Carol and Odis Peavy School of Nursing

Executive Dean: Claudine Dufrene, PhD, RN-BC, GNP-BC, CNE, dufrenc@stthom.edu

Mission

Building on the mission of the University of St. Thomas and its Founders, the Basilian Fathers, and nourished by the historic traditions of Catholic nursing education and service, the University of St. Thomas Carol and Odis Peavy School of Nursing will educate nurses intellectually, morally, and spiritually in the art and science of nursing as a compassionate healing ministry.

Vision

The UST Carol and Odis Peavy School of Nursing (PSON) will be nationally recognized as an educational community that is an exemplar in the formation of nurses for holistic healing ministries in the 21st century healthcare environment.

Philosophy

UST’s deep conviction about the nature of nursing as a healing ministry shapes the philosophy of the Peavy School of Nursing and serves as the standard measuring, intent and outcomes of all the school’s endeavors. With this undergirding, we frame and describe the essential elements of the healing ministry we pursue and make manifest:

The concepts of person, nursing, health and environments were defined as follows for the UST nurse and are further discussed in Standard III in the conceptual framework presentation.

  1. For the UST Nurse, Person is the ineffable expression of “God among us” that is the unique, complex multidimensional mystery of each human. Both nurse and patient, as persons, bring to healing encounters their self–awareness, intentionality and consciousness; these human capacities create the conditions for healing.
  2. For the UST Nurse, Nursing is a professional discipline and practice, both an art and a science, manifest as a healing ministry expressing the presence of God. Nurses bring to their relationships with people a conscious, intentional and relational presence. Using their knowledge and skill, nurses express their therapeutic capacity through their unique spiritual calling and commitment, guiding others to a desired wholeness.
  3. For the UST Nurse, Health is optimal wholeness of persons achieved through the full expression of individual and communal healing practices made possible through nursing, by nurses. Health is a multidimensional state of being that encompasses body, mind and spirit for the nurse and the patient in their shared encounters focused on care.
  4. For the UST Nurse, Environment is the totality of all forces and factors that shape the nurse-to-patient encounters that make healing possible. Each encounter offers an unrepeatable moment, as the environment is a constant state of change. Nurses enter the care environment to create the conditions and relationships necessary for healing.

All members of the UST/PSON community, in embracing these fundamental understandings of the essential elements of nursing, create and participate in education, scholarship, service and care initiatives that make the healing presence of God manifest. They are guided by the human capacities for compassion, justice, tolerance, reflection, creativity, and moral choice.

Degrees and Certificates

Classes

HLTHS 4350: Student and Program Evaluation

This course focuses on knowledge and skills associated with evaluation of student learning outcomes, curricular/program outcomes, faculty outcomes and educational environments. Emphasis will be placed on assessment for continuous quality improvement and the integration of professional, regulatory and accreditation standards in evaluation processes.

NURS 1032: Foundations in Critical Thinking in Nursing

This course will focus on facilitation of individualized study plans for conditionally accepted pre-nursing students who demonstrate problems with learning readiness, based on performance patterns/ criteria such as below standard performance on readiness assessment tools, test-taking skills in key pre-nursing courses, below standard writing skills and other academic criteria that may be identified by SON faculty. Student progress in the course will be assessed on a pass/fail basis

NURS 2032: Clinical Reasoning in Nursing

This course will focus on individualized study plans that are designed to enhance critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills essential to success in the nursing curriculum. Prerequisite: Full admission to the School of Nursing and Junior or Senior standing.

NURS 2202: Calculations for Nursing

This two-credit course introduces students to the knowledge and skills needed for medical calculation for nursing. This course reviews basic math skills ensuring students have a foundation on which to build to more complex concepts in calculations. A step-by-step approach to solving calculations is provided in four methods which allows students to use the most relevant techniques for their success. The application of calculations and algebraic functions are addressed, including weight-based medication doses and critical care intravenous medication calculations. The lab portion of this course introduces students to math applied to medications, measurement, and delivery of medications.

NURS 2302: Calculations for Nursing

This course introduces students to the knowledge and skills needed for medical calculation for nursing. This course reviews basic math skills ensuring students have a foundation on which to build to more complex concepts in calculations. A step-by-step approach to solving calculations is provided in four methods which allows students to use the most relevant techniques for their success. The application of calculations and algebraic functions are addressed, including weight-based medication doses and critical care intravenous medication calculations. The lab portion of this course introduces students to math applied to medications, measurement, and delivery of medications.

NURS 2342: Health Assessment

This three-credit course introduces students to the knowledge and skills needed of holistic assessment of individual patient. The course focuses on the basic health assessment component of the nursing process used to identify and document the health status of patients through development of the student's skills in physical assessment of patients of all ages. Learning experiences will also emphasize skill development in interviewing to collect a holistic health history. Prerequisites: BIOL 2343,2344.

