College of Nursing Course Descriptions

College of Nursing Home Page

All general education requirements must be successfully completed before beginning 3100 level nursing courses.

All previous level nursing courses must be successfully satisfied prior to progressing to the next level nursing courses.

0100 Orientation to Professional Nursing (0)
Prerequisites: Admission to four-year baccalaureate program. Mandatory six-week introduction to the nursing program provides a comprehensive orientation to the program. Students are introduced to the academic and clinical expectations of the curriculum. Concerns critical for academic success (i.e., time management, effective study skills, stress management and dealing with test anxiety) are addressed.

2103 Nutrition and Health (3)
This course examines the nutritional needs throughout the life span with emphasis on nutritional principles related to health promotion and protection. Content includes assimilation, digestion and absorption of nutrients and cultural and economic influences on dietary practices.

2105 Communication in the Nursing Profession (3)
Prerequisite: None. This course focuses on the development of communication abilities utilized in professional nursing. The individual's relationship with self, others, and groups is discussed. Students learn verbal and non-verbal communication skills, self-awareness, and sensitivity to others. Interpersonal skills are introduced to enable the student to develop effective human caring relationships with a diverse population of clients and colleagues.

3101 Nursing and Health (6)
Prerequisites: BIOL 1131, BIOL 1141, BIOL 1162, CHEM 1052, NURSE 1010; pre- or co- requisites: NURSE 3106, NURSE 3110, NURSE 3111. An introduction to the discipline of nursing, the historical and theoretical development of nursing is explored with an emphasis on critical thinking, the teaching/learning process, and foundational practice concepts. Through modular laboratory experiences, the student acquires psychomotor skills to provide safe and effective nursing care to clients promoting health and wellness. Includes classroom, laboratory and clinical experiences.

3106 Assessment of Clients in Health and Illness (3)
Prerequisite: BIOL 1131, BIOL 1141, BIOL 1162, CHEM 1052, PSYCH 1268, NURSE 0100. This course integrates theoretical knowledge and interpersonal skills in the assessment of clients, focusing on differentiating normal from abnormal findings. It emphasizes the use of problem solving, critical thinking and cultural competency in identifying multidimensional health variations across the life span. The course includes classroom and laboratory experiences.

3110 Pathophysiological Bases of Nursing Practice (3)
Prerequisite: BIOL 1131, BIOL 1141, BIOL 1162, CHEM 1052 (or equivalent), NURSE 0100. This course focuses on the nature of disease, its causes, and the bodily changes that accompany it. Includes a study of general principles of disease, specific diseases of individual organs and systems and the clinical implications.

3111 Pharmacotherapeutics in Nursing Practice (3)
Prerequisite: BIOL 1131, BIOL 1141, BIOL 1162, CHEM 1052, NURSE 0100; pre/co requisite: NURSE 3110. This course introduces key terminology, legal foundations, general principles and clinical applications of pharmacology.

3205 Adult Health Nursing I (5)
Prerequisite: All 3100 level nursing courses, PSYCH 1268. This course focuses on the nursing care of the adult experiencing selected pathophysiological processes affecting body regulatory mechanisms. These mechanisms are related to immune responses, problems of oxygenation, ventilation, transport and perfusion; kidney function; regulatory mechanisms and digestion, absorption and elimination. Emphasis is placed on health restoration, maintenance and support as well as the continued development of the nurse-client relationship, critical thinking processes, and research-based nursing practice. This course includes classroom and clinical activities in a variety of settings.

3206 Adult Health Nursing II (5)
Prerequisite: All 3100 level nursing courses, PSYCH 1268. This course focuses on the nursing care of the adult experiencing selected pathophysiological processes affecting body regulatory mechanisms. These mechanisms are related to endocrine, sensory-perceptual, gynecological, and genitourinary functions. Emphasis is placed on health restoration, maintenance and support as well as the continued development of the nurse-client relationship, critical thinking processes, and research-based nursing practice. This course includes classroom and clinical activities in a variety of settings.

3214 Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (4)
Prerequisite: All 3100-level nursing courses; PSYCH 1268. This course focuses on health and illness across the lifespan of clients who have acute and chronic emotional and psychosocial difficulties and psychiatric illnesses The course emphasizes development of students' decisional capabilities, self-awareness and professional behaviors as they utilize theory and research from nursing, psychology and related disciplines for the provision of nursing care to individuals, families and groups. Clinical experiences in community and acute care settings are designed for students to engage in individual and group strategies that promote and maintain mental health. Course includes classroom and clinical activities in a variety of settings.

