An introduction to fundamental and foundational nursing knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes essential for safe and effective practice while utilizing the nursing process. Applies CCNE competency-based outcomes, including safety, clinical judgment, patient-centered communication, and professional identity formation. Additional, an analysis of the relationship between theory and evidence-based practice aims to develop the foundations of a generalist nurse. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
Hands-on instruction in clinical nursing skills essential to patient care. The focus is on building psychomotor proficiency, critical thinking, and professional conduct through simulated practice, check-offs, and application of clinical reasoning. The lab supports the integration of nursing knowledge, safety principles, and evidence-based techniques that align with CCNE and Colorado Board of Nursing standards. Prerequisite(s): Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 311. Or Instructor Permission.
An exploration of major nursing theories and conceptual frameworks (e.g., Nightingale, Orem, Roy, Watson, Benner) and examines how professional roles evolve across the continuum of nursing practice. Introduces foundational nursing theory, historical and philosophical underpinnings of nursing, professional identity, ethics, and roles of the nurse as caregiver, advocate, communicator, and team member. Students analyze the relationship between theory, evidence-based practice, leadership, and professional identity formation. Emphasis is placed on applying theory to clinical decision making, role socialization, advocacy, and lifelong professional development consistent with CCNE standards. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An introduction pathophysiology, assessment, and evidence-based nursing care of adult patients with common acute and chronic health alterations. Emphasis is placed on clinical judgment, priority setting, safe medication administration, patient education, and interprofessional collaboration. Systems addressed include fluid & electrolyte balance, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine (diabetes), integumentary, and musculoskeletal. Students apply the nursing process to promote optimal outcomes, safety, and quality across diverse and rural populations in alignment with CCNE standards. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 315. Or Instructor Permission.
Supervised, hands?on experience caring for adult patients with acute and chronic medical -surgical conditions. Students apply the nursing process, practice priority setting, deliver safe, evidence?based interventions, and collaborate with interprofessional teams in hospital and simulation settings. Emphasis is placed on patient safety, clinical judgment, therapeutic communication, documentation, and professional behaviors aligned with CCNE standards and program outcomes. Prerequisite(s): Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 314. Or Instructor Permission.
An introduction to holistic, patient-centered health assessment across the lifespan. Students develop interview techniques, cultural humility, therapeutic communication, and physical examination skills to gather subjective and objective data. Emphasis is placed on normal vs. abnormal findings, documentation, clinical reasoning, and integration of informatics tools for assessment. Simulation and lab practice prepare students to synthesize data and prioritize nursing care in diverse and rural populations. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 320. Or Instructor Permission.
Hands-on practice in comprehensive, patient-centered health assessment across the lifespan. Students perform systematic physical, psychosocial, cultural, and environmental assessments; apply therapeutic communication; document findings accurately; and synthesize data to identify actual/potential health problems. Simulation, skills lab, and supervised clinical experiences emphasize safety, professionalism, evidence-based techniques, and CCNE-aligned competencies for novice BSN clinicians. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 319. Or Instructor Permission.
An introduction to foundational pharmacology concepts for safe, patient-centered medication administration. Content includes pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug classifications, dosage calculations, adverse effects, interactions, and clinical judgment for priority medications across common health conditions. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based practice, patient education, legal/ethical considerations, and use of informatics/decision-support tools. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An exploration of research methodologies used in nursing and healthcare, emphasizing how nurses generate, appraise, and apply evidence to improve patient outcomes. Students examine quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs; sampling; validity and reliability; data collection and analysis; ethics and IRB processes; and translation of evidence into practice. Emphasis is placed on CCNE-aligned EBP competencies and scholarly communication. Prerequisite(s): Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An exploration of mental health and illness across the lifespan with an emphasis on therapeutic communication, evidence-based interventions, and recovery-oriented care. Students examine bio-psychosocial factors, social determinants, and stigma; apply the nursing process to common psychiatric conditions; and collaborate with inter professional teams to promote safety, dignity, and wellness in diverse populations. Prerequisite(s): Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 381. Or Instructor Permission.
Supervised, hands-on experience caring for patients requiring psychiatric-mental health services applying nursing concepts with individuals, families, and groups across the lifespan in acute, community, and simulated settings. Students employ therapeutic communication, trauma?informed care, suicide risk assessment, crisis intervention, and psychopharmacology knowledge to deliver safe, evidence-based, patient?centered care. Clinical hours include direct patient care, interprofessional collaboration, simulation, and reflective practice aligned with CCNE competencies. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 380. Or Instructor Permission.
An introduction to rural health including an exploration of social determinants of health, epidemiology, and delivery systems affecting rural and frontier populations. Students explore barriers to access, cultural and environmental influences (e.g., high altitude), telehealth solutions, and community-based strategies to promote equity and population health. Emphasis is placed on assessment, advocacy, policy, and interprofessional collaboration to improve outcomes in rural settings. The student also completes clinical hours in a highly rural and frontier population. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An exploration of strategies to keep individuals, families, and communities well across the lifespan by emphasizing primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Students apply the nursing process and clinical judgment to identify risk factors, analyze social determinants of health, and design culturally responsive, evidence-based health promotion plans. Using informatics tools and current guidelines, learners collaborate with interprofessional partners to implement and evaluate prevention interventions. Competency-based activities and assessments ensure students demonstrate safe, ethical, and accountable for practice while advocating for policies and resources that reduce health disparities and improve population outcomes. Prerequisites: Minimum junior standing and acceptance into Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An introduction to holistic, family-centered nursing care of infants, children, and adolescents with acute and chronic health conditions. Students apply growth and development principles, pediatric assessment skills, safety considerations, and evidence-based interventions across settings. Topics include health promotion, immunizations, common pediatric illnesses, chronic conditions, pain management, family dynamics, and communication strategies with children and caregivers. CCNE-aligned competencies guide the integration of clinical judgment, collaboration, and advocacy for child/family health. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 403. Or Instructor Permission.
