participate in collaboration with the inter-professional team, appreciate the micro/macrosystem of the care environment and to begin to contribute to quality improvement.
Evaluation of course/outcome achievement by the student and faculty provide mutual feedback. The process of self-evaluation promotes self-understanding and professional development.
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: BI-105 and BI-108
NU-102 Adult Nursing Practice (10 credits)
The second nursing course emphasizes the knowledge and skills essential for the nursing management of adult medical and surgical individuals as they adapt to changes in the health/illness spectrum. The focus is on patient-centered nursing care to restore, promote, or maintain the health of patients after surgery and with disorders of cell function; perfusion; endocrine neurologic; immune; gastrointestinal and sensory functions; acid-base balance; and sexuality.
Professional role, clinical reasoning and judgment, and ethical-legal issues are explored and developed. A philosophy of caring is fostered through the use of nursing process and through the application of safe, holistic, culturally-competent therapeutic nursing interventions.
Communication skills and information technology are used to promote human flourishing. The nurse’s role within the inter-professional team is considered through application of beginning leadership and management principles. Evidence-based nursing practice is promoted as a method for quality improvement of patient-centered nursing care.
Concurrent clinical experiences with adult individuals are provided to allow students to correlate contextual learning in the classroom with skills and demonstrate expected levels of achievement (ELA) in clinical practice. Simulated clinical learning experiences in the Nursing Arts Lab introduce the student to new nursing skills prior to their application in clinical practice. Further development of professional identity is emphasized through self and faculty evaluations of the student’s clinical progress.
Prerequisites: NU-101, BI-105 and BI-108
Corequisites: BI-106 and PS-233
NU-201 Family-Focused Nursing Practice (10 credits)
The third nursing course focuses on the knowledge skills, attitudes/values and abilities required to provide safe, quality, patient-centered care to women, children and their families in order for them to flourish. The “Nurse of the Future Competencies” are integrated into theoretical concepts and clinical practice. Communication and critical reasoning skills are utilized in applying the nursing process. Culturally competent therapeutic nursing interventions are developed to promote adaptation for childbearing and childrearing families. Strategies to optimize health are presented and discussed in relation to childbearing and childrearing including; high-risk pregnancy, high-risk parenting and common health problems of women and children. Research concepts, historical and current perspectives are addressed in this specialty.
A philosophy of caring is emphasized in order to provide support to individuals striving to adapt to change in family structure and function, and/or the effects of illness. Leadership and management principles are reinforced through clinical practice and clinical conferences. Collaboration with patients, families and the inter-professional health care team is promoted in order to provide quality nursing care. Analysis of ethical and legal concerns and the exploration of cultural influences on family-centered care.
Concurrent acute care and community clinical experiences are utilized to introduce the student to diverse professional nursing roles and the modeling of an evidence-based approach to nursing practice in the provision of care to childbearing and childrearing families. These clinical experiences provide numerous opportunities to employ teaching-learning principles and further develop specialized skills and learning outcomes in assisting these populations. Clinical conferences are held to reinforce learning and to assist students to correlate theory concepts into clinical practice. Simulated clinical learning experiences in the nursing arts lab provide opportunities to develop and practice skills that are utilized in the clinical area.
Evaluation of the course/clinical student learning outcomes and student/faculty conferences provides feedback on student progress to promote professional development.
Prerequisites: NU-101, NU-102, BI-105, BI-106, BI-108 and PS-233
Corequisites: SO-201 and ID-304
NU-202 Comprehensive Nursing Practice (11 credits)
The last nursing course focuses on the knowledge, skills, attitudes/values and abilities required to provide safe, quality, patient-centered care to adult individuals with complex stressors, assisting those individuals and families to flourish and adapt.
Concepts presented in this course focus on the physiological and psychological needs of individuals and families experiencing complex alterations in oxygenation, fluid balance, tissue perfusion, cardiac output, elimination, shock and multiple organ failure; also emergency management and disaster care. In addition, concepts related to altered thought, mood, relatedness, self-esteem, and self-concept are taught to introduce the student to the needs of individuals and families with mental health needs. The Nurse of the Future Core Competencies are integrated into the course and promote an evidence-based approach to nursing care of individuals and families. The planning, delivery and management of safe, comprehensive, individualized, patient-centered, quality care is based on the utilization of established research findings and is guided by ethical, legal and professional standards of nursing practice.
Professional role is further developed in order to initiate change and foster a safe, effective care environment. Leadership and management skills are practiced within the inter-professional team as students assume responsibility for their own learning and for the care provided to patients and families.
A philosophy of caring permeates the students’ critical thinking, clinical reasoning and communication skills Using the nursing process, in collaboration with patients, families and the inter-professional team, students generate culturally competent therapeutic nursing interventions to promote adaptation.
Concurrent clinical experiences are provided in acute care and community settings to further develop the skills and competencies necessary for beginning nursing practice. Nursing Arts Lab simulated clinical learning experiences provide opportunities to develop and practice skills that are required in the clinical area. Clinical conferences are held to reinforce learning and to assist students to correlate theory concepts into clinical practice.
Evaluation of the course/clinical student learning outcomes by the student and faculty and student/faculty conferences provide feedback of student clinical progress to enhance professional development.
Prerequisites: NU-101, NU-102, NU-201, BI-105, BI-106, BI-108, PS-233, SO-201, ID-304
Corequisites: ID-211
Nu-404 Concepts and Challenges in Professional Practice (non-clinical nursing course) 3 credits
An introductory course to explore the role of the professional nurse in the ever-changing health care system with a view to empowering and solidifying that role. Students explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in professional nursing including, but not limited to, advances in nursing practice and role development, the increased use of technology in practice, ethics and legal issues in practice, concepts critical to leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration and systems thinking, and the increasing role of theory and research in advancing the profession and providing quality, safe patient care. Activities include values clarification, portfolio development, seminar leadership, group activities, and/or on-line discussions.
Prerequisites: NU-101, NU-102