3215 Nursing of Women and Childbearing Families (4)
Prerequisite: All 3100 level nursing courses, PSYCH 1268. This course focuses on the childbearing family and women's reproductive health, including family dynamics and growth and development. Health promotion, protection, maintenance and restoration are covered in experiences that include hospital and community settings. Health care policy and systems as relevant to these populations are included. Course includes classroom and clinical activities in a variety of settings.

3216 Child and Family Health Nursing (4)
Prerequisite: all 3100 level nursing courses, PSYCH 1268. This course focuses on pediatric health and illness with emphasis on family dynamics, growth and development and communication with children and their families. Health promotion, protection, restoration, maintenance and support concepts are covered in experiences that include hospital and community settings. Health care policy and systems are studied as relevant to this population. Course includes classroom and clinical activities in a variety of settings.

3799 Quantitative Analysis in the Health Sciences (3)
Prerequisite: MATH 1030 or equivalent. This course focuses on concepts and applications of statistics in the health sciences. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, probability distributions of random variables, sampling and estimation. The course uses examples and content from health sciences to provide the basic concept structure for quantitative analysis.

3804 Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Nursing Practice (3)
Prerequisites: PHIL (3 credits). This course explores the ethical and legal dimensions of nursing practice. The relationship between ethical and legal issues is examined within nursing situations. The student participates in dialogue addressing ethical-legal issues in professional nursing practice to explore personal value, increase sensitivity to others and to develop ethical reasoning abilities.

3807 Nursing Research (3)
Prerequisite: NURSE 3799 (or equivalent). This course introduces the values and characteristics of quantitative and qualitative research within an ethical perspective. Students examine the research process through analysis and critique of nursing research.

3808 Management and Leadership in Nursing (3)
Prerequisites: All 3000-level nursing courses; NURSE 3807; NURSE 3817. ECON 1000 or equivalent. This course prepares the nurse to coordinate and manage client care in diverse health care settings. Emphasis is placed on leadership and management theory and related skills, collaboration, delegation, coordination, and evaluation of multi-disciplinary work and the application of outcome-based nursing practice.

3817 Introduction to Nursing and Health Informatics (3)
Prerequisite: None. This online laboratory course establishes competency in fundamental information management and computer technology skills. It enables students to use existing information systems and available information to manage nursing practice. Students critically evaluate technology, information, and its sources; use decision support systems designed for clinical decision making; and focus on the representation of nursing data, information, and knowledge.

3873 Guided Study in Nursing (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. This course is an in-depth independent study of selected topics in nursing under the guidance of a specific instructor. No more than six hours may be taken under this option.

3900 Dimensions of Professional Nursing Practice (3) RN/BSN
Prerequisites: Admission to the College of Nursing as RN. Investigates the roles and responsibilities of the professional nurse within a rapidly changing health care delivery system. Key issues are explored with emphasis on health promotion and health. Graduates of diploma nursing & associate programs will be awarded college credit for successful validation of basic nursing knowledge as part of this course.

3920 Health Assessment (3) RN/BSN
Prerequisites: NURSE 3900 and NURSE 3817 (may be taken concurrently) or consent of instructor. This laboratory course focuses on the knowledge, communication abilities, and technical skills necessary for comprehensive assessment of individuals of all ages.

4300 Community Health Nursing (4)
Prerequisites: All 3000-level nursing courses. This course provides a conceptual foundation for nursing that recognizes the community as client in society. The course examines socioeconomic, environmental, epidemiological, and legislative influences, ethical/legal issues, and the impact of health beliefs and practices on health promotion and protection in communities and society. The student applies various theories and concepts when encountering families, groups and communities with diverse value systems and cultural backgrounds. Course includes classroom and clinical activities in a variety of settings.

4310 Senior Synthesis (5)
Prerequisites: all 3000-level nursing courses, NURSE 4300 and 3808 may be taken concurrently. This course integrates theory and practice from previous nursing and general education courses with the goal of preparing the student for entry into professional nursing practice. Within a seminar context, students explore a variety of clinical and professional nursing topics. The course includes research-based strategies utilized for health promotion and protection, health restoration, maintenance and support. Areas of study are selected from across the lifespan, including diverse populations in a variety of health care systems. Course includes classroom and clinical experiences in a variety of settings. Not for graduate credit.

