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.

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

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.

This course provides a foundation for the role development of the care coordinator in meeting health care needs of the individual and community. The influence of the social determinants of health, health disparities, and health literacy in population health management will be explored. Legal and ethical considerations in relation to confidentiality and client privacy, client rights, and the importance of collaboration and communication in the care coordination process are integrated to facilitate understanding of health care considerations.

NRS 509 or by permission

This course examines the responsibilities of the care coordinator, including client selection criteria, communication methodologies, clinical team development, assessment tools, care plan and profile development, cultural considerations, data structuring for reporting, and clinical efficiency. Students explore practices of aligning limited resources with client needs in a care coordination setting. Students also identify ways in which the care coordinator leads and supports collaboration between key stakeholders in the care coordination process.

NRS 509, NRS 513, NRS 530 or by permission

This course examines the country’s healthcare delivery system, the goals of reform, and how emerging health care models are incorporated into the larger framework of clinical care oversight. Students also identify the ways in which care coordination can support cost efficiency, promote improved health consumerism, and affect positive health outcomes, as well as the influence of technology on the development of health care data collection systems.

NRS 509, NRS 513, NRS 530, NRS 532 or by permission

This course provides the theoretical foundation to obtain a complete and accurate health database, including history and holistic assessment, across the lifespan. Physiologic changes and clinical manifestations that occur as a result of disease, as well as drug therapy used to treat or affect health status are integrated to facilitate critical analysis of assessment data and support clinical decision-making. Precepted/Virtual clinical experience (65 clinical hours) allows for practical application of course theory.

Admission to the MSN program or by permission

This course provides students the opportunity to synthesize learning into strategies for care coordination experiences in the nurse care coordinator role. Each student will select a healthcare setting (acute care, primary care clinic, etc.) to work 126-hours with a nurse care coordinator/nurse navigator/care manager who will serve as a preceptor. The student will develop a plan of care project to determine and evaluate successful strategies for interviewing and organizing information around client health, goal setting, and efficient health care oversight.

All program coursework except NRS 592 and NRS 594, or by permission.

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.

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.