NURS 2372: Health Assessment

This three-credit course introduces students to the knowledge and skills needed of holistic assessment of individual patient. The course focuses on the basic health assessment component of the nursing process used to identify and document the health status of patients through development of the student's skills in physical assessment of patients of all ages. Learning experiences will also emphasize skill development in interviewing to collect a holistic health history.

NURS 2642: Foundations of Holistic Nursing Practice

This six-credit course introduces students to foundation concepts, processes and skills related to the provision of holistic nursing care of the individual experiencing health alterations. Learning experiences will be grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process.

NURS 3250: Clinical Inquiry/EBP/Informatics

This two-hour credit course introduces students to the basic concepts related to the nursing research process, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement initiatives that promote holistic nursing. The emphasis will be placed on the appraisal and application of nursing research evidence in theory-guided holistic evidence-based nursing practice environments.

NURS 3252: Clinical Inquiry

Introduces students to the basic concepts related to nursing research process, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement initiatives to promote holistic nursing. The emphasis will be placed on the appraisal and application of nursing research evidence in theory-guided holistic evidence-based practice environments.

NURS 3270: Clinical Inquiry/EBP/Informatics

Introduces students to the basic concepts related to nursing research process, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement initiatives to promote holistic nursing. The emphasis will be placed on the appraisal and application of nursing research evidence in theory-guided holistic evidence-based practice environments.

NURS 3302: Clinical Conversations in Spanish

This course focuses on providing participants with the knowledge of the basic structures of the Spanish language, and the specialized medical vocabulary needed to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients in a variety of health care situations.

NURS 3343: Nursing Pharmacology

This course emphasizes integration and application of pharmacologic concepts to nursing practice. It is designed to provide a foundation of pharmacologic principles that will guide students in their analysis and evaluation of selected disease processes and related treatment.

NURS 3344: Nursing Pathophysiology

This course emphasizes integration and application of common pathophysiologic concepts encountered in nursing practice. It is designed to provide a foundation of pathophysiological principles that will guide students in their analysis and evaluation of selected disease processes.

NURS 3351: Art and Science of Holistic Nursing

This three-credit course (3 theory) introduces students to the complementary nature of nursing art and science through exploration of the healing philosophy and framework for nursing practice. Emphasis will be placed on nursing theory as a vehicle for exploring the relationships between the central concepts of person, environment, health and nursing and the relevance of nursing theory to holistic nursing practice.

NURS 3354: Holistic Nursing:Caring for the Community

This three-credit course introduces students to the community as the focus for nursing care and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry. Emphasis will be placed on application of the holistic nursing process to assessment of the health needs of culturally diverse communities and interventions designed to promote healing of communities, particularly for vulnerable populations.

NURS 3370: Nursing Pharmacology

This course emphasizes integration and application of pharmacologic concepts to nursing practice. It is designed to provide a foundation of pharmacologic principles that will guide students in their analysis and evaluation of selected disease processes and related treatment.

NURS 3371: Art and Science of Holistic Nursing

This three-credit course (3 theory) introduces students to the complementary nature of nursing art and science through exploration of the healing philosophy and framework for nursing practice. Emphasis will be placed on nursing theory as a vehicle for exploring the relationships between the central concepts of person, environment, health and nursing and the relevance of nursing theory to holistic nursing practice.

NURS 3372: Nursing Pathophysiology

This course emphasizes integration and application of common pathophysiologic concepts encountered in nursing practice. It is designed to provide a foundation of pathophysiological principles that will guide students in their analysis and evaluation of selected disease processes.

NURS 3375: Holistic Nursing:Caring for the Community

This three-credit course introduces students to the community as the focus for nursing care and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry. Emphasis will be placed on application of the holistic nursing process to assessment of the health needs of culturally diverse communities and interventions designed to promote healing of communities, particularly for vulnerable populations.

NURS 3391: Nursing Externship

This three-credit elective course provides students the opportunity to participate as a member of an international community of practice, focusing on the development of clinical reasoning, service learning, and professional development with the support of faculty and role models from the selected community of practice. Nursing as a profession is rooted in the belief that it is a spiritual calling committed to healing on a global level to matter where care is delivered. Nursing focuses on creating the conditions and relationships necessary for healing to occur by caring for the patient's body, mind, and spirit in a culturally diverse setting. Study abroad trips to selected countries provide an opportunity for nursing students to partner with international health care providers to deliver healthcare and community services in regions of the world. Students will participate in pre-training and debriefing sessions. This course provides a doorway of opportunity for study abroad externships and nursing research collaboration.