4720 Perioperative Nursing (3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Provides experiences in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings. Includes a clinical component.

4722 Transcultural Nursing (3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Examines transcultural nursing concepts, theories and practices in relationship to human caring. Focuses on application and analysis of health care and scope of practice within selected cultural contexts. Includes practicum experiences.

4723 Nurse Externship (3)
Prerequisites: Senior level status; GPA 3.0 (4.0 scale) This course provides the opportunity to apply theoretical and conceptual knowledge and skills in a structured clinical environment under the guidance of a mentor.

4724 Emergency/Trauma Nursing (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 3205 and 3206 or consent of instructor. This course provides a framework for the roles and responsibilities of the professional registered nurse in Emergency and Trauma nursing care.

4741 Advanced Nursing Assessment and Management of Clients with Cardiac Dysrhythmias (3)
Prerequisite: Senior status. Focuses on advanced nursing assessment and management of clients with cardiac rhythm problems and conduction disturbances. Includes a clinical component.

4742 Critical Care Nursing of the Adult (3)
Prerequisite: RN or completion of NURSE 3205 and 3206 or equivalent. Focuses on health restoration, health maintenance, and health support of individuals with dysfunctions or trauma to major organ systems. Emphasis is on understanding pathophysiology and psychosocial processes related to nursing and collaborative interventions, and the development of a functional framework for data organization and analysis.

4770 Topics in Nursing (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Explores special topics in the areas of clinical practice, nursing education, nursing administration, and professional development. No more than six hours may be taken under this option.

4901 Family and Community Nursing (5) RN/BSN
Prerequisites: NURSE 3900, 3817 and 3920. This practicum course introduces the concepts, principles, skills, and professional nursing roles essential to practice community‑based professional nursing with families and groups.

4905 Values in Professional Nursing (3) RN/BSN
Prerequisites: All 3000 level RN/BSN nursing courses or consent of instructor. Explores values and beliefs as they shape professional nursing practice and influence clinical decision making and interventions in the evolving health care system. Attention is given to the impact of sociocultural factors and health/illness beliefs and practices of the diverse populations served by the professional nurse. Students examine their own understanding of the moral nature of professional nursing within the context of a diverse society.

4911 Synthesis in Nursing Practice (5) RN/BSN
Prerequisites: NURSE 4901. This practicum course focuses on community‑based application and synthesis of professional nursing roles and responsibilities with selected populations determined to be at risk for a variety of health related problems. The course includes assessment of cognitive and affective growth achieve while in the BSN Completion Program.

6104 Values and Cultural Diversity in Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
Prerequisites: Admission to MSN Program. This course explores the diversity of cultural influences and the moral/ethical influences on advanced nursing practice. The values and cultural beliefs of the individual student and the underlying values of the health care system are analyzed for their impact on communities and health care. Health/illness beliefs and practices of individuals, families and communities are explored as well as folk health care and complementary medicine.

6106 Policy, Organization and Financing in Health Care (3)
Prerequisite: Admission to MSN program or consent of instructor. This course is designed to explore the underpinnings of health policy as it relates to advanced nursing practice. It provides an overview of health care policy, organization and financing with emphasis on current health care trends within the framework of the workplace, government, professional organizations, and community. The policy making process at the organizational, local, state, national, and international level is explored. The variety of forces influencing policy and the policy making process are analyzed with emphasis on the nurses’ role in influencing health care delivery, outcomes of client care, and nursing professional issues. Use of Health services and nursing research to influence policy is introduced.

6111 Theoretical Foundations in Nursing (3)
Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program. This course analyzes major concepts and theories relevant to nursing. Ethical issues and dilemmas inherent in advanced nursing practice are also addressed.

6112 Nursing Research Methods (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 3799 or equivalent; NURSE 6111 (may be taken concurrently). This course provides the principles and techniques common to scientific investigation as applied to nursing. A plan of study for a nursing problem is developed.

6114 Evidence Based Nursing (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6112. This course prepares nurses to implement a research utilization model to validate practice. The theoretical basis for research utilization and practical instances of its application in nursing is examined. Opportunities are provided to develop a research utilization plan to address a clinical area of practice.

