Nurse Educator Program (MSN)

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to guide students in evaluating healthcare policy issues that impact decision making and outcomes in healthcare. Students will explore healthcare delivery systems and analyze issues which impact the delivery of healthcare and nursing at global, national, and state levels of government. Students will analyze the development, formulation, and implementation of policies and related economic issues that can influence healthcare practice today. In addition, the course includes topics such as the relationship between healthcare providers and patients, insurance policies, quality management, legislative liability issues, ethical decision making, and other policy issues.

The theoretical foundations for this nursing course focus on exposing the advanced practice nurse to a wide range of theory. The course will provide students with the basis for understanding, constructing, formulating, applying, and evaluating theory. It will also examine the role that theory plays in providing the scientific basis for nursing praxis. Selected theories and conceptual frameworks will be studied and critiqued for their utilization in terms of nursing knowledge development as they relate to practice and research.

This course provides an overview of the integration of technology and nursing informatics in various healthcare environments. Legal, ethical, and cultural issues directing use of technology are examined. The influence of technology on patient outcomes will be explored.

This course examines organizations from a systems perspective, addressing the concepts of leadership, motivation, and behavior. Strategic planning, fiscal responsibility, legal and ethical issues, and performance improvement are explored.

This course will introduce, and apply research methods and designs, knowledge-based research techniques, evidence-based practice, outcome evaluation, and evaluation of research processes. Grant writing and national guidelines regarding human subject research protection will be covered. Students will be exposed to the critique of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Ethical issues in research and the value of nursing and healthcare research will be critically explored. In addition, students will be able to develop a research proposal or carry out a quality improvement project.

This course is an examination of the process of holistic assessment (physical, psychosocial, and cultural) of individuals across the lifespan. Students will focus on critical thinking and decision-making skills relating to the application of assessment skills in the role of the nurse manager and nurse educator.

The course examines scientific concepts of pathophysiology essential to diagnostic reasoning and clinical management of common disease states. The dilemma of cost and need for laboratory and radiographic evidence to support diagnosis is examined.

This course is designed to advance the student's knowledge of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics in the management of health and disease states. Major categories of pharmacological agents are examined in the context of the life span, culture, and health and disease states. State and federal regulation related to purchase, possession, administration and patient education about controlled substances, pharmacologic agents and non-pharmacologic agents used as medications are examined.

This course focuses on the fundamentals of teaching and learning by examining a variety of teaching, learning, and instructional designs and strategies. General principles, theories, and methodologies related to learning and instructional development will be addressed. Issues of learners' engagement and the process of incorporating best practices into the classroom will be examined.

This course is designed to assist graduate students in synthesizing knowledge, skills, research, technology, and experiences from previous education courses in relation to implementing the role of the nurse educator. Theories of effective teaching and learning, and the theoretical principles and concepts that apply to nursing education will be analyzed.

This course explores the praxis, philosophies, principles, theories, and strategies in planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum. Students will define, analyze, and design a mock curriculum model for an institution or for an organization that requires staff development. The model curriculum will be reviewed and critiqued to provide the student with an opportunity to appreciate curriculum development, evaluation, and revision. Other issues that will be addressed include accreditation, program review, course and class objective, course and program evaluation, and valid and reliable tools for learner's measurement of outcomes.

Building on the student's undergraduate level of nursing practice, this seminar/clinical course will provide the opportunity for the nurse educator student to advance their clinical knowledge, promote innovative thinking, and test new potential solutions to clinical/practice issues. The student will  self- select a practice setting environment, outside their current field of practice,  which may include acute care, long term care, home health, community based settings and educational settings to further their professional development as a master's level nurse.

The capstone/clinical experience is the culminating experience of the graduate nursing program and provides the student with the opportunity to synthesize and apply knowledge and competencies acquired from the core and track courses. All students enrolled in the NU program education track are required to complete a final capstone practicum to exhibit mastery and expertise as a nurse educator. The student in the onsite practicum course will complete a clinical practicum with a mentor in an approved nursing education or staff development setting.