Nursing, Undergraduate
Department Chair: Julie Strelow
Faculty: Jodi Berndt, Carie Braun, Vicky Grove, Georgia Hogenson, Carrie Hoover, Julie Keller Dornbusch, Nicole Lang, Rachelle Larsen, Mary Larson, Nichole Laudenbach, Derek Moore, Mary Pesch, Jennifer Peterson, Julie Strelow, and Mary Zelenak
The department of nursing offers a four-year program which leads to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing. The program is accredited by:
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
655 K Street NW
Suite 750
Washington DC 20001
(202) 887-6791
and approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.
The comprehensive nursing curriculum is based on the AACN Essentials for Baccalaureate Nursing Education (2008) and prepares the nurse generalist to practice safely and effectively in all health care environments. The curriculum has a strong emphasis on leadership, diversity, evidence-based practice, and the provision of quality and safe nursing care. As an academic major in a practice discipline, nursing students have opportunities to apply principles and concepts from the liberal arts and nursing science to the provision of nursing care for individuals across the lifespan, families and communities.
CSB and SJU offers a range of learning environments suited to development of the professional nurse including classroom, simulation laboratory, and clinical experiences. Nursing faculty have high expectations for student professional behavior and continuously strive to develop challenging learning experiences.
Graduates are eligible to take the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Students who have been convicted of a felony or gross misdemeanor may be ineligible for licensure by the Board of Nursing and should seek clarification of their status prior to applying to the major.
Students must meet the technical standards for safe nursing practice. For representative examples of the technical standards, see the nursing department webpage.
Students in the nursing major are eligible for membership in the Sigma Kappa Phi Chapter, an international honor society of nursing. Student membership in the Kappa Phi chapter is based on superior academic achievement. An active student nursing club encourages student involvement in professional and social activities.
Assessment
Continuous improvement of student learning requires conscientious and consistent, student and faculty participation in assessment and evaluation activities. Nursing majors’ academic achievement will be assessed using nationally standardized and classroom-based exams, scoring rubrics and performance demonstrations. Some, but not all, assessment activities are also included as part of course grades. Individual data will be given directly to the student; students should seek consultation from their instructor and/or advisor if they have concerns about individual performance. Only group data will be used for department reports.
NRSG 201 Clinical Nursing I: Implementing Primary Prevention (5 Credits)
This course is an application of evidence-based primary prevention strategies to promote safe and effective wellness outcomes for individuals and groups. Students encounter practice with holistic assessments and technical skills relevant to primary prevention using the ANA Standards of Practice framework. This course includes primary prevention clinical experiences across the lifespan.
NRSG 220 Topics in Conversations & Culture (2 Credits)
The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive view of various cultures including social, political, and historical factors that have shaped it and continue to affect it. Cultures may include Hmong, Somali and Hispanic. Acceptance to the nursing major required.
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Nursing.
Equivalent courses: NRSG 220A
NRSG 220A Conversations in Culture: The Hmong Migration (2 Credits)
The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive view of the Hmong culture including social, political, and historical factors that have shaped it and continue to affect it. Students will understand that the Hmong culture is neither static nor monolithic, but rather shaped by gender, class, personal experience, migration patterns, and other factors. An exploration of the Hmong migration patterns will allow students to examine culture change as the Hmong people live and interact in refugee camps, and in the United States and other regions. Students will also be asked to explore their own cultural identity through self-awareness and assessment and articulate how their cultural identity shapes their interactions with those from another culture. Prerequisite: Admission to the nursing major.
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Nursing.
Equivalent courses: NRSG 220
NRSG 220B Conversations in Culture: The Somali Migration (2 Credits)
Through an in-depth exploration of the Somali culture, and through exploration of the nursing profession and culturally competent care students will demonstrate an understanding of how constructions of race, gender, and ethnicity shape cultural rules and biases and how these constructions vary across time, cultures, and societies. In addition, students will critically analyze the ways in which these forms of identity raise questions of justice in regard to access and participation in communal life. Prerequisite: Admission to the nursing major.
