500

This course examines healthcare systems at the global, national, state, and organizational levels. It provides a systems and complexity science theoretical framework for evaluating the impact of policy, politics, finance, economics, and other influences on healthcare delivery. Students discuss strategies that inform and influence healthcare policy decision making.

The course examines the nature of knowledge acquisition, process of concept analysis, and development of models and theories relevant to advanced nursing practice. The relationship between theory, research, evidence, and clinical judgment in advanced nursing practice is explored. This course also provides the opportunity to identify appropriate research studies, utilizing the library databases, and critically appraise the studies for use in evidence-based practice.

This course addresses the essential concepts and skills required for reading, communicating, interpreting, and applying statistical methods in healthcare.  Various methods are reviewed with emphasis on statistical application for the critical assessment of data.  The use of statistics and the associated values of meaning and significance for appropriate and informed decision making are major underpinnings for the course.  Ethical issues that may arise in the application of statistical techniques are explored.

This course focuses on the development of a research proposal for evidence-based practice in healthcare settings.  This process includes: retrieval and critical appraisal of evidence and development of a research proposal for improving healthcare outcomes.  Content also includes the Institutional Review Board process and the ethical principles for conducting research.

This course provides students with an advanced nursing perspective in the provision of population based care.  Consideration is given to an evaluation of human and cultural diversity across the health-illness continuum.  Emphasis is placed on utilizing evidence-based strategies to provide health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, and disease management for diverse populations.  Databases related to population health are evaluated.

This course addresses the advanced study of technology and informatics relevant to nurse leaders.  The course includes the management and transformation of health data into information and knowledge to improve health outcomes such as safety, quality, and cost.  The focus is on healthcare information systems that assist healthcare providers to process, manage, and analyze data for decision-making and outcome measurement.  Key informatics concepts and models as well as current legal and policy issues are discussed.  Current research and applications of informatics and technology as fundamental tools for evidence-based practice, education, and quality improvement are emphasized.

This course builds on the student's knowledge of pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment in preparation for the role of nurse educator and school nurse. Content focuses on a systems approach to holistic nursing practice through integrated conceptual learning.  Students must demonstrate advanced competencies in physical assessment.

This course introduces the student to the field of educational theory in a nursing and health education environment. The scholarship of teaching model provides a framework for exploring theories of learning, motivation, instruction, and teaching. Selected theoretical perspectives are explored to facilitate development of a philosophy of nursing education to serve as a base for the emerging expertise of the future nurse educator.

This course facilitates a comprehensive exploration of the principles of nursing curriculum development and evaluation in both academic and clinical settings. Current issues related to the nursing education programs are emphasized. Students engage in analysis and comparison of a broad spectrum of nursing education programs and the governing organizations that provide structure to curriculum design. Critical review of nursing education mission and philosophy statements, program outcomes, and course paradigms provide a framework for groups to design a sample academic nursing curriculum and continuing education activity. The importance of faculty development as a core process of curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation is examined. This course provides a foundation for the Nurse Educator skills necessary in the Role Transition (NURS 54700) and Scholarly Practicum courses (NURS 57600 and NURS 57700).

This course explores, analyzes and evaluates teaching strategies as applied to various populations, with emphasis on diversity in learning styles and the adult learner. Students select appropriate teaching strategies for traditional, online, and clinical instruction. Evaluation models related to the measurement of outcomes in classroom and clinical instruction are examined. Multimedia resources and distance learning techniques are integrated into micro teaching opportunities to assist the student to develop and refine personal teaching techniques.

This course provides role transition experiences for the nurse educator student. Emphasis is on immersion into the multidimensional role of the nurse educator in the clinical community or the academic role setting (75 clock hours) and advanced direct care clinical practice to integrate new learning and expand clinical expertise (75 clock hours).

This course focuses upon leadership strategies for administration and nursing practice in healthcare systems. Emphasis is placed upon professional nurse leader development, application of critical knowledge of healthcare leadership principles, strategic human resource management, strategic planning and management. Knowledge from nursing administration, leadership, human resource management, strategic management, legal, ethical, fiscal integrity, and safety principles are integrated into the learning resources and assignments for this course.

This course provides an overview of the microsystem, mesosystem, and macrosystem levels of healthcare organizations from the perspectives of organization theory, organization development, and organization behavior. Modern and current organization theories, especially complex adaptive systems (CAS) and complexity/chaos theories are explored in relation to the issues facing healthcare organizations today. Information on organizational structure, design, culture and behavior, strategy and change, leadership, individual and group motivation, power and politics, impact of technology, and environmental influences are integrated to create a holistic understanding of what organizations currently face in the dynamic healthcare arena.

This course addresses the essential principles and practices necessary for managing quality and patient safety issues in healthcare organizations. Course content includes core quality improvement principles and methods, project management processes, development and use of measures for improvement, and patient safety management. Global and national approaches to quality and patient safety are explored in the context of quality management.

This course provides a business skills framework for analyzing financial processes within the healthcare system to inform ethical decisions about health care delivery. It builds on the basic principles of accounting and economics. This course will also examine how financial and economic issues impact the healthcare system and organization at all levels (micro, meso, and macro).

This course provides candidates with the theories and content of the specialty of school nursing and the safe, evidenced-based care of children in educational settings.  The focus is on the legal and organizational aspects of the public schools, the coordination of the school health program, the nurse’s role in the special education process, the role of the school nurse as an advocate for children, families, and members of the school community, and as a health educator.

This 16-week supervised intern experience provides opportunities to integrate and apply the theory from previous nursing and education courses to the practice of school nursing in public schools, community facilities, and clinics.  The school nurse intern will complete health assessment and medical review of students to identify how health impacts learning and academic success and will plan interventions and accommodations to promote optimal learning.  The school nurse intern will plan and prepare health education lessons for teaching in public school classrooms. This course will also allow opportunity to learn from a variety of school nurses as they implement the standards of school nursing. (300 clock hours of practicum)

A capstone course to integrate concepts and principles learned throughout the graduate curriculum and apply them to nursing practice in a school setting. Candidates design and implement a scholarly project to provide leadership in their school districts in the development, implementation, maintenance, and evaluation of high quality and workable policy recommendations or other school health areas as identified by assessment of the needs of the district. This course will assist the candidate in making a transition to the leadership role of the school nurse. (150 clock hours of practicum)

This course begins the process of project development for the Nursing Education Capstone Project.  Students synthesize knowledge from the MSN core courses and NE specialty track courses to plan and design a proposal for their capstone project, which will be implemented and evaluated in NURS 57700.  Students begin accumulating practicum hours in this course.

This course requires implementation and evaluation of the capstone project designed in NURS 59300 and culminates in professional project presentations to stakeholders and at the Lewis University colloquium. Students will continue to accrue hours for a total of a minimum of 250 practicum hours.

This course provides an overview of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) roles including the historical and current practice issues relevant to APN practice.  There is an emphasis on understanding the leadership role, organization of health care delivery systems, and regulatory and reimbursement issues.

This course begins the process of developing projects for NURS 59600 Healthcare Systems Leadership Capstone Project. Students synthesize knowledge from MSN core courses and HSL specialty track courses to design the framework of a capstone project that is executed in the final course of the MSN HSL program.

The capstone project is a field experience that synthesizes and applies the essential knowledge for a Master of Science in Nursing. The project demonstrates the Lewis University MSN objectives and advances the mission of Lewis University by integrating thoughtfully organized service learning. (300 clock hours of practicum)