MSN Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Curriculum

This is a 55 credit graduate program designed for nurse practitioners.

Course Descriptions

NURS 500— Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments 

Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments examines Health care policy and politics in terms of contemporary issues related to advanced practice nursing, health care access, quality, and cost. The focus of this course is the critical analysis of health policy and legal issues.

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NURS 502 — Advanced Ethical Decision Making in Health Care 

This is a course for master’s students who have already had some experience in ethical decision making, both academically in the classroom and in practice. This course will take an interdisciplinary focus, as ethical decision making at this level rarely ever is the decision of a single discipline. A variety of ethical topics will be analyzed from various perspective and depths in an effort to more broadly and more profoundly address the moral difficulties the advance practice practitioner in an interdisciplinary environment is likely to encounter.

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NURS 519 — Intro to Biostatistics 

This is an introductory course which focuses on the fundamentals of biostatistics for health sciences graduate students. Excel-based and SPSS assignments will be used to supplement the content.

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NURS 523 — Methods for Health Research 

The course is designed to provide professional graduate students with the skills necessary to evaluate the relationship between practice and published research. The course content includes an overview of research concepts, ethics in research, literature searching and reviews, quantitative and qualitative research methods and designs, and data collection, analysis, and interpretation techniques. An interdisciplinary team of faculty teaches the course using a problem solving approach.

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NURS 526 — Information, Innovation and Technology in Advanced Nursing Practice 

This course is designed to provide an in-depth introduction to information systems and technologies that support practice and improve patient care and outcomes. Development of information management and technology skills (which meet the ANA Informatics Competencies) will be incorporated through out the course. Content is directed toward assisting the student in understand the relationships between patient care and complex information and data issues involved in clinical practice. Students will learn to use tools and strategies for building and managing information system components that require knowledge of informatics issues, standards, and relevant theories as well as evidence-based quality improvement strategies. This course also examines informatics issues within complex healthcare systems including organizational, professional, policy, ethical, social, cultural, economic, and legal factors.

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NURS 527 — Evidenced Based Approaches to Practice 

This course focuses on using research to guide evidence-based practice. Communication, collaboration, and decision making skills from a multidisciplinary approach essential to collect, evaluate, and apply research to practice will be emphasized. During this course the student will learn to (1) conduct efficient, thorough searching of the research literature; (2) evaluate the quality of a body of research through an appraisal of design, methodology, and data analysis; (3) summarize the findings from an overall body of research; and (4) apply research evidence to issues of current nursing practice.

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NURS 548 — Advanced Pathophysiology 

Building on a foundation of normal physiology, students are exposed to the major disturbances of normal function and the basic mechanisms involved in disease of the major organ systems. The course includes discussion of the general aspects of the common human pathophysiological conditions and syndromes.

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NURS 549 — Advanced Pharmacology 

This course is designed to build on prior pharmacologic study of actions and effects of drugs on the human system across the life span. Students will study pharmacologic mechanisms of action, effects on organ systems, routes of administration, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic uses, considerations related to age and physiologic state, adverse reactions, contraindications, and drug interactions.

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NURS 550 — Advanced Physical Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning 

This course is designed to introduce the experienced clinical nurse to advanced clinical history taking and physical assessment for adult and pediatric patients. Course content focuses on concepts, theory and practice obtaining comprehensive health histories for patients of all ages and states of health. The Residency Week at the beginning of the practicum courses allows students to finish the Advanced Physical Assessment Course on Campus. Students take the final Advance Physical Assessment examination on campus.  There is supervised lab time for instruction and practice prior to students re-demonstrating a graded Pass/Fail head to toe physical examination.  In addition, students utilize the newly built state of the art Standardized Patient Lab to participate in a non-graded Standardized Patient Experience. This digitally taped experience allows students retrieve the encounter for self-review and for review with faculty while on campus.

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NURS 554 — Pharmacology for Acute Care Nurse Practitioners 

This course is designed prepare the Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner student for the safe managing and prescribing of therapeutics. Students will study pharmacologic mechanisms of action, effects on organ systems, routes of administration, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic uses, and considerations related to physiologic state, adverse reactions, contraindications, and drug interactions. Case studies will be used to aid students in the transition from course work to clinical practice. In addition, students will analyze the scope of legal and professional responsibilities related to pharmacology the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner role. This course will also highlight the impact of clinical trial outcomes, evidence based practice, and new drug evolution on prescribing medications for Acute Care problems.

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NURS 664 — Professional Seminar for Nurse Practitioners 

This required course is the application and integration of the role and competencies of the nurse practitioner. The roles of the nurse practitioner as clinician, educator, researcher, expert, and leader are presented and explored. Interpretation and application of professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal issues, and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored, and integrated into a model for interdisciplinary collaborative practice. Emphasis will be on preparing the graduating nurse practitioner for practice and this course will include both an exit comprehensive practicum (the Standardized Patient) and comprehensive didactic exam. Track specific board certification review and testing will be conducted. Finally, all MSN graduates must establish competency in oral and written communication skills as a graduation outcome.

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NURS 570 — Adult Acute Care NP I: Role and Scope of Practice 

This course is designed to capture the essence of the role of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in comprehensive, complex environments. Professional issues related to the scope of practice for integrating into a complex system are explored. Students prepare for entry into a high intensity system by understanding the interdisciplinary facets of acute care. By utilizing an evidence-based approach, students learn how to interpret the evidence from disease in order to manage care in a collaborative interdisciplinary environment. Students develop strategies to manage care of diverse populations across the continuum of complex health care settings. Clinical practicum is required concurrently where students manage clients under the supervision of preceptors and faculty.

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NURS 571 — Adult Acute Care NP II: Management and Care of Clients in Medical Settings 

This course is designed to introduce students to the practice of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in managing the medical problems in the complex acute, critical, and chronically ill clients who are hospitalized. Course content focuses on the integration and synthesis of core and support course content to assess, diagnose, and manage patients. Current research and technology related to disease management and restoration of health are included. Students will collaborate with health care providers to develop a collaborative multidisciplinary medically oriented approach to the care of adult clients in complex settings. Clinical practicum is required concurrently where students manage clients under the supervision of preceptors and faculty.

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NURS 572 — Adult Acute Care NP III: Management and Care of Clients in Surgical Settings 

This course is designed to introduce students to the practice of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in managing the surgical problems in the complex acute, critical, and chronically ill clients who are hospitalized. Course content focuses on the integration and synthesis of core and support course content to assess, diagnose, and manage patients. Current research and technology related to disease management and restoration of health are included. Students will collaborate with health care providers to develop a collaborative multidisciplinary medically oriented approach to the care of adult clients in complex settings. Clinical practicum is required concurrently where students manage clients under the supervision of preceptors and faculty.

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NURS 573 — Adult Acute Care NP IV: Management and Care of Clients in Critical Care Settings 

This course is designed to introduce students to the practice of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in managing problems in complex critically ill clients who are hospitalized. Course content focuses on the integration and synthesis of core, support and practicum course content to assess, diagnose, and manage patients. Current research and technology related to disease management and restoration of health are included. Students will collaborate with health care providers to develop a collaborative multidisciplinary medically oriented approach to the care of adult clients in complex critical care settings. Clinical practicum is required concurrently where students manage clients under the supervision of preceptors and faculty.

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