An exploration of evidence-based nursing care for individuals and families during the childbearing period --preconception, pregnancy, labor/birth, postpartum, and newborn care. Students apply physiologic, psychosocial, and cultural concepts to promote safe, patient-centered, family-focused care. Emphasis is placed on health promotion, risk assessment, prenatal education, intrapartum nursing management, postpartum adaptations, lactation support, newborn assessment, and complications across the perinatal continuum, consistent with CCNE standards. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS: 403. Or Instructor Permission.
Hands-on supervised nursing care experiences in obstetrical (perinatal) and pediatric settings across acute care, community, and simulation environments. Students apply the nursing process to care for childbearing individuals, newborns, children, and their families. Emphasis is on family-centered, trauma?informed, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate care; patient safety; communication with caregivers; health promotion; and interprofessional collaboration. Clinical hours fulfill CCNE-aligned competencies and Colorado State Board of Nursing requirements for BSN practice readiness. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 400 and NURS 401. Or Instructor Permission.
An exploration of medical-surgical nursing care of adult patients with complex, multi-system acute and chronic conditions. Students integrate evidence-based practice, clinical judgment, informatics, and interprofessional collaboration to prioritize care, manage instability, and support recovery and self-management. Ethical, legal, cultural, and rural/population considerations are threaded throughout, consistent with CCNE standards and a competency-based progression model. Prerequisites: Minimum senior standing and acceptance into Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 406. Or Instructor Permission.
An introduction to foundational concepts of health informatics for professional nursing practice. Students examine how data, information, and knowledge are captured, managed, analyzed, and exchanged to improve patient outcomes, safety, and quality. Topics include electronic health records (EHRs), clinical decision support, interoperability standards, data ethics and governance, privacy/security (HIPAA), telehealth, consumer health technologies, and emerging trends such as AI and big data analytics. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
Supervised, hands-on experience caring for adult patients requiring advanced application of medical -surgical nursing concepts for acutely and chronically ill adults. Students care for patients with complex multi system conditions (e.g., cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, endocrine, neurological) in acute and transitional settings. Emphasis is placed on clinical reasoning, prioritization, delegation, teamwork, safe medication administration (including high?alert and IV medications), and use of evidence?based protocols to improve patient outcomes. Experiences include direct patient care, simulation, and inter-professional collaboration aligned with CCNE competencies for BSN practice. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 407. Or Instructor Permission.
A study of holistic nursing care of older adults across diverse settings, emphasizing healthy aging, common geriatric syndromes, chronic disease management, polypharmacy, cognitive changes, functional assessment, palliative/end?of?life care, and advocacy to promote quality of life. Students apply evidence?based, person?centered, and culturally sensitive approaches aligned with CCNE competencies. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An introduction to the principles and practices of community and public health nursing using a population-focused approach. Emphasis is placed on health promotion, disease prevention, and risk reduction across the lifespan in diverse community settings. Students will explore epidemiology, environmental health, community assessment, disaster preparedness, and inter professional collaboration. An integration of theoretical knowledge with practical experience to prepare nurses to address the complex health needs of populations and communities with an emphasis on rural health. Through lectures, and interactive learning experiences, students develop competencies in the nursing process, therapeutic communication, and basic nursing care aligning with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) standards and Colorado Board of Nursing requirements. Prerequisites: Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 431. Or Instructor Permission.
Supervised, hands-on experience of nursing care of the community with a population?focused nursing perspective. Experiences include public health department rotations, school and occupational health visits, health promotion screenings, home health, rural outreach, and collaboration with local agencies. Emphasis is on assessing community needs, planning and implementing population?based interventions, evaluating outcomes, and advocating for health equity. Students apply epidemiological principles, social determinants of health, disaster preparedness, and culturally responsive care while meeting CCNE clinical competencies and program outcomes. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program. Corequisite: NURS 430. Or Instructor Permission.
An exploration of leadership theories, management principles, health care delivery systems, finance, staffing, quality improvement, and change management in nursing. Students develop skills in delegation, conflict resolution, communication, budgeting, informatics, and strategic planning to lead teams and improve patient and organizational outcomes. Prerequisite(s): Minimum Junior Standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An advanced analysis in a two-part pharmacology sequence, focusing on advanced drug classes and complex medication management in diverse patient populations. Topics include cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, oncologic, neurologic, and psychiatric agents; polypharmacy; pharmacogenomics; adverse effects and interactions; and patient education. Emphasis is on safe administration, monitoring, and evidence-based decision making aligned with CCNE competencies. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
An advanced study of nursing professional nursing concepts with a focus on transition to practice, leadership, quality improvement, health policy, career planning, and lifelong learning. Students refine communication, teamwork, and informatics skills; develop a professional portfolio; and create an actionable plan for licensure, certification, and continuing education. CCNE-aligned competencies in ethics, cultural humility, evidence-based practice, and systems thinking are emphasized. Prerequisite(s): Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.
A culminating application of the art and science of nursing prepares senior BSN students to integrate and apply the full scope of nursing knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors in complex healthcare settings. Working with a qualified preceptor and faculty oversight, students manage a patient assignment, prioritize and delegate care, collaborate with the interprofessional team, and engage in quality improvement and evidence-based practice activities. Emphasis is on transition-to-practice competencies, clinical judgment, safe medication administration, effective communication, and reflective practice aligned with CCNE standards. Prerequisites: Minimum senior standing and acceptance into the Nursing Program; or Instructor Permission.