500

This course examines the essentials of strategic planning and analyzes current and future trends and issues affecting healthcare. Students develop an understanding of the interface between strategic planning and the challenges facing healthcare professionals.

This course prepares students for leadership roles in advanced healthcare policy and practice. It examines the current healthcare industry, including impact of managed care on healthcare and its outcomes. The course provides a framework for analyzing trends in organizational strategy, policy, politics, financial and economic influence on healthcare access and the healthcare system. Issues such as health policy, health values and beliefs, patient rights, reimbursement, malpractice, risk management and coordination with regulation agencies are explored from an industry perspective.

This course is designed to enhance the understanding and appreciation of human diversity in health and illness. Emphasis is placed on the role of the advanced practice nurse in critically assessing and planning for the health promotion, disease prevention and culturally relevant care management. The nurse provides leadership in ensuring collaboration and sensitivity to a multicultural workforce and client population.

This course explores the diverse nature of knowledge, values and beliefs foundational to professional nursing practice. The relationship of theory with science, research, and practice is analyzed with an emphasis on understanding the development, testing and use of theory. Models, theories, paradigms, and philosophies are examined through critical inquiry to facilitate development of a framework for advanced nursing practice.

This course explores principles and methods of research. The focus is on problem identification, research methods and design, and selection of appropriate statistical procedures. The student is prepared to evaluate and critique research.

This course examines fiscal integrity in healthcare. It utilizes basic principles of fiscal management, budgeting and healthcare economics. It examines the allocation of resources and assesses the design of payment systems. It integrates fiscal accountability in planning and budgeting. Leadership is demonstrated through the use of cost effective interventions. Legal and ethical aspects of healthcare fiscal integrity are examined.

This course explores current and emerging technology applications in the health care arena. Clinical, research, administrative and educational applications of technology are addressed. Strategic information systems planning, cost/benefit analyses, and human/organizational/technologic interface issues are addressed in detail. Ethical, legal and political issues inherent in technology applications in healthcare are also evaluated.

This course explores frameworks for program evaluation, with a focus on practical application of research principles and methodology to the evaluation process. The interrelationships of program planning, implementation, and evaluation are analyzed. The student is prepared to conduct program evaluation activities and to critique program evaluation reports.

This course provides the basic preparation of nurses with the career goal of parish nursing utilizing the standardized curriculum of the International Parish Nurse Resource Center, Deaconess Parish Nurse Ministries, St. Louis, Mo. It provides the competencies, skills and behaviors required for effective individual, community and congregational nursing interventions.

This course introduces the student to the field of educational theory in a nursing and health education environment. The scholarship of teaching model provides a framework for exploring theories of learning, motivation, instruction and teaching. Selected theoretical perspectives are explored to facilitate development of a philosophy of nursing education to serve as a base for the emerging expertise of the future nursing educator.

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of the principles of curriculum planning, development, implementation and evaluation. Evolving world views, diverse cultural perspectives and emerging healthcare needs provide a framework for the development of curriculum. Current issues related to the evaluation of outcomes in nursing and health education programs are emphasized. Tools and strategies for curriculum assessment and analysis are explored to form a foundation for future courses in instructional methods and assessment. Opportunities are provided for the student to develop a knowledge base in evidence-based educational practice and methods for evaluation processes and outcomes in educational programs.

This course explores, analyzes and evaluates teaching strategies and learning theories as applied to various populations, with emphasis on diversity in learning styles and the adult learner. Students select appropriate teaching strategies for traditional, online, and clinical instruction. Evaluation models related to the measurement of outcomes in classroom and clinical instruction are examined. Multimedia resources, distance learning techniques and nursing informatics are integrated into micro teaching opportunities to assist the student to develop and refine personal teaching techniques.

This course focuses upon the dimensions of healthcare leadership. Emphasis is placed upon application of critical knowledge of healthcare leadership principles, strategic human resource management, and patient care staffing models and work design knowledge to advanced practice nursing administration. Knowledge from nursing administration, leadership theories, strategic human resource management, and issues related to legal, ethical, and safety principles as well as fiscal integrity will be integrated into the learning resources and assignments for this course.

This course provides an overview of the microsystem, mesosystem, and macrosystem levels of healthcare organizations from the perspectives of organization theory, organization development, and organization behavior. Modern and current organization theories, especially complex adaptive systems (CAS) and complexity/chaos theories are explored in relation to the issues facing healthcare organizations today. Information on organizational structure, design, culture and behavior, strategy and change leadership, individual and group motivation, power and politics, impact of technology, and environmental influences are integrated to create a holistic understanding of what organizations currently face in the dynamic healthcare arena.

This course addresses the underlying principles and methods necessary to manage healthcare organizations from an evidence-based perspective. Content includes core quality improvement principles and methods, utilization of benchmarking data to formulate performance goals, and integration of quality and safety metrics into organizational goals. A focus on synthesis of multiple data sources and linking management practice to performance is emphasized.

This course addresses the business planning skills necessary to develop and implement programmatic development and change in a healthcare setting. Content includes problem definition and refinement, organizational fit, market identification and research, benchmarking, and business planning models including financial projections and return on investment. Implementation strategy including project management principles and human factors are also addressed.

This course is faculty-based independent study, based on submitted project proposal and hours required for completion.

Thesis is a scholarly research project that includes a research proposal, pilot study and written report. May be taken over one or two semesters.

The clinical practicum is a field experience or scholarly project that synthesizes and applies the essentials of master’s education for advanced practice nursing. It integrates the advanced practice nurse role in an area of specialization. The practicum demonstrates the Lewis University MSN program objectives of: the application of specialized knowledge, effective leadership and communication, and interventions that contribute to the health of society and the profession of nursing. The practicum advances the Mission of Lewis University by integrating thoughtfully organized service learning. The practicum may be taken over one or two semesters. Faculty supervision and collaboration with a site preceptor are required.

The clinical practicum is a field experience or scholarly project that synthesizes and applies the essentials of master’s education for advanced practice nursing. It integrates the advanced practice nurse role in an area of specialization. The practicum demonstrates the Lewis University MSN program objectives of: the application of specialized knowledge, the utilization of critical inquiry, effective leadership and communication, and interventions that contribute to the health of society and the profession of nursing. The practicum advances the Mission of Lewis University by integrating thoughtfully organized service learning. The practicum may be taken over one or two semesters. Faculty supervision and collaboration with a site preceptor are required.