Nursing Department Courses

Nursing

Courses

Nursing

• NURS 100 - Family Health

  3 cr.

  ---

  (For non-Nursing majors; not a Natural Science course) 

  Concepts and principles related to the promotion and maintenance of optimal family health.  Considers factors pertinent to health needs and health practices throughout the life cycle.

• NURS 111 - (D) Women’s Health

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Open to all students; not a Natural Science course) 

  Course focuses on historic, physiological, social, cultural, emotional and economic issues affecting women’s health.  The course explores strategies to empower women’s use of health-care services.  Class members will be expected to participate actively in all discussions.

• NURS 140 - (W) Introduction to Nursing Concepts

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisite: Nursing majors only) 

  An exploration of the core concepts of the client, health, nursing and health patterns.  Historical, philosophical, and social development of nursing and the role of the professional nurse are presented.  Understanding of health and health continuum in the broader perspective of the human person.  Service learning: 20 hours. Three hours lecture.

• NURS 213 - (W) Child and Adolescent Health Promotion

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Recommended Prerequisite: PSYC 221, but open to all students) 

  Focus on the professional’s role as advocate, care-giver and/or teacher in the promotion of health for children and adolescents, directly through health maintenance and prevention and indirectly through health care policy.

• NURS 241 - (W) Perspectives in Professional Nursing

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: WRTG 107; sophomore standing in Nursing, licensed nurses only; co-requisite: C/IL 104) 

  Perspectives in professional nursing explores concepts incorporated in the philosophy, organizing framework and curriculum structures of the Nursing program.  Integration of the health patterns and nursing process in the delivery of professional nursing care is introduced.  Pertinent issues impacting on the nursing profession are addressed.

• NURS 242 - Health, Illness and Assessment

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: sophomore standing, licensed nurses only; pre- or co-requisite: NURS 241) 

  Focus on the professional nurse’s role as caregiver in assessing, diagnosing and planning interventions of adaptive health patterns in individuals.  Application of the nursing process to well persons and to individuals and families with alterations in health patterns.  Exploration of concepts for planning holistic health care. Two hours lecture and three hours laboratory.

• NURS 250 - Physical Assessment Related to Health Patterns

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: BIOL 110-111, sophomore standing in Nursing) 

  Development of beginning skill in the basic physical-assessment techniques necessary for the promotion of optimal health as a care-giver.  Focus on the professional nurse’s role in assessing the physiological dimension of adaptive health patterns in individuals with a stable health status.  Service learning: 10 hours. Two hours lecture and three hours campus laboratory.

• NURS 251 - Fundamentals of Nursing

  4 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: NURS 140, NURS 250; co-requisite: NURS 262) 

  Focus on the professional nurse’s role in promoting the individual’s health status, utilizing the developmental, physiological, psychological and sociocultural dimensions of functional health patterns.  Development of beginning skills in therapeutic nursing interventions.  Service learning: 10 hours. Two hours lecture, six hours campus/clinical laboratory.

• NURS 262 - Pharmacology I

  1.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: CHEM 110, BIOL 110-111, BIOL 210) 

  Principles of pharmacology and specific drug groups.  Emphasis is placed on drug actions, side effects, dosages and nursing responsibilities.

• NURS 310 - (D) Understanding Transcultural Health Care

  3 cr.

  ---

  This course will focus on exploring values, beliefs and lifestyles of diverse cultural groups in order to broaden the student’s perception and understanding of health and illness and the variety of meanings these terms carry for members of differing groups.
• NURS 312 - (D) Nursing the Older Adult

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisite: junior standing in Nursing, OT or PT) 

  Focus on the professional nurse’s role of care-giver, advocate and teacher in promoting and maintaining adaptive responses of the older adult experiencing alterations in health patterns.  Emphasis placed on multidimensional assessment factors and interventions in meeting biopsychsocial needs.

• NURS 314 - Principles of Nursing Ethics

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: Philosophy 210, junior standing in Nursing, LPN or RN track) 

  Addresses ethical issues in the clinical nursing practice of the professional nurse as care-giver, advocate, teacher, leader/manager.  The focus is on the decisions made regarding patient care. Three hours lecture.

