Course Descriptions

NUCO 103 - (3) (S)
Introduction to the World of Nursing
An overview of the nursing profession’s historical development, evolution of the health care system, and the legal and ethical principles that direct professional nursing practice. For first-year and transfer students.

NUCO 301 - (3) (Y)
Clinical and Interactive Skills I
Combines nursing skill acquisition with communication concepts and group process. Introduces selected technical skills and communication techniques basic to clinical practice.

NUCO 302 - (2) (Y)
Clinical and Interactive Skills II
Prerequisite: NUCO 301.
A continuation of NUCO 301, this course expands skill acquisition and synthesis of learned concepts through simulations of realistic patient care situations.

NUCO 303 - (3) (Y)
Introduction to Nursing and Health Care Services
Prerequisite/corequisite: NUCO 301, 302.
Studies the historical development of nursing and the professional nurse in today’s health care system. Introduces nursing theories and concepts, including the nursing process, and explores nursing interventions. Includes clinical practice sessions in various settings.

NUCO 304 - (3) (Y)
Foundations of Clinical Nursing
Prerequisite: Admission to the Second Degree Program.
Introduces selected concepts and aids students in acquiring basic psychomotor and interpersonal skills used in providing patient care.

NUIP 310 - (3) (Y)
Pathology and Clinical Management I
Prerequisite: Anatomy and Physiology.
Focuses on the mechanisms of disease and the body’s ability to respond to such challenges throughout the life span. Required of all undergraduate and second degree nursing students.

NUIP 311 - (4) (Y)
Pathology and Clinical Management II
Prerequisite: Anatomy and Physiology.
Focuses on psychopathological and pathophysiological conditions throughout the life span. Required of all undergraduate and second degree nursing students.

NUIP 315 - (3) (Y)
HIV/AIDS: A Personal and Social Perspective
An overview of the medical, psychosocial, legal, and ethical issues generated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Introduces topics encountered throughout the spectrum of HIV infection. Explores physiological and psychological responses of, and societal responses to, HIV infected or affected persons.

NUIP 316 - (3) (Y)
Principles of Nutrition
Prerequisite/corequisite: Anatomy and Physiology.
Covers basic nutrition, nutrition for clients of various age groups and therapeutic diets, and nutrition of the critically ill, hospitalized patient. Required of all undergraduate nursing students in the traditional program.

NUCO 323 - (3) (S)
Client Assessment
Focuses on gathering and analyzing information about the health status of clients across the lifespan. Develops data collection skills using a holistic approach to health care. Required of all nursing students.

NUCO 331 - (5) (Y)
Nursing Care of the Chronically Ill Adult
Prerequisite: NUCO 301/304, 302, 303/356, NUIP 340.
Explores the nature and challenge of chronic illness. Focuses on concepts underlying the care of chronically ill adults and the use of the nursing process to assist patients and families in managing common chronic illnesses. Clinical placement occurs in a variety of settings.

NUCO 332 - (4) (S)
Nursing Care of Children and Families
Prerequisite: NUCO 301/304, 302, 303/356, NUIP 340.
Utilizes the concept of family-centered nursing care to teach basic nursing strategies that enable children and their families to prevent illness and disability and to promote, protect, and restore health. Addresses the unique biopsychosocial and health educational needs of the growing child from infancy to adolescence. Also studies the family in community, ambulatory care, and hospital settings. Clinical placement occurs in a variety of settings.

NUCO 333 - (4) (Y)
Nursing Care of Women and Childbearing Families
Prerequisite: NUCO 301, 302, 303, NUIP 340.
Explores issues of health and wellness for women and the childbearing family, major health challenges affecting women, and the recognition and management of complications and risk factors occurring during the reproductive period. Clinical placement includes hospital and community settings.

NUIP 340 - (3) (Y)
Life Span Development
Focuses on the process of development as a lifelong activity balanced between dynamic and stable demands of physical and social environments and the changing capabilities of the person. Explores contemporary life styles and selected cultural aspects of individual and family life. Required of all undergraduate and second degree students.

NUIP 343 - (3) (S)
Principles of Pharmacology
Prerequisite: Anatomy and physiology.
Provides a theoretical foundation in pharmacology and its place in nursing practice. Includes general principles of pharmacology, the therapeutic implications of major drug categories, mechanisms of drug action, side effects of drugs, and the implications for nursing management.

NUCO 356 - (5) (Y)
Introduction to Nursing and the Childbearing Family
Prerequisite: Admission to the Second Degree Program.
An overview of the historical development of nursing, emphasizing the evolution of obstetrical nursing and the roles available to contemporary professional nurses. Introduces the use of the nursing process and presents the nursing management of normal and high-risk pregnancy. Explores social, economic, and legal/ethical issues related to the reproductive period. Clinical placement occurs in both hospital and community settings. Required of all students in the Second Degree Program.

NUIP 414 - (3) (Y)
Foundations of Nursing Research
Surveys the research designs commonly used in health settings, as well as their practical applications. Students gain basic research skills, a beginning familiarity with common statistical methods, and a fundamental ability to read and analyze health-related research articles. Emphasizes basic human rights and ethical issues in the conduct of research. Required of students in the traditional and second degree undergraduate nursing programs.

NUIP 415 - (3) (Y)
Leadership and Management in Health Care Systems
An overview of basic management and leadership concepts. Emphasizes the application of appropriate administrative strategies to actual and/or simulated health care systems. Required of nursing students.

