NURS 501 Conceptual Framework for Sacred Covenant (1 SH)
This one semester hour course is an introduction to the cohort as a community of learners, to master’s level education, and to the conceptual framework of the program. Engagement with the approaches to leadership in nursing from an Anabaptist –Mennonite framework will enable the student to incorporate distributive justice, social justice, and relational justice into their practice. Cohort members will deepen effective communication strategies. We will discuss the logistics of an online educational model along with the procedures and policies of the program. Class members will develop a plan for lifelong learning. Expectations and tools for graduate level writing and study will be reviewed.
NURS 510 Historical, Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Nursing (3 SH)
This course focuses on establishing emotionally intelligent nursing professionalism as a basis for fostering leadership within both the nursing profession and society. In considering aims for personal growth, students will evaluate the ways in which nurse theorists and other historical leaders role modeled professionalism and intelligent interpersonal and inter-professional relationships. Specific attention will be paid to the means through which nurses can advance the profession of nursing individually and collectively.
NURS 516 Applications of Legal & Ethical Principles to Healthcare Management (3 SH)
This course examines legal and ethical issues nursing and other health care managers negotiate as they manage the delivery of health care. Themes throughout the course include the manager as the steward of ethics and the importance of ethical awareness for all staff and staff inclusion in ethical decision making. The use of an organizational ethics committee will be practiced utilizing an ethical decision-making model which focuses on the importance of organizational values/mission, personal ethics, professional standards, and evidence- based decision-making. The influence of faith-based values on ethical decision-making will be outlined with students expected to identify and reflect how their own personal values shape their ethical positions. The context of the ethical response of management to medical errors and malpractice claims also will be examined. Multiple case studies that reflect these issues will be used to engage the students in decision-making regarding an appropriate managerial response.
NURS 515 Health Care for Practice & Advocacy (3 SH)
This course provides a conceptual model of the American health care system and the governmental system of developing and implementing health policy. This includes a theoretical framework as well as a delineation of the functions and roles of the major sectors of the U.S. health care system.
NURS 511 Translational Scholarship for Evidence- Based Practice (3 SH)
This course is designed to allow the learner to critically appraise research in order to translate current evidence into practice. Attention will be given to issues of research ethics, practice concerns, diverse populations and identifying gaps in evidence. The learners will investigate the role of the nurse leader in making the case for evidence-based practice. Learners will examine barriers to EBP, assess and work toward change as necessary to implement EBP, learn how to prepare staff for EBP, develop a structure for EPB, determine resources needed for EBP, and use technology for EBP.
NURS 503/PAX503 Practice Skills for Conflict Transformation (3 SH)
This course focuses on understanding conflict, and on the roles, skills, strategies, processes and personal awareness needed for reflective leaders/practitioners facilitating conflict transformation in interpersonal and small group settings. Participants will be asked to consider their personal responses to conflict and their professional roles and responsibilities in relation to conflict. The course will include an overview of basic processes of conflict transformation including negotiation, mediation, group facilitation, and circle processes among others. Students will practice/evaluate the skills of listening, issue identification, appreciative inquiry, nonviolent communication, methods for structuring conversation in group settings, and awareness of the impact of self on others. The course is delivered through online discussions, reading, case studies, and an on-campus component with interactive activities and role plays.
NURS 512 Knowledge Development: Informatics, Epidemiology and Outcomes (3 SH)
This course combines concepts from Epidemiology and Informatics in a manner that allows the student to simultaneously apply content from both areas in an ongoing case study. Students will develop competence in the application of epidemiological tools and processes such as surveillance, incidence and prevalence, mapping and risk to chronic or infectious disease conditions. An ecosocial approach to causality is explored. Students will demonstrate competence in use of data tools, databases, and interdisciplinary communication systems. The application of informatics technology to enhance outcomes on individual, group and population levels within an ethical framework is a major focus. Students will comprehend how knowledge is acquired, processed, generated, and disseminated.
NURS 626 Managing in the Complex Healthcare Environment (3 SH)
This course examines the dynamics of leading the healthcare organization in times of rapid change during the 21st century. That change can be used to leverage effective organizational performance. The premise for leading healthcare organizations will be examined to include understanding the stakeholders, fulfilling the goals of the mission statement, utilization of evidence- based decision making to achieve goals, and sharing the rewards of improvement. The development of a culturally competent workforce that is focused on the delivery of care that exceeds expectations of a culturally diverse client base will be explored. The manager’s role in shaping the organization for effective leadership will be a major theme throughout the course. Theories of servant leadership and transformational leadership will be examined.
NURS 628 Organizational Behavior (3 SH)
All organizations are organic, interconnected systems that take on a life of their own regardless of the individuals that occupy various roles in the system. Leaders need to understand their organizational systems and the behavior of those systems if they hope to effectively lead or change them. This course will explore organizational behavior and organizational development through metaphors and from a systems perspective, including concepts of change and conflict. It will rely heavily on student participation. Learning topics include motivation theory, group behavior, leadership, decision-making, organizational structure and culture, emotional intelligence and communication. This course affirms a systemic perspective and approach to organizational behavior and the content is applicable to students in for-profit, not-for profit, church, and educational organizations. During the course you will read, respond to forum questions, meet with the CEO or board chair, discuss content with classmates, analyze a meeting and write three papers in our quest to meet course objectives.
NURS 620 Safety, Risk Reduction, and Quality Care (4 SH)
This course examines issues of safety, risk reduction and quality of care in health care, and the role of nurse leaders in this area. The Institute for Medicine [IOM] states that health care should be safe, effective, equitable, patient-centered, efficient, and timely. This course is structured to cover each of these criteria and is broken into three sections. The first five weeks examines the principles and methods for quality and safety as well as how organizations respond to safety issues. The second section reviews the science and application of science for quality improvement as a preventive process. The final section covers a variety of other issues related to quality and safety including the role of nursing and nurse leaders in the establishment of a quality and safety culture; the interchange between quality, cost, and value; as well as how quality is impacted by and impacts global and cultural aspects of health care.