NURS 3552: Holistic Nursing: Care of Children and Families

This five-credit course focuses on the care of the child in the family from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a caring ministry. Developmental and nursing theories provide theoretical foundations for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care to children from infancy through adolescence.

NURS 3553: Holistic Nursing: Care of the Childbearing Family

This five-credit course focuses on the care of the childbearing family from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a caring ministry. A conceptual framework, derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing family-centered holistic nursing care for women and their families throughout the childbearing process.

NURS 3573: Holistic Nursing: Care of the Childbearing Family

This five-credit course focuses on the care of the childbearing family from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a caring ministry. A conceptual framework, derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing family-centered holistic nursing care for women and their families throughout the childbearing process.

NURS 3574: Holistic Nursing: Care of Children and Families

This five-credit course focuses on the care of the child in the family from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a caring ministry. Developmental and nursing theories provide theoretical foundations for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care to children from infancy through adolescence.

NURS 3651: Holistic Nursing: Care of Adults and Older Adults

This six-credit course focuses on the care of the adult experiencing health alterations from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind, and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for adults and their families experiencing a range of alterations along the wellness-illness continuum.

NURS 3672: Holistic Nursing: Care of Adults and Older Adults

This six-credit course focuses on the care of the adult experiencing health alterations from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind, and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for adults and their families experiencing a range of alterations along the wellness-illness continuum.

NURS 4191: Internship in Nursing

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the nursing field. Focusing on the development of clinical reasoning, service learning, and professional development with the support of faculty. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair.

NURS 4250: The Art and Science of Holistic Nursing

This three-credit course introduces students to the complementary nature of nursing art and science through exploration of a healing philosophy and framework for nursing practice. Emphasis will be placed on nursing theory as a vehicle for exploring the relationships between the central concepts of person, environment, health and nursing, and the relevance of nursing theory to holistic nursing practice.

NURS 4251: Nursing Informatics

This two-credit course introduces students to basic concepts and tools associated with the structure, management, and communication of information to support the role of the nurse as a knowledge worker. Emphasis will be placed on use of clinical information systems, electronic health records and telecommunication technologies in nursing. This is a fully online course.

NURS 4255: Clinical Inquiry

This course introduces students to the basic concepts related to the nursing research process, evidence based practice, and quality improvement initiatives that promote holistic nursing. The emphasis will be placed on the appraisal and application of nursing research evidence in theory-guided holistic evidence-based nursing practice environments.

NURS 4342: Foundations of Holistic Nursing Practice For RNs

This course focuses on foundational concepts, processes and skills related to the provision of holistic nursing care. Learning experiences will be grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for exploration of the nurse’s role in creating the conditions and relationships that support the healing process.

NURS 4356: Holistic Nursing: Foundation for Clinical Leadership

This three-credit course focuses on the knowledge, skills and abilities the baccalaureate-prepared nurse uses to provide clinical leadership in creating the conditions and relationships that facilitate healing. Emphasis will be placed on effective clinical management of patient populations, nursing service systems, quality and safety functions, policy implementation and practice advocacy.

NURS 4357: Holistic Nursing: Caring for the Community

This course introduces students to the community as the focus for nursing care and is grounded in the University philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry. Emphasis will be placed on application of the holistic nursing process to assessment of the health needs of culturally diverse communities and interventions designed to promote healing of communities, particularly for vulnerable populations.

NURS 4358: Holistic Nursing: Foundation for Clinical Leadership

This course focuses on the knowledge, skills and abilities the baccalaureate-prepared nurse uses to provide clinical leadership in creating the conditions and relationships that facilitate healing. Emphasis will be placed on effective clinical management of patient populations, nursing service systems, quality and safety functions, policy implementation and practice advocacy.

NURS 4359: Transition to Advanced Professional Roles

This capstone course will focus on application of holistic nursing principles to the assessment of the clinical setting as a healing environment and proposal of a plan for enhancement of the setting’s healing potential.

NURS 4371: Holistic Nursing:Foundation for Clinical Leadership

This three-credit course focuses on the knowledge, skills and abilities the baccalaureate-prepared nurse uses to provide clinical leadership in creating the conditions and relationships that facilitate healing. Emphasis will be placed on effective clinical management of patient populations, nursing service systems, quality and safety functions, policy implementation and practice advocacy.

NURS 4391: Internship in Nursing

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the nursing field. Focusing on the development of clinical reasoning, service learning, and professional development with the support of faculty. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair.

NURS 4552: Holistic Nursing: Behavioral Health

This five-credit course focuses on the care of individuals experiencing alterations in emotional/behavioral health from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for individuals and their families experiencing a range of alterations in emotional/behavioral health along the wellness-illness continuum.

