Master of Science

This course builds on previous undergraduate health assessment knowledge. Students will hone their interviewing skills and obtain a comprehensive health history; perform a comprehensive physical examination; and record assessment data on age-specific clients. Cultural and ethnic variations as well as diagnostic data constitute the client composite profile. Knowledge gained from this course prepares the advanced practice nurse to determine, plan, and monitor the health status of individual clients over time.
(Two-hour lecture, four-hour clinical.)

This course builds on previous undergraduate concepts of integrative physiology. Lecture and problem-solving exercises expand the student knowledge of relevant pathophysiological processes involving major organ systems. Content in this course focuses on organismal changes associated with select disease states, thus enabling students to analyze physiologic responses to illness and provide accurate treatment modalities.

This course builds on students’ undergraduate knowledge of basic pharmacology. The role of the advanced practice nurse in prescribing, administering, and monitoring client pharmacotherapy is explored. Content in this course focuses on pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacoanthropology as well as ethical/legal considerations in managing drug therapy.

This course focuses on the preparation of the advanced practice nurse as a collaborative practitioner in today’s health care system. The origins of the advanced practice nursing movement and the roles and functions of advanced practice nurses are discussed. Course content emphasizes professional socialization as an advanced practice nurse, empowering the student to act assertively, think critically, and effectively execute interdisciplinary relationships.

This course focuses on the foundations of nursing practice. Knowledge of natural, biological, physical, and social sciences together with current research guides advanced practice nursing. The student discusses, analyzes, and critiques the theoretical foundations of nursing practice with a perspective toward developing a comprehensive, holistic approach to client care.

This course builds on undergraduate nursing research knowledge. Course content focuses on the utilization of new knowledge to provide high quality care, initiate change, and improve nursing practice. The student identifies researchable problems within the clinical setting, applies the research process, and develops a guided nursing research project.

This course builds on NR 600. The focus of this course is theories of measurement, reliability, and validity of research instruments, and use of statistical tools for both quantitative and qualitative research questions. Under faculty guidance, students select a research problem and design a study.

The focus of this course is on health of children, adolescents, and young adults within the context of the family. Primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention are emphasized. Health promotion, differentiation of normal from abnormal findings, refinement of developmental concepts, and age-specific biopsychosocial phenomena are explored. Students gain in-depth clinical practice and engage in opportunities that define roles as diagnostician, educator, advocate, and collaborator with children, adolescents, and young adults in a variety of health care delivery systems. (Two-hour lecture, ten hours clinical per week.)

The focus of this course is primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention in middlescent adults within the context of family-centered care. Health promotion, adult health risks, maturational and situational crises of middlescence are emphasized. The role of the advanced practice nurse in anticipatory guidance, particularly affecting women’s health, is explored. Course content includes biopsychological phenomena and cultural and ethnic variations in middlescent populations. Students engage in in-depth clinical experiences that provide venues for family nurse practitioner role enactment.

The focus of this course is primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention in older adults within the context of family-centered care. Health promotion, adult health risks, maturational, and situational crisis of older adults are emphasized. The role of the advanced practice nurse in anticipatory guidance, particularly as it affects older adults, is explored. Course content includes biopsychosocial phenomena and cultural and ethnic variations in elder populations. Students engage in in-depth clinical experiences that provide for family nurse practitioner role enactment.

The focus of this course is primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention in individuals across the lifespan within the context of family-centered care. Health promotion, health risks, and health crisis of families are emphasized. The roles of the advanced practice nurse as diagnostician, educator, advocate, and collaborator are refined. Students engage in in-depth clinical experiences with families in a variety of health care settings. Students will complete 300 hours of clinical practice and submit a written project to satisfy course requirements.

The focus of this course is on roles and responsibilities of nurses in health care policy-making. Topics include political history of health workforce policy, the corporatization of health care, political context of federal and state regulations of health professions, and ethical responsibility in the health care marketplace.

The focus of this course is financial management of health care agencies. Topics include health care financing and reimbursement systems, budget preparations, operating in a cost-conscious environment, and analyzing the impact of financial information on nursing within the varied health care delivery systems.

The focus of the course is curriculum development in nursing education. Various nursing theorists, curriculum patterns, and models of nursing education are analyzed. Students write a program philosophy, organizing framework, and nursing curriculum to satisfy the course requirements.

The focus of this course is development of teacher-made evaluation materials. Use and interpretation of standardized tests, preparation of test blueprints and use of instructional resources are emphasized.