Limited to those enrolled in Health Sciences. Meets statistics prerequisite for NURS 405. This course introduces the conceptual background of statistical techniques and reasoning with an emphasis on application relevant to identifying outcomes. Provides a framework for understanding and applying commonly used data analysis techniques in health science research. Includes selecting, applying, and interpreting univariate and bivariate statistical methods in answering research questions from a health science perspective.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

In this course, students engage in critical thinking and research writing relevant to learning and practice in nursing. The class emphasizes scholarly reading, analytical skills, writing, revising and editing, collaborative learning and the use of digital media in the research of health-related topics. Proper APA format will be emphasized and required for all written work.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall and Spring.

This course introduces students to the analysis of ethical issues and dilemmas arising in nursing practice and healthcare systems. Emphasis is placed on values clarification, models for ethical decision making, consideration of relevant legal aspects, and related documents such as the Nursing Code of Ethics that guide professional practice. Woven throughout the ethical discussions is reference to the importance of Christian values and a Christian worldview in identifying and solving ethical issues that arise out of the practice of nursing. This course is offered in seated and online formats.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall and Spring.

The purpose of this course is to provide the student with the opportunity to be equipped with skills necessary to do a multi-dimensional health assessment of their identified client. Emphasis is placed on the concepts of bio-psycho-social, spiritual, cultural, and community health care needs in performing the holistic examination of the individual. Additional emphasis will include the client's health care needs, levels of prevention and growth and development of the individual across the lifespan. This course is offered in seated and online formats.

This course explores the historical, philosophical, and ethical aspects of nursing research. The relationship between nursing research and professional accountability is explored. An emphasis is placed on the principles and methods of research process with emphasis on evaluating research to determine significance and applicability to nursing practice. Students will apply concepts to a research project. This course is offered in seated and online formats.

Prerequisite: Statistics course is required.

This course presents knowledge of pathophysiology, using a systems approach, as applied to current nursing practice. Selected major health problems, their pathophysiology and medical treatment are discussed. Topics from various scientific and clinical areas will be explored and coordinated with other courses in the nursing program. This course is offered in seated and online formats.

Students are guided in an examination of patient-centered spiritual care amongst diverse healthcare populations. Evidence-based spiritual care delivery from a Christian worldview and the integration of faith and practice as an essential component of nursing excellence is explored. Personal and professional development of the nurse, including moral courage is examined, as well as the effect of this on patient care outcomes. The implementation of optimal interventions from an inter-professional spiritual care team approach will also be evaluated.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

This course examines how cultural, socioeconomic, religious, racial, generational, and lifestyle differences are experienced by members of society, and how these variables are related to health and disease. Also included is a concerted understanding of how cultural and social practices impact health both positively and negatively. This course is designed to help the student integrate diversity knowledge within the community health setting. This course is offered in seated and online formats.

This course, through both classroom and clinical experience in community settings, will help the student develop skills in providing nursing care to individuals, families, and/or communities. Issues such as Child Abuse and family violence will be discussed. Ninety hours of clinical practice in public/community health settings are required to successfully complete this course. The Child Abuse content for the Public Health Nurse certificate (PHN) is included (7 hours). This course is offered in seated and online formats. *Note: There may be additional clinical/health requirements or updates that need to be submitted prior to beginning this course. All clinical/health requirements are to be uploaded in an immunization tracker system (contracted by the university).

This course explores education theory and skills in clinical teaching situations with emphasis on individuals, families, and groups. Content includes theories and principles of learning, teaching strategies and methodologies, teaching resources, assessment and evaluation of instruction. This course is offered in seated and online formats.

This course explores theories of leadership/management, concepts of power, motivation, decision-making, change, budgeting and management skills related to the professional nursing role in the healthcare system. This course is offered in seated and online formats.

Study of a special topic in Nursing. May be repeated for credit.