6140 Health Promotion Across the Life Span (3)
Pre or corequisite: NURSE 6111. This course is designed to provide students with a conceptual basis of health promotion and health protection for clients across the life span. Clients are conceptualized as individuals, families and populations. An application of various developmental theories for the child, adult, older adult, and family will provide the basis to individualize health care needs for various age and family groups. Core concepts include theories of health, health promotion ad protection, epidemiology, disease and injury prevention, health education, growth and development, nutrition, and family systems theory.

6144 Health Promotion and Cultural Diversity (3)

Prerequisites: Admission to the MSN Program.  This course provides graduate nursing students with knowledge related to the concepts of health promotion, health protection, cultural diversity, and moral/ethical influences across the lifespan. Core concepts for the course include theories of health and health promotion and protection, epidemiology, disease and injury prevention, health education, cultural diversity, growth and development, nutrition and family systems. The students will explore values clarification and ethical analysis.

6309 Role of the Nurse Educator (3)
Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program or consent of instructor. This course will explore the roles, responsibilities, and functions of the nurse educator. Emphasis will be placed on the development and evaluation of the interactive nature of teaching and learning in a variety of settings.

6320 Learning and Curriculum Development in Nursing (3)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6309 . Examines theoretical foundations, principles, and issues in curriculum design. Explores systematic evaluation of curriculum at all levels.

6321 Instructional Strategies in Nursing Education (3)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6309 with consent of instructor; must be taken concurrently with NURSE 6320. This course focuses on the development and analysis of teaching and learning strategies in nursing education. Adult learning principles of teaching and learning will be incorporated into the innovative strategies developed within this course. Integration of new technology in instructional design and delivery will be highlighted.  Evaluation methods of both teacher and learner will be explored.

6409 Role of the Nurse Leader (3)
Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program or consent of instructor. Examines roles and responsibilities of the nurse leader in a complex health care system.

6425 Managed Care Services (3)
Prerequisite: Admission to MSN or consent of instructor. Provides analysis of health care environment in managed care and its impact on nurse's role.

6426 Health Resources Management (3)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6409. Focuses on roles and responsibilities of nurse leader for fiscal and human resource management in both public and private sectors. Includes analysis of environment, health care organization within the system, and impact of resource management on nursing and health care.

6428 Theory and Practice in Nursing Leadership (3)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6409. This course focuses on theories and practices of advanced nursing leadership and management practice within complex healthcare systems. This course will also compare to global healthcare systems. Particular focus will be on the application/effectiveness assessments of the practices within healthcare organizations. Patient safety and quality management theory practices in healthcare will be discussed in depth and compared to other industries’ safety and quality management programs theory/practices.

6509 Role of the Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Practitioner (2)
Prerequisite: Admission to the MSN program. In this course, the student explores professional role issues affecting advanced practice nurses (APNs). The course facilitates the role development of nurses who desire to function as primary care providers (nurse practitioners) or as specialists within a particular clinical area (clinical nurse specialists). Core concepts include: communication, collaboration, advocacy, negotiation, standards of practice, and subroles of advanced nursing practice.

6518 Pathophysiology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
This course focuses on implications for advanced nursing practice through examination of selected pathophysiological phenomena which occur frequently in the diverse populations to whom advanced nurses provide care.

6519 Advanced Pediatric Pathophysiology (3)
This course focuses on embryology of the major organ systems, as well as specific physiologic and pathophysiologic processes relevant to the child from birth through age 18. Implications for advanced nursing practice which result from alterations of normal physiologic functioning in cellular, tissue, and organ systems are examined. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between pathophysiology, decision making, and standards of advanced nursing practice.

6520 Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6518 or equivalent or consent of instructor. This course centers on clinical pharmacotherapeutics used for primary health care management. Emphasis is placed on the clinical use of drugs in the management of specific illnesses.

6524 Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6518 (may be taken concurrently). Designed to provide a systematic approach to the advanced assessment of physiological, psychological, sociocultural, developmental and spiritual assessment of individuals across the lifespan. This course builds on basic health assessment knowledge and skills, emphasizing advanced assessment skills, laboratory work interpretation, validation, documentation and analysis of assessment findings.