Concurrent with this content, students will be creating and finalizing the methodology for their MSN capstone evidence-based quality improvement project with the end-result being the completion of an official proposal to a designated Capstone Project Faculty Advisory. Once approved, this project will be implemented in the subsequent NURS 630 course during the following summer.
NURS 622 Nursing Administration Finance (2 SH) This course equips master’s students with tools and methods for financial management, analysis, and allotment of resources from a stewardship perspective. The focus is on the management of healthcare resources from a nursing and stewardship perspective. Primary emphasis is placed on gaining understanding of the healthcare reimbursement system, allocation of resources at the organizational and unit level, role of nursing in budget development and financial management, and the effect of resource management on access to care for the individual and community.
NURS 629 Instructional Methodologies for Nurse Leaders (2 SH)
The aim of this course is for the nurse leader to develop a working knowledge of principles of instructional design that can be applied to the development of education for individuals or groups of patients, nursing staff or other members of the health care team. The practical demands of diverse audiences and inter-professional communication will be considered. Learners will explore principles of teaching and learning including theories of adult learning. Information and communication technologies as a means to delivery education will be explored. Learners will design, implement and evaluate a final teaching project within their work context.
NURS 630 Leadership Project (4 SH)
This course integrates master’s prepared executive skills with the challenge of implementing a change process in a new role or setting. In addition to participating in discussion forums, the course involves literature review and reading, reflective and scholarly writing, and leading and evaluating a quality improvement project. The student will partner with a nurse-leader preceptor to implement a change project at either a higher level within the organization than the student’s current practice level, in a different setting than their current role or setting, or in a multidisciplinary setting. Working with the faculty and preceptor to apply content and approaches studied during the MSN program, all projects must include a system change with analysis of the system and ethical challenges, consideration of primary, secondary, and tertiary strategies to accomplish projected outcomes, interpretation of the financial impact of the project, evaluation of potential social, distributive and interactional justice issues, and integration of the nurse’s voice throughout the progression of the project.
NURS 504: School Nursing: Legal Mandates (3 SH) This course examines the roles and responsibilities of school nurses and the laws governing the practice of school nursing. The importance of the school nurse’s responsibility to promote the health of students, enhance their ability to learn, and promote health among school personnel will be emphasized in this course. Current legal issues in school health as well as emerging roles and responsibilities of School Nurses will also be explored.
EDDS 601: Advocacy Issues Within Special Education (3 SH)
This course is designed to assist the teacher/nurse practitioner in recognizing the impact and importance of decision-making and the dynamics of advocacy. This course includes, but is not limited to, current topics in special education, self-determination by and for students, development of the essential professional advocacy competencies, advocating for students with special needs, the rights of children, and the inclusive setting. Students will participate in an exploration of advocacy websites, develop an online product such as a wiki, blog, Facebook page, etc. or a brochure to use in their professional practice when working with families and colleagues. In addition, students will develop a personal position on advocacy.
NURS 505: School Nursing: Theory and Diverse Learners (3 SH)
This course examines the roles and responsibilities of the school nurse in relation to promotion, restoration, and maintenance of health of school children. Management and evaluation of coordinated school health programs are discussed with an understanding for the need for outcome criteria. Principles of community health are applied. Significant emphasis will be placed on accommodations and adaptations for diverse learners.
NURS 506: School Nursing: Practicum (3 SH) This course follows the School Nursing: Theory and Diverse Learners course. In addition to the on-line learning activities, students will complete a 120 hour clinical practicum in various school settings. The dissemination of hours is as follows: 30 hours in the elementary setting, 30 hours in the middle school setting, 30 hours in the high school setting and 30 hours with the diverse learner population. Clinical practicum assignments are individually planned with the approval of the course instructor
EDCC 521: Peacebuilding & Conflict Resolution (3 SH)
This course is an introduction to the theories and processes of conflict transformation and peacebuilding within educational and/or counseling contexts. Creating a culture of peace in education goes beyond solving problems. The goal is to nurture peaceful, just and caring relationships within communities. As such, educators, nurses and counselors will examine educational systems and relational literacy approaches, as well as their own personal beliefs, conflict resolution style(s), relationships, communication skills, curriculum and instructional strategies, discipline systems and classroom organization processes. Participants will learn restorative teaching approaches and conflict resolution strategies and develop culturally sensitive peace curricula (modeling integrated, infused, or direct instruction) for specific classroom, clinical or community settings.
EDDA 631: Research in Risk and Resiliency (3 SH) This course examines the research-base for understanding risk and resiliency and explores protective factors
within the child, family and community that nurture resilience and mitigate risk factors. Participants will become conversant on research related to risk factors and at-risk populations, as well as, gain insight regarding politics and social structures that facilitate or impede
the resiliency of at-risk learners. Tools that identify and assess interventions designed to assess resiliency will be utilized. Focus is placed on case studies, review of the research literature, and demographic studies of adolescents and communities. Participants will engage in research, review literature, and participate in on-line discussions to reflect on the changing world of today’s adolescent and ways to build resiliency in educational and community settings.
EDCC 531: Social & Ethical Issues in Education (3 SH)
This course examines historical, sociological, philosophical, ethical, legal, and multicultural issues in education. The course is designed to further equip you as a decision maker and leader in educational settings. Special attention is given to discussion of how public policy in education is shaped by the community’s social and ethical concerns.