Online ADN to MSN

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

Pathophysiology* | 3 hours (test-out option)

Pharmacology* | 3 hours (test-out option)

Physical Assessment* | 3 hours(test-out option)

Nursing of Communities with Practicum | 4 hours

The theory portion 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 health care 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.

The practicum portion 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, community assessment and evaluation, 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.

Research and Evidence-Based Practice | 3 hours

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.

Leadership & Management with Practicum | 4 hours

This course provides an overview of leadership and management theories and current issues impacting health care 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. Experiences are designed to help the student portray professional values, display accountability, and explore opportunities for involvement in lifelong learning and professional service. Clinical experiences will include management of patient care technologies and information management systems when delivering care across the health care continuum.

Transition to Graduate Studies | 2 hours

This course is required before enrolling in the graduate-level courses and 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 number of papers on nursing theory and a final paper on a topic of interest.