6526 Advanced Health Assessment for Pediatric Nursing Practice (3)
Comprehensive assessment of children through adolescence, including those with significant health and/or developmental deviations, using advanced diagnostic reasoning processes. Emphasis on health history, cultural diversity, differentiations, interpretation, and documentation of findings.

6529 Advanced Pharmacology for Pediatric Nursing Practice (3)
Prerequisites: Admission to Master of Science in Nursing or permission of the instructor. This course is a clinical pharmacotherapeutics that builds on prior knowledge of drug classifications, actions, interactions, and adverse drug reactions. The major focus of the course is the pharmacotherapeutic use of medications for primary health care management of children from birth to young adulthood by advanced practice nurses. Emphasis is placed on the clinical critical thinking process used to prescribed drugs in the management of specific illness. The Missouri Laws for advanced practice nurse prescriptive authority will be addressed. Core concepts include pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, health related information, medication compliance and issues that pertain to the prescribing medication in advanced nursing practice.

6530 Clinical Diagnostics for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)

Prerequisites: NURSE 6518 or NURSE 6519. This course provides an introduction to the interpretation and appropriate use of diagnostic measures for advanced practice nurses in primary care settings. Special attention is paid to laboratory, radiographic and diagnostic testing. In addition, clinical opportunities will be provided to gain clinical interventional skills for advanced practice nursing.

6739 Adult Primary Care I: Diagnosis & Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6105, 6106, 6108, 6140, 6111, 6112, 6518, 6524, 6520; 6509 & 6114 may be taken concurrently. Clinical course designed to provide a theoretical and practical base for advanced practice nursing students to diagnose and manage health problems of adults. Emphasis is placed on clinical assessment and decision-making in the provision of direct patient care within a defined scope of practice. The student is expected to clinically apply the concepts and theories discussed in class in the advanced nursing care of adults who are experiencing problems related to the upper and lower respiratory system, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, skin and infectious diseases. Clinical experiences are designed to enhance assessment and technical skills needed in diagnosing common health problems.

6740 Adult Primary Care II: Diagnosis & Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6739. Clinical course designed to provide a theoretical and practical base for advanced practice nursing students to diagnose and manage health problems of adults. Emphasis is placed on clinical assessment and decision-making in the provision of direct patient care within a defined scope of practice. The student is expected to clinically apply the concepts and theories discussed in class in the advanced nursing care of adults who are experiencing problems related to the musculoskeletal, neurological, endocrine/metabolic, genitourinary, reproductive systems, the eye, and mental health. Clinical experiences are designed to enhance assessment and technical skills needed in diagnosing common health problems.

6741 Family Health I: Diagnosis & Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6106, 6108, 6140, 6111, 6112, 6518, 6524, 6520, 6114 may be taken concurrently. Clinical course designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain the concepts and skills essential to advanced practice nursing care of families experiencing acute and chronic health problems, with particular focus on women's and children's health issues. Emphasis is given to those health needs most commonly encountered by the Family Nurse Practitioner. A research- and theory-based approach to nursing interventions is used. Core concepts include family adaptation to acute and chronic conditions, health promotion, clinical decision-making and ethical decision-making.

6742 Family Health II: Diagnosis and Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6741. Clinical course designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain the concepts and skills essential to advanced practice nursing care of families experiencing acute and chronic health problems, with particular focus on adult clients. Emphasis is given to those health problems most commonly encountered by the Family Nurse Practitioner. A research- and theory-based approach to nursing interventions is used. Core concepts include family adaptation to acute and chronic conditions, health promotion, clinical decision-making, and ethical decision-making.

6743 Child Health I: Diagnosis & Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6106, 6108, 6140, 6111, 6112, 6518, 6524, 6520, & 6114 may be taken concurrently. Clinical course designed to provide students the opportunity to apply skills from advanced physical assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and theory to advanced nursing care of the child and family. Emphasis is placed on child and family developmental issues for advanced practice pediatric nurses. Normal cognitive, motor, social/emotional and language development and usual developmental challenges of each age group are addressed. Implications of the developmental stage of the child and family, level of developmental skill and developmental problems for the maintenance of health and management of illness by the advanced practice nurse are discussed. Core content includes information related to APN management of cultural and ethnic variations of growth and development problems; health maintenance; common pediatric behavioral problems; and recognition of circumstances that require interdisciplinary collaboration and referral. Clinical practice opportunities are arranged in collaboration with the instructor and planned in a variety of pediatric settings.

