NURSING COURSES

NURS 231. Introduction to Nursing (2)
This is the survey course for all junior and senior level nursing courses. It is designed to provide an overview of the nursing profession. The Shepherd University B.S.N. mission, philosophy, conceptual framework, and expected outcomes are presented. All concepts, subconcepts, and curricular threads are introduced. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing and nursing program pre-acceptance. This course must be taken at Shepherd University.

NURS 311. Nursing I Introduction to Health Care (3)
The course is designed as the basis upon which all other nursing courses develop and expand. The student is introduced to the nursing process and skills of critical thinking, decision making, and ethics/law in order to understand the health care needs of people of diverse cultures across the life span. Data collection is introduced via normal system approach. Prerequisite: NURS 231. Corequisites: NURS 313, 315, 317.

NURS 313. Nursing I-A Health Assessment (3)
The course is basic to all nursing clinicals through the program. Complete instruction of health assessment using the system approach is given. The concept of nursing process introduced in NURS 231 will be examined extensively as the method by which professional nurses assist persons to achieve optimum level of health. The student will be provided opportunities to exercise critical thinking, decision making, and ethical judgment through case studies, simulations/role play, and patient interviews. Prerequisite: NURS 231. Corequisites: NURS 311, 315, 317; R.N.s with permission of department chair.

NURS 315. Nursing I-B Clinical Component (3)
The course is designed to correlate theory with practice in the primary care setting. The course will initiate the student to living examples of the nursing process: 1) data collecting via interviewing and physical assessment, 2) critical thinking skills via decision making, 3) organization via planning, 4) restorations via appropriate nursing action-implementation, 5) evaluation of the nursing process to meet specific needs. Prerequisite: NURS 231. Corequisites: NURS 311, 313, 317.

NURS 316. Nursing II Health Care of the Adult (3)
This course provides a knowledge and practice base for medical-surgical nursing. The focus is primarily on the acute care setting. The course gives in-depth knowledge and principles for patient education that include primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention. This course builds upon knowledge gained in prerequisite courses and applies principles of physiology and pathophysiology to the diverse health care alterations of the adult. Prerequisites: NURS 311, 313, 315, 317. Corequisite: NURS 318. Corequisite: NURS 326.

NURS 317. Essentials in Clinical Pharmacology/Pathology in Nursing (2)
The first course in a two-course sequence that presents clinical pharmacology and pathophysiology emphasizing rationales and safe drug administration, relationships of drug mechanisms to disease processes, effects of lifespan on drug therapy, application of nursing research to pharmacologic principles. Alterations in biologic processes that affect the body's homeostasis and various dysfunctions of biologic systems are examined. The rationale for diagnosis and therapeutic interventions is introduced. Prerequisite: NURS 231 or permission of department chair. Corequisites: NURS 311, 313, 315.

NURS 318. Nursing II Clinical Component (3)
This course provides guided clinical experiences for the student to operationalize the nursing process in the acute care, medical surgical adult setting. Students apply knowledge and principles of patient education to patients in the clinical setting and apply the nursing process to patients from different cultural backgrounds with diverse health care alterations. Opportunity for reinforcement and further development of assessment skills is provided through hands-on experience in the clinical setting. Experiences are also provided in the lab and/or clinical setting to assist the student in developing psychomotor skills. Students are expected to seek learning opportunities based upon self-assessed learning needs as they utilize the nursing process in multiple clinical settings. Corequisite: NURS 316.

NURS 320. Nursing III Psychiatric/Mental Health Care (3)
This course is designed to apply the nursing process to clients who have adaptive and/or maladaptive behaviors. The emphasis in the course is given to nurse/patient relationship and group process skills which can be applied to all areas of nursing. The socioeconomic and ethical dilemmas within communities will be explored. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention services to the mentally ill from diverse cultural groups are identified and discussed. The principles of pharmacology, growth and development, health education, and teaching are interwoven throughout this course. Prerequisites: NURS 311, 313, 315, 317. Corequisite: NURS 322, 326.

NURS 322. Nursing III Clinical Component (2)
Weekly clinical focuses will guide the student in applying theory from NURS 320 to patients in a variety of clinical settings, including acute inpatient units and a community mental health setting. Corequisite: NURS 320.

NURS 324. Nursing Research (2)
Course is designed to introduce concepts of nursing research. The focus is on the professional nurse as a consumer of research in health and nursing. The student further develops skills in critical thinking and ethical decision making in the development of a nursing research project using the research process. Elementary concepts of statistics and the use of computer technology are introduced related to nursing research. R.N.s with permission of department chair.

NURS 326. Essentials in Clinical Pharmacology/Pathophysiology in Nursing (2)
The second course in a two-course sequence that presents clinical pharmacology and pathophysiology emphasizing rationales and safe drug administration, relationships of drug mechanisms to disease processes, effects of lifespan on drug therapy, application of nursing research to pharmacologic principles. Alterations in biologic processes that affect the body's homeostasis and various dysfunctions of biologic systems are examined. The rationale for diagnosis and therapeutic interventions in introduced. Prerequisite: NURS 317.

