This course will provide an introduction to the profession and discipline of nursing, the relationship of nursing to liberal arts, and the nursing scope of practice in the United States healthcare system. Students will examine the six Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) core competencies of Patient-centered care, Teamwork and Communication, Evidence-based Practice, Quality Improvement, Safety and Informatics. Selected nursing theories and a framework for translating nursing research into practice will be introduced. Perspectives of practicing nurses in various roles will be highlighted. Students will be introduced to course concepts through experiential, meaningful learning activities, including but not limited to small group dialogue, classroom discussion, group presentations, and simulation.
This course focuses on the pathophysiologic basis of changing health patterns. Emphasis is placed on relating normal physiologic function to changes that occur in the expression of disease and contribute to altered health patterns in humans. Aspects of cellular, organ, and body system alterations are examined in relation to the pattern of the whole as humans experience changing patterns of health. Emphasis is also placed on relating the manifestations of disease, diagnostic tests and collaborative therapeutic interventions to underlying pathophysiologic processes.