NURS 4552: Holistic Nursing: Behavioral Health

This five-credit course focuses on the care of individuals experiencing alterations in emotional/behavioral health from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for individuals and their families experiencing a range of alterations in emotional/behavioral health along the wellness-illness continuum.

NURS 4572: Holistic Nursing: Behavioral Health

This five-credit course focuses on the care of individuals experiencing alterations in emotional/behavioral health from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for individuals and their families experiencing a range of alterations in emotional/behavioral health along the wellness-illness continuum.

NURS 4574: Transition to Holistic Nursing Practice

The six-credit course provides the nursing student the opportunity to refine competencies in the delivery of holistic nursing care in a chosen clinical setting with the guidance of a clinical preceptor. Students will apply holistic nursing principles to the assessment of the clinical setting as a healing environment and propose a plan for enhancement of the setting's healing potential.

NURS 4653: Holistic Nursing: Care of the Critically Ill

This six-credit course focuses on the care of individuals experiencing critical/life-threatening health alterations from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the University philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for individuals across the lifespan who are experiencing critical illness and their families.

NURS 4653: Holistic Nursing: Care of the Critically Ill

This six-credit course focuses on the care of individuals experiencing critical/life-threatening health alterations from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the University philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for individuals across the lifespan who are experiencing critical illness and their families.

NURS 4655: Transition to Holistic Nursing Practice

The six-credit course provides the nursing student the opportunity to refine competencies in the delivery of holistic nursing care in a chosen clinical setting with the guidance of a clinical preceptor. Students will apply holistic nursing principles to the assessment of the clinical setting as a healing environment and propose a plan for enhancement of the setting's healing potential.

NURS 4670: Foundations of Holistic Nursing Practice

This six-credit course introduces students to foundation concepts, processes and skills related to the provision of holistic nursing care of the individual experiencing health alterations. Learning experiences will be grounded in the university philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process.

NURS 4673: Holistic Nursing: Care of the Critically Ill

This six-credit course focuses on the care of individuals experiencing critical/life-threatening health alterations from a holistic nursing perspective and is grounded in the University philosophy that nursing is a healing ministry focused on body, mind and spirit. A conceptual framework derived from nursing science, life, behavioral and social sciences, humanities, theology and philosophy provides a foundation for clinical reasoning in providing nursing care and supporting the healing process for individuals across the lifespan who are experiencing critical illness and their families.

NURS 5092V: Nursing Independent Study

Students work independently on assigned readings in a particular topic and discuss/write up results to the satisfaction of the directing faculty member. Prerequisite: Department Consent.

NURS 5300: Advanced Pathophysiology

The focus of this course is on development of a knowledge base related to pathological phenomena encountered in clinical practice across the client life span. Emphasis is placed on regulatory and compensatory mechanisms as they relate to specific disease states.

NURS 5302: Mastering Clinical Conversations in Spanish

This course focuses on providing participants with the knowledge of the basic structures of the Spanish language, and the specialized medical vocabulary needed to communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients in a variety of health care situations.

NURS 5305: Advanced Health Assessment

This course presents the theoretical and clinical basis for advanced assessment in specialty nursing practice. Emphasis is placed on comprehensive physical, psychosocial, and cultural assessment as a foundation for advanced practice nursing. Faculty facilitates theory and laboratory experiences which focus on assessment of patients, presentation of findings, and clinical decision-making for a variety of age groups.

NURS 5310: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics

This course focuses on analysis of pharmacologic and pharmacokinetic principles in relation to major drug classifications and implications for pharmacologic management for patients across the lifespan.

NURS 5312: Nursing Research Application

The course will provide to the students with the opportunity to integrate theory, research, and practice within daily practice. Students will evaluate research findings within last ten years to answer questions about a healthcare related topic information derived from the research literature. The course will assist the students to summarize the current state of the science related to the topic, analyze the findings, and discuss the implications for health care in a written manuscript.

NURS 5315: Advanced Theoretical Foundations of Nursing

This course examines the philosophical foundations of nursing as a professional discipline through the lens of the Peavy SON holistic philosophy and healing framework. Emphasis will be placed on nursing theory as a vehicle for exploring the relationships between the central concepts of person, environment, health and nursing, and the application of nursing theory to support transformational leadership within advanced nursing practice roles.

NURS 5320: Clinical Inquiry and Evidence Based Practice

This course will focus on concepts related to the nursing research process, evidence based practice, and quality improvement methods to support advanced holistic nursing practice roles. Emphasis will be placed on the knowledge and skills required to evaluate the credibility of reported research and determine its usefulness in guiding evidence-based nursing practice at an advanced level and on clinical inquiry as a resource for transformational leadership.