• NURS 344 - Forensic Health Care of Victims

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisite: PSYC 110) 

  An overview of forensic health issues as they relate to victims of violent crimes, such as interfamilial violence, sexual violence, stalking, workplace violence, homicide and terrorism.   Content includes forensic roles, evidence collection and preservation, victim needs and rights, responses to trauma, victim’s resources, and death investigation.

• NURS 345 - Forensic Health Care of Offenders

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisite: PSYC 110) 

  An overview of forensic health issues as they relate to perpetrators of violent crimes, including interfamilial violence, sexual violence, stalking, workplace violence, homicide and terrorism.  Content includes forensic roles, crime classifications, relationship between animal cruelty and human violence, offender needs and rights, and juvenile offenders.

• NURS 350 - Nursing Care of the Adult I

  5.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: BIOL 210, CHEM 110-111, NURS 251; co-requisites: NURS 360 and NURS 352) 

  The first of three courses that focuses on physiological and psychological adaptation to dysfunctional health patterns.  Emphasis is placed on the nursing process and functional health patterns as a framework for practice.  Pathophysiology and nursing care related to alterations in oxygenation, perfusion and metabolism, and the perioperative experience are included. Three hours lecture, 15 hours clinical lab/week (for seven weeks) alternate with NURS 352 lab.

• NURS 352 - Mental Health Nursing

  5.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: CHEM 110-111, BIOL 110-111, BIOL 210, NURS 251; co-requisites: NURS 360, NURS 350) 

  The focus is on psychological adaptation to dysfunctional health patterns.  Emphasis is placed on the nursing process and functional health patterns as a framework for practice.  Psychopathology and nursing care of individuals and families experiencing alterations in mental health are explored. Three hours lecture, 15 hours clinical lab/week (for seven weeks) alternate with NURS 350 lab.

• NURS 360 - Pharmacology II

  1.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisite: NURS 262) 

  Principles of pharmacology and specific drug groups related to alterations in the sleep-rest, activity-exercise, self-perception/self-concept health patterns.  Emphasis is placed on drug actions, side effects, dosages, and nursing responsibilities. One hour lecture.

• NURS 361 - Pharmacology III

  1.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisite: NURS 360) 

  Principles of pharmacology and specific drug groups related to alterations in the nutrition-metabolic, sexuality-reproduction, role-relationship, cognitive-perceptual, and elimination health patterns.  Emphasis is placed on drug actions, side effects, dosages, and nursing responsibilities. One hour lecture.

• NURS 371 - Nursing Care of the Adult II

  5.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: NURS 350, NURS 352; co-requisites: NURS 361, NURS 373 or NURS 452 lab) 

  The second of three courses that focus on physiological and psychological adaptation to dysfunctional health patterns.  Emphasis is placed on the nursing process and functional health patterns as a framework for practice.  Pathophysiology and nursing care related to alterations in metabolism, nutrition and immunity are included. Three hours lecture, 15 hours clinical lab/week (for seven weeks) alternate with NURS 373 or NURS 452 lab.

• NURS 373 - Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family

  5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: NURS 350, NURS 352; co-requisites: NURS 361, NURS 371) 

  Focus is on the physiological and psychological adaptation to functional and dysfunctional health patterns in the child-bearing family.  Emphasis is placed on the nursing process and functional health patterns as a framework for practice.  Pathophysiology and nursing care related to childbearing, childbirth and their complications are addressed. Pathophysiological processes related to alterations in sexual health are also included.  Clinical experiences are designed to develop the professional nursing role of care giver, advocate and teacher in promoting and restoring health. Three hours lecture, 12 hours clinical lab/week (for seven weeks) alternate with NURS 371 or NURS 450 lab.

• NURS 384 - Perioperative Nursing

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisite: NURS 350) 

  This course presents concepts and information essential for perioperative nursing practice.  Content includes essentials of perioperative procedures in relation to nurses’ planning and management of the patient’s surgical experience.  Precepted clinical experiences are provided in various phases of the perioperative nursing: preoperative, operative and post-anesthesia care.  Emphasis is placed on the development of beginning skills in the operative setting. One hour lecture and six hours laboratory.

• NURS 405 - Health Writing for Publication

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Cross-listed with NURS 505; open to all junior and senior students) 

  This course enables students to enhance their writing skills by utilizing principles of effective writing as they relate to health issues.  Students select projects to develop from idea to polished manuscript for both a professional journal and a consumer newspaper/magazine.  Online, Web-based course.