This course explores the theoretical underpinnings of leadership and management in nursing. Content includes leadership styles and attributes, interpersonal communications in effectively leading and collaborating with diverse populations, as well as, an explanation of the concept of "emotional intelligence." Building a dynamic team to improve optimal quality care will also be articulated. Responsibilities of managers, such as, organizational management, appropriate delegation of responsibilities, the art of supervision, coaching for success and collaboration will be analyzed. The role of ethics and the law will be discussed as they apply to equity and fair treatment of all in the workplace.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

Students will have the opportunity to synthesize and analyze the impact of social and global issues on the perceptions of health; view of disease prevention and health promotion among culturally and socially diverse patient/client and aggregate populations. Health issues that affect populations across the globe will be explored in order for nurses to effectively advocate for change.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

Students are guided in an examination of patient-centered spiritual care amongst diverse healthcare populations. Evidence-based spiritual care delivery from a Christian worldview and the integration of faith and practice as an essential component of nursing excellence is explored. Personal and professional development of the nurse, including moral courage is examined, as well as the effect of this on patient care outcomes. The implementation of optimal interventions from an inter-professional spiritual care team approach will also be evaluated.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

Prepares graduates to analyze and take action in regard to legal and ethical situations encountered by nurses and interprofessional healthcare teams at the individaul, community, organizational, and public policy level. Current and emerging influences of legal and ethical issues on nursing practice are explored and professional codes of ethics are applied to the decision-making process. Skills are developed to search and collect information on legal issues related to risk management and advocacy for clients and students in practice and academic settings.

This course is an exploration of both the research process and methodologies. The content includes both quantitative and qualitative designs. Emphasis will be placed on the first phase of the thesis project design and development. Students will have the opportunity to prepare the first three chapters of the project report.

Prerequisite: You must take an Undergraduate Statistics course before you can register for this course.

Explores and integrates leadership concepts essential to the Advanced Practice Nurse Educator role that include transformational leadership, life-long learning, leader as innovator, reflective practice, servant leadership, exemplary role modeling, and the promotion of excellence in all arenas of nursing education.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

The impact that policies exert on health care delivery will be analyzed in addition to how regulatory processes are developed and impact nursing practice. Emphasis on identifying factors, such as, technology, federal, and local policies that influence development of and changes in health care systems. Students will have the opportunity to interpret various health policies and articulate how nurses can advocate for changes that enhance health. How policy-making proceeds will also be explored.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

Utilizing methods to assess fiscal and resource requirements, planning budgets, and managing systems will be reviewed and analyzed. Methods and instruments available to efficiently allocate resources will be discussed as well as the design of plans that decrease duplication of ineffective strategies and services. Business principles will be identified as potential guidelines in managing nursing units and agencies.

Terms Typically Offered: Spring and Summer.

This course introduces the definition, purpose, and expectations of the Capstone Project. Examines the connections between theoretical frameworks and evidence-based practice. Students will identify current issues in nursing practice and education in need of study. Students will begin to design a quality improvement project or an evidence-based project that will facilitate the application of theory to practice with the endeavor to effect change and improve outcomes.

The goal of this course is to explore the theories of education, how a theoretical framework becomes the foundation for an effective teaching process, how to focus the educational offering on an aggregate (e.g. students, patients/families, staff, or other health care providers). There will be a review about how learning proceeds, and how educators successfully apply principles of andragogy in the teaching / learning setting. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to discuss the legal and ethical issues surrounding educational settings in today's culture.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

Provides a clinical practicum immersion experience exploring the role of the Advanced Practice Nurse Educator in contemporary innovative roles including: Clinical Instructor, Nurse Academician, Hospital-based/Community Nurse Educator, Informatics Nurse, Nurse Researcher, and Nurse Navigator. The student will focus on a project targeting the educational needs of the assigned unit. The course is designed to provide the student with practice opportunities in refining organization/community systems assessment, intervention, and evaluation competencies. The course consists of 130 practicum and five seminar hours. The student will be partnered with a master's or doctorally prepared preceptor under the guidance of faculty.

