Nursing Course Descriptions

NURS 2001 Concepts in Nursing (1 unit)

This one unit pre-clinical course briefly addresses the phenomena in the philosophy and conceptual framework of the Nursing Department. It also incorporates content on additional areas basic to the discipline of nursing including communication, legal and ethical issues, cultural considerations, spirituality, and client education. Prerequisite: Completion of the first two semesters of nursing prerequisite classes. 1 hour theory. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 2014 Health Assessment (2 units)

Initial course in health assessment which includes: obtaining health histories, performing health screenings, and risk identification, and normal physical assessments throughout the life cycle. Requirements: Completion of pre-clinical courses and progression to the sophomore level. Corequisites are NURS 2100, 2150, 2018, and 2020. 1.5 hours theory, 1.5 hours laboratory once per week. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 2018 Pathophysiology (3 units)

This course will provide the student with the foundational knowledge base for nursing assessment and interventions to support the client’s responses to common altered health states. The study of etiological factors, physiological changes, and clinical manifestations of common disorders will be included. Variations in responses and medical therapies by age, gender, race and ethnicity will be studied. Requirements: completion of all prerequisites pre-clinical courses and admittance to the clinical nursing program. Corequisites are: NURS 2014, 2100, 2150. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 2020 Foundations of Pharmacology (1 unit)

Pharmacology is integrated throughout the curriculum. This introductory course will discuss the foundations of pharmacology essential to the development of a pharmacology knowledge base in preparation for assuming the role of the professional nurse. Nursing process will be applied to pharmacology in a broad context. Issues and topics relevant to the professional nurse's responsibilities in the administration of medications will be integrated with the assessment and evaluation of client outcomes. In addition, the student will be introduced to a system and process for the classification of drugs, as a foundation for the integrated content. Requirements: Completion of all pre-clinical courses and progression to the sophomore level. 1 hour of theory. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

This is an introductory course to the concepts and practice of basic patient care. It incorporates beginning principles of medical-surgical nursing including the planning and providing of care for adult clients in the hospital setting. The students also learn, practice and apply basic nursing skills. The ATI Fundamentals of Nursing exam will be taken at the completion of this course. Passage of this exam is a requirement for junior level coursework. Requirements: Completion of all prerequisite pre-clinical classes and NURS 2001. Corequisites are NURS 2018, 2150, 2020 and 2014. 3.5 units of theory and 2.5 units of clinical (15 hours/per week for last 5 weeks). Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 2150 Geriatric Foundations/Skills (4 units)

This beginning level course introduces the students to the basic principles and practices for care of elderly individuals. The course will explore the needs of the older population including health promotion, coping with chronic illness, acute illness, and facing loss and death. It will address the needs of the elderly across the spectrum of living arrangements from the independent home dweller to institutional care. Requirements: Completion of all prerequisite pre-clinical courses and admittance to the clinical nursing program. Corequisites: NURS 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2100. 1.5 hours of theory and 2.5 units of clinical per week for 7 weeks in the first half of the semester. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 3100 Maternal Newborn and Women’s Health Nursing (5 units)

This course is devoted to the study of biopsychosocial factors affecting the health and development of childbearing clients, newborns and their families, as well as the interpersonal and relational role of the professional nurse in identifying and meeting the healthcare needs of this focused population. The nursing process is applied to the design of integrated and individualized plans of care. Learners will apply and synthesize knowledge from prior coursework in the basic sciences, mathematics, humanities, and foundational nursing classes to further develop and inform their nursing care practices in maternity, neonatal, and women’s healthcare environments. Requirements: Completion of all second semester sophomores nursing courses and first semester junior coursework 2.5 hours of theory and 15 hours a week of clinical for 7.5 weeks. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 3101 Pediatric Nursing (5 units)

This course is devoted to the study of biopsychosocial factors affecting the health and development of children and their families. The course involves the study of well-child principles as well as human responses to acute and chronic illness. Requirements: Completion of all second semester sophomore coursework and first semester junior coursework 2.5 hours of theory and 15 hours a week of clinical for 7.5 weeks. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 3103 Nursing Research (3 units)

Introduction to research and its role in the study and solution of problems related to client care, the improvement of healthcare, and the development of nursing science and related fields. This course is a prerequisite for NURS 4997. Requirements: completion of PSY 3187 or its equivalent and all sophomore nursing courses. 3 hours. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 3105 Medical-Surgical Nursing (5 units)

