Online ADN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing

*You may transfer credit for these courses if they were freestanding courses.

The Higher Learning Commission requires 30 credit hours taken at Baker University to earn a bachelor’s degree. Our ADN to BSN program offers special topics courses to meet this requirement.

NU 401 Pathophysiology*
This course examines alterations in physiological functions and adaptations that occur throughout the healthcare continuum by building on basic anatomy and physiology knowledge. Understanding the pathophysiology of common disease processes is an important component in conducting theory-based assessments to make beginning clinical judgments. Health promotion and disease prevention behaviors are integrated into discussions of risk factors for diseases. Content within the course focuses genetic and genomic influences on health.

NU 402 Physical Assessment*
This course provides students with theory-based assessment as the foundation to make beginning clinical judgments. Emphasis is placed on the interview process and recognition of expected findings for history and physical examination of each system. Developmental and cultural variations related to health assessment are included. Health promotion and disease prevention and injury prevention are integrated throughout the lifespan. The virtual lab session provides the student with skills needed to perform and document a systematic health assessment of a well client. The student practices history taking and physical exam skills. The course culminates with the performance and documentation of a head-to-toe assessment.

NU 404 Pharmacology*
This course provides students with a knowledge base of various drug classifications and their nursing implications. Resources, including pharmacogenetics and technology, are emphasized to enhance students’ ability to provide safe, therapeutic, evidence-based care in clinical settings.

NU 426 Library Research Strategies
This course provides students with an immersive experience in utilizing library resources including nursing databases, journals, and e-books. Emphasis is placed on using library resources to brainstorm topic ideas, using limiters to expand search criteria in databases, and the ability to find evidence to support future research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement projects. Appropriate citation of references in professional writing will be discussed as well.

NU 428 Informatics, Quality and Safety
This course provides students with the concepts of quality and safety improvements in an effort to evaluate health and practice outcomes. Focus on the theoretical perspectives of quality and patient safety factors while exploring the strengths and weaknesses of selected methodology approaches. National initiatives, current use of information systems, and projected future directions on the use of information systems in healthcare for patient care.

NU 430 Nursing of Communities
The course explores nursing practice as it addresses the needs of individuals, families, and groups in the community, as well as the conditions that influence the health of populations and global communities. Students will develop an understanding of how community-based nursing is influenced by systems for healthcare delivery, policies and political advocacy, transitional care/case management, and vulnerable populations. Students will have the opportunity to explore and apply concepts from community assessment, epidemiology, public health promotion, disease and injury prevention, environmental health and disaster management to make complex and critical clinical judgments.

NU 432 Research and Evidence-Based Practice
This course provides an introduction to the field of nursing research including relevant terminology, processes and techniques. Evidence-based practice is presented alongside concepts central to nursing research. Effective techniques for a literature search are emphasized. A major focus of the course is to develop the analytic skills needed to read research reports. An introduction to quantitative and qualitative research methods is presented, along with information on measurement, hypothesis testing, sampling and study design. Data collection and data analysis are also included and students are introduced to SPSS software for data analysis. Ethical implications of research involving human subjects are discussed.

NU 474 Leadership and Management in Professional Nursing
This course provides an overview of leadership and management theories and current issues impacting healthcare in diverse settings. Topics focus on developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to fiscal accountability, the regulatory environment, human resource issues, and creating healthy work environments. Assignments are designed to assist the student to portray professional values, display accountability and explore opportunities for involvement in lifelong learning and professional service.

NU 488 Transition to Professional Practice
This course is required for graduation in order to assure preparation for future graduate study or professional practice. It is designed to facilitate the transition to advanced studies and application of knowledge about current health-care issues. The students will demonstrate the ability to write professionally a paper on nursing theory and a final paper on a topic of interest.

NU 489 Leadership Capstone
The practicum examines the clinical application of principles of professional nursing practice, incorporating the roles of provider of care, designer/manager/coordinator of care, and member of a profession in adult acute care, medical and surgical settings and community settings across the health care continuum. This course includes opportunities for the student to conduct comprehensive and focused assessments using a holistic approach in the provision of evidenced based care; make complex critical clinical judgments of persons with complex health alterations; collaborate with communities as clients; and integrate leadership principles to transition to the role of the professional nurse. The student will complete client teaching on health and wellness, evaluation learning outcomes, and case management both within urban and rural settings. Experiences are designed to assist the student to portray professional values, display accountability and explore opportunities for involvement in lifelong learning and professional and community service. Clinical experiences will include management of patient care technologies and information management systems when delivering care across the health care continuum.

NU 409 Statistics for Nurses
An introduction to the basic principles of statistics. Major topics include graphic, numeric, and algebraic summaries of data (graphs, measures of central tendency and spread, correlation and regression); elementary principles of sampling and experimental design; elementary probability; normal distributions and the central limit theorem; confidence intervals; and tests of significance. 

NU 458 Fundamentals in Oncology, Palliative Medicine, and Hospice
The course will explore oncology nursing, palliative medicine, and hospice as specialty areas of nursing practice. Throughout this course students will explore concepts, theory, and evidence-based practice that influences the care of the patient within these specialty areas. Safe handling of chemotherapy agents and oncologic emergencies, along with the nurse’s role in providing safe patient care is explained. 

NU 452 Exploration of Intensive Care Nursing as a Specialty
The course exposes students to a broad array of intensive care specialties while exploring important issues experienced by nurses in these settings. Students will gain an understanding of the history of the intensive care setting, the nurses’ role, and necessary attributes needed to become a successful critical care nurse. Throughout the course, students will learn different career pathways, credentials, and certifications they can gain by being a critical care nurse. 

NU 453 Nurses and the Media, Literary, Visual and Creative Arts
The course will explore how health care issues and nursing are portrayed in the media, visual and creative arts, and how this impacts nursing practice and the profession of nursing. 

NU 454 Nursing Care of Elders
The course will expand knowledge of elder care based on the core competencies for gerontological nursing set forth by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing/Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing. The values of compassionate, culturally sensitive, individualized care to elders are emphasized. 

NU 420 Cannabis Knowledge for Healthcare Professionals
The course will explore how healthcare professionals can offer competent, safe care to individuals who use cannabis and to understand how cannabis impacts nursing practice and the profession of nursing. 

NU 456 Exploring Qualitative Research
This course will provide a more in depth look at the theory and methods of qualitative research. Students will be exposed to various qualitative research methods from data collection, analysis, to presentation. Students will explore ethical issues related to qualitative research and how qualitative research is used to improve patient outcomes and clinical practice. 

NU 457 Nursing Care for Young Adults Living with Diabetes and Comorbidities
The course will expand knowledge of diabetes management for young adults living with diabetes based on Standards of Care published annually by the American Diabetes Association. Students apply the evidence-based practice guidelines to clinical practice for care management and diabetes self-care education and focus on enabling clients to meet diabetes self-management target and improve health outcomes. 

NU499 Independent Study
Independent studies are available in limited number to qualified degree-seeking students. Students wishing to enroll in an independent study course need to have a nursing GPA of 3.0 or above. Students interested in pursuing an independent study course must contact the faculty member to discuss the focus of the course. The Assistant/Associate Dean and the faulty member to whom the course is assigned must approve independent study projects. The approval process assures compliance with the degree plans, academic credibility and GPA. The student, in collaboration with the faculty, providing title, objectives, procedure and methods, evaluation criteria and list of resources, must prepare a statement. Courses cannot be retaken as an independent study course. Theory-related courses will be assigned a letter grade, and clinically focused courses will be assigned a P/F. Once the independent study is approved, registration must be completed before the registration deadline, and tuition must be paid along with other fees.