UC’s Nursing Curriculum Provides the Latest in Techniques for Today’s Nurse Practitioners.
MSN Foundation Courses
Advanced Reproductive Dynamics
ANPC812
Three (3) Graduate Quarter Credit Hours
This course explores the anatomical and physiological basis for advanced nursing practice in reproductive health care. Emphasis is on anatomy, physiology, and reproductive endocrinology in the adult female, male, fetus and neonate. Fetal development is examined from the perspective of maternal and environmental contexts.
Objectives:
- Integrate theoretical perspectives from nursing science and related sciences to examine the reproductive anatomy and physiology, the genetic basis of reproduction, reproductive endocrinology, and fertilization and implantation.
- Use critical thinking to examine pre-embryonic development, fetal growth and development, fetal and neonatal anatomy and physiology, and maternal and environmental contexts as related to the health patterns of the pregnant women and the neonate.
- Analyze maternal physiology in relation to reproductive dynamics including lactation.
- Critique current research findings related to reproductive dynamics.
- Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication.
Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice
NURS813
Four (4) Graduate Quarter Credit Hours
This course provides nurses preparing for advanced nursing practice with content related to pharmacotherapeutic principles of common drug categories. Mechanisms of action, pharmacological response, usual doses, indications, adverse effects, interactions, compatibilities, contraindications and routes of administration will be emphasized.
Objectives:
- Analyze the pharmacologic characteristics - mechanisms of action, effect, clinical responses, indications, interactions, contraindications and toxicity of selected major drug categories.
- Evaluate medication therapies, regimens and drug protocols for appropriateness, safety and effectiveness in the prevention of alterations in health patterns and the restoration and health maintenance in client systems.
- Demonstrate critical thinking in relating the pharmacokinetic properties of drugs to common pathophysiological processes in client systems.
- Analyze the professional role of the Advanced Practice Nurse in legal and economic arenas for prescribing and monitoring drug therapies of client systems.
- Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication.
ANPC801
One (1) Graduate Quarter Credit Hour
The focus of the course is to understand the diagnostic reasoning process through analysis of present and past histories, physical findings and diagnostic studies that contribute to the formulation of differential diagnoses. The client is assessed from a holistic nursing perspective with consideration of his/her cultural; social, ethnic, family and community environments.
Objectives:
- Demonstrate critical thinking in diagnostic reasoning as a basis for clinical decision making.
- Relate the pathophysiology changes to assessment findings.
- Analyze a comprehensive database which includes a complete history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies obtained in various environmental contexts.
- Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication.
Health Assessment for Advanced Nursing Practice
NURS812
Four (4) Graduate Quarter Credit Hours
This course provides opportunities for students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for the performance of a comprehensive health assessment. Data to collect when eliciting a health history, principles of performing a physical assessment, diagnostic study interpretations and examination techniques will be stressed in the didactic portion of the course. Critical thinking is emphasized as the basis for synthesis of knowledge regarding the performance of a health assessment. During a concurrent laboratory experience, students will obtain health histories, perform physical assessments and identify potential diagnostic tests for alterations in health patterns in specific client systems. Emphasis will be placed on the differentiation of normal and abnormal findings.
Objectives:
- Develop a systematic approach to the collection of data for the health history and functional and physical assessment of client systems.
- Demonstrate critical thinking when synthesizing data from the health history and the functional and physical assessment to identify present and potential alterations in health patterns of client systems.
- Demonstrate competence in the performance of a comprehensive health assessment.
- Select appropriate and cost effective diagnostic tests and procedures for specific client systems.
- Differentiate normal from abnormal findings in specific client systems.
- Communicate pertinent findings from the health history and the functional and physical assessment in both written and oral presentations as part of the advanced nursing practice role.
Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology
ANPC802
Four (4) Graduate Quarter Credit Hours
This course builds upon basic knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, and the mechanisms of disease. It provides an in-depth consideration of molecular physiology while integrating examples of physiological principles and the pathophysiology most likely to be encountered by the advanced practice nurse. Basic and translational research into biochemical, molecular and organ system dysfunction will be considered. Current thought concerning age-related changes across the life span will be included. Organization of material is system based.
Objectives:
- Demonstrate understanding of selected biochemical, genetic, and cellular mechanisms that lead to common health alterations that occur in client systems across the lifespan.
- Analyze the relationship between the structure and function of selection cells and tissues.
- Analyze the impact of cellular dysfunction on the action of selected tissues and organs.
- Integrate the principles, theories and research of life sciences to understand the pathophysiology of disease in various environmental contexts.
- Use scholarly inquiry to access and interpret research findings about pathophysiologic processes.
- Apply molecular theories to analyze the basis of health patterns.