NURS 5325: Nursing Ethics, Law, and Policy

Grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic social teaching, this course will explore the centrality of the human person as the moral and ethical foundation for the professional ethical framework that guides holistic practice in advanced nursing roles. Emphasis will be placed on application of a conceptual framework for analysis of relevant public policy and law through nursing’s ethical lens using the profession’s Code of Ethics and Social Policy Statement.

NURS 5330: Community Dynamics in Healthcare

Grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic social teaching, this course will explore social determinants of health, public policy and public health principles and approaches in focusing on healing at the community/population level. Emphasis will be placed on issues related to diversity, access, parity and population health.

NURS 5335: Quality, Safety, and Information Management

This course focuses on the use of frameworks for patient safety, evidence-based holistic nursing practice and inter-professional collaboration to create and sustain a culture of safety in healthcare delivery settings. Emphasis will be placed on nursing informatics theory and clinical information systems in promoting quality and safety in practice.

NURS 5350: Student and Program Evaluation

This course focuses on knowledge and skills associated with evaluation of student learning outcomes, curricular/program outcomes, faculty outcomes and educational environments. Emphasis will be placed on assessment for continuous quality improvement and the integration of professional, regulatory and accreditation standards in evaluation processes.

NURS 5360: Leadership Theory and Inquiry

This course focuses on creating a conceptual framework for transformational leadership and the development of leadership capacity in advanced nursing practice roles. Emphasis will be placed on theory/concepts and methods of inquiry related to leadership capacity for the creation of healing environments including complexity and complex adaptive systems, power and organizational dynamics, diversity/inclusion and innovation.

NURS 5365: Program Development and Evaluation

This course focuses on the development of knowledge and skills associated with strategic and operational program planning and evaluation within healthcare delivery systems. Emphasis will be placed on the use of technology tools to facilitate data gathering and analysis, process mapping, and project management.

NURS 5370: Strategic and Operational Leadership in 21st Century Healthcare

This course focuses on development of knowledge and skills necessary to effectively respond to contemporary leadership challenges in nursing : complexity, diversity and inclusion, and organizational power dynamics, rapid change and innovation. Emphasis will be placed on applying transformational leadership and complex adaptive systems frameworks in responding to strategic and operational demands facing nurses in advanced practice nursing roles in a range of care delivery settings.

NURS 5375: Healthcare Financial and Resource Management

This course focuses on the knowledge and skills essential to the strategic and operational utilization of financial and human resources to support effective delivery of holistic nursing care. Emphasis will be placed on the nurse leader’s capacity to advocate effectively for the resources essential to support a strong nursing workforce and quality care outcomes.

NURS 5380: Leadership Role Practicum

This role practicum provides the opportunity for analysis of a leadership challenge and development of a change project with an experienced nurse leader as coach.

NURS 5385: Learning Theory and Strategies for Nurse Educators

This course focuses on development of a theory-based conceptual framework for teaching and learning in nursing education. Learning and cognitive theory, Benner’s scholarship on professional nursing knowledge development and research on nursing pedagogy will contribute to this framework. Emphasis will be place on methods for clinical knowledge development including simulation and clinical experiential learning and assessment of learning outcomes.

NURS 5390: Curriculum Development in Nursing Education

This course provides a theoretical basis for understanding the principles of curriculum design and evaluation in nursing education. The Peavy SON curriculum framework will provide an exemplar for the process for design, implementation, ongoing assessment and revision in response to changes in nursing, health care and higher education. Emphasis will be placed on the role of professional, regulatory and accreditation standards in curriculum development and evaluation.

NURS 6300: Nurse Educator Role Practicum

The practicum experience facilitates knowledge integration and application of the graduate curriculum in the nurse educator role. The practicum will provide didactic and online, laboratory and clinical teaching opportunities with an experienced nurse educator as coach.

NURS 7014V: Clinical Applications Practicum

This course provides students with planned clinical practicum experiences designed to demonstrate skills and knowledge learned in the classroom through self-designed clinical experiences in collaboration with selected clinical partners and their clinical practice coaches. Students will focus their clinical experiences on the roles and competencies of transformational nurse leaders creating healing environments for a self-selected patient population. The clinical practicum provides students with an opportunity to integrate the diverse dimensions of their DNP learning experiences in a “real world” situation and capture for themselves the meaning of these experiences through self-reflective journaling and maintenance of a clinical log. Students will work collaboratively with their clinical partners to ensure all practicum experiences concurrently benefit the student and the clinical partner through the creation of healing environments.

