600

This course focuses on current practice issues related to the emerging role of the nurse practitioner in health care delivery.  Emphases are on critical review and analysis or role implementation strategies, and role performance as a clinician, educator, case manager, leader, consultant and colleague.

This course builds on foundational nursing assessment knowledge, focusing on advanced health assessment practices and diagnostic reasoning across the lifespan, with an emphasis on primary care settings. Students will enhance skills in therapeutic communication, medical history review, advanced history-taking, and physical examination to establish accurate diagnoses for various client encounters. Topics include reviewing medical records, recognizing normal vs. abnormal findings, interpreting diagnostic tests, and applying critical thinking to formulate differential diagnoses. Students will also consider how cultural, developmental, and psychosocial factors impact assessments and decision-making.

Building on the theoretical foundation from NUR618, students will gain hands-on experience performing comprehensive and focused health assessments across the lifespan. This lab focuses on advanced history-taking, physical examination, and diagnostic reasoning. Through simulated case studies, students will refine skills in conducting assessments, interpreting findings, and developing differential diagnoses. Emphasizing critical thinking and clinical decision-making, students will synthesize patient data and formulate working diagnoses. The course includes system-based physical examinations and advanced techniques for primary care. Students will refine diagnostic reasoning skills through chart review, patient-centered history-taking, and health assessments.

This course covers the ethical, legal, and safe standards of care in selected clinical topics in NP practice. Topics include, but are not limited to primary care procedures, emergency and wilderness medicine. Procedures include: wound closures (sutures, staples, wound adhesives); local anesthesia, digital blocks, splinting, casting, HEENT procedures (fluorescein staining, foreign body removal, Morgan lens irrigation, Wood’s light/Slit lamp); cerumen disimpaction/irrigation; nasal fracture management, epistaxis; toenail removal; I&D, splinter removal, X-ray interpretation; reduction of nursemaid’s elbow. Florida specific injuries cover stings, bites, fishhook removal, tick removal and snakes/spiders/frogs.

This course emphasizes the clinical application of business and economic principles, informatics technology, and practice management knowledge necessary to successfully transition the primary care practitioner into collaborative and independent clinical practice.

This course advances the knowledge of the evidence-based practice (EBP) process to translate and integrate quality evidence to improve nursing practice. The use of technology and the role of informatics is explored. Emphasis is placed on clinical practice question generation, literature search methods, and critical appraisal of research and evidence using validated methods and/or appropriate statistical analysis. Theoretical constructs to guide and inform nursing research and practice are reviewed.

This course emphasizes the clinical application of the major classifications of drugs and the development of knowledge needed by the advanced practice nurse to assure that drug therapy is based on sound therapeutic judgments and decision-making processes. A lifespan approach is utilized to address client needs of drug therapy in primary, secondary and tertiary care settings. Statutory authority for prescription writing protocols is examined.

This course provides the opportunity for the advanced practice nurse (APN) to understand and integrate health promotion concepts using a patient centered, culturally sensitive approach. The impact of health care policy is critically analyzed.  Emphasis is focused on the role of the APN in shaping and influencing policy through advocacy and leadership to improve patient outcomes. The students are prepared to address ethical issues in nursing. This includes principles of planning, implementation, and evaluation of evidenced-based care to individuals, families, and communities.

This course addresses concepts of human pathophysiology across the lifespan and the alterations that take place when the body is compromised by genetics, immunity, stress, and environmental injury or disease. Advanced application of pathophysiologic disease states of the body are covered at the level necessary for nurse practitioner practice. The diagnostic process utilizing clinical reasoning to synthesize patient data and develop differential diagnoses is examined.

The practicum course provides the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom for adolescents and adults in primary care settings.  This practicum includes supervised clinical practice in a variety of settings.  Students may enroll in no more than one practicum courses in a single academic term.

This practicum course provides the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in caring for the older adult in primary care settings. This practicum includes supervised clinical practice in a variety of settings. Students may enroll in no more than one practicum course in a single academic term.

This course prepares the student to manage acute and chronic health conditions in the adolescent and adult population within primary care settings. Students are provided the theoretical foundation to assess, diagnose, and manage this patient population across the lifespan utilizing diagnostic reasoning skills. Emphasis is focused on health promotion, health maintenance, and restoration of the adolescent and adult patient health status by promoting evidence-based practice in managing pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. Holistic instruction includes providing culturally competent, ethical, age, and gender specific care to the patient, family, and the community.

This course prepares students in the management of normal and common health pattern variations pertaining to older adult health care in the primary care setting. It provides students with a theoretical base to assess, diagnose and manage the care of older adults across the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on collaborative management to achieve desired outcomes. Students will focus on promotion, maintenance and restoration of the older adult’s health patterns. Culturally competent, holistic, ethical, age and gender specific and risk stratified care will be discussed. Evidence based practice will be the basis for care management.

This course prepares students in the management of normal and common health pattern variations pertaining to women’s health care in the primary care setting. It provides students with a theoretical base to assess, diagnose and manage the care of women across the lifespan.  Emphasis is placed on collaborative management to achieve desired outcomes. Students will focus on promotion, maintenance and restoration of women’s health patterns. Culturally competent, holistic, ethical, age and gender specific including risk stratified care will be discussed. Evidence based practice will be the basis for care management.

This practicum experience provides the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in caring for infants, children and adolescents in primary care settings. Students may enroll in no more than one practicum courses in a single academic term.

This practicum course provides the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in caring for women in primary care settings. Students may enroll in no more than one practicum courses in a single academic term.

This comprehensive course focuses on the primary care management of prevalent acute and chronic health issues affecting infants, children, and adolescents. Through a multidisciplinary approach, students will gain a deep understanding of the assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment strategies for common pediatric conditions. Students will develop proficiency in conducting comprehensive pediatric assessments, formulating differential diagnoses, and creating evidence-based treatment plans tailored to the individual needs of pediatric patients and their families. This course integrates clinical reasoning skills with a patient-centered approach to foster compassionate and effective care delivery in pediatric primary care settings.

An in-depth study of a selected nursing topic of concern to students and faculty. Emphasis is on contemporary issues of global relevance affecting nursing and health care.