This course provides an overview of the nursing metaparadigm: client, nurse, health/illness,
and environment. Nursing theoretical perspectives will be discussed as a foundation for
professional nursing practice as care provider and manager of care. Special emphasis will
be on the practice of the baccalaureate nurse.
This course builds on previous health assessment knowledge and skills focusing on comprehensive
health assessment skills. Using a lifespan approach, students examine the physical, cultural,
psychosocial, spiritual, and nutritional variables through the use of health history and
health assessment.
This course provides an overview of the research process and utilization in professional
nursing practice. Discussion of evidence-based practice as the foundation for safe, quality
care will be the focus of this course. Students will be guided through the development of
clinical questions and explore strategies for collecting the evidence available to answer them.
This course provides an overview of nursing informatics to improve information management in
health care. Consideration of health care technologies and ethical and financial criteria in
relation to the quality of their outcomes are explored.
This course discusses the current political, economic, and social trends affecting nursing
and the evolving health care system. Special emphasis will be on the nature of the profession
and professional values. Alternative and complementary health practices are discussed as
strategies to improve and maintain healthy lifestyles.
This course has both a didactic and a clinical component. The didactic portion introduces
the concepts and principles of community health and the practice of evidence-based community
health nursing. The nursing process is applied to the care of individuals, families, and
groups within the community. Emphasis will be on community health measures which promote and
maintain the health of the community.
Application of community health nursing principles occurs in the 54-hour precepted clinical
practice in a community health setting.
Prerequisite: Health Assessment – NURS 320
This course provides an overview of the influence of culture on health care practices and in
the delivery of nursing care for individuals, groups, and communities. Emphasis is on increasing
awareness of culturally diverse nursing care and the impact of cultural beliefs, values, and
practices upon health and health care delivery.
This course builds on prior learning and focuses on preventative health care and health
promotion for individuals, families, and communities. Consideration is given to the influence
of culture and lifespan development.
Using biophysical, environmental, spiritual, sociocultural, and economic determinants of health,
the focus is on improving health outcomes with individuals, families, and communities.
Prerequisite: Health Assessment – NURS 320
This course explores the role of the nurse leader, integrating prior learning with an
understanding of the nature of leadership as well as leadership and management theories.
An introduction to the principles of project management with application to a clinical
leadership project is included.
Consideration of individual student growth, particularly related to the student outcomes of
the program and personal goals for future growth, will be a focus. Fifty-four (54) hours of
independent clinical practice under the direction of the faculty are required to develop
and implement a clinical leadership project.
Prerequisite: Research and Evidence Based Practice – NURS 330
In this course students will apply knowledge gained throughout the RN to BSN program to the
process of assessing a community as a capstone project. Community-specific and epidemiological
data will be gathered, appraised, and compared to national averages.
Healthy People 2020 Goals
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principles, concepts, and models of community health nursing will be utilized to plan
interventions to improve the health and well-being of the community and evaluate the plan.
Prerequisites: All program courses, except students may concurrently enroll in
NURS 410 – Nursing Practice in a Multicultural Society or
NURS 360 – Community Health Nursing.
Credit for Experiential Learning and Professional Nursing Certification
In keeping with the University’s goal of integrating experiential learning in programs of study,
the nursing department will award elective nursing credit to incoming students with significant
nursing experience. This credit will not reduce the 30 credit hours of core courses that students
are required to take as part of the RN to BSN program but will help the student who has less than
90 credit hours of prior learning to transfer to the University satisfy elective credit requirements.
Nursing students may earn three credit hours* for more than one but less than five years of full-time
nursing experience. Students with more than five years of full-time nursing experience may earn six
elective credit hours* toward their degree. Proof of employment as a nurse and the period of employment
must be provided. Experiential learning credit may not be substituted for any of the 30 credit hours of
core nursing courses required in the RN to BSN program.
Nursing students may also earn three elective credit hours* for a nationally recognized nursing
certification. Examples of approved certifications include: CCRN (Critical Care Registered Nurse),
CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse), Certified Medical-Surgical Nurse, or Certified Obstetric Nurse.
Students who have a national certification should submit a copy to their academic advisor who will
submit it for approval by the Program Director.
Experiential Learning Assessment at Claflin University is based on the review of the portfolio
(student résumé, description of direct patient care clinical experience, and summary of knowledge
and skills attained through stated experiences). To receive elective credit hours students must
develop a portfolio that reflects an inventory of all registered nursing clinical practice
experiences including name of supervisor and contact information, unit type/patient population,
institution name, years of service, skill sets attained, and examples of common patients (diagnoses
of patients for which the student cared).
*A total of 6 credit hours of electives may be granted for elective credit when combining work
experience and certification. Students may have 0–6 credit hours in either category but no more
than 6 credit hours total.