Nursing - NURS

Note: The numbers following the course title indicate the credit hours, theory hours and clinical/lab hours respectively. Clinical/lab hour are calculated as one semester credit for each three contact hours.

2002 -  Introduction to Professional Nursing - 2, 2, 0
Provides an overview of the profession of nursing in the United States from historical to contemporary perspectives.  The student is introduced to the concepts and theories underlying professional practice with a focus upon role expectations and behaviors in accordance of professional nursing organizations, including the American Association of Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.  The student is familiarized to the philosophy and program objectives of the Lindsey Wilson College Division of Nursing.  Prerequisite:  Admission to the Nursing Program.

2013 - Health Assessment - 3, 2, 3  
Prepares the student to conduct a comprehensive, holistic assessment of individuals across the lifespan within a cultural context.  The communication process is underlined in the course.  Emphasis is upon the collection processing, and interpretation of interview and physical examination data.  The nursing process as the organizing framework for nursing practice and the role of the nurse as provider of care is explored, with introduction to NANDA and Gordon's Functional Health Patterns.  Opportunities are provide to apply concepts and skills with clients in the clinical laboratory.  Prerequisite: Admission to the Nursing program.

2024 - Foundations of Professional Practice - 4, 2, 6
Builds upon concepts and skills presented in NSG 200 and NSG 201.  The course introduces theoretical and research based concepts, principles, and skills basic to beginning professional nurse practice.  Emphasis is upon the utilization of the nursing process, critical thinking, and decision-making in the coordination of care to achieve an optimum level of functioning for the client.  The student is introduced to psychomotor activities for basic care of the simulated client in the laboratory.  Clinical experiences in community and long-term care settings provide opportunities for application of theory to practice and development of skill and proficiency with clinically stable clients with minor health deviations.  Prerequisites:  NURS 2002, NURS 2013.

3013 - Pharmacology - 3, 3, 0
Presentation of the principles of pharmacotherapeutics applicable to professional nursing practice.  Emphasis is upon the nurse's collaborative role and responsibilities related to safe medication administration utilizing the nursing process.  Focus is placed upon understanding the physiological actions of drugs, expected client responses, most common and major adverse effects, contraindications, and implications for nursing.  Drug dose computation is included in the course.  Prerequisites:  Completion of 2000 level nursing courses; Co-requisite: NURS 3105.

3105  - Adult Health Nursing I - 5, 3, 6
Builds upon previous learning and provides students with theory and research pertinent to adult health problems and their collaborative management.  Emphasis is upon the delivery of client-centered, culturally-sensitive nursing care to adults with acute and chronic alterations in health.  Learning experiences provide the opportunity for the student to continue to develop proficiency in the six interrelated nursing roles of advocate, clinician, collaborator/coordinator, educator, leader, and researcher.  Risk reduction, recover, and rehabilitation of clients with selected disease processes are addressed with application of concepts and skills using advanced technology in clinical settings.  Prerequisites:  Completion of 200 level nursing courses; Co-requisites: NUTR 3003, NURS 3013, NURS 3203.

3203 - Pathophysiology - 3, 3, 0
Facilitates the transfer of knowledge from the basic sciences to diseases encountered in clinical practice.  The nursing process is utilized as the basis for examining clients with alterations in physiological processes that disrupt or impair health and the body's response to illness and disease.  Progressing from general concepts relevant to altered conditions, the course examines disease processes encompassing all body systems, with emphasis upon community encountered disease that have high incidence of occurrence.  Disease etiology, incidence/prevalence, risk factors, clinical manifestations including laboratory values and treatments are examined.  Prerequisite: NURS 2013; Co-requisite: NURS 3105.

3304 - Maternal/Newborn/Family Centered Nursing - 4, 3, 6
Provides the student with nursing theory and evidence-based practice principles needed to recognized and promote health during pregnancy and childbirth.  Focus is upon pregnancy and childbirth as natural processes, as well as identification and care of high-risk recipients of nursing care.  The nursing process provides the direction to promote, maintain, and restore health ford childbearing families within cultural context.  Clinical practice takes place in a variant of settings to allow for learning experiences that will further expand competencies in the six interrelated roles of professional nursing.  Prerequisites: NURS 2013, 3013, 3105, 3203; NUTR 3003:  Co-requisite: NURS 3355.