NURS 410. Advanced Nursing Concepts and Practice (6)
This course will lay the foundation for the R.N. to practice with a bachelor of science in nursing. R.N. students will establish professional and collegial relationships with nursing faculty, other R.N. students, and variety of professional nurses in health care agencies. An emphasis will be placed on advancing nursing practice through a combination of independent study, seminar, and clinical experiences. Prerequisite: NURS 324, 313, and permission of instructor.

NURS 411. Nursing IV Community Health Care (3)
This course is designed to expand the student's knowledge of people as an individuals, as members of a family, and as members of a community. Emphasis is placed on levels of prevention. With guidance, the student will identify socioeconomic, environmental, political, religious, and ethical aspects of health care which affect the health-illness continuum and the client's aspects. The student will be able to assess community health problems, identify appropriate nursing interventions and community resources in planning nursing care of diverse populations in a variety of settings. Content topics related to school health, occupational health, home visiting, and public health are introduced. Prerequisite: NURS 324; R.N.s-NURS 410. Corequisite: NURS 413.

NURS 413. Nursing IV Clinical Component (3)
This course is designed to correlate theory with practice. The student will be able to assess community health problems, identify and apply appropriate nursing interventions and community resources in planning nursing care of diverse populations in a variety of settings. Corequisite: NURS 411.

NURS 415. Nursing V Health Care of Children and Families (3)
This course is designed to examine the biophysical and psychosocial development, illness care, and health maintenance of the neonate, infant, toddler, preschool, school-age, and adolescent child. This course builds upon knowledge gained in NURS 316 Health Care of the Adult. The student will apply the nursing process utilizing critical thinking skills for the diverse health care alterations in the younger populations. Prerequisite: NURS 316, 318. Corequisite: NURS 417.

NURS 417. Nursing V Clinical Component (2)
This course is designed to provide opportunities for exploration, application, and integration of theory content of Health Care of Children and Families to enhance priority setting and decision making skills, collaboration, and use of organizational skills. A variety of clinical settings, such as a community hospital and a university-based teaching hospital, will be utilized which will expose the student to diverse social, cultural and economic aspects of the health care of children and families. Corequisite: NURS 415.

NURS 419. Nursing VI Health Care of Women (3)
This course is designed to examine the biophysical and psychosocial aspects of human reproductive function, childbearing, sexuality, illness care, and maintenance for the woman through the life span. The student will apply the nursing process utilizing critical thinking skills for the diverse health care alterations in the female population. Corequisite: NURS 421.

NURS 421. Nursing VI Clinical Component (2)
This clinical course is designed to provide opportunities for exploration, application, and integration of theory content of obstetric and gynecologic nursing to women throughout the life cycle. A variety of hospital, community health settings will be utilized to expose the student to diverse social, cultural, and economic components of the woman/family system. Corequisite: NURS 419.

NURS 422. Nursing VII Health Care of the Adult: Gerontology Focus (3)
This course is designed to examine illness care, rehabilitation care, health counseling, and education for the gerontological client and family. This course builds upon knowledge gained in NURS 316 (Health Care of the Adult--medical-surgical focus). The diverse social, cultural, economic, and political components of older populations will be explored. Corequisite: NURS 424. Prerequisite: NURS 316, 318, 324.

NURS 424. Nursing VII Clinical Component (3)
This clinical course is designed to provide opportunities for application and integrations of theory content of gerontological nursing. A variety of health care settings will be used to expose the student to a diverse social, cultural, economic, and political component of older populations. The student will apply the nursing process utilizing critical thinking skills to the multiple alterations in health for older populations. Corequisite: NURS 422.

NURS 426. Nursing VIII Health Care of the Adult With Complex Problems (3)
This adult health nursing course focuses on the therapeutic nursing interventions used to restore health to adults who are experiencing acute and/or complex health problems. Analyzes deviations from health with attention to the implications for the individual as well as the family in coping with health problems. Analyzes the client's health care needs and the resources to meet them in collaboration with the client and health providers. Incorporates ethical and legal issues involving clients with complex needs. Corequisite: NURS 428. Prerequisites: NURS 316, 318.

NURS 428. Nursing VIII Clinical Component (2)
This medical-surgical clinical course of adult health care nursing focuses on planning and providing care for persons with complex health needs. Complex and multisystem needs are explored in-depth. Selected clinical experiences in specialty areas ICU, CCU, ER, open heart surgery, and cardiac cath lab are arranged. Corequisite: NURS 426.

NURS 434. Management and Issues in Health Care (3)
This course is designed to examine current health care issues influencing professional nursing practice. The student is introduced to management principles and leadership roles and responsibilities within different health care organizations and settings. Prerequisites: NURS 316, 318, 324.

NURS 436. Senior Capstone Seminar (1)
Focus is on preparing for the National Council Licensure Examination-RN (NCLEX-RN). Emphasis will be placed on test-taking strategies and development of personalized plans of study to assist in preparing students for NCLEX-RN success. Prerequisite: last semester pre-licensure senior students.

NURS 440. School Health Seminar (3)
This course is designed to prepare nursing students to conduct and coordinate school health service programs. Through didactic sessions and clinical practica, students are provided with the theoretical knowledge and competencies required for certification as a school nurse by the West Virginia Department of Education. Prerequisite: EDUC 200 or permission of department chair.

2007-09 CATALOG (VOLUME XLVI * JUNE 2007)