MSN, Care Coordinator

This course provides the foundation for analyzing the social and political forces that influence healthcare policy decisions. The relationship between health policy, social justice, and the business of healthcare nursing practice will be explored. Students will examine current healthcare policy and factors which influence policy development. The importance of individual contribution to the healthcare policy making process will be investigated.

The purpose of this course is understanding of research processes and interpretation of statistics to make accurate critical appraisals. Students apply the process of drawing conclusions, finding implications, and making recommendations based on an appraised study. Students learn to judge relative merits of studies in answering particular research questions. Questions of the fit of evidence or theory within an identified agency or institutional setting are explored.

NRS 509 & NRS 513, or by permission

Students will search for and synthesize evidence to answer a PICO question. Major sources of research and best practices guidelines are identified. Students use practice sites to examine theory and strategies to promote change and improve outcomes during the implementation of a recommendation. Elements of evaluation of a) the adoption of innovation and b) the improvement in outcomes are discussed.

NRS 509, NRS 513 & NRS 517, or bypermission.

In this first course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education, and leadership content as well as experiences learned throughout the master's programs of study. Groups of students will collaboratively begin a group-selected evidence-based project. Emphasis is placed on the process of identifying a nursing problem (PICO [T]), searching, and critically appraising the literature with development of a summary matrix table.

Typically taken in the second to last semester, or by permission.

This course facilitates the transition of the nurse into the advanced nursing role. The contributions of five ways of knowing to nursing praxis are examined, and students reflect on the use of these ways in their own practice. To broaden understanding of the concerns of nursing, students explore concepts, conceptual meaning, and concept analysis. Students begin to develop their professional portfolio based on program outcomes.

To be taken first semester or by permission

In this course, students apply nursing knowledge with theory and statistical methods to broaden understanding of nursing concepts and nursing outcomes. Measurement principles, descriptive statistics, and relationships between variables are explored to better comprehend nursing and nursing phenomena. Using the framework of disparity and risk in a specific population, students apply content on variable association. Reports using statistics to compare groups and measure patient improvement over time are analyzed for implications for patient populations.

NRS 509 or by permission

In this second course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education, and leadership content and experiences learned throughout the master's program of study. Groups of students will collaboratively complete the group-selected evidence-based project begun in NRS 592. Emphasis will be on the process of completing an evidence-based manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, a poster presentation suitable for delivery at a local, national, or regional conference or a webinar presentation.

Typically taken in the last semester, or by permission.