Online Master’s in Nursing (Informatics)

This course will explore professional role development and interprofessional collaboration of advanced practice nursing. Selected theories and frameworks that guide nursing practice will be analyzed with emphasis on implications for nursing practice. The knowledge, skills and attitudes for the advanced practice nurse are based on AACN Essentials, including person centered care, use of evidence-based guidelines, professional development, quality improvement, safety, and informatics. The course content is designed to align to the specialized advanced nursing practice role.

This course explores the influence of health disparities and promotion of health equity through advocacy for diverse populations. Advanced analysis and evaluation of theories, concepts, and methods related to health equity and disparity, will be examined. The use of technology and informatics will provide data to analyze the relationship between health outcomes and economics, class, gender, sex, sexuality, race, and ethnicity at the advanced practice nurse level. Emphasis is on assessment of the social determinants of health and practitioner-patient interactions related to health outcomes.

This advanced leadership course focuses on the theories and practical application of leadership and healthcare policy for complex healthcare organizations. Special emphasis is placed on organizational leadership and health policy competencies that are needed for nurses to succeed as advanced practice nurse providers, educators, leaders, and managers in today's local, state, national and international health care and/or public health environment. The course content includes identifying emerging issues and the use of innovation and interprofessional relationships to meet ongoing challenges in the healthcare organizational environment.

This course focuses on the integration and application of knowledge into practice. Course content will include research design, statistical methods, and strategies used to facilitate translation of evidence into practice. The Advanced Practice Nurse requires the knowledge to independently search for, review, appraise, and synthesize research literature of particular interest to nursing practice. Students will be prepared to recommend practice changes at the individual- and individual and population level on the strength of the evidence.

This course focuses on the interrelationship between physiology and pathophysiology affecting wellness and disease states across the lifespan. Advanced practice nurses use this knowledge to understand how and why the symptoms and signs of various conditions appear, interpret changes in normal functions that indicate illness, and identify disease prevention strategies. This course serves as the foundation for clinical reasoning skills used for the advanced practice role.

This advanced course fosters an in-depth understanding of pharmacological principles based on evidenced-based guidelines, cultural, socioeconomic, and legal influences and strengthens the ability to use and apply this information across the lifespan. The physiological, biochemical, and anatomical considerations for safe medication administration, including the interaction of drugs and chemicals with body systems, will be presented. Over the counter and complementary and alternative medications will be discussed for certain disease states.

Advanced Health Assessment builds upon previous health assessment experience to provide the foundation for advanced roles in nursing. This course focuses on comprehensive physical assessment which includes in-depth health history, physical and psychological signs and symptoms, and psychosocial and cultural characteristics of the individual, family, and community. Advanced practice nurses use refined communication and assessment skills to adequately gather pertinent information and employ critical thinking skills in clinical decision-making.

The course challenges the student to manage data generated from the electronic health record. Data management may require recommendations for additional data or how to sort current data to obtain information necessary for comprehensive analysis which supports quality initiatives, risk management, or data trends.

This course requires the student to define patterns of workflow in order to manage data. There is a necessity to knowing what data will be needed by various departments within the organization. The student will demonstrate the ability to develop a plan for data distribution.

This course engages the student in management of databases to develop forms, tables, reports and queries. Database models will be explored. Data mining techniques will be explored to discover new knowledge that may be hidden in the stored data. Query will explored as a tool to manipulate data.

This course reflects the culmination of advanced nursing education to synthesize knowledge and skills acquired throughout the MSN Program. The practicum experience requires the student to synthesize and expand the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program by applying evidence-based research to practice. Students will achieve the MSN program outcomes and competencies related to the AACN-The Essentials-Core Competencies for Advanced Professional Nursing Education.