Department of Nursing

This culminating practicum provides the opportunity for students to integrate advanced nursing competencies in real-world settings. Students engage in preceptor-guided, practice-based learning experiences aligned with their specialization and career goals. Emphasis is placed on role development, evidence-based practice, systems thinking, and professional identity formation. Nurse educator students implement evidence-based nursing care and gain teaching and evaluation experience. Healthcare leader students implement quality, safety, and staffing strategies to apply leadership principles in multi-level systems. May be repeated for credit. 4 credits are required for the MSN degree.

​Explores contemporary nursing leadership roles, emphasizing systems leadership in direct care and academic settings, interprofessional collaboration, ethical comportment, and professional identity. Students engage in strategies that foster team effectiveness, mutual respect, and the advancement of nursing’s mission to society. The development of advocacy, policy influence, and leadership capacity as leaders of healthcare delivery is a core component.

​Provides a systems-based approach to understanding the pathophysiological processes underlying disease across the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on foundational knowledge of genetics, disease biology, and organ system alterations that inform clinical reasoning, diagnostic decision-making, and the development of evidence-based care plans tailored to individual patient needs.

​Provides advanced knowledge in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics of drug classes used in the management of common health conditions. Emphasis is placed on clinical decision-making, safe prescribing practices, legal and ethical considerations, and patient education across the lifespan.

​Students refine skills in comprehensive health assessment across the lifespan. The course includes advanced techniques in history taking, diagnostic reasoning, and interpretation of clinical findings to support differential diagnosis and care planning. Clinical judgment and evidence-informed decision-making are emphasized.​​

​This course introduces students to the principles and practical applications of health informatics and artificial intelligence (AI) in nursing. Students will examine technologies that support data-driven decision-making, quality improvement, ethical use of health data, and evidence-based care. Emphasis is placed on using informatics and AI to improve client outcomes, enhance system efficiencies, support interprofessional collaboration, and ensure ethical and safe patient care across healthcare, academic, and policy settings.

​Explores ethical principles, health policy, and advocacy as foundations for advanced nursing practice in leadership and education for shaping healthcare systems. Students examine the role of the advanced practice nurse in problem identification and agenda setting, policy development and analysis, implementation, and evaluation by considering important social, cultural, ethical, political, and economic factors. The course supports development of advocacy strategies, systems thinking, and knowledge of legal and regulatory frameworks on policy development affecting advanced nursing roles.

​This course emphasizes the integration of research and evidence into nursing practice. Students engage with methods for appraising literature, developing clinical questions, conducting scholarly inquiry, and applying evidence to improve educational and/or patient care outcomes. Nursing theory, ethical research conduct, data analysis, and dissemination strategies are explored.

​Prepares nurse educators to design, implement, and evaluate innovative teaching strategies in academic and clinical settings. Students explore principles of adult learning, education theory, simulation, instructional design, curriculum alignment, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Emphasis is placed on fostering inclusive, learner-centered environments.

​Prepares nurse educators to design, implement, and evaluate curricula in academic and clinical settings and in professional development. The course covers program outcomes, accreditation standards, learning objectives, content sequencing, and integration of informatics and policy competencies. Emphasis is placed on aligning curricula with competencies, regulatory standards, and evolving trends in healthcare education.

​Addresses the principles and methods of evaluating learning outcomes and teaching effectiveness in academic nursing education and professional development. Topics include education evaluation theory, test construction, formative and summative assessment, program evaluation, and the use of metrics to promote accountability and continuous improvement in education and practice settings.

Explores leadership theories, organizational behavior, and strategic management principles for healthcare leaders. Emphasis is on change management, innovation, interprofessional collaboration, and aligning organizational strategy with population needs. Students reflect on their professional identity and growth as nurse leaders.

​Introduces financial and economic principles applied to healthcare organizations and systems. Students explore budgeting, reimbursement, cost-effectiveness, and the economic forces shaping healthcare delivery. Emphasis is placed on resource allocation, equity, and the nurse leader’s role in ensuring financial sustainability while advocating for quality and accessible care.

​Emphasizes evidence-based quality improvement, patient safety science, and systems thinking. Students analyze tools, models, and strategies for building a culture of safety and improving outcomes at the system level. Regulatory, ethical, and policy perspectives are integrated with practical approaches for measuring, reporting, and improving care quality.

​Examines the integration of professional coaching and mentoring methodologies in the role of the nurse leader. Students will analyze the theoretical foundations of coaching, emotional intelligence, and relational leadership as essential competencies for driving nurse professional development, improving team performance, and fostering a culture of accountability and resilience in complex healthcare systems. Emphasis is placed on using coaching to facilitate evidence-based change and achieve organizational quality outcomes.