Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

This course is designed for graduate nurses to provide them with the skills to understand and utilize research evidence in decisions about clinical practice. The course is designed to help graduate nurses articulate relevant practice-based questions, search the literature to identify relevant evidence, evaluate the quality of research on which the evidence is based, and discuss the application of the evidence in clinical practice to improve quality of care.

This course is designed to provide the student with a systematic approach to the delivery of health promotion and disease prevention in primary health care to individuals, families, communities, and aggregate populations.

This core course examines contextual contributors to health status and the current social, legal, and political determinants of healthcare systems, emphasizing the U.S. system. Issues are explored to understand their impact on current and future delivery of health care, in particular on advanced practice nursing. The class focuses on how to bring the professional values of nursing to bear in policy debate and how nurses partner in the policy process to improve health outcomes of populations and quality of the healthcare delivery system.

The goals of this course are to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the actions of drugs in order to enable them to use therapeutic agents in a rational and responsible manner in patients. Initially, basic principles of pharmacology will be reviewed (from N5375 course), including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs by the body. Drug-receptor interactions will also be presented and illustrated with appropriate examples. The focus of these lectures will be case-based whenever possible to demonstrate the therapeutic application of these pharmacologic principles and how this translates into efficacy and potential toxicity.

Utilizing a systems approach and a background in basic physical assessment, advanced physical assessment skills are studied. The identification and interpretation of abnormalities in the physical exam are emphasized in depth. The approach to the development of the differential diagnosis is introduced. The goal of this course is to provide the critical thinking necessary for the beginning advanced practice nursing student to analyze history and physical exam data.

Part one of two. In this course we will examine the normal physiological function of organ systems, the mechanisms for the maintenance of health, and the pathophysiological alterations in body function that lead to disease. Each class will focus on a specific physiologic process or organ system. We will pay particular focus to diseases that commonly occur across the lifespan, examining common etiologies, pathogenic mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and common treatments of each.

The purpose of this course is to provide a comprehensive and in-depth background in acute and critical care pharmacotherapy. This course will address the pharmacology and appropriate clinical use of agents used in the treatment of selected acute disorders found in acutely/critically ill patients. Recent advances in pharmacotherapy, personalized management strategies, and controversial issues will be included and emphasized.

This course focuses on the essential technology and procedures utilized in the management of the critically ill that is inherent to the role of this nurse practitioner. During laboratory/clinical experiences psychomotor skills and the use of advanced technologies for the nurse practitioner will be developed along with the skill of oral/written presentation of select patients.

This course is designed to provide the tools for the doctorally prepared nurse to evaluate, translate and integrate published research results into clinical practice. During the course, students will learn how to conceptualize clinical practice problems and transform them into answerable clinical research questions, how to search for the best clinical evidence, and how to assess clinical evidence using basic epidemiological, biostatistical and scientific principles. The course will culminate in a systematic review or meta-analysis of a body of research relevant to advanced practice nursing.

Part two of two. In this course we will examine the normal physiological function of organ systems, the mechanisms for the maintenance of health, and the pathophysiological alterations in body function that lead to disease. Each class will focus on a specific physiologic process or organ system. We will pay particular focus to diseases that commonly occur across the lifespan, examining common etiologies, pathogenic mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and common treatments of each.

This course engages the advanced practice student in the basics of diagnostic radiology and point-of-care radiologic assessment necessary for today’s practitioner. The course offers the advanced practice student the opportunity to understand the process for selecting appropriate imaging modalities, and also challenges the student to develop novice-level competence in the interpretation of select diagnostic imaging of adults. 