• NURS 410 - Nursing Management

  3 cr.

  ---

  Study of the management process in nursing settings with a focus on the planning, implementation and delivery of nursing care in complex organizations.  Focus is on the collaborative role of nursing within the organization and the analysis and resolution of problems. Three hours lecture.
• NURS 450 - Nursing Care of the Adult III

  5.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: NURS 371, NURS 373, NURS 361; co-requisite: NURS 452) 

  This is the final course in a three-course sequence that focuses on physiological and psychological adaptation to dysfunctional health patterns.  Emphasis is placed on the nursing process and functional health patterns as a framework for practice.  Pathophysiology and nursing care related to alterations in mobility, elimination, cognition, and perception are included. Three hours lecture, 15 hours clinical lab/week for seven weeks, alternate with NURS 452 or NURS 373 lab.

• NURS 452 - Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents

  4.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: NURS 350, NURS 352, NURS 361; co-requisite: NURS 371) 

  The focus is on the physiological adaptation to functional and dysfunctional health patterns in children and adolescents.  Emphasis is placed on the nursing process and functional health patterns as a frame-work for nursing practice.  Health promotion and the pathophysiology and nursing care related to the disorders of childhood are included. Three hours lecture, nine hours clinical lab/week for seven weeks, alternate with NURS 450 lab or NURS 371 lab.

• NURS 471 - (D) Community Health Nursing

  3.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: NURS 450, NURS 452; co-requisites: NURS 473, NURS 475) 

  The focus is on the professional nursing roles of care giver, advocate, teacher and leader/manager in promoting adaptive responses to functional and dysfunctional health patterns in individuals, families, communities and groups.  The student synthesizes prior knowledge of functional health patterns and all phases of the nursing process in meeting the health-care needs of community-based clients in diverse population settings. 1.5 hours lecture/week; 18 hours clinical lab/week for 4.5 weeks (alternate with NURS 473 and 475 labs).

• NURS 472 - Advanced Nursing Concepts

  6 cr. (3 lecture - 3 lab)

  ---

  Prerequisites: NURS 450, NURS 452: Co-Requisite NURS 471) 

  This course examines the leadership process in nursing and correlates the process to safe, evidenced-based practice as it relates to physiological and psychological adaptations to complex dysfunctional health patterns. Continued use of the nursing process, informatics and evidence-based practice are emphasized.  Development of case management skills in collaboration with the interdisciplinary health team further develops the professional nursing role of caregiver, advocate, teacher, and leader/manager in promoting, restoring and maintaining health. Clinical experiences are designed to enhance leadership development in caring for patients with complex health issues.   Three hours/week lecture; 14 hours clinical lab/week for 9 weeks (alternate with NURS 471 lab). 

  The following option is available for ROTC Nurse cadets:  subject to annual review, 1.5 credits may be awarded for successful completion of the ROTC Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP) in place of NURS 472A Lab.  Three hours/week lecture; 14 hours clinical lab/week for 4.5 weeks, alternate with NURS 471 and 472B labs.
   

• NURS 483 - Independent Study in Nursing

  3 cr.

  ---

  (RN students only; Prerequisites: senior standing in the Nursing program, NURS 493) 

  An independent project of academic or professional nature in an area specific to professional nursing.  Students develop and complete a specific project and work on a one-to-one basis with a faculty member in the Department of Nursing.

• NURS 491 - Senior Seminar

  1.5 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: NURS 450, NURS 452; co-requisites: NURS 471, NURS 473, NURS 475) 

  This course will serve as a synthesis of critical concepts necessary for professional nursing practice.  The use of critical thinking as it is applied to solving problems in the delivery of nursing care to patients with complex illnesses is emphasized.    Through case study analysis and content synthesis, students will apply critical thinking skills to develop mastery of nursing concepts and principles of clinical nursing practice. Students will utilize computerized testing to gauge their knowledge of professional nursing content.

• NURS 493 - (W) Research in Nursing

  3 cr.

  ---

  (Prerequisites: senior standing in Nursing, PSYC 210) 

  Introduction to and application of the principles and process of research in professional nursing practice.  Study of research design, data-collection techniques, interpretation and critique of nursing research, literature, and reports and the development of the ability to become a discriminating consumer of nursing research. Three hours lecture.