Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) Curriculum

The quality of life in any society depends on the health of its citizens and the promotion of that health by individuals, communities and governing bodies. Essential to achieving health and wellness is understanding the determinants of health and the strategies that can be applied to foster healthy lifestyles. This course includes concepts and strategies of nutrition, exercise and lifestyle choices. Prerequisite: ENGL 101

An understanding of physiology of altered health across the life span provides a basis for nursing interventions. This course examines alterations in body function and system failure associated with common health problems. Prerequisite: BIOL 102, BIOL 104, ENGL 104 and CHEM 120 (or equivalent).

While professional nursing is a complex service that has evolved over time, a consistent theme of nursing practice within a variety of cultural and technological contexts has been ensuring the well-being of patients. This course has a twofold focus: 1) a beginning exploration of the roots and development of the profession, and 2) provision of comfort and safety and assistance to the client in activities of daily living. Prerequisite: BIOL 102, BIOL 104, ENGL 104, and CHEM 120 (or equivalent) Corequisite: NURS 202, NURS 203C, and NURS 204L

Introduces common classifications of therapeutic drugs including major actions, indications, side effects, dosage range, nursing implications and examples. Application activities focus on administration of therapeutic drugs. Prerequisite: BIOL 102, BIOL 104, ENGL 104, and any Chemistry course.

This course serves as a bridge to baccalaureate education for the registered nurse who has successfully completed an associate or diploma nursing program. Focus is upon the socialization process and role transition. Key concepts related to self awareness, information literacy, group process, adult learning, nursing theory, and communication are discussed. The nursing roles of educator and theorist are explored.

A profession builds the body of knowledge that is specific to that profession through critical thinking as exemplified by scientific research. The steps of the research process, the role of research in the practice of professional nursing, and acquisition of the knowledge to be an informed consumer of nursing and other healthcare research are emphasized in this course.

This course introduces major concepts and skills needed to complete comprehensive assessments of individual clients at all development stages. Also featured are lab experiences, applying interviewing and assessment skills to clients of all ages.

Although families have been the recipients of nursing care for many years, the family is now widely perceived to be the context of care. Health professionals must broaden their practice so that they serve the family as a unit as well as individual family members. This course provides a sound theoretical foundation for family nursing assessment and intervention.

This course provides an overview of informatics for the post-licensure nursing student. This course integrates practice, education, and research with computer technology and information science to identify, gather, process, and manage information. Emphasis is on technology-based health applications which support clinical, administrative, and research decision making and their use in Evidence Based Practice. Current trends and issues in nursing and managing healthcare information are all examined. It is assumed that students have basic computing and word processing skills for this course.

The current healthcare environment provides many opportunities for an enhanced leadership role for professional nursing. This course emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and principles of management, nursing practice models, and the relationship between historical and contemporary issues and the responsibilities of the professional nurse.

Public health nursing combines concepts, theories, and principles from nursing, public health and other sciences to form the basis for its practice. The scope of this practice is distinguished by the focus on prevention, health protection, and health promotion of individuals, families, aggregates, and communities.

This introductory course is designed to emphasize the conceptual framework of genetics. Principles, problems, and methods of human genetics will be explored. Aspects of medical genetics, biochemical genetics, molecular genetics, and cytogenetics, as applied to humans, will be introduced. Ethical considerations will be discussed and applied within the context of nursing.

This course will address critical aspects of palliative nursing care. Clinical nursing assessment, symptom management, spirituality, cultural influences, and ethics will be discussed. The needs of special populations and nursing management in a variety of settings are included.