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NU 500 Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Practice (3) Offered on campus: Summer. Students acquire a foundational knowledge of the factors and issues influencing the development of theory in nursing and the resulting influence on nursing practice. In addition, students examine the theoretical terminology and evaluation criteria for theory relevance and participate in discussions regarding the interdependence between theory, practice, and research.
NU 510 Advanced Nursing Roles and Trends (3) Offered on campus: Fall. Students explore the current components and variations of the advanced practice role as well as the evolving roles of the professional nurse and trends in career and educational development and current legislation and professional ethics.
NU 514 Pharmacology for Advanced Practice (3) Offered on campus: Spring. This course equips the graduate nurse with advanced clinical pharmacological principles to manage drug therapy for clients across the life span. Emphasis is placed on drugs and drug classifications commonly prescribed in primary and other health care settings including pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, side effects, potential adverse reactions, contraindications, and interactions. Graduate nurses will discuss the importance of appropriate patient education as part of safe medication administration and will synthesize current research related to the clinical application of advanced pharmacotherapeutics.
NU 515 Advanced Health Assessment (3) Offered on campus: Fall. The student will develop enhanced skills in interviewing, communication, physical assessment, and critical thinking to provide effective health care. Refinement of advanced assessment skills, collection of data, and documentation of the findings will be emphasized. The student will integrate knowledge and skills in the lab setting through the completion of a comprehensive health assessment. 2 hours lecture; 3 hours lab experience.
NU 520 Advanced Clinical Nursing Practicum (3) Offered on campus: Spring. Under the guidance of a faculty member and qualified preceptors, students will gain experience in a variety of clinical settings to enhance their clinical and teaching skills and competencies. Students will achieve advanced leadership and decision-making skills for teaching and mentoring other members of the healthcare team. The student will learn to apply evidence-based knowledge in coordinating and evaluating the delivery of care. 9 hours clinical experience.
NU 526 Advanced Pathophysiology (3) Offered on campus: Fall. This course is designed to provide an understanding of pathophysiologic alterations in clients across the life span. This will be accomplished by building upon the student’s existing knowledge foundation regarding anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Risk factors, manifestations, and prevalence are presented for disease processes affecting all body systems. Emphasis will be placed on utilization of critical thinking to apply principles in advanced practice roles.
NU 546 Curriculum Development in Nursing (3) Offered on campus: Summer. Students will examine the philosophy, content, and structure, as well as the scope and sequence of curriculum for each nursing discipline. The focus of study will be on the examination of a traditional theory of curriculum development for undergraduate nursing education as well as the role the Board of Nursing plays in establishing a nursing program.
NU 547 Testing and Evaluation (3) Offered on campus: Summer. Students will explore the principles and use of testing and evaluation as an appraisal of learning. Emphasis will be given to the development of formal and informal measurement tools for nursing education in classroom and clinical settings to assess and evaluate teaching practices, student learning, and program effectiveness.
NU 601 Advanced Nursing Research (3) Offered on campus: Summer. The student will thoroughly examine and apply the research process to the critique of current research literature in the student’s area of interest. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of using evidence-based practice in health care. The student will learn decision-making strategies for all aspects of the research process while beginning to develop a research proposal.
NU 610 Nursing Research Project I (1) Offered on campus: Fall. Prereq.: NU 601. Under the supervision of advisory faculty, the student will begin development of a thorough, original research project.
NU 611 Nursing Research Project II (2) Offered on campus: Spring. Prereq.: NU 610. Under the supervision of advisory faculty, the student will complete a thorough, original research project.
NU 650 Professional Development and Leadership (3) Offered on campus: Fall. Students will develop and evaluate principles of leadership from a biblical worldview for healthcare and educational environments. Attention will be given to critical thinking skills, communication, decision-making, team collaboration, and evaluation.
NU 652 Nursing Education Practicum (3) Offered on campus: Spring. Prereq.: NU 650. Students implement nursing skills and principles for teaching nursing content in classroom and clinical settings. Attention is given to the process of teaching critical thinking skills, decision making, and performance evaluation. Students will obtain practical experience in teaching theory and clinicals on an undergraduate level. 9 hours clinical experience.