Emphasizes a comprehensive holistic health assessment as a component of the nursing process across the lifespan. ADN--BSN students build on previously acquired assessment skills to identify health promotion, risk assessment and disease prevention behaviors, including sociological, psychological, cultural, and family aspects of a comprehensive assessment. Health promotion is viewed broadly in scope as behaviors that promote optimal health across the lifespan within an individual, family, community, population and environment.

This course is an introduction to gerontological nursing principles and standards designed to examine the process of physical, psychological, mental, and socio-cultural aspects of aging. The focus is on the unique health care needs of older adults. Emphasis will be on supporting healthy aging and wellness, health promotion, restoration, maintenance, and disease/disability prevention based on current evidence based practices.

This course provides the student an opportunity to explore an overview of ethical issues in health care. It builds on the ethical issues in health care. It builds on the ethical and legal foundations of professional nursing practice and examines political structures and social forces that shape nursing and healthcare delivery. Course addresses health policy, legislative and political concerns, nurse practice, application of ethical theory, ethical decision-making models, and professional ethical standards, legal parameters of nursing practice, and legal principles.

This course assists the associate degree registered nurse’s transition into the role of a baccalaureate-prepared nurse by broadening their existing knowledge with emphasis on: leadership, professionalism, patient advocacy, interdisciplinary healthcare, clinical reasoning and judgment, holistic and coordinated patient-centered care. Course integrates technology, nursing theory, research, and evidence-based practice as a foundation of patient-centered care.

This course introduces the basic concepts, processes, and applications of nursing research. The steps of the research process will be explored. Students will use research and nursing informatics to support evidence based decision making in nursing practice. Critique of research studies and value to client outcomes across the lifespan will be evaluated.

Students will collaborate with communities to assess their health care needs and the resources available to address those needs. Clinical experiences are individualized and will include public health departments, home health, community clinics and specialized care delivery settings. Nurse roles include public policy, provision of primary care, prevention of disease or health risk, education and health promotion, and restoration. Students will take this course the final semester of the RN to BSN program. This capstone course provides students with an experiential learning practicum experience to integrate clinical knowledge with concepts/theories into professional nursing practice. Students will complete a population-focused project utilizing evidence-based resources and analyze how the identified issues and interventions influence the health of an affected population. Students will integrate leadership, evidenced based research, and informatics to complete a clinically focused project to improve client/community outcomes in collaboration with a faculty member. Prerequisite: NURS 3312, NURS 3313, NURS 3314, NURS 3315, NURS 3316, NURS 4431, NURS 4432, NURS 4433. Corequisite: NURS 4401.

A capstone course designed for RN-BSN nursing completion students. The course focuses on the synthesis and reflection of knowledge to facilitate evidence-based decision making. The focus will be on promotion of preventative community programs while integrating leadership skills, research and informatics to improve the delivery of healthcare to diverse populations. Students learn how individual, local, state, federal and international health policies impact the public. This course presents the theory and systems to provide family and community-based health care. Population-based assessment to guide health teaching, health counseling, screening, outreach, disease and outbreak investigation, referral and follow-up is also emphasized. Prerequisite: NURS 3312, NURS 3313, NURS 3314, NURS 3315, NURS 3316, NURS 4431, NURS 4432, NURS 4433. Corequisite: NURS 4260.

This course provides an introduction and application of nursing leadership and management practices. Key concepts will include critical thinking, effective communication, conflict resolution, delegation, management of resources, and working with inter-disciplinary teams. Students will analyze current best practices related to leadership roles, organizational dynamics, quality improvement, and safety in healthcare systems.

This course enhances the promotion of evidence-based research and practice through health care informatics. It includes informatics theories, research methodologies, networks, skills, technology, systems implementation, overview of electronic health records, telehealth, and web-based education. Students will explore the various aspects of health care informatics including the differences among data, information, and knowledge; examines the use of health care technology, its design, and how the technology may influence patient outcomes in diverse locations and populations.

The course requires an applied understanding of evidence based practice as it relates to the science of nursing with emphasis on critical appraisal and dissemination of nursing research. This course demonstrates appropriate utilization of research findings to monitor patient-centered care, quality improvement, safety, and leadership outcomes. The focus will be assessment of evidence-based practice and current nursing practice to promote health care, best practices, and evidence-based decision making. This course builds on NURS 3316 Nursing Research: Evidence-based Decision Making. Prerequisite: NURS 3316.