6744 Child Health II: Diagnosis & Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6743. Clinical course designed to provide students the opportunity to apply skills from advanced physical assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and theory to advanced nursing care of the child and family. Emphasis is placed on using models and theories that guide advanced practice care for clients with common pediatric problems. Implications of the developmental stage of the child and family, level of developmental skills and developmental problems for the maintenance of health and management of illness by the APN nurse are discussed. The SOAP format is used and includes pertinent history, physical examination, laboratory findings and differential diagnosis relevant to the individual client. Focus is on development of a plan of care that encompasses the various treatment modalities used in managing common pediatric health problems including specific pharmaceutical and symptomatic treatment. Clinical practice opportunities are arranged in collaboration with the instructor and planned in a variety of pediatric settings.

6746 Women's Health I: Diagnosis & Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6106, 6108, 6140, 6111, 6112, 6518, 6524, 6520 & 6114 may be taken concurrently. Clinical course designed to provide students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills from advanced physical assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and theory to advanced nursing care of women and families throughout the childbearing continuum. Emphasis is placed on using models and theories that guide advanced nursing practice and research-based care. Focus is on educating the advanced practice nurse to collaborate with women and their families to promote health and prevent disease. Within this context, the focus is on assessing, diagnosing, and planning care for women and families experiencing an uncomplicated childbearing continuum, as well as acute and/or chronic health care problems during preconception, pregnancy and the postpartum period, within a health promotion framework. The format includes pertinent history, physical examination, laboratory findings and differential diagnoses relevant to the individual client. Core concepts include adaptation of women through developmental stages, health risk assessment, health promotion, disease prevention, health education, primary care of women throughout the childbearing continuum, reproductive options, ethical decision-making, and grief and loss.

6747 Women's Health II: Diagnosis & Management in Advanced Nursing Practice (5)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6746. Clinical course designed to provide students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills to advanced practice nursing care of women and families throughout the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on using models and theories that guide advanced nursing practice and research-based care. Focus is on educating the advanced practice nurse to collaborate with women and their families to promote health and prevent disease. Within this context, the focus is on assessing, diagnosing, and planning care for women, as well as women experiencing common health problems within a health promotion framework. The format includes pertinent history, physical examination, laboratory findings and differential diagnoses relevant to the individual client. Core concepts include adaptation of women through developmental stages, health risk assessment, health promotion, disease prevention, health education, primary care of well women, ethical decision-making, and grief and loss. Focus is on the development of a plan of care that encompasses the various treatment modalities used in managing common women's health problems including specific pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies.

6870 Special Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor. Explore special topics for the advanced practice nurse in the areas of research, theory, education and administration. No more than three hours shall be applied toward the degree. This course is for graduate MSN or Ph.D. levels.

6875 Special Study in Graduate Nursing (1-3)
Prerequisites: Admission to the MSN program and/or consent of the instructor. In-depth study of selected topics in nursing under the guidance of a specific instructor. No more than three hours may be applied to the master’s program of study.

6952 Synthesis Practicum (3)
Prerequisites: All required courses in Nurse Educator or Nursing Leadership of Health Systems option or consent of instructor. This clinical course is a concentrated opportunity to function in an advanced nursing role as a nursing administrator, integrating clinical and functional role activities within a chosen setting. Emphasis includes educator or administrator nursing practice, functional role responsibilities, and activities with emphasis on their relationship to client outcomes.

6954 Advanced Practice Nursing: Internship I (2)
Prerequisite: All required courses in the Advanced Practice Nurse option or consent of instructor. Provides opportunity to initiate the Advanced Practice Nurse role with selected populations. Students participate in precepted experiences with clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse practitioners, and/or primary care physicians for a minimum of 225 hours. Frequent clinical seminars included.

6955 Advanced Practice Nursing: Internship II (2)
Prerequisite: NURSE 6954. Continuation of precepted clinical experiences with selected populations initiated in Nursing 6954. Students satisfy a minimum of 225 precepted hours with clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse practitioners, and/or primary care physicians and participate in frequent clinical seminars.