This course is the first of two designed to introduce students to scholarly writing and dissemination for clinicians. The course provides students with practical information, exercises, and resources for successful clinical manuscript preparation and clinical conference poster and oral presentation. The course introduces students to fundamental skills for scholarly writing including familiarity with professional journals and conferences, utilization of electronic resources for literature searches and citation management, writing process and organizational skills, identification of predatory journal and conference enterprises, and academic integrity and the continuum of plagiarism. The course culminates in an annotated bibliography on a topic of the student’s choosing that allows for the synthesis and application of the skills and resources developed over the course. In conjunction with part two of the course, students are prepared for a lifelong approach to integrating scholarship into clinical practice.

This course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to serve as a member and lead interdisciplinary groups in organizational assessment to identify systems issues and facilitate organization-wide changes in practice delivery utilizing quality improvement strategies. Course content focusses on understanding systems concepts and thinking to achieve results in complex health care delivery systems. Frameworks, approaches, and tools that foster critical thinking are examined as mechanisms to formulate vital questions, gather and assess relevant information, develop well-reasoned conclusions, test conclusions against relevant standards, compare conclusions with alternative systems of thought, and communicate effectively throughout the process.

This is the first of three Diagnosis and Management courses designed to educate students on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of common acute and critical illnesses via a systems-based approach. Pathophysiologic alterations, assessment, diagnostic findings, and multimodal management will be discussed.  The course will examine social determinants of health and health disparities that may impact patients and family outcomes. Focus will be on the differential diagnosis and comprehensive healthcare management of commonly encountered acute and chronic physical illnesses using didactic lectures, case studies and simulation.  

This course focuses on advanced practice issues not usually familiar to the average nurse. It explores the dimensions of independent advanced practice nursing (APN) in our challenging and constantly changing health care environment. Legal issues, regulation, reimbursement, practice management concerns, and development of a comprehensive view of the APN’s role in the current health care environment are stressed.

This simulation course engages the AG-ACNP student in a variety of controlled practicum scenarios. The course offers the AG-ACNP student a simulated clinical environment and allows for integration of previous didactic and clinical knowledge to develop complex decision making skills

Continuation of N9150.

This course is intended to provide a strong foundation in the concepts of genetics and clinical applicability of genomic concepts commonly seen in advance practice nurses’ clinical practice. Both classical Mendelian and molecular genetics will be examined, in order to provide a knowledge base that will enable the advanced practice nurse to integrate genetic and genomic knowledge into clinical practice. Using a case discussion approach, clinical issues of genetics testing, genetic exceptionalism, individualized risk assessments and predictions are explored throughout their life span.

This course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge and skills regarding the uses of information technology to support evidence-based practice. The course will provide an overview of informatics topics of most relevance to evidence-based practice including: computer systems and system development; standardized clinical terminology; informatics standards; electronic health records; retrieval and critical analysis of digital data, information, and knowledge; clinical decision making; decision support; decision analysis; shared decision making; and computer aided instruction.

This is the second of three Diagnosis and Management courses designed to educate students on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of common acute and critical illnesses via a systems-based approach. Pathophysiologic alterations, assessment, diagnostic findings, and multimodal management will be discussed.  The course will examine social determinants of health and health disparities that may impact patients and family outcomes. Focus will be on the differential diagnosis and comprehensive healthcare management of commonly encountered acute and chronic physical illnesses using didactic lectures, case studies and simulation.  

Clinical Seminar in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care is designed to provide the AG-ACNP student an academic environment in which the students share their practicum experience and present case studies and journal articles for discussion with their peers. In this scholarly forum, the students are expected to present selected cases from their practicum in an organize forma. The students are expected to facilitate a class dialogue and offer appropriate references.

This course will provide an opportunity for the student to synthesize and integrate the knowledge obtained in Diagnosis and Management of the Acutely Ill Adult II. This is the second clinical practicum for the student to evaluate and manage adult patients in an acute care setting. Students will be expected to demonstrate their ability to evaluate and manage the patient through the techniques of history taking, physical examination, medical decision-making, coordination of appropriate care using a holistic approach, and collaboration with the medical team. The student should demonstrate progressive independence in the management of patients.

