Curriculum

This is a 46 credit graduate program with one innovative capstone project. It is designed for part-time attendance by working nurses.

Core Courses (18 Credits)
INFO 526	Information, Innovation & Technology in Advanced Nursing Practice	3.00 credits
NURS 500	Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments	3.00 credits
NURS 502	Advanced Ethical Decision Making in Health Care	3.00 credits
NURS 527	Evidence Based Approaches to Practice	3.00 credits
RSCH 519	Introduction to Biostatistics	3.00 credits
RSCH 523	Methods for Health Research	3.00 credits

Support Courses (1 Credit)
NURS 669	Professional Seminar for Advance Practice Nurses	1.00 credits

Major Courses (18 Credits)
NURS 586	Innovation in Advanced Nursing Practice: Theory and Application	3.00 credits
NURS 587	Case Studies in Intra/Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Nursing	3.00 credits
NURS 588	The Nurse as Intra/Entrepreneur and Consultant	3.00 credits
NURS 636	Capstone Project I	3.00 credits
NURS 637	Capstone Project II	3.00 credits
NURS 638	Capstone Project III	3.00 credits

Electives (9 Credits)

Course Descriptions

INFO 526 Information, Innovation & Technology in Advanced Nursing Practice - 3.00 credits

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 ANA Informatics Competencies) will be incorporated throughout the course. Content is directed toward assisting the student in understanding the relationship between patient care and complex information and data issues involved in clinical practice.

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NURS 500 Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments - 3.00 credits

Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments examines Health care policy and policies 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 - 3.00 credits

This is a course for masters 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 perspectives and depths in an effort to more broadly and more profoundly address the moral difficulties that the advanced practice practitioner in an interdisciplinary environment is likely to encounter.

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NURS 527 Evidence Based Approaches to Practice - 3.00 credits

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 searches 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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RSCH 519 Introduction to Biostatistics - 3.00 credits

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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RSCH 523 Methods for Health Research - 3.00 credits

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 searches 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. When feasible, concepts and problems are addressed by students in interdisciplinary teams. Through evaluation of published research in an interdisciplinary context, the skills of evidence-based practice are developed.

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NURS 669 Professional Seminar for Advance Practice Nurses - 1.00 credits

This required course is the application and integration of the role and competencies of the MSN prepared nurse with advanced nursing knowledge who will seek employment in a diversity of advanced practice roles. The roles of the MSN graduate as clinician, educator, researcher, expert, and leader are presented and explored. Interpretation and application, professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal issues and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored.

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NURS 586 Innovation in Advanced Nursing Practice: Theory and Application - 3.00 credits

Explores the theoretical literature from diverse disciplines on how innovations are conceived and implemented, particularly in nursing practice, and how such innovations run their course and spawn other innovations. Professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal issues and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored.

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NURS 587 Case Studies in Intra/Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Nursing - 3.00 credits

Using a case study model of great and bad ideas in nursing practice, education, and administration, students will explore some of the intra/entrepreneurial experiments, innovations and creative ventures in nursing, including both successes and failures. Professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal issues and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored.

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NURS 588 The Nurse as Intra/Entrepreneur and Consultant - 3.00 credits

Using a business development model, each individual will create a business plan from vision, through action plan, to opening day. Researcher, expert and leader are presented and explored. Interpretation and application, professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal issues and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored.

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NURS 636 Capstone Project I - 3.00 credits

The first of a 3 course sequence where under the direction of a nursing faculty mentor with direct expertise in the student's planned project, students will spend 3 quarters developing and producing a capstone project. Researcher, expert and leader are presented and explored. Interpretation and application, professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored.

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NURS 637 Capstone Project II - 3.00 credits

The second of a 3 course sequence where under the direction of a nursing faculty mentor with direct expertise in the student's planned project, students will spend 3 quarters developing and producing a capstone project. Researcher, expert and leader are presented and explored. Interpretation and application, professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored.

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NURS 638 Capstone Project III - 3.00 credits

The third and final course sequence where under the direction of a nursing faculty mentor with direct expertise in the student's planned project, students will spend 3 quarters developing and producing a capstone project. Researcher, expert and leader are presented and explored. Interpretation and application, professional issues, practice issues, legislative issues, certification issues, insurance issues, legal and ethical conflict resolution in advanced nursing practice are explored.

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