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Nursing.
NRSG 220C Conversations in Culture: The Hispanic Migration (2 Credits)
The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive view of the Hispanic culture including social, political, and historical factors that have shaped it and continue to affect it. Students will understand that the Hispanic culture is neither static nor monolithic, but rather shaped by gender, class, personal experience, migration patterns, and other factors. An exploration of the Hispanic migration patterns will allow students to examine culture change as the Hispanic people live and interact in refugee camps, and in the United States and other regions. Students will also be asked to explore their own cultural identity through self-awareness and assessment and articulate how their cultural identity shapes their interactions with those from another culture. Prerequisite: Admission to the nursing major.
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Nursing.
NRSG 240 Core Concepts I: Primary Prevention (2 Credits)
This course is an introduction to select core concepts of nursing focused on primary prevention. Students are introduced to the values, standards, and code of ethics for nurses through a framework of health and wellness, motivating behavior change, and individual and community-based health education strategies. The development and beginning application of these concepts will occur in Clinical Nursing I.
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Nursing.
NRSG 255 Leadership: Introduction to Transformational Leadership (2 Credits)
This course introduces selected leadership concepts, research and evidence-based practice, health literacy, and information technologies. Students are expected to develop the skills necessary for evaluating evidence to promote quality and safe nursing care and to function effectively in an interdisciplinary team.
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Nursing.
NRSG 256 Introduction to Professional Nursing Practice and Leadership (4 Credits)
This course is an introduction to foundational and transformational leadership concepts of nursing focused on primary prevention to promote quality and safe nursing care and function effectively in interprofessional partnerships. Students are introduced to the values, standards, and code of ethics for nurses through a framework of health and wellness, motivating behavior change, and individual and community-based health education strategies. Selected leadership concepts, research and evidence-based practice, systems-based practice, health literacy, and information technologies are included. The development and beginning application of these concepts will occur in Clinical Nursing I.
Prerequisites: Acceptance to NRSG major
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Nursing.
NRSG 271 Individual Learning Project (1-4 Credits)
Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of department chair required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Students with a class of First Year may not enroll.
NRSG 301 Clinical Nursing II: Implementing Secondary Prevention (8 Credits)
In the context of secondary prevention across the lifespan, this course provides the application of quality and safe, culturally relevant patient centered nursing care in acute care environments. The emphasis of this course will be on the utilization of clinical reasoning models, inter/intra disciplinary collaboration, and crisis communication. This course will provide clinical experiences for application of concepts taught in all concurrent and previous courses.
NRSG 302 Clinical Nursing III: Implementing Tertiary Prevention (8 Credits)
In the context of tertiary prevention across the lifespan, the emphasis of this course will be on the application of quality and safe, culturally relevant family-centered nursing care through the utilization of family assessment and transitional and end of-life care models in chronic physical and mental illness situations. This course will provide clinical experiences for application of concepts taught in all concurrent and previous courses.
NRSG 303 Clinical Nursing IV: Community/Population Capstone (8 Credits)
In the context of integrating levels of prevention across the lifespan, individuals, families and populations to affect change in the community. This course will provide clinical experiences for application of concepts taught in all concurrent and previous courses.
Prerequisites: You must take NRSG 220B, 302, 315 and 342 prior to taking NRSG 303. Before taking a Cultural and Social Difference: Systems Courses (CS) you first must complete the following Integrations requirements; Learning Foundations (LF), Theological Encounter (TE), and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI).
Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS)
NRSG 303A Immersion - South Africa (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303B Immersion - Dominican Republic (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303C Immersion - Belize (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303D Immersion - Local (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303E IMMERSION - PENNSYLVANIA (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303F IMMERSION- W. VIRGINIA (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303G IMMERSION-PERU (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303H IMMERSION-ST LUCIA (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303I IMMERSION-ZAMBIA (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 303J IMMERSION-COSTA RICA (0 Credits)
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Global Engagement (GL)
NRSG 305 Excellence/Care of Older Adult (4 Credits)
As the older adult population increases in size and complexity, nurses need specialized knowledge, skilled know-how and sharp relational skills to work effectively with these clients. This course emphasizes developing and maintaining a long-term, professional relationship with older adult(s) living in the community, application of wellness and illness concepts, and an analysis of issues and dynamics in the family(ies) of older adults. The successful student will manifest increasingly complex application of knowledge, skills, and professional identity each semester. Students are expected to enroll in this course for four sequential semesters.
Prerequisites: None
NRSG 312 Informatics (3 Credits)
This course provides a foundation for the use of information systems and technology to support and improve healthcare systems. The student will be introduced to core informatic principles and information literacy skills in order to evaluate information systems used in healthcare organizations and be positioned to provide the leadership for improvement in those systems. Students will demonstrate knowledge of standards and principles for selecting and evaluating information systems and patient care technology, and related ethical, regulatory, and legal issues.
Prerequisites: None
NRSG 314 Integrated Pathophysiology and Pharmacology I (4 Credits)
This is part one of a two-course sequence that builds upon scientific knowledge. The course focuses on foundational pathophysiology, psychopathology and pharmacology concepts.
NRSG 315 Integrated Pathophysiology and Pharmacology II (2 Credits)
This is part two of a two-course sequence that builds upon scientific knowledge. The course focuses on foundational pathophysiology, psychopathology and pharmacology concepts.
Prerequisites: NRSG 314
NRSG 316 Methods of Program Evaluation and Quality Improvement (3 Credits)
This course emphasizes the importance and meaning of evaluation as an integral part of program design, planning and implementation. Types of evaluation models will be discussed and applied. Established principles and approaches to quality improvement, patient safety, risk management, and performance improvement will be examined and applied. Prerequisites: Approved application to take graduate courses for credit.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: NRSG 403
NRSG 317 Global Perspectives (3 Credits)
This course emphasizes the tools necessary for advanced practice nurses to interpret epidemiologic data and use biostatistics to explore population health issues both local and globally. Concepts key to the evaluation of population health such as descriptive epidemiology, study design, measures of excess risk, causal inference, screening, measurement error, confounding, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, p-values, and sample size calculation are included in this course. Analysis of the determinants of health and system issues across settings both locally and globally encourages students to identify common inequalities and priority policy interventions for improving population health. Prerequisite: Approved application to take graduate courses for credit.
Prerequisites: None
NRSG 318 Ethics, Healthcare Policy and Advocacy (3 Credits)
This course explores the ethical and legal issues for advanced nursing practice and the role of the APRN in healthcare policy and patient advocacy. Ethical foundations are the framework that serves as the structure and support for all aspects of nursing practice. Focus will be on ethical and legal challenges from within and outside of the discipline of nursing to advanced nursing practice, education, and administration in healthcare. Advanced practice nurses should have specialized knowledge and skills of research, medical, legal and business ethics, health care reform and policy relevant to evidence-based practice in order to advocate for a reduction in health care disparities. Prerequisite: Approved application to take graduate courses for credit.
Prerequisites: You must be part of the Master Of Nursing Program to take NRSG 318. You must take INTG 100 or 205 prior to taking NRSG 318 a Thematic Focus Course. You must take a Cultural and Social Difference: Identity (CI) course prior to or at the same time as Thematic Focus Courses.
Attributes: Human Experience (HE), Thematic Focus - Truth
NRSG 319 Health Care Systems and Organizational Leadership (3 Credits)
Course Description: This course prepares the advanced practice nurse leaders to demonstrate understanding of the health care system, delivery models and work flow, and the environment in which health care leaders and providers function, within 4 levels of analysis: Customers, staff, systems, and community/environment (HLA1). Graduates will also learn to facilitate improvements in health care through application of health economics theory. Prerequisites: Approved application to take graduate courses for credit.
