NELC 400 Critical Concepts in Nursing
This course is for pre-licensure nursing students only as it provides an in-depth review of the following critical concepts of nursing to prepare the student for successful RN licensing (NCLEX-RN) and entry level practice as a registered nurse: Management of Care, Safety and Infection Control, Health Promotion and Maintenance, Psychosocial Integrity, Physiological Integrity, Basic Care and Comfort, Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies, Reduction of Risk Potential, Physiological Adaptation. These critical concepts help prepare students to deliver safe and appropriate care in accordance with standards of professional nursing practice. Lectures, assignments, and activities will enable students to achieve course outcomes.
NECL 402 End of Life
This course provides basic concepts related to end-of-life care for older adults. The focus is placed on palliative care, symptom management, preparation for death and support to adults and families. Emphasis is to develop a knowledge base of specific concepts and nursing management strategies to promote end-of-life care planning among adults, families and healthcare professionals.
NELC 404 Advances and Trends in Pediatric Nursing
This course is to explore current trends in pediatric health care, considering economical, sociological, psychological, cultural, political and environmental impacts. The course will provide a critical view of child health and the care of children from a family, community and national perspective. Selected behaviors and theories relevant to primary pediatric health care will be discussed and effective communication and assessment strategies to promote emotional, cognitive and physical health of infants and children will be emphasized. Wellness trends will include pediatric-related current trends consistent with the objectives of Healthy People 2020 Application of nursing leadership skills, navigating health policy and advocacy methods will be presented.
NELC 408 Essentials and Practice in Global Health Nursing
This course will provide an overview of major issues affecting global population health and the role of nursing in global health. Students will examine the impact of various factors (socio-economic-political-other) on health and health systems in different geographic and cultural contexts-with attention to the implications of these relationships for nursing. The major aim for this course is a fundamental preparation for students interested in pursuing global health nursing.
NELC 410 Addiction, Society, and Role of the Nurse
Health professionals encounter individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) on a daily basis in all practice settings. All professionals must have a basic understanding of SUDs in order to care for these individuals in their particular practice settings. This course utilizes the National Curriculum Committee addictions competencies model that defines the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies needed for nurses to identify individuals with SUDs, assess their condition, intervene on their behalf, and/or refer them to treatment. Roles of other health professionals are also discussed.
NELC 412 Introduction to Emergency and Trauma Nursing
This course is designed to introduce baccalaureate nursing students to the application of the nursing process for patients in pre-hospital situations, emergency rooms and trauma resuscitation units. Topics fundamental to the provisions of patient-centered nursing care in these types of units are the focus of this course. Presentations, discussion and demonstrations will address topics relevant to beginning emergency/trauma nursing practice.
NELC 414 Care Coordination: Theoretical Foundations and Applications
This course prepares students to develop an understanding of different dimensions of care coordination and introduces health informatics tools and knowledge to support care coordination. This course uses the definition of Care Coordination as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRO).
NELC 416 Introduction to Clinical and Translational Research
This course provides nursing students with an opportunity to learn about nursing research and gain an understanding of typical skills, abilities, activities and challenges of academic researchers. After completing appropriate human subjects training, students will be paired with a researcher for a mentored research experience related to clinical or translational studies. Students will assist the research mentor in selected activities designed to further a research project while providing a research experience. Students are expected to attend UMSON and campus research presentations in their area of interest and apply the knowledge gained to the assigned coursework.
NELC 418 Policy, Politics, and Advocacy: Making Your Voice Heard
This course provides an overview of how health professionals can influence health policy and the competencies needed to be effective. A seminar format allows students to test their own views about current policy issues. Guest speakers from public and private sector agencies in which nurses are engaged in various types of policy roles provides a springboard for students to envision how they might integrate policy into their own career trajectories. Extensive feedback is provided on policy writing skills, and one's successful socialization to a policy role. Class sessions with nurses and others in key policy roles allow students to identify and evaluate a variety of policy leadership styles and strategies for success in public policy arenas. Additionally, students are introduced to health services research and are encouraged to utilize areas of current research to answer perplexing policy problems and build sound rationales for solutions.
NELC 420 Environmental Health
The course is an overview of environmental areas for study, emerging environmental issues, major environmental health hazards and identification of responsibilities for advanced practice nurses and other health professionals. The history of environmental health legislation and regulatory agencies will be reviewed. A framework for analyzing major environmental health issues will be used to explore how the environment can influence health. Recognition of the need for interdisciplinary teamwork in assessment, diagnosis and community-wide or population-based health promotion/disease prevention interventions will be identified.
NELC 422 Introduction of Cardiovascular/Critical Care Nursing
This course is designed to introduce baccalaureate nursing students to the application of the nursing process for patients in cardiac, medical and surgical critical care units. Topics fundamental to the provision of patient-centered nursing care in the critical care environment will be covered. Lectures, discussion and demonstrations will be used to address topics relevant to the foundation of critical care nursing practice.
NELC 424 Exploring Disability in Health Care
This course provides comprehensive nursing education on caring for people with disabilities (PWD) across the lifespan. Students will utilize the nursing process to gain a better understanding of the physical, cultural, spiritual, and emotional needs in the care of patients with cognitive, physical, visual, and hearing disabilities. Students will gain a better understanding of the legal obligations and responsibilities for caring for clients with disabilities, as well as differentiate between the myths and facts surrounding PWD. The focus is on the nurse’s role in providing ethically and developmentally appropriate care to PWD in acute care, long-term care, and community health settings. This education will help prepare students to deliver safe and appropriate care in accordance with Standards of Professional Nursing Practice, the Core Competencies on Disability for Health Care Education, and The Americans with Disabilities Act. Lectures, videos, guest speakers, case studies, assignments and exams will enable students to achieve course outcomes.
NELC 426 Introduction to Rehabilitation Nursing
This didactic online entry-level elective course introduces the specialty practice of rehabilitation nursing. Topics covered include the roles of rehabilitation nurses and the interprofessional teams; specialized assessment skills; mobility and patient safety; and rehabilitation nursing care for a variety of patient conditions and abilities. Learners explore patient-centered and culturally congruent rehabilitation care to promote function and independence across the lifespan.
NELC 428 Foundations of Disaster Management In Nursing
This elective will introduce learners to disaster management that can build their competence in responding effectively and efficiently to several types of disasters (i.e., natural, man-made, and hazard disasters). It will prepare students to be proficient in the basic competencies across the disaster management cycle – mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Major topics in this course include the historical perspectives of nursing in disaster management, the socio-context of disaster events (i.e., socio-economic impact), and the roles and responsibilities of nurses as public health providers across the disaster management cycle. In addition, students will participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) institute’s online, independent courses, and earn a total 3.1 Continuing education units (CEUs) by the end of this course.
NELC 432 Care Coordination: Process & Outcome Measurement and Practice Improvement
This care coordination course is designed to prepare students to be able to evaluate processes and outcomes of care coordination (CC) using health informatics tools and knowledge. This will ultimately improve practice across the health care continuum. The core concepts and models of care coordination are discussed, with learning focusing on process and outcome measures of care coordination. These topics include data-driven approaches to improving care quality, potential outcome measures for care coordination, discharge planning, and readmission screening. Learning activities include group discussions, presentations, case studies, and developing application papers.