RN to MSN Degree Program (Care Coordinator)

Prerequisites: Placement: Admission to the RN to BSN Program or RN to MSN Program

This course analyzes leadership and management theories in relation to trends in nursing and healthcare. The concepts of change, power, collaboration, gender dynamics, interdisciplinary teamwork, and advocacy are examined and applied to the practice of nursing. Quality improvement, healthy workplace, civility, change management, and health care reform will also be a focus.  Using a global perspective, students will analyze, evaluate, and create possible solutions to nursing and population healthcare issues.

Prerequisites: Placement: Accelerated BSN students or Admission to the RN to BSN Program or RN to MSN Program

Prerequisites: Placement: Admission to the RN to BSN Program or RN to MSN Program

Prerequisites: Determined by major

Prerequisites: Admission to MSN program

In this course, students explore the transition of the nurse into the advanced nursing specialty role. This course will promote an understanding of how a nurse in an advanced nursing specialty role acclimates to new leadership responsibilities by influencing change, responding to chaos/crisis and managing conflict. The significance of teambuilding and interdisciplinary collaboration will be explored. Students begin to develop their professional portfolio based on program outcomes. 

Prerequisites: NRS 502 or by permission

In this course, students synthesize advanced concepts of pathophysiology, health assessment and pharmacology across the lifespan for the advanced nursing specialty role to complete an accurate health database, including history and holistic assessment, across the lifespan. Physiologic changes, clinical manifestations, and drug therapy are integrated to facilitate critical analysis to support clinical decision-making. Virtual clinical experiences allow for practical application of course theory.

Prerequisite: NRS 502, or by permission

In this course, students examine nursing roles in informatics and information technology within the healthcare system. The history, theoretical models, and best practices of nursing informatics are explored. Students investigate ethical, legal, and regulatory standards and workplace policies. Exploration of digital health literacy will be performed. Students examine the consequences of using information and communication technology on the quality of care, efficiency of communications, and connections between the healthcare team, patients, and consumers.

Prerequisites: NRS 502 or by permission

In this course, students explore concepts of population health and social determinants of health. Students will investigate issues that contribute to understanding population health and health inequities. Emphasis is placed upon the analysis of a population health assessment in informing strategies to advance health outcomes. Students will explore population-focused interventions to address health risks and disparities across selected health care delivery settings. Critical analysis of population health concepts and implementation of management strategies in a community-based practice setting will be examined. The practicum experience allows for practical application of course theory. 

Prerequisites: NRS 502 or by permission

In this course, students investigate the impact of local, regional, national, and global systems and regulations on the safety and quality of care for individuals and diverse populations. The relationship between healthcare economics, health policy, and the complex health system will be explored. Students will examine legislation on current health policies and factors shaping policy development. Students will explore factors of cost containment, resource allocation, risk benefit analysis, quality, advocacy, interprofessional collaboration, and developing and implementing systems solutions in systems-based thinking.

NRS 502 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.

Prerequisites: NRS 502 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.

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 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 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

In this course, students synthesize care coordination strategies into the advanced nursing practice specialty role. Students will select a nurse care coordinator/nurse navigator/care manager who will serve as a preceptor in a healthcare setting. Collaborative opportunities within the practicum setting will be explored. Students will develop a plan of care project
centered on individual/population health and efficient health care oversight. The precepted experience allows for practical application of the care coordinator role.

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.