NURS 7015V: DNP Project in Transformational Nursing Leadership

This course provides students with supervised development, completion and dissemination of the DNP Project required for completion of the program of study. The students’ learning experiences documented in their on-line portfolios, journals, and clinical log are designed to create a detailed record of their systematic progression toward the design and implementation of their DNP Projects. Students are required to complete a project that integrates all prior learning experiences and demonstrates application of this learning to a population of their choice, evidenced through documented DNP Project outcomes.

NURS 7016V: Nursing Independent Study

Students work independently on assigned readings in a particular topic and discuss/write up results to the satisfaction of the directing faculty member. Prerequisite: Department Consent.

NURS 7113: Transformational Nursing Leadership: Clinical Applications Seminar

This course provides DNP students with a structured platform for exploration and integration of their experiences in their DNP courses, their applications in clinical practice and their individual population health specialization initiatives. Through group discussion, guided by faculty coaching, students will revisit the core conceptual threads of the DNP program and refine their integration of the threads into their clinical experiences and program specialization activities. The seminar is required when students are enrolled in the clinical practicum course (7X14), and provides a mechanism for managing progression through DNP clinical practice experiences and a focused process facilitating students in identifying and analyzing the challenges associated with transformational nursing leadership.

NURS 7202: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; Social Justice Dimensions of Transformational Healing Relationships

This interdisciplinary course provides the student with an opportunity to embed the distinctive themes of the UST DNP program within a working framework of ethical principles and practices that enable the creation of transformational healing relationships among diverse persons involved in a given setting, situation or culture. Using the professional nursing Code of Ethics and the four pillars of the DNP program’s conceptual framework, students will explore the ethical dimensions of a holistic healing ministry for nurses in the diverse and complex 21st century healthcare environment, where the nurse serves as an instrument of healing, committed to social justice and healthcare equities pursued through transformational healing relationships. Expansion of consciousness and self-awareness as essential components of ethical healing relationships will be emphasized, giving students an opportunity to craft a personal narrative about these expanding capacities as a dimension of transformative nursing leadership that pursues social justice for their patient populations. Students will have an opportunity to identify and explore the potential ethical challenges implicit in the planning and implementation of their DNP projects and design potential responses to these challenges.

NURS 7211: Interprofessional Collaboration as Transformational Nursing Leadership

This course provides the student with a structured process for establishing informed relationships with diverse members of interprofessional health care teams and through the lens of the Catholic intellectual tradition, developing collaborative approaches to transforming health care practices in complex practice, political and organizational settings. A variety of health care professionals will serve as guest faculty to provide students with an expanded understanding of potential collaborations on all aspects of population focused health care programs. Students will experiment with leadership initiatives grounded in an analysis of complex population health care challenges and the design of interprofessional responses to these challenges. The synergistic impact of interprofessional teams on the outcomes of population health initiatives will be documented through student learning experiences.

NURS 7216: Independent Study

Student research on a selected problem in the field pursued under the guidance of an assigned member of the faculty.

NURS 7217: Behavioral Neuroscience

The course will provide the student a basic introduction to the fundamental aspects of common diseases affecting the brain. The latest developments in neuroscience and genetics related to psychiatric symptom expression and symptom management throughout the lifespan will be discussed. Complements the concepts in neuroscience and the clinical management of targeted psychiatric symptoms, related to the treatment of various psychiatric disorders and reflects current scientific knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry, and its application to clinical problems seen in a variety of settings.

NURS 7220: Clinical Psychopharmacology

Building on general advanced pharmacology principles this course advances the student's knowledge of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmocotherapeutics and neuroscience in the use of pharmacological and complementary therapies in the management of psychiatric symptoms across the lifespan. Students will utilize assessment data and evidence based protocols to guide safe prescriptive decision-making.

NURS 7221: Neurobiology of Addictions: Advanced Practice Approach

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of basic concepts relevant to understanding the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders and other addictions from an advanced practice nurse perspective. Physiological, behavioral, emotional, and societal responses to addiction will be explored. Implications for nursing research are considered.

NURS 7222: Telehealth/Telemedicine/TelePsych/Telemental: Rural Service Delivery

This course provides the foundation for establishing a telemental health practice to improve access for individuals in rural and underserved communities. Technology requirements along with ethical and legal standards will be addressed. Business principles, cost containment, coding, reimbursement and outcome measurement will be covered. The nurse practitioner as leader and patient advocate in analyzing the effect of health care policy on accessibility, accountability, and affordability will be emphasized.

NURS 7301: Creating Healing Environments: Foundations of Nursing Art and Science

This course provides the student with an introduction and orientation to the distinctive characteristics of the UST DNP shaped by the Catholic intellectual tradition. Students explore the conceptual threads of the program of study and link these to the theoretical and scientific grounding of the practice leadership in professional nursing. Conceptual threads include the UST Nursing philosophy, pillars and framework; the IOM Future of Nursing report and its emphasis on transformational leadership; the conceptual model of complex adaptive systems including diversity as its source of creativity and as an innovative patient care context; interprofessional and clinical partnerships; and nurses’ engagement in health care environments to create the conditions, relationships, partnerships and practices necessary for healing outcomes for a specified population’s health.

NURS 7303: Translating Research into Practice: Transformational Leadership in Enhancing Healing Environments

his course provides the student with a systematic exploration of the nature of research, both in nursing and related disciplines, and its role in creating healing environments in complex adaptive systems through transformational leadership. Grounded in an analysis of the formal processes of inquiry, students will explore clinical research, evaluation research, evidence based practice processes, and quality improvement protocols. Differentiation of these knowledge resources will be analyzed as essential to transformational leadership initiatives, shaped by the creative use of health care information systems and technologies available in healthcare environments. Students will explore potential inquiry-guided leadership initiatives that create change toward best practices and the crafting of transformational policies responsive to patients’ and their unique needs. Dissemination of outcomes will be discussed as a final expression of inquiry processes, linking them to transformational leadership research and the potential for expanding the spread of healing environments and the healing ministry of nurses.

NURS 7304: Relational Dimensions of Healing: Communication and Conflict Engagement

his course provides the student with a systematic exploration of the role of right relationship in the creation of healing environments for specific populations. Grounded in an evidence-based analysis of current disruptions in health care environments and their impact, students will explore the ethical, fiscal, quality control, safety and personal cost of such disruptions, and examine and practice specific competencies essential to addressing these disruptions and engaging effectively with relevant participants. Models of collaboration and teamwork as alternatives to or enhancements of current practices will be explored, linking them to the unique value focus of the UST program of study. Unique traits of complex adaptive systems will be linked to communication patterns, diversity as opportunity, and conflict engagement processes. Through the lens of the Catholic intellectual tradition, the role of the transformational nurse leader in pursuing social justice; enhancing quality, cost effectiveness, and patient safety through competent right relationship; creating collaborative partnerships and engaging others in skillful advocacy for patients will be emphasized through group and individual course experiences.

NURS 7306: Healing Environments in Complex Adaptive Systems

This course provides students with a systematic analysis of existing conceptual maps descriptive of health care organizations and systems, identifying their characteristics and outcomes as these relate to nursing as a healing ministry. With this backdrop, an in depth exploration of the specific conceptual map of complex adaptive systems (CAS) shapes the course as students investigate the creative and humanizing impact of this mental map. Students explore implications of the map for managing diversity, ensuring interprofessional collaboration, reframing policy and practices, initiating transformational changes, and ensuring desired outcomes. The role of healthcare informatics, social media and rapidly changing technologies will be examined within a CAS framework of meaning, both as challenges and opportunities. This examination, informed by the Catholic intellectual tradition, will focus particularly on challenges and opportunities as they relate to issues of social justice in health care. CAS will be discussed as a mental map to relate to and understand communities, environmental and occupational health, cultural variances and the unique needs of the students’ self-selected populations of interest.

NURS 7307: Transformational Leadership in Healing Environment

This course is designed to prepare students to deal with the intellectual and practical responsibilities and accountabilities of transformational leadership in healing environments, informed by the Catholic intellectual tradition. Students will learn how to use evidence-based practices to apply nursing’s hierarchy of knowledge to real world patient problems, focusing on health care delivery phenomena. These explorations will include the fiscal, risk management, quality control, outcome and safety dimensions of care systems in diverse organizations. The practical processes of development, implementation, refinement and evaluation of practice models and guidelines, standards of care and peer review procedures will be explored through simulations and case studies, providing students with experiences focused on culture sensitive problem solving and the real world challenges of ensuring that nurses can embrace their unique ministry Students will have the opportunity to apply these experiences to their self-selected population, focusing on health promotion, disease prevention, access to care and gaps in current services. Innovative strategic decision-making will be tested through this process of application.

NURS 7308: Financial Management in Health Care

This course provides the student with a comprehensive review of financial concepts and principles applied to the financial decisions of health care agencies including capital budgeting, capital structure, and budgeting for personnel. Concepts informing financial management in health care include financial performance evaluation, asset valuation, capital budgeting, and both short-term and long-term financial planning, budgeting and forecasting. Students will study the development and interpretation of accounting information as a managerial tool for decision-making. Students will have the opportunity to apply their learning to financial management issues confronting those who lead care programs for their self-selected populations. In addition, the course emphasizes the importance of ethical responsibility in the conduct of business financial operations in health care.

NURS 7310: Transforming Ethics, Law, and Policy Toward Healing Environments

This course is grounded in and shaped by the relationship between the IOM Future of Nursing report of 2010 and the distinctive mission and vision of the School of Nursing and the unique characteristics of the UST DNP program. An evidence-based analysis of extant policy patterns, both nationally and locally, will serve as a backdrop to the students’ exploration of policies shaped by the goal of creating healing environments. Grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic social teaching, students will have the opportunity to investigate a policy issue specific to their self-selected populations and field test a policy role they can assume to address this issue, including germane financing, regulatory, ethical and delivery issues. Students will take the initiative with diverse stakeholders to advocate for the policy and nursing’s role in reframing extant health policies. These diverse policy activities will be linked to the students’ role as a transformational nurse leader.

NURS 7312: Informatics and Technologies in Health Care

This course provides the student with a comprehensive understanding of the essential role of informatics and health care technologies in the transformation of population focused health care services. Students will develop skill in analyzing and communicating to interprofessional teams, patients, and families information necessary to optimize the use of available technologies and information extracted from health care databases and information systems that may benefit a patient population. Guided by the Catholic intellectual tradition, the emergent ethical dilemmas shaped by the rapid development of complex technologies, digital data sources and social media will be explored, and students will identify and demonstrate transformational leadership competencies essential to grappling with these issues guided by the ANA Professional Code of Ethics. Criteria for the evaluation of available information systems and patient care technologies will be explored by students who will craft professional measures to guide future leadership decision-making.

NURS 7317: Behavioral Neuroscience

The course will provide the student a basic introduction to the fundamental aspects of common diseases affecting the brain. The latest developments in neuroscience and genetics related to psychiatric symptom expression and symptom management throughout the lifespan will be discussed. Complements the concepts in neuroscience and the clinical management of targeted psychiatric symptoms, related to the treatment of various psychiatric disorders and reflects current scientific knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry, and its application to clinical problems seen in a variety of settings.

NURS 7401: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Clinical Applications Practicum I: Adult/Older Adults

This Practicum provides clinical training in the full role of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Emphasis is placed on the integration of two content areas: the knowledge and skills for PMHNP practice; and the specific mental health needs of adults and older adults. Clinical experiences, lectures, case discussions, and projects allow students the opportunity to develop competencies in the ethical, safe, collaborative, and evidence-based provision of mental health care to adults and older adults in the context of a changing health care system. 180 clinical hours.

NURS 7402: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Clinical Applications Practicum II: Children/Family

This Practicum provides clinical training in the full role of the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Emphasis is placed on the integration of two content areas: the knowledge and skills for PMHNP practice; and the specific mental health needs of children and families. Clinical experiences, lectures, case discussions, and projects allow students the opportunity to develop competencies in the ethical, safe, collaborative, and evidence-based provision of mental health care to children, adolescents and families in the context of a changing health care system. 180 clinical hours.

NURS 7403: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Clinical Applications Practicum III: Integrated Care

The focus of this Practicum is on applying the PMHNP and integrated care competencies of systems-oriented practice that include collaboration, teamwork, care coordination and community practice partnerships and applying culturally sensitive PMHNP and integrated care competencies to plan and implement population-based screening, care planning, mental health literacy interventions and continuous quality improvement. 180 clinical hours.

NURS 7405: Epidemiology: Optimizing Population Health

This course provides the student with a review of the basic concepts, principles and methods of epidemiology applied to population focused health care and nursing practice for evaluation and implementation of evidence-based decision-making in health care to investigate inequities, enhance quality, control cost, and predict and analyze outcomes. Emphasis is placed on the use of epidemiologic reasoning in deriving inferences about the multi-factorial etiology of health phenomena from population data and in guiding the design of responsive health service programs. Attention to demographic, cultural and social dimensions of health problems and programs will focus on the ethical use of epidemiological reasoning. Through this course the student will be able to critically read and evaluate epidemiological data, extract implications of these data, and apply their knowledge to decision-making using epidemiological principles. Additionally, this course is designed to widen the lens students use to understand population health, expanding boundaries to capture global health issues, creating context for national, regional, state, city and local community perspectives as potential healing environments. Study of specific international organizations and NGOs such as WHO and UNICEF, with a focus on creating healing environments will be complemented by the roles played globally by nurses through organizations such as ICN and STTI. Nationally, comparable analyses will include the PPACA, CDC, EPA, etc. and the ANA, AACN, AONE and the NLN. State and local expressions of these resources will be identified and explored for intent, impact, and potential partnerships. Guided by the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic social teaching, the role of the transformational nurse leader as an actor in these formal structures will be explored, along with the effective use of resources such as epidemiological studies; global, national, state and local data bases; models of and opportunities for inter-professional collaboration; emergent technologies and policy crafting opportunities; and innovative approaches to unanticipated challenges.