Prerequisite: NURS-518

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

Students will explore the application of emerging technologies in the nurse's role as educator. The use of technology will also be analyzed in the effective promotion of optimal patient care outcomes. Utilizing various technologies, students will prepare a scholarly presentation on a topic related to the use of technology in healthcare or nursing education.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall.

Provides an overview of simulation concepts and methodologies applied to nursing education. Innovative teaching and learning strategies are explored using state of the art computerized manikin systems, both lo and hi-fidelity across the lifespan. Provides the opportunity to plan, construct, organize, implement, and evaluate patient scenarios in the role of the nurse educator. Emphasis is placed on debriefing as essential to effective learning based on principles of reflective practice. A hands-on experience is facilitated in a simulated healthcare setting.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall and Spring.

This course constitutes the second phase of the thesis project preparation. The student will continue to develop the project and refine the project report. In addition, Phase II will prepare the student to implement the project.

Prerequisite: NURS-516

Terms Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

This course will provide guidelines in planning a patient teaching offering, an in-service, a course, or a complete curriculum. Discussion will surround the issues of planning a teaching event that focuses on the development of a presentation, description of the learning event, course objectives, content, resources/ audiovisuals, and evaluation plan.

Terms Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

This course will assist the student to further refine the skills introduced in NURS 630. The students will articulate the process by which the learning needs and styles of an aggregate are assessed. Each student will then prepare and prepare a presentation with a chosen aggregate. In addition, the student will develop a brief evaluation instrument to analyze whether or not learning has occurred based on the stated objectives. The in-service or presentation will also be measured, via this evaluation, in terms of instructor effectiveness, content clarity, and relevance.

Terms Typically Offered: Spring.

Project implementation, the completed written report, and the defense make up the final phase of the thesis project. The thesis defense provides the student the opportunity to perform a professional presentation of their research to an audience of faculty, students, and community members. The course provides on-going focused support and from an appointed faculty advisor. The project must be completed during this course.

Prerequisite: NURS-516, NURS-625

Terms Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

Provides a clinical practicum immersion experience that allows the student to integrate and apply new knowledge, education theory, and professional competencies in the role of the advanced practice nurse educator. Designed to provide the student with practice opportunities that facilitate optimal patient care outcomes by refining organizational/community systems assessment, intervention, and evaluation competencies. A minimum of 11 hours per week (90 hours) will be spent in the clinical environment with a master's prepared preceptor and under the guidance of practicum faculty. A seminar (five hours) and practicum learning experiences are designed to support the achievement of course and program learning outcomes.

Prerequisite: NURS-610

Terms Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer.

Provides the opportunity to perform innovatively and work collaboratively in administrative healthcare environments. Promotes the implementation of quality practice standards and policies for select populations within the healthcare system/organization. Establishes a forum for relating empirical and research-based literature to practicum observations, in the exploration of nursing leadership roles that influence the redesign of emerging healthcare systems (i.e. optimizing cost effective patient centered care). A minimum of 11 hours per week (90 hours) will be spent in the clinical environment with a master's prepared preceptor and under the guidance of practicum faculty. A seminar (five hours) and practicum learning experiences are designed to support the achievement of course and program learning outcomes.

Prerequisite: NURS-501

Terms Typically Offered: Fall and Summer.

This course is designed to assist students who wish to experience a more in-depth understanding of a specific subject or to complete a scholarly endeavor (practice, internship, meta-analysis). A faculty member will be assigned to the student (s) in order to assist and direct the student toward meeting course objectives. In collaboration with the faculty, the student will: 1. Identify area of interest through the statement of a problem or purpose; 2. Decide on a course of action by way of formulating goals and objectives; 3. Design a plan of action; and 4. Evaluate the plan once the objectives have been met.

Terms Typically Offered: Spring and Summer.

This course continues with the concepts presented in the Introduction to Capstone Project course. Students will develop the implementation process of their Capstone Project, focusing on the last three sections: Methods, Results, and Discussion. Students will analyze the differentiation between nursing research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement. Students will synthesize data dissemination to provide evidence in the improvement of patient care outcomes and nursing practice and make recommendations for future research.