Online RN to BSN: Curriculum

Validation of Prior Learning Students may be awarded 30-36 Nursing credits through the State of Connecticut Nursing Articulation Plan. Students who graduate from schools in other states can be awarded 30 credits through endorsement of these courses. Students will be advised of their status by the Nursing faculty with credits shown as NU 290.

This course is for RNs and is designed as a transition to the nursing major and as a forum to facilitate comparison between the scope of practice of the registered nurse and the baccalaureate-prepared nurse. Role behaviors of the baccalaureate practitioner will be analyzed and applied within a framework of the healthcare environment and the ethical, legal, and social issues that influence nursing practice. Critical thinking skills are developed as an essential component of professional practice. A prerequisite to NU 376 and NU 387

This course is for RNs and requires the completion of CIT 202 as a prerequisite. The Human Journey in Nursing utilizes the four questions posed in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition Seminars to address nursing’s role in building a just society. Concepts such as human vulnerability, resiliency, spirituality, and cultural diversity will provide the platform from which discussions about the professions and the professional nurse’s role in shaping past, current, and future healthcare will be based. Reflection on service-learning experiences will personalize and professionalize the meaning and responsibility for addressing health inequities within the workplace and the perpetuation of health disparities in society. A prerequisite to NU 376 and NU 38.

Utilizing the conceptual framework of the Nursing program, this course focuses on comprehensive health assessment. Adequate data collection and careful analysis for diagnostic and planning purposes is stressed. The student will use the diagnostic reasoning process to formulate nursing diagnoses. Videotaping assessment skills is a required course component. A prerequisite to NU376 and NU 387.

Students in the following tracks will take NU 335: Clinical Nurse Leader, Nursing Education, Nursing Management and Executive Leadership

This course is for RNs and provides an introduction to information and technology needed for the practice of nursing today. It will focus on providing material to enable nurses to be computer literate by exploring the use of emerging information sources and communication technology and their impact on healthcare. Emphasis will be placed on trends and issues in clinical technology. It will also examine key issues such as security and the use of databases. A prerequisite to NU376 and NU 387.

Students in the following tracks will take NU 575: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

This course is for RNs and prepares nursing students to critically evaluate evidence developed through methodologies such as research and research protocols for its application to the practice of professional nursing. The course reviews levels of evidence and provides a foundational overview of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Ethical issues and policy agendas that influence research are considered throughout the course. A prerequisite to NU376 and NU 387. Prerequisites: Acceptance to the RN-BSN Nursing Major, MA131 and NU315.

This course is for RNs and will focus on the professional nurse’s role in applying theory and principles of leadership and management in organizations across the health care continuum. Focus will be placed on strategies necessary to function effectively in a changing health care system by exploring interrelated process of thinking systematically, developing reflective judgment, and exercising leadership. Strategies for managing the quality and cost if health care, as well as research utilization, are emphasized to promote effective practice. A prerequisite to NU376 and NU 387.

This course is for the registered nurse student and is focused on the elements of care management of individuals and families across the health care continuum. This course will expand upon the concepts of care transitions from hospital to the community setting with an emphasis on the challenges related to transitioning such as financial management, resource utilization, and overall care coordination. Care management for individuals and families requires an understanding of family systems and the interaction of individuals with their family during healthy actual or potential health issues. A family assessment will be utilized to allow the registered nurse student the opportunity to develop a plan that will promote a safe and productive transition to the community. Students will engage in analytic discussions to further develop their understanding of family systems, systems of care, clinical practice and community nursing roles. Personal reflection on one’s own practice in contemporary nursing will be included in order to allow the student to think holistically, ethically and morally as they grapple with real-world challenges and contemporary care management issues in our healthcare environment. Pre-Requisites: Acceptance to the nursing major, NU305, NU315, NU325, NU335, NU345, NU355. Acceptance to the RN-MSN nursing major, NU305, NU315, NU325, NU335, NU345, NU355, NU401, NU430, NU 431, NU 433.

This course is for RNs and focuses on global communities as consumers of health services. The different perspectives, sensitivities and application of knowledge unique to nursing of populations, communities, and societies are identified. Effectiveness of nursing practice is explored in relation to the problems, priorities, attitudes, culture and resources of aggregates, groups, the community, and global health needs. Prerequisites: Acceptance to the RN to BSN Nursing Major, NU 305, 315, 325, 335, 345, and 355 or acceptance to the RN-MSN Nursing Major, NU 325, 401, 430, 431, 433, 475 and 376