RN-to-BSN Interest Area
Care Coordination with Health IT Interest Area
What is it?
The Care Coordination with Health IT interest area allows students to explore how nurses can effectively coordinate safe and quality patient care in the current value-based health care arena using various health information communication tools, while collaborating with different health care teams across the continuum of care settings.
The interest area includes three courses that already apply to the credits required for the RN-to-BSN program, meaning that completing this interest area doesn't require you to take any additional credits:
- Health Informatics for Registered Nurses (NURS 460)
- Care Coordination: Theoretical Foundations and Applications (NELC 414, elective)
- Care Coordination: Process and Outcome Measurement and Practice Improvement (NELC 432, elective).
Through these three courses, you’ll explore critical nursing concepts such as:
- traditional and emerging models of care coordination and care transitions
- improving care coordination through health information technology
- measuring outcomes of care coordination in health care delivery.
You can complete this interest area as part of your BSN without adding additional courses, time, or money to your degree.
Who can take this interest area?
This interest is for RN-to-BSN students who want to learn more about applying care coordination and health informatics concepts and skills to improve patient care, and we make it easy:
- Faculty advisors will work with you to plan the proper course sequencing.
- You can complete this interest area as a part-time or full-time student.
- The interest area can be completed entirely online; no in-person coursework is required.
Why should I choose this interest area?
- You will develop specialized expertise in care coordination informed by health information technology while you complete your BSN degree, and you can complete the interest area using the three electives in your BSN plan of study.
- It’s official: Your academic transcript will note that you completed the three-course interest.
- You’ll be learning the most up-to-date, relevant material, as our courses were developed in collaboration with academic and health care experts.
How do I get started?
When you apply to the RN-to-BSN program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, you’ll indicate your interest in completing this interest area on the application for admission.
Questions? Contact Eun-Shim Nahm, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA, professor and associate dean for the PhD program.
Substance Use and Addictions Interest Area
What is it?
The Substance Use and Addictions interest area allows RN-to-BSN students to gain specialized understanding of and competencies in addictions nursing that translate to other nursing practice areas.
The interest area includes three courses that count toward credits required for the RN-to-BSN program, meaning you can complete this interest area without taking any additional credits:
- Addiction, Society, and the Role of the Nurse (NELC 410, 3-credit elective)
- Motivational Interviewing (NELC 430, 3-credit elective)
- Public Health Nursing Essentials for the Registered Nurse (NURS 467, 5-credit requirement)
Through these three courses, you will explore critical nursing concepts such as:
- screening, assessment, intervention, recovery, and advocacy related to addictions
- communication strategies to facilitate client-centered behavioral changes applicable to addictions and all health care encounters
- population-focused aspects of substance use and addiction.
You can complete this interest area as part of your BSN without adding additional courses, time, or costs to your degree.
Who can take this interest area?
This is for RN-to-BSN students who want to learn more about substance use and addictions concepts and skills to improve patient care, and we make it easy:
- Faculty advisors will work with you to plan the proper course sequencing.
- You can complete this interest area as a part-time or full-time student.
- The interest area can be completed online (with clinical component in the community).
Why should I choose this interest area?
- You will develop specialized competencies applicable in most health care settings, while you complete your BSN.
- This interest area will also help prepare RNs for the Certified Addictions Nursing Certification (CARN) exam.
- You’ll be learning the most up-to-date, relevant material, as our courses were developed in collaboration with academic and health care experts in current practice.
- It’s official: Your academic transcript will note that you completed the three-course interest.
How do I get started?
When you apply to the RN-to-BSN program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, indicate your interest in completing this interest area on the application for admission.
Questions? Contact Victoria Selby, PhD, CRNP-PMH, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor.