Department of Nursing

​Prepares first-year and transfer nursing students to succeed academically and professionally. The course brings students together in a unified learning community that not only facilitates transition to college but also gives them the tools necessary to work efficiently toward graduation and on to a successful nursing career. Active-learning strategies train students to recognize, recall, and apply crucial information for success in the classroom and as engaged citizens who are capable of achieving significant long-term goals. While building professional relationships with faculty and peers, students will critically think, read, discuss and write about the nursing profession and health-related careers, emphasizing professional nursing roles and identity; interprofessional teamwork; and basic self-care and wellness. Students will develop knowledge of research tools and communication skills. Opportunities will be provided to explore and use various campus resources (AACN Essentials 1, 6, 9, and 10). ​

​Provides an overview of professional nursing roles, values, and scope, including the nursing process, therapeutic communication, ethical decision-making, and legal considerations. Focuses on developing a professional identity and accountability in alignment with nursing standards. ​

​Focuses on mastering essential procedures for dosage calculation supporting safe medication administration. Students learn to accurately calculate medication dosages and administration rates. Learning activities are built around critical thinking and practical application, using clinical scenarios to help students interpret medication orders and prevent errors ensuring students can confidently and safely administer medications, a crucial skill for effective nursing practice. ​

​Introduces comprehensive health assessment techniques across the lifespan. Students develop skills in interviewing, history taking, and physical examination to identify normal and abnormal findings integrating cultural considerations and communication to support safe, person-centered care. ​

​Presents the foundational principles of pharmacology: pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and ​medication safety. Introduces major drug classifications, therapeutic uses, side effects, and evidence-based medication administration considerations across the lifespan. ​

​This interdisciplinary course brings together nursing and public health students to explore ethical principles, frameworks, and dilemmas in clinical and community settings. Students will analyze the ethical tensions that arise at the intersection of individual patient care and population health, practice interprofessional communication, and develop strategies for collaborative decision-making in diverse, real-world scenarios. ​

​Introduces new professional nursing skills while reinforcing current skills as a LVN to provide safe and effective patient care. Focuses on application of clinical reasoning, communication, and safety concepts in diverse settings, emphasizing person-centered care, teamwork, and clinical judgment. (Requires approval to advance to upper division courses.) ​

​Explores principles of health promotion and wellness within the context of nursing, including social determinants of health, cultural humility, and foundational public health concepts. Introduces wellness coaching and population health principles. Incorporates additional emphasis on self-care for personal and professional success.​

​Facilitates the professional transition from ADN to baccalaureate-prepared nursing practice. It broadens students' understanding of nursing scope, professionalism, and identity, emphasizing accountability and leadership within the BSN role​.

Interprofessional course examining physiological changes associated with disease processes across the lifespan. Explores etiology, manifestations, and disease progression to support clinical decision-making and safe patient care. Seminar discussions focus on the nursing care related to the disease processes. ​​

Introduces the research process and evidence-based practice principles. Emphasizes research appraisal, clinical inquiry, and integration of evidence to improve patient outcomes.

​Focuses on the care of individuals experiencing mental health disorders. Explores therapeutic communication, crisis intervention, and holistic, recovery-oriented approaches. Clinical experiences emphasize advocacy, ethics, and population-focused care.

Introduces foundational nursing skills for safe and effective patient care. Focuses on application of clinical reasoning, communication, and safety concepts in diverse settings, emphasizing person-centered care, teamwork, and clinical judgment. (Requires approval to advance to upper division courses.)

​Examines the care needs of patients with common acute and chronic conditions. Students apply evidence-based interventions and clinical reasoning in lab and clinical environments emphasizing systems-based practice, health promotion, and safe care delivery. (Pre/Co-requisite: NURS 3501). ​

​Utilization of the nursing process for management of complex and multisystem health conditions, prioritization, interprofessional collaboration, and care coordination across various settings. ​

Examines foundational knowledge of genetics and genomics to inform safe, evidence-based nursing practice across the lifespan. Students apply genetic principles to patient assessment, risk identification, care planning, and education for a variety of populations.

Examines information and technology use in healthcare and nursing practice. Explores electronic health records, data analysis, clinical decision support, and patient-centered technologies portals, telehealth and mobile health apps.

Explores nursing practice in community and population health settings. Emphasis is placed on epidemiology, health promotion, risk reduction, vulnerable populations, cultural humility, advocacy, and public health policy.

​Applies principles of global health and systems management to professional nursing practice. Students explore interprofessional collaboration, resource allocation, and diverse healthcare systems, preparing them to address complex health challenges locally and internationally .

​Examines leadership and management principles in professional nursing practice. Examines systems-based care, quality improvement, resource allocation, delegation, and leadership roles in healthcare organizations.

​Prepares students to care for patients with critical and life-threatening conditions. Emphasizes advanced clinical judgment, prioritization, interprofessional teamwork, and systems thinking. ​

​Explores healthcare policy influence on nursing practice and population health. Examines advocacy strategies, health systems, and the role of nurses in shaping policy at local, state, and national levels.​

​Facilitates the professional transition from ADN to baccalaureate-prepared nursing practice through clinical activities and a culminating project. It broadens students' understanding of nursing scope, professionalism, and identity, emphasizing accountability and leadership within the BSN role. ​

Elective course offers an in-depth exploration of selected topics relevant to contemporary nursing practice, education, research, or leadership. Topics vary by semester (eg. emerging health issues, specialized clinical populations, innovative care models, evolving professional roles). Emphasizes critical thinking, evidence-based application, and professional growth. May be repeated once with a different topic for credit. Prerequisite: Matriculation to an upper-division nursing major or permission of the instructor.

​Explores nursing practice in community and population health settings. Emphasis is placed on epidemiology, health promotion, risk reduction, vulnerable populations, cultural humility, advocacy, and public health policy. Clinical experiences support assessment and intervention at the community level. ​

​Examines leadership and management principles in professional nursing practice. Examines systems-based care, quality improvement, resource allocation, delegation, and leadership roles in healthcare organizations. ​

​Examines the nursing care of women and children from prenatal development through late adolescence. This course will build on foundational knowledge to analyze the physiological, psychosocial, and developmental needs of patients and apply care strategies that are family-centered, and developmentally and culturally appropriate in various clinical settings. ​

​Synthesizes nursing knowledge and clinical skills through a culminating, immersive preceptorship. Students demonstrate readiness for practice by applying leadership, safety, and quality improvement concepts while emphasizing comprehensive NCLEX-RN preparation and facilitating the transition into the professional nursing role. ​