This course addresses the application of epidemiology and environmental approaches to inform the clinical practice of health care of individuals. An understanding of health sciences based on groups of people, including environmental health, occupational health, and some aspects of genetics, can orient the practitioner with an individual patient. These external influences are modified through social, cultural, and behavioral factors. Addressing these factors should help to anticipate and improve patient outcomes.

The DNP portfolio is designed to assist students in meeting CUSON DNP competencies as demonstrated in written case narrative and competency based clinical encounters. Students will be assigned a faculty member who will provide guidance in identifying appropriate patient encounters, reviewing and editing all written work associated with demonstrating competency-based learning. This course repeats sequentially for 3 semesters. 

This is the last of three Diagnosis and Management courses designed to educate students on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of common acute and critical illnesses via a systems-based approach. Pathophysiologic alterations, assessment, diagnostic findings, and multimodal management will be discussed.  The course will examine social determinants of health and health disparities that may impact patients and family outcomes. Focus will be on the differential diagnosis and comprehensive healthcare management of commonly encountered acute and chronic physical illnesses using didactic lectures, case studies and simulation.  

Clinical Seminar in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care is designed to provide the AG-ACNP student an academic environment in which the students share their practicum experience and present case studies and journal articles for discussion with their peers. In this scholarly forum, the students are expected to present selected cases from their practicum in an organized format. The students are expected to facilitate a class dialogue and offer appropriate references.

This course will provide an opportunity to synthesize and integrate the advanced practice knowledge and skills acquired through all previous didactic and clinical coursework.  Students will be expected to do clinical case presentations, manage a group of patients of varying diagnoses and variability of acuity, and practice with increasing independence in the acute care advanced practice role. 

Credits increased from 4 to 5, effective Spring 2021.

The DNP portfolio is designed to assist students in meeting CUSON DNP competencies as demonstrated in written case narrative and competency based clinical encounters. Students will be assigned a faculty member who will provide guidance in identifying appropriate patient encounters, reviewing and editing all written work associated with demonstrating competency-based learning. This course repeats sequentially for 3 semesters. 

Aimed at increasing student awareness of the prevalence, context, dynamics, and potential outcomes of interpersonal violence (IPV), the goal of this course is to provide advanced practice nurses with the information needed for prevention, identification, assessment appropriate intervention, and resource referral for clients and families who are at risk for, have a history with, or are currently experiencing IPV. Course content will explore the dynamics, causes and consequences of IPV, specifically: domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, and sexual assault.

Clinical Seminar in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care is designed to provide the AG-ACNP student an academic environment in which the students share their practicum experience and present case studies and journal articles for discussion with their peers. In this scholarly forum, the students are expected to present selected cases from their practicum in an organize forma. The students are expected to facilitate a class dialogue and offer appropriate references.

This course will provide an opportunity to synthesize and integrate the advanced practice knowledge and skills acquired through all previous didactic and clinical coursework.  Students will be expected to do clinical case presentations, manage a group of patients of varying diagnoses and variability of acuity, and practice with increasing independence in the acute care advanced practice role. (Previously offered for 4 credits.)

The purpose of this course is to critically analyze healthcare policy in the US. Included is a focus on the advanced practice nurse role in shaping and influencing policy through advocacy and leadership to improve patient outcomes.

The DNP portfolio is designed to assist students in meeting CUSON DNP competencies as demonstrated in written case narrative and competency based clinical encounters. Students will be assigned a faculty member who will provide guidance in identifying appropriate patient encounters, reviewing and editing all written work associated with demonstrating competency-based learning. This course repeats sequentially for 3 semesters. 

The DNP intensive practicum focuses on the delivery of fully accountable, evidenced based care for patients across clinical sites. The DNP student will demonstrate an integration of comprehensive assessment, advanced differential diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, evaluation of care for patients and synthesis of evidence-based practice with patients with a variety of conditions. In this context, the DNP student will organize and develop a professional portfolio.