NURS 307 - Health Assessment for Registered Nurses Credits: 3
This course focuses on developing the practicing nurse’s skill in psychosocial and physical assessment.
Emphasis on the collection of subjective and objective data, physical examinations, documentation, and
clinical implications of findings. The importance of culturally sensitive care and evidence-based practice
are integrated into all aspects of patient assessment.
NURS 327 - Transition to Advanced Nursing Practice Credits: 3
Preparation of associate or diploma nurse graduates for professional practice in diverse health care
settings. Students explore theories, concepts, and assumptions foundational to contemporary nursing
practice, patient centered care, and baccalaureate nursing education. Students develop the knowledge
and skills necessary for success in online learning and scholarly work including an understanding of the
BSN program, the ability to identify and locate scholarly resources, and professional communication and writing skills.
NURS 331 - Care Coordination in Professional Nursing Practice Credits: 3
Students engage in the exploration of care coordination and the healthcare delivery system. Key
concepts include collaborative care models, applying systems thinking, and policy implications in
healthcare delivery. The course will enable students to identify, assess, and evaluate healthcare delivery models in relation to economic, organizational, and political perspectives.
NURS 333 - Nursing Informatics Credits: 3
This course focuses on a basic understanding of health care informatics. Elements addressed include:
healthcare computing, information management, data acquisition, and data utilization. This course
studies the use of informatics to improve patient care outcomes, the impact of standardized language
on patient care outcomes, ethical issues related to informatics, and impact of informatics on
professional nursing practice.
NURS 337 - Population Health and Professional Nursing Practice Credits: 3
This course provides an introduction population focused health and professional nursing guidelines.
Course content will address the foundations of population health, clinical preventive services and health
promotion, clinical practice and population health, and health systems and health policies. Students
focus on individual and population-oriented prevention and health promotion efforts to provide a
foundation for population focused nursing care. Students will also explore standards which guide
professional practice including the Ethical Code of Nursing and the ANA Standards of Care.
NURS 367 - Application of Evidence Based Practice Credits: 3
This course provides Registered Nurses with knowledge and skills to translate current evidence into
practice. Students learn the interrelationships among theory, practice, and research, the research
process, and the protection of human subjects in the conduct of research. Students learn how to
integrate clinical expertise with evidence to provide high quality patient centered care. Skill
development to facilitate retrieval, appraisal, and synthesis of evidence will support student use of high
quality evidence to guide nursing practice. Development writing and presentation skills will enable the
student to better collaborate with the interprofessional healthcare team to improve patient outcomes.
NURS 457 - Population-Focused Care for Registered Nurses Credits: 4
This course emphasizes population-focused nursing practice which promotes healthy environmental
conditions, lifestyle, and behaviors that improve the health of a community or population. Registered
nurses build on previous clinical experience with a focus on community assessment, including use of
epidemiologic data to determine lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors that are major
determinants of population health. Emphasis is placed on primary prevention, health promotion,
disease and injury prevention across the lifespan. Students collaborate with other professionals and
stakeholders to identify and reach out to populations who might benefit from service, and apply
evidence-based practice, including immunization, screening, and counseling to prevent and manage
health conditions, prevent disability, and mortality.
NURS 487 - Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare Organizations Credits: 4
The course provides registered nurses the knowledge and skills for the application and synthesis of
leadership theories, principles, and practices within the context of the role of the Baccalaureate
prepared nurse. Introduction to the role of nurse manager and leader is emphasized and integrated
within the clinical experience. Students will analyze and apply quality improvement and safety principles and practices to discern the impact on error reduction, patient outcomes, and quality of care.
NURS 492 - Clinical Synthesis Credits: 4
This course provides the RN-BSN student with a concentrated clinical experience designed to expand
and synthesize nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice. Students will refine their clinical skills as a critical thinker possessing knowledge and communication skills to problem solve. Students will
enhance their clinical skills while effectively using resources and integrating evidence-based practice to
provide quality and cost-effective healthcare in varying environment.
IPH 356 - Ethics and Healthcare in a Pluralistic Society Credits: 3
The course will provide students with an ethical framework for decision-making in the context of a
pluralistic society. Models and principles of ethical justification among a diversity of cultures and belief
systems will be analyzed. Specific applications are made to concerns in clinical and healthcare
management. Topics include the right to healthcare, community health ethics, end-of-life issues, and
organizational ethics.
One of the 3 Math Courses Noted Below
MATH 107 - Fundamentals of Mathematics for Health Professions Credits: 4
This course focuses on understanding the mathematics required for nursing and health
professions. Topics include algebraic concepts and procedures (ratios, proportions, percentage
problems, formulas), geometric concepts and procedures (systems of measurements and
conversions, area, volume), problem-solving techniques (modeling, dosage calculations, flowrate calculations) and an introduction to statistical methods and procedures (measures of
central tendency, interpreting graphs, range, standard deviation, and normal distributions).
MATH 111 - College Algebra Credits: 4
Topics to be emphasized include polynomials, rational algebraic expressions, graphs,
inequalities, theory of equations, and matrices. Special attention is focused on functions and the
utilization of appropriate technology.
MATH 114 - Quantitative Reasoning Credits: 3
This course is designed as a foundational experience in quantitative reasoning that will employ
real world applications for students to enhance their skills as problem solvers, critical thinkers,
informed decision makers and intelligent consumers of quantitative information. The course
addresses a diverse set of mathematical topics including logic, data analysis, probability, linear
and exponential models, personal finance, and geometry.
HP 302 – Biostatistics Credits: 3
The course provides students with an introduction to assessing the magnitude, reliability, validity, and
precision of associations (e.g., between exposures and disease) and making inferences about target
populations using data from samples in the health professions. Topics include probability and sampling
distribution, research design and analysis of variance, regression and correlation, stochastic processes,
and frequency distributions.
NUTR 376 - Principles and Applications in Nutrition Credits: 3
Principles and applications in nutrition emphasize the relationships among the nutrients and how
homeostasis relationships are maintained in the healthy person. Students will learn more about
themselves and their health in an effort to use this knowledge to improve their health. This knowledge
of nutrition will allow students to personalize information to fit their lifestyle. Special attention to
nutrition for the developing human and lectures focusing on nutrition counseling will address the needs
of dental hygiene students and other health professionals seeking concepts in applied nutrition.
IPH 401 - Interprofessional Perspectives on Global Health Credits: 3
This course will introduce students to interprofessional perspectives on global health in four broad
modules: Globalization, Health, Systems and Policy. The course will draw from a range of academic
disciplines at USI and from the Office of International Programs and International Partner
universities. The applications from each module will situate the concept and practice of global health as
a statement that health is a fundamental quality of liberty and equity.
WLC: A course that meets the BS World Language Culture requirement Credits: 3
WLC 155 - Cultural Awareness Credits: 3
Practical study of citizenship and professionalism in the “global village” of the 21st century, emphasizing complexities of cultural, linguistic and social systems of nations and people, to promote communication among widely diverse constituencies at home and abroad. Serves as preparation for study abroad and further work in international disciplines. (Course taught in English.)