3354  - Pediatric/Family Centered Nursing - 4, 3, 6
Assists students in meeting the health care needs of children and their families experiencing potential and actual alterations in health.  Course content includes care of the child from infancy to adolescent years, with emphasis upon health promotion, disease prevention, and illness management.  Learning experiences provide the opportunity for students to develop proficiency in the six interrelated nursing roles while caring for children in a variety of clinical settings.  Prerequisites: NURS 2002, 3013, 3105, NUTR 2103; Co-requisite:  NURS 3305.

4003 - Nursing Research - 3, 3, 0
Assists the student in developing and strengthening concepts of the professional nurse as a researcher and evidence-based decision maker.  Emphasis will be placed upon the nurse as a consumer of research, with students critiquing the research that contributes to the development of nursing theory and improvement of practice.  The course includes all components of the research process in the study of quantitative and qualitative approaches.  Prerequisites:  PSYC 1023; All 3000 level nursing courses or permission of faculty.

4105 - Mental Health Nursing - 5, 5, 6
Prepares the student to provide culturally competent nursing care to individuals across the lifespan experiencing acute and chronic mental/behavioral health problems.  Students examine theoretical and research findings as well as issues and trends affecting the planning and delivery of nursing scare of persons with common mental disorders or mental health needs.  Utilizing the nursing process as framework for providing and managing nursing care, the course emphasis is upon the enhancement of critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, and interpersonal skills in the coordination of care for the client experiencing alterations in mental/behavioral functioning.  Learning experiences for this course are designed to further enhance proficiency in the six nursing roles.  Prerequisites:  All 3000 level nursing courses; Co-requisite: NURS 4155.

4155 - Community Health Nursing - 5, 3, 6
Assist students synthesize data and apply knowledge which focuses on modifying health-promoting behaviors from a community and global perspective.  Emphasis is upon application of the six interrelated roles of the professional nurse and to provide culturally sensitive care to promote and maintain the health of individuals, families, and groups in community settings.  Demographic and epidemiologic data are explored to identify populations at risk.  Trends and issues in public health including access to resources and delivery of care are addressed in the course.  Students analyze political, economical, social, and environmental factors that influence community and global health.  Clinical experiences are designed to allow students to understand, modify, or enhance the factors impacting community health and its delivery.  Prerequisites:  All level 3000 Nursing courses; Co-requisite: NURS 4105

4205 - Leadership in Nursing - 3, 3, 0
The role of the professional nurse as a leader in the profession and health care delivery is analyzed.  Emphasis is upon professional role development as leader, for the common good, a change agent, and a designer/manager of care.  Healthcare and nursing are viewed from the service and business context with exploration of specific leadership initiatives.  Contemporary issues related to health care delivery are explored with an examination of ethical, legal, and regulatory processes.  Knowledge and behaviors consistent with professional nursing practice are stressed within a paradigm that views the nurse as a leader and collaborator within the interdisciplinary team.  Prerequisites: NURS 4002; Co-requisites: NURS 4307, 4402.

4307 - Adult Health Nursing II - 7, 3, 12
Builds upon previous learning and provides adult health problems and their collaborative management.  Emphasis is upon delivery of culturally sensitive care to clients and their families when health problems are more complex and outcomes less predictable.  Students continue to develop proficiency in the six roles in the planning and delivery of care to clients experiencing multisystem, life threatening health conditions in a variety of clinical settings.  Prerequisites: NURS 3105; Co-requisites: NURS 4205, 4402.

4402 - Capstone Practicum - 2, 1, 8*
Provides a culminating experience in which the student synthesizes nursing and general education knowledge to increase their responsibility and accountability for providing quality nursing care.  With guidance from the faculty, the students select a clinical agency for the practicum.  Through a preceptorship experience, the students will facilitate the transition from student nurse to the role of the professional nurse.  Students will apply all nursing roles, (clinician, collaborator/coordinator, advocate, educator, leader, and researcher) with emphasis on the clinical and leader roles.  Prerequisites:  This course is taken in the final semester of the senior year.

Note:  *To meet the Kentucky Board of Nursing requirements of 120 hours, this course does not follow the traditional 1 semester hour for each 3 contact hours for clinical experiences.