7211 Biostatistics I (3)
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor.  This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the general linear model. Data description, logic of sampling and test statistics, hypothesis testing, type 1 and type 2 errors are included. Test statistics include one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance); planned comparisons, post-hoc tests and trend analysis; factorial ANOVA; repeated measures designs and mixed

7212 Biostatistics II (3)
Prerequisite:  NURSE 7211.  This course is designed to provide a conceptual understanding of the statistical procedures associated with power analysis and advanced statistical methods.

7220 Leadership Practice (3)
Prerequisites: None. This course provides students with the opportunity to develop and refine critical leadership skills. Emphasis is on using models and theories that facilitate inter-professional collaboration to achieve optimal health outcomes. The focus is effective communication and leadership methods necessary to establish successful inter-professional teams. Students will enhance skills in verbal, written and electronic communication; team leadership; and creating and sustaining health related initiatives. Through advanced understanding of the interprofessional dimension of health care, students will facilitate collaboration and remove barriers to providing safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient centered care in a complex environment.

7230 Epidemiology (3)
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor. This course introduces the fundamental principles and methods of epidemiology. Topics to be covered include the historical perspective of epidemiology, measures of disease occurrence and of association, clinical epidemiology, disease screening, causal inference, and analytic study design. Students will design epidemiologic studies, and utilize common statistical tests. Emphasis will be placed on case control studies, cohort studies, clinical epidemiology, and infectious disease epidemiology.
 
7240 Health Informatics (3)
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor, This course explores information systems and computer technologies that can improve the health of individuals, families, communities and populations by optimizing information management and communication. Focus areas include the electronic medical record, technologies to improve patient safety, standards for privacy and security, tele-health systems to improve healthcare access to underserved populations, use of web-enhanced technologies for research translation, and strategies to provide data for decision making and evidence based databases. Emphasis is placed on developing competence in technology use for the purpose of program evaluation, establish healthcare quality, and improving healthcare delivery to diverse populations in complex healthcare settings.

7250 Frameworks for Health Care Delivery (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 7220, or Consent of Instructor.
This course is designed to provide students with a framework to understand the system through which health care is delivered and financed and explores the cultural and psychosocial contributors to health care. The focus is to provide students with knowledge about complex health care systems, government and private reimbursement structures, quality and patient safety initiatives, and legal mandates affecting health care delivery.

7270 Policy Application for Improved Health Outcomes (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 6106 or equivalent and Nursing 7230. Students learn how to effectively translate and disseminate knowledge from nursing and other health sciences to policy makes and stakeholders in order to form collaborations to affect change at various levels of the policy process. Topics to be covered include policy analysis, policy development, collaboration and negotiation specific to the policy process, building social and political capitol and garnering resources to assure effective policy implementation. Students will utilize population health data, policy analysis, and policy development skills to define, shape and implement culturally competent health policy.

7291 Clinical Scholarship I (3)
Prerequisites: All DNP coursework or Consent of Instructor.  This experience provides additional opportunities for practice expertise development to create change in a targeted population and complex healthcare environments. Students will develop skills to assess and diagnose healthcare systems and identify evidenced-based strategies to improve health outcomes. Included in this experience is 150 hours of precepted clinical experience with a licensed advance practice nurse or physician.

7292 Clinical Scholarship II (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 7291. This experience provides additional opportunities for practice expertise development to create change in a targeted population and complex healthcare environments. Students will develop strategies to implement evidenced-based strategies to implement evidenced-based strategies to improve health outcomes. Included in this experience is 200 hours of precepted clinical experience with a licensed advance practice nurse or physician.

7293 Clinical Scholarship III (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 7292. This experience provides additional opportunities for practice expertise development with a targeted population in a complex healthcare environment. Students will evaluate evidenced-based clinical projects and health outcomes. Included in this experience is 200 hours of precepted clinical experience with a licensed advanced practice nurse or physician.

7299 DNP Seminar (1)
Prerequisites: All DNP required coursework or Consent of Instructor. This DNP Seminar provides opportunity to synthesize and analyze knowledge. Course objectives will be individualized to address student’s learning needs and will be outlined in a learning contract formulated with the DNP faculty advisor.

7401 Research Institute I (2)
Prerequisites: Admission to Doctorial Study in Nursing.  This course provides an introduction to the process of becoming a research scientist or a translational investigator. Content will include the ethical and responsible conduct of research or clinical project, core elements, the emerging guidelines, relevant policies and procedures, and the impact to the researcher in day-to-day activities. This course also includes literature reviews, scholarly writing, technology in the research process, developing a program of scholarship and effective time management.
 
