Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Completion Program

Walden University offers students a dynamic learning environment and a range of support services to ensure academic success. In this course, students immerse themselves in Walden University's online learning environment and apply skills from the student readiness orientation. In addition, students discover and apply the tools and services that will support them throughout their degree program. Through classroom discussions and the application of key communication principles, students establish an online community of peers and explore their degree program with discipline-specific examples. This course helps students prepare for their Walden academic career and continues their orientation to the university.

This course provides students with an overview of the evolution of nursing as a profession and its relationship to the changes in organization, structure, and function of the U.S. healthcare delivery system. Students examine major issues and trends in nursing and healthcare and consider the influence of socioeconomic, ethical, legal, and political variables as well as professional values on contemporary nursing practice. Through weekly discussions, students explore and share personal experiences on contemporary nursing issues, such as the nursing shortage, workforce challenges, diversity, and the professional status of nursing.

Improvement of healthcare delivery in the United States relies on many factors, such as effective nurse advocacy through politics, policy, and professional associations. But advocacy depends on the ability to fully understand current issues, systems, policies, and related contexts. In this course, students engage in a systems-level analysis of the implications of healthcare policy on issues of access, equity, affordability, and social justice in healthcare delivery. They examine legislative, regulatory, and financial processes relevant to the organization and provision of healthcare services. Students also assess and consider the impact of these processes on quality and safety in the practice environment and disparities in the healthcare system. (Prerequisites: NURS 3000.)

Professionals often use information technology to support clinical and managerial decision making in the field of healthcare. Students in this course explore these information technology applications through a variety of written and practical assignments. They focus on information technology that supports the delivery of services, including the collection, storage, retrieval, and communication of data; information systems safeguards; ethical and legal issues; and information management to promote patient safety and quality of care. Students also share examples of information literacy and discuss why it is important to the practice of nursing. Additionally, students identify basic hardware and software components and explore fundamental software applications, including spreadsheets and healthcare databases. (Prerequisites: NURS 3005.)

A major responsibility of nurses is to help ensure safe administration of medication by having an in-depth understanding of drug categories and how each type interacts with other drugs in the body. In this course, students explore foundational pharmacologic principles and topics, including key drug actions and interactions, effects of various categories of drugs, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Through case studies and other functional applications, students learn about the pathophysiology related to major health problems across the lifespan and the pharmacologic management of those problems. They examine the cellular aspects of disease, pathophysiological signs and symptoms, and dynamics of body defenses. Students also consider pathopharmacological implications in the practice of nursing. (Prerequisites: NURS 3010.)

Through this course, students have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills required to collect data related to assessment of individual health status. They learn the physical examination skills of inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation used to assess major body systems across the lifespan. They gain practical experience using interviewing techniques and communication skills for taking patient histories, and they discuss the psychological, social, and cultural aspects of clinical assessment. Additionally, students consider the integration of data to guide the nursing process and ethical guidelines. Engaging in interactive simulations, students apply knowledge and demonstrate understanding of conducting health assessments. (Prerequisites: NURS 3015.)

Nurses engage in research to stay up-to-date on the changing scope of healthcare as well as new methods and best practices in providing quality care to patients. Students in this course learn the basic elements of the research process. They also learn how scholar-practitioners use these elements to discover new knowledge and models for applying evidence to inform clinical decisions and improve nursing practice and patient outcomes. They consider the ethical conduct of research and scholarly work as well as the nurse’s role in the collection, documentation, analysis, interpretation, dissemination, and utilization of research data. Students apply course concepts as they research a current problem in nursing practice, propose solutions for change, and synthesize literature that supports their proposed changes. (Prerequisites: NURS 3020.)

In this course, students learn about the major acute and chronic health problems and leading causes of death across the lifespan, including etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and implications for treatment and disease management. They also explore the relationship of genetics and genomics to health and illness; infection-control issues, such as drug-resistant organisms; accidents or injuries; common geriatric syndromes; palliative and end-of-life care; and complementary and alternative therapies. Students apply course concepts and demonstrate understanding of nursing intervention through the development of an action plan based on best practices and a teaching plan designed to prevent accidents and injuries. (Prerequisites: NURS 4000.)

The focus of this course is on application of theories and concepts from nursing and public health sciences in assessing health status and preventing and controlling disease in families, aggregates, and communities as clients. The use of epidemiological and community assessment techniques to examine populations at risk, health promotion, and levels of disease prevention with special emphasis on ethnically diverse and vulnerable populations are incorporated. Major local, state, and national health issues are considered, including mental health and substance abuse and related co-morbidities, re-emergence of infectious and communicable diseases, environmental and occupational health hazards, bioterrorism, emergency preparedness, and disaster response. Students participate in a 45-hour practicum experience in a community/population-based healthcare setting. (Prerequisites: NURS 4005.)

Through this course, students widen their perspectives of promoting health and preventing disease as they examine health issues that transcend national borders, class, race, ethnicity, and culture. Students discuss the role of the nurse in preserving and promoting health among diverse populations as well as their role in illness prevention and health promotion, protection, and maintenance of targeted populations. They also explore principles of epidemiology and the influencing sociopolitical factors that impact health and well-being of humankind. Students engage in assignments designed to provide practical application of content on topical issues, such as infant mortality rates in the United States and abroad, infectious or communicable disease, implications of global climate change on health, among others. Finally, students consider and reflect on the nurse’s role as a leader in transforming the future of the world’s health. (Prerequisites: NURS 4010.)

This course will focus on building the knowledge and key competencies essential to successful leadership and influence in an evolving healthcare delivery system. This course emphasizes increasing self-awareness in the context of organizational challenges and individual motivation, distinguishing leadership from management, team building, strengthening interpersonal, communication, and interdisciplinary effectiveness, shaping a preferred future for nursing, translating strategic vision into action, and developing skills in implementing and managing organizational change. Specific learning opportunities include case studies, a battery of self-assessments and 360-degree feedback instruments, exposure to top-level leaders in nursing and healthcare, and a 45-hour practicum mentored by a nurse leader in a selected clinical setting. (Prerequisites: NURS 4015.)