This course involves the study of physiological, psychosocial, and cultural factors affecting human responses to acute and chronic illness. The study of health-care problems among young, middle and older aged adults is included. The nursing process is applied to a variety of patient-care situations in theory and in practical experiences at the intermediate level. Requirements: completion of second semester sophomore courses, successful completion of the fundamentals ATI exam. 2.5 units of theory and 15 hours of clinical per week for 7.5 weeks. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 3106 Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing (5 units)

This course is devoted to the study of nursing care of clients in acute care psychiatric settings and in community health settings. The course applies mental health principles in the process of caring for patients in other situations. Content includes physiological, psychosocial, and cultural factors affecting the mental health of individuals; psychiatric disorders and therapeutic approaches including therapeutic communication, psychopharmacology, special or vulnerable populations, and confidentiality and legal issues are addressed. Requirements: completion of second semester sophomore courses and successful completion of the fundamentals ATI exam. 2.5 units of theory and 15 hours of clinical per week for 7.5 weeks. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 4100 Advanced Med-Surg (5 units)

This course is designed to facilitate the application of prior coursework to the medical-surgical client with high-acuity illness. Learners will incorporate biologic, psychosocial, and cultural factors in the planning of and providing care of these clients with complex, multi-system health problems, and will apply nursing concepts and skills according to their needs. The clinical component will take place in selected critical care and high acuity adult settings. Requirements: successful completion of all sophomore and junior level nursing courses. 2.5 units of theory and 15 hours per week of clinical for 7.5 weeks. Offered  Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 4114 Health Policies and Practices (1 unit)

This course examines the US healthcare system including its structure, financing, and the economics. An introduction to policy, politics, and policy analysis provides a framework to examine the nation’s healthcare objectives, delivery systems, and the healthcare workforce. The course examines emerging health policy issues with attention to health disparities and access to care. Corequisite: NURS 4150. Open to all students. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 4119 Senior Synthesis: Professional Accountability in Nursing (1 unit)

The second semester senior nursing student will participate in self-assessment, professional development and activities related to the legislative and regulatory aspects of nursing practice.  The student will demonstrate an understanding of professional standards, commitment to lifelong learning, and successful strategies to enter the professional arena, including those necessary for a successful NCLEX-RN outcome. Requirement: Second semester senior standing. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 4150 Community Health & Nursing (5 units)

This course is an introduction to population-focused nursing practice. The course utilizes National Health Objectives, public health core functions, and the nursing process as the basis for health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, health maintenance, health restoration, and health surveillance of individuals, families, aggregates, and communities at the local state, national, and global levels. This course emphasizes the needs of vulnerable populations across the lifespan, and examines socioeconomic, cultural, gendered, racial and political dimensions of vulnerability and risk. Requirements: successful completion of all sophomore and junior level nursing courses. 2.5 units of theory and 15 hours per week of clinical for 7.5 weeks. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 4200 Leadership & Nursing Care Management (6 units)

This course focuses on nursing concepts and skills related to the development and application of leadership/management theory as the student experiences professional role immersion in a beginning staff nurse setting. Students apply these leadership and management skills in collaboration with clients, their families, and members of the healthcare team in clinical settings using the preceptorship model. The student is responsible for all previous coursework in the application of biopsychosocial theory and nursing care to client populations. Requirements: successful completion of all sophomore, junior and first semester senior courses. 2.0 units of theory and 4.0 units of clinical (180 hours clinical). Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 4995 Elective Preceptorship (1-3 units)

Supervised clinical practice in a healthcare setting. Arranged individually with course faculty in collaboration with an on-site preceptor. Open to nursing students after satisfactory completion of all junior-level nursing courses. Requirement: Faculty approval. 45 clinical hours per unit. Fall, Spring Semesters.

NURS 4997/4998 Directed Research: Proposal Development and Implementation (1 unit each semester)

The nursing senior project is a two-semester course required for successful completion of the B.S.N. degree. The project demonstrates a synthesis of experiences in the nursing program and achievement of the program objectives. The senior project is an individual scholarly endeavor that reflects the interest of the student, addressing an actual or potential health condition within the scope of professional nursing practice. The nursing senior project series progresses from project development in NURS 4997 through implementation and evaluation which is emphasized in NURS 4998. Requirement: Senior standing and completion of NURS 3103. 1 hour of theory. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.

NURS 4999 Independent Study (1-3 units)

Directed study of an area of interest in the field of nursing or healthcare. Open to all majors. 1 to 3 theory hours per unit. Offered Fall and Spring semesters.