7403 Research Institute III (2)
Prerequisites:  None.  This course addresses the Ph.D. prepared nurse in the roles of scientist, leader, academician and policy maker.  Students will analyze strategies for lifelong learning and development as nurse scientists and will explore avenues for building their programs of scholarship and contributing to the use of nursing science in policy and clinical practice.  They will examine ways to collaborate effectively with members of the public, nursing colleagues, and interprofessional colleagues to improve health care and outcomes.

7404 Research Institute IV (1)
Prerequisites:  Admission to candidacy.  This course will assist students to analyze and synthesize their ideas with other students regarding all aspects of the dissertation including plans to collaborate with others, write, fund, publish, and present their research findings.

7480 Guided Nursing Research Seminar (1-6)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Provides opportunity to work in collaboration with faculty and peers in a focused research topic relevant to nursing.

7481 Development of Nursing Science and Theory (3)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. This course focuses on the discipline of nursing, including the evolution of the state-of-the-art theory development in nursing. The course includes the aims of nursing science, the nature of scientific theories, theory analysis, a discussion of relationships among theory, research, and practice. Students engage in constructive dialogue as they begin to conceptualize nursing phenomena in their area of interest, and develop and evaluate the validity of a conceptual model.

7484 Health Care Systems (3)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. This seminar focuses on theoretical basis of health care systems. Students examine nursing and healthcare delivery models and the political and historical development of models such as primary care, primary nursing, case management, managed care, informatics, and decision support systems.

7485 Nursing Research Designs and Methods (3)
Prerequisites: Admission to the PhD in Nursing program, NURSE 6112, and consent of instructor.  This course focuses on methods commonly used in studies related to a particular scientific area. Based on the state of the science, research literature will be summarized in all aspects of research including the methods, measures, findings as well as an analysis of research gaps resulting in identification of potential researchable questions. These questions will be linked to quantitative research methods appropriate for further nursing research including experimental and non-experimental methods such as quasi-experimental, longitudinal, correlation, and descriptive design. Advantages and limitations of these designs will be addressed.

7488 Qualitative Methods in Nursing Research (3)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Examines the relationship between theoretical and philosophical perspectives and selection of appropriate methodologies in research design. Critically explores issues related to innovations in traditional qualitative designs and emerging technologies, rigor and validity and role of interpretive research in nursing science.

7490 Advanced Quantitative Design, Methods, and Analysis of Nursing Data (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 7485. This course focuses on issues in sampling and design, and implementation of interventions in nursing research. Content includes design and analysis issues affecting internal and external validity. Strategies and data manipulation related to univariate and basic multivariate analysis with computers are discussed.

7491 Advanced Nursing Theory Development and Validation (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 7481 or consent of instructor. This course focuses on a systematic study of contemporary nursing science, on knowledge development, and on the application of major theory construction and validation strategies to specific nursing phenomena of interest. Students create and critically examine theoretical frameworks and models, with emphasis placed on constructing and testing theoretical statements.

7492 Advanced Quantitative Measurement and Analysis of Nursing Data (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 7490. This course focuses on measurement techniques and their applications in nursing research. Content includes examination of measurement and techniques for assessing validity, reliability, and structure of data collection instruments; instrument construction and procedures for critical evaluation of instruments; application of advanced statistical principles; application of strategies for data manipulation and analysis; and discussion of measurement limitations and data analysis solutions.

7493 Psychometrics (3)
Prerequisites: NURSE 7490 and doctoral level statistics course and/or consent of instructor. Focuses on application of psychometric theories and practices related to instrumentation in nursing research. Basic methodologies and techniques for constructing, testing, and evaluating instruments will be discussed and applied. Content will focus on theoretical foundations of measurement, item construction, instrument design, item analysis, validity and reliability assessment. Criteria for evaluating existing instruments will also be discussed.

7498 Doctoral Seminar (1-12)
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Presentation and discussion of pertinent methodological and clinical issues related to doctoral research.

7499 Dissertation Research (1-12)
Prerequisites: All required course work; successful completion of written comprehensive examination. . Investigation of an advanced nature culmination in successful defense of dissertation. Continuous registration is required.