Prerequisites: None
NRSG 336 Practicum I (MS) (1 Credit)
Course Description: The focus of this course will be the development of the student as a master’s prepared nurse leader. Students will work directly with a faculty mentor and specific inter- and intra-professional team leaders in various integrative-practice activities with the goal of achieving program outcomes. Students are required to pursue leadership, practice and education experiences that address graduate program outcomes and the Master’s Essentials. These leadership practice experiences will lead to development of practice at the advanced level in practice, leadership, and education. Prerequisites: Approved application to take graduate courses for credit.
Prerequisites: None
Equivalent courses: NRSG 420
NRSG 341 Core Concepts II: Secondary Prevention (2 Credits)
This course focuses on the concepts related to secondary prevention (early identification and intervention) in the care of acutely ill individuals. The primary concepts addressed are: clinical reasoning and crisis communication in the context of acute mental and physical illness and injury across the lifespan. Application of these concepts will occur in NRSG 301.
Prerequisites: NRSG 240
NRSG 342 Core Concepts III: Tertiary Prevention (2 Credits)
This course focuses on the concepts related to tertiary prevention (restoring optimal level of functioning). The primary concepts addressed are: family as context, end-of-life care, rehabilitation, grief and loss, advocacy, and chronic mental and physical illnesses across the lifespan. Application of these concepts will occur in NRSG 302.
Prerequisites: NRSG 341
NRSG 343 Core Concepts IV: Integration of Levels of Prevention in Nursing Care of Populations (2 Credits)
This course focuses on integrating the levels of prevention in the care of communities and populations across the lifespan. The primary concepts addressed are community as client and local/global public health. Application of these concepts will occur in NRSG 303.
Prerequisites: NRSG 342
NRSG 355 Leadership: Leading Transformational Systems (2 Credits)
In this course, students will explore factors that influence the development and sustainability of complex organizational systems and their role within those systems. Students will be actively involved in policies that shape global health and/or health care.
Prerequisites: NRSG 255
NRSG 356 Leadership: Designer, Manager, and Coordinator of Care (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the development of professional knowledge and skills to effectively integrate designer, manager, and coordinator of care roles in professional nursing practice. Students will articulate their leadership role as an entry level professional nurse.
Prerequisites: None
NRSG 371 Individual Learning Project (1-4 Credits)
Supervised reading or research at the upper-division level. Permission of department chair and completion and/or concurrent registration of 12 credits within the department required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Students with a class of First Year may not enroll.
NRSG 390 Healthcare Ethics (4 Credits)
This course directs students to re-think ethics in today’s system of healthcare, where the best possibilities for ethical healthcare in this century lie beyond traditional and mainstream thought. Students will question assumptions guided by the major principles of healthcare ethics and reflect deeply on clinical cases across healthcare disciplines from the perspective of professional and consumer.
Prerequisites: You must take INTG 100 or 205 prior to taking NRSG 390 A Thematic Focus Course. You must take a Cultural and Social Difference: Identity (CI) course prior to or at the same time as Thematic Focus Courses.
Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Senior.
Attributes: Human Experience (HE), Thematic Focus - Truth
NRSG 395 Provider of Care/Leadership Capstone (5 Credits)
Utilizing knowledge and skills acquired in both nursing and liberal arts courses, this course emphasizes the integration of the full baccalaureate professional nurse role as provider, designer, and coordinator of care, and member of a profession. This course will require application of concepts taught in all concurrent and previous courses. These experiences will occur in a variety of health care settings.
Prerequisites: None
Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Senior.
Attributes: Experiential Engagement (EX)
NRSG 397 Internship (1-16 Credits)
This course provides clinical based learning opportunities to encourage application of theory and research-based knowledge in clinical practice. Students will engage in experiences to enhance the development of their professional nursing role.
Prerequisites: None
Attributes: Experiential Engagement (EX)