Nursing RN-BSN (B.S.N.)

An introduction to basic knowledge and skills necessary to obtain a detailed health assessment of individuals across the age continuum. The biological, sociological, and psychological aspects of human beings are addressed. Emphasis is placed on obtaining a systematic health history and physical exam using the techniques of inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation. Supervised laboratory and clinical allow the student the opportunity to practice the assessment skills introduced in class.
Prerequisite(s): Admission to BSN program.

This course explores health with an emphasis on global issues. Health will be examined using the influence of social, political, economic, cultural, and geographical factors. Students will examine the basic health needs of all people and compare the availability of and types of services in different parts of the world.
Prerequisite(s): IDS 1010/IDS 1011 Archway Seminar and sophomore standing.

This course introduces professional nursing concepts, competencies, and issues in the context of the history of nursing’s scope of practice within the collaborative environment of the U.S. Health Care System.
Course is over 8-week period.
Prerequisite(s): Admission to BSN program and IDS 1010/IDS 1011 Archway Seminar.

This course introduces the student to nursing theories as the foundation for nursing practice. Coursework includes examination of the theoretical and conceptual basis of nursing to encourage the student to critique, evaluate and utilize appropriate theory within their own practice. The relationship of theory to nursing practice is examined. Historical, legal, cultural, and social factors that influence nursing are discussed. Course is over 8-week period.
Prerequisite(s): Admission to BSN program, IDS 1010/IDS 1011 Archway Seminar, and junior standing.

This introduction to the study of ethics uses primary sources for the analysis of present day ethical dilemmas in health care.  The course examines some of the prominent moral principles and systems of the western tradition from Aristotle to the present and how those principles are applied to issues in health care ethics. Course is over 8-week period.
Prerequisite(s): Admission to BSN program and IDS 1010/IDS 1011 Archway Seminar.

This course provides an introduction to the research process for the RN-BSN adult student and prepares students to be beginning consumers of nursing research. Emphasis is placed on critically evaluating nursing research studies and understanding the process of utilizing research for evidence-based practice. Various types of research and research methods as well as basic statistical methods will be discussed.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to BSN program, IDS 1010 Archway Seminar or IDS 1011 Archway Seminar, MATH 1300 Statistics or other approved Statistics course, and junior standing.

This course will emphasize the integration and application of theories, principles, and practices of nursing management and leadership into a variety of healthcare settings. The course includes a 45-contact hour practicum. The practicum provides an opportunity for students to evaluate and assimilate management and leadership theories and principles for integration in the practice of professional nursing.
3 hours lecture; 1 hour practicum.
Pre or corequisite(s): NURS 3050 Issues of Professional Nursing Practice and NURS 3310 Nursing Theories and Contemporary Nursing Practice with grades of "C" or better.

This online course provides a brief overview of compassion and associated concepts relevant to the provision of patient care. Compassionate care entails attention, listening, confronting (naming suffering), involvement, helping attitudes, presence, and understanding. Compassionate care is identified in The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education by the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) as a featured concept essential to the practice of nursing. Students will explore concepts related to compassion, emotional intelligence, compassion fatigue, and nursing practice. Both RN-BSN and Traditional BSN students are eligible to take the course. The course is designed to require 112-135 hours of work/study for successful completion.

This course discusses both practical and theoretical approaches for working with patients, family, and friends who are diagnosed with a terminal illness, whose life is coming to a natural end point, and whose loved one has encountered a form of unexpected death due to trauma or sudden illness. This course will address the need for health care providers to recognize their own beliefs and biases about the dying process, death, and grief, as well as learning helpful suggestions of how to best meet the needs of those they are working with, caring for, and supporting.

This course introduces the student to the basic principles and responsibilities of the forensic nurse including: history of forensic nursing, nursing as it applies to victims and families experiencing violence and trauma. It will also address those accused/condemned of violent crimes. This course includes injury identification, preservation and collection of medicolegal evidence; maintaining chain of custody, and an understanding of the multidisciplinary team focus.
Prerequisite(s): Admission to BSN program and junior standing.

This course requires students to develop an in-depth understanding of a current topic/issue in nursing and form recommendations for changes in nursing practice related to this topic/issue. Students will be required to evaluate all facets of the health care topic/issue chosen including but not limited to health care policy, finance, patient preference, and evidence-based practice recommendations.
Prerequisite(s): NURS 2330 Health Assessment, NURS 3040 Global Health, NURS 3050 Issues of Professional Nursing Practice, NURS 3310 Nursing Theories and Contemporary Nursing Practice, NURS 3340 Health Care Ethics, and NURS 3360 Introduction to Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice with grades of "C+" or better.

Supervised individual projects in conjunction with departmental research and student interest. Special Projects may not duplicate courses described in the catalog.
Prerequisite(s): Approval of the instructor.

This course focuses on application of community health nursing concepts with aggregates, families, and populations. Application of the nursing process to clients from a variety of cultural groups and to those with developmental and situational crises is required. The role of the community health nurse in caring for specific aggregates is addressed.
Prerequisite(s): NURS 2330 Health Assessment, NURS 3050 Issues of Professional Nursing Practice, NURS 3310 Nursing Theories and Contemporary Nursing Practice, NURS 3340 Health Care Ethics, NURS 3360 Introduction to Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice, NURS 4400 Management and Leadership in Health Care, and PSYCH 2350 Lifespan Development or other approved lifespan course, with grades of "C+" or better.

A survey of the mechanisms of diseases and fundamental disease processes of each organ system. Special topics related to the study of diseases will be assigned.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 1090 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BIO 1100 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology II, or BIO 3200 Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BIO 3210 Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology II, or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)

An introduction to statistics concepts with an emphasis on applications. Topics include descriptive statistics, discrete and continuous probability distributions, the central limit theorem, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and linear regression.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)