Go From BSN to MSN Online
Tuition & Fees: $16,405

The focus of this course for advanced practice nursing students is to apply concepts of pathophysiology from the cellular level to disease process for assessment of patients with a variety of conditions across clinical settings. The concepts and principles of normal physiology, pathophysiology, and genetics are emphasized. Current research is used to explore disruptions in normal physiological functioning. The impact of positive health behaviors on pathophysiology is addressed. A systems approach and psychophysiological interrelationships are used to analyze the disease processes and their causative factors. The course stresses critical thinking and decision-making in clinical settings based on these concepts.

The focus of this course for advanced practice nursing students is to expand theoretical and evidence-based knowledge and promote synthesis of pharmacotherapeutic concepts across the lifespan. The application of knowledge of pharmacological principles to prevent and/or treat specific conditions will be emphasized from a systems approach. Iatrogenic problems caused by the pharmacologic agents will be explored. Drug classifications, cost-effective drug therapy, management and monitoring of therapy including over the counter and herbal preparations and educating/counseling strategies will be included. Ethical, legal, cultural considerations and safety standards of pharmacotherapeutics will be discussed in relationship to the advanced practice nursing role. Legalities and regulations around prescription-writing privileges will be addressed, including standardized procedures and furnishing numbers. The course is also designed to meet the California BRN pharmacology course requirements for the NP to furnish drugs or devices pursuant to the business and professions code, Section 2836.1.

The focus of this course for advanced practice nursing students is to expand upon basic health assessment skills and includes strategies for history taking and for physical, functional, developmental, and psychosocial assessment that recognizes and includes normal individual, cultural, and developmental variations and pathophysiological changes across the lifespan. Comprehensive and focused data collection and physical examination strategies culminating in a differential diagnosis will be addressed. An overview of appropriate protocols for performing health screening, ordering, performing, and interpreting laboratory, radiographic, and other diagnostic data, as well as verbal case presentation, documentation and record keeping is included. Students will complete a full head to toe assessment.

This course will focus on curriculum development processes – planning, design, implementation and evaluation of curricula in nursing education and active teaching strategies to promote learner engagement and accountability in learner-centric settings. Essential components of a nursing curriculum will be analyzed by each student based on selection of one existing pre-licensure, CCNE-accredited BSN nursing program. U.S. trends in 21st Century higher education and the impact of national nursing and regional accreditation bodies on nursing education will be explored. Construction of an in-depth, faculty-approved lesson plan with the inclusion of SMART learning objectives for a select group of patients, nursing staff or students in an academic setting will be required, implemented in a brief teaching session and learning outcomes evaluated by each student. Students will develop a personal professional teaching philosophy which includes preferences for contemporary adult learning theory, Watson's Caring Science philosophy applied to the practice of teaching adult learners and preferred active teaching-learning strategies. Current and emerging educational instructional technologies adapted for use in nursing education will be presented, ie, varied learning platforms, online technologies, multimedia; interactive software, telehealth, simulation learning online, in clinical and lab settings and in traditional academic settings.

This course examines the principles and practices used for assessment of learning in nursing education and evaluation of learning outcomes. Students will develop expertise in writing learning objectives and constructing a variety of commonly used testing formats. Students will develop expertise in interpretation of item analysis for the improvement of educational outcomes. Assessment of learning and learning outcomes in classroom, skills lab, clinical and online settings will be explored.

A total of 100 hours of clinical practice time is required in the teaching residency which affords the student decision-making opportunities in the specialist nurse educator role through the application of adult educational theories, evidence-based educational concepts and active teaching strategies for learners in a healthcare or academic setting. The specialist nurse educator role will be analyzed and applied in collaboration with a master's or doctoral prepared nurse preceptor with experience teaching students or staff or patients in an academic or other healthcare specialty clinical setting. Evidence-based educational strategies will be developed into a comprehensive teaching-learning plan to engage learners in active learning, implemented, and learning outcomes evaluated. Clinical teaching residency evaluations will be performed by preceptors using evaluation rubrics and outcomes evaluated by course faculty. Clinical residency hours and activities will be entered online by students weekly into Project Concert, monitored and evaluated weekly by course faculty.