This course focuses on the key roles in both direct and indirect care settings as identified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Other topics include: Overview of capstone project and synthesis of the courses into the project, nursing history, nursing process, nursing theory selection, nursing research ethics, clinical ethics, and understanding and application of the AACN essentials as it applies to the MSN graduate as an agent of change.
Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Examine the role of advanced nursing practice in the healthcare delivery system in terms of historical, social, economic, ethical, political, and legal perspectives (PLO3: ILO4)
2. Analyze inter/intra professional, collaborative, and collegial healthcare team functioning as it relates to advanced nursing practice (PLO2: ILO1, 2)
3. Examine complex and advanced leadership advanced nursing practice roles to initiate and influence change in healthcare systems (PLO2: ILO1, 2 and PLO4: ILO3)
4. Apply ethical frameworks to the analysis of complex healthcare problems in culturally diverse patients (PLO3: ILO4)
5. Explore the regulatory entities, stakeholders, and issues that govern professional scope of practice in various contexts (PLO5: ILO3)
6. Examine the role of advanced nursing practice in the development of health policy (PLO4: ILO3)
Builds on undergraduate level knowledge, skills, and abilities related to pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment to advance the specialty practice of the Nurse Educator.
After completing this course, students will be able to:
1. Integrate nursing and related sciences into the delivery of advanced nursing care to diverse populations (PLO1: ILO3)
2. Incorporate current and emerging genetic/genomic evidence in providing advanced nursing care to individuals, families, and communities, while accounting for client values and clinical judgment (PLO3: ILO4)
3. Design nursing care for a clinical or community-based population based on biopsychosocial, public health, nursing, and organizational sciences (PLO2: ILO3)
4. Apply ethical analysis and clinical reasoning to assess, intervene, and evaluate advanced nursing care delivery (PLO3: ILO2)
5. Synthesize evidence within practice to promote advanced communication across disciplines (PLO2: ILO1)
6. Synthesize evidence for practice to determine appropriate application of interventions across diverse populations (PLO3: ILO4)
This course explores nursing as science and art. Students will analyze theories and propositions from nursing and other disciplines as a foundation to understanding research, practice, and scholarship in nursing. Explore a variety of theories from nursing, with emphasis on middle range theories and concepts. Application, testing, and use of theories to provide quality healthcare in nursing practice and the healthcare delivery system will be discussed.
Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Examine theories that inform nursing as a practice discipline (PLO1: ILO2)
2. Analyze three levels of theory that form the basis for nursing practice: grand, middle, and practice theory (PLO1: ILO2)
3. Explore the inter-relationships among nursing theory, practice, and research (PLO1: ILO2 and PLO2: ILO1, 2)
4. Describe the application of theory to guide evidence-based practice (PLO1: ILO2 and PLO5: ILO3)
5. Describe the application of nursing theory and science to support quality and safety initiatives (PLO1: ILO2 and PLO4: ILO3)
This course focuses on analyzing methods for finding and critically appraising evidence to be translated into practice to inform nursing practice, policy, education, and delivery system change. Topics covered include evaluating sources and levels of evidence, strength of evidence, translation and quality improvement and safety models, appropriate data analysis, and issues in implementing evidence into practice.
Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Use analytic methods to critically appraise various types and levels of evidence such as research findings, practice guidelines, and other evidence to determine and implement the best evidence for practice (PLO5: ILO3)
2. Develop a PICOT question about a clinical issue (PLO5: ILO3)
3. Conduct a systematic search to find relevant evidence to answer the clinical question (PLO5: ILO3)
4. Integrate ethical principles and culture factors into planning, implementing, and evaluating research (PLO3: ILO4)
5. Use relevant statistical methods and evidence-based practices to improve practice outcomes (PLO4: ILO3)
6. Distinguish between statistical and clinical significance (PLO5: ILO3)
7. Describe strategies for disseminating evidence-based practice and practice-based research findings to improve healthcare outcomes (PLO5: ILO3)
An introduction to health policy with a focus on health policy development, analysis, and implementation. The impact of health policies on the delivery of health care and nursing services and the relationship of policies to financing of health care are explored. Concepts of financing of healthcare including Medicare and Medicaid, private insurance, and the Affordable Care Act are introduced. Financial language and basic concepts of cost, budgeting, and reimbursement are discussed. Global, national, state, and local systems of health care financing are compared.
Course Outcomes: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Discuss the key characteristics and components of the U.S. health care system (PLO2: ILO1, 2)
2. Analyze the influence of health policy, ethics, social factors, legislative and regularity processes on advanced nursing practice roles and methods of health care delivery (PLO3: ILO4)
3. Analyze the effects of health policy at the local, state, and national levels on various populations in the United States (PLO5: ILO3)
4. Critique health policy issues at the local, state, national, and international levels that affect the health care system and the nursing profession (PLO5: ILO3)
5. Examine healthcare financing and reimbursement methods and their effect on population and advanced practice nursing (PLO4: ILO3)