NUIP 416 - (3) (Y)
Basic Research Concepts in the Health Disciplines
Explores the research process and critiques health care research. Analyzes the role of the professional in utilizing and applying research. Required of students in the R.N. to B.S.N. program.

NUIP 417 - (3) (Y)
Issues in Contemporary Nursing Practice
Prerequisite: Admission to the R.N. to B.S.N. program.
Examines the issues and trends of greatest concern to nursing today. Explores the historical and societal influences on the evolution of nursing, its current status, and its future direction. Discusses the economic, social, cultural, and legal/ethical influences on nursing practice in today’s rapidly changing health care environment. Required of all students in the R.N. to B.S.N. program.

NUIP 418 - (4) (Y)
Pathophysiology
Prerequisite: Admission to the R.N. to B.S.N. program.
Builds on a foundation of knowledge about common pathophysiologic conditions affecting adults and children, and expands knowledge of current clinical assessment and management techniques. Required of all students in the R.N. to B.S.N. program.

NUCO 430 - (2) (Y)
Current Issues in Nursing
Prerequisite: All third-year courses in the traditional program, or all first-year courses in Second Degree Program.
Focuses on the socialization of the nurse into the profession, emphasizing nursing’s body of knowledge, the legal and ethical responsibilities of nurses, and issues they face. Prepares beginning practitioners of nursing to intelligently interpret the literature on professional responsibilities. Equips new graduates with basic strategies for utilizing specialized nursing knowledge and provides a basis for responsible decision-making related to ethical and legal issues.

NUCO 432 - (5) (Y)
Perspectives in Community Nursing
Prerequisite: Admission to the R.N. to B.S.N. program.
Examines the practice of nursing in a changing health care system. Introduces concepts and strategies from public health, epidemiology, and group and family theories. Explores the relationship between political, socioeconomic, and environmental factors and health populations. Clinical experiences take place in a variety of community settings.

NUCO 433 - (5) (Y)
Contemporary Trends in Clinical Nursing Management
Prerequisite: Admission to the R.N. to B.S.N. program.
Explores current trends in managing acute and chronic health states across the life span. Addresses the nursing process and associated research findings in working with individuals, families, and groups. Considers the legal, ethical and political implications of care. Clinical experiences take place in a variety of settings.

NUCO 434 - (2) (Y)
Transition and Validation Seminar I
Prerequisite: Admission to the R.N. to B.S.N. program.
The first of two courses designed to validate prior learning and promote professional roles in nursing. Also focuses on skill development in informatics and writing. Assists the student in preparing the validating portfolio used to document prior learning for the awarding of advanced standing credit.

NUCO 435 - (2) (Y)
Transition and Validation Seminar II
Prerequisite: NUCO 434.
Continues the validation of clinical knowledge and examines ethical, legal and political aspects of professional practice in nursing and expands knowledge of ethics and the process of skill development in informatics and professional writing. Students complete the portfolio begun in NUCO 434. Required of all students in the R.N. to B.S.N. program.

NUIP 441 - (3) (Y)
Clinical Applications of Pathophysiology
Prerequisite: Anatomy and physiology, NUIP 310 and 311.
Focuses on expanding the knowledge base acquired in Pathology and Clinical Management I and II. Provides a more in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of disease and the body’s ability to respond to such challenges throughout the life span.

NUIP 443 - (3) (IR)
Evaluating and Using Information Technology in Health Care
Prerequisite: A basic knowledge of personal computers and Microsoft Windows.
Introduces health related information for newcomers to the Internet, and enhances students’ use of information technology for developing, evaluating, and disseminating health care information. Introduces the history, current issues, future trends, and significance of information technology for health care. Involves students in an ongoing academic discussion of the implications of technology as an information source for research, practice, and patient education in the area of health care.

NUIP 445 - (3) (IR)
Nursing and Spirituality
This course is designed to introduce students to the importance of spirituality in the lives of individuals and families. It will enable students to design models of care, which promote and restore the body, mind and spirit. The course will complement other courses in the curriculum by promoting a deeper understanding of the connections between religion/spirituality and health.

NUIP 446 - (2) (IR)
Exploring Culture and Healthcare Access Issues through Remote Area Medicine
Provides undergraduate nursing students the opportunity to explore issues related to culture and barriers to healthcare access. The culminating experience is a hands-on clinical outreach experience in southwest Virginia. Course enrollment is limited. Students must be second or third year nursing students. Participants are selected based upon a two-page essay defining health and culture, and an interview. Please see course faculty for details.

NUCO 471 - (5) (Y)
Nursing Management of Common Health Problems
Prerequisite: All third-year courses in the Traditional Program or all first-year courses in the Second Degree Program.
Focuses on the use of the nursing process in managing commonly-occurring acute and chronic health problems affecting adults. Emphasizes the collaborative and independent functions of the nurse, and includes clinical practice in a variety of settings.

NUCO 472 - (2) (Y)
Nursing Management of Complex Health Problems
Prerequisite: NUCO 471.
Focuses on the use of the nursing process in managing complex acute and chronic health problems affecting clients of all ages. Emphasizes the collaborative and independent functions of the nurse.

NUCO 473 - (5) (S)
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing
Prerequisite: All third-year courses in the Traditional Program or all first-year courses in the Second Degree Program.
Provides the opportunity to learn and utilize biopsychosocial concepts in the care of mentally ill and substance abusing individuals. Focuses on assessment strategies, nursing interventions, plans of care, and the rehabilitative processes for a variety of acute and chronic problems. Includes clinical practice in a variety of hospital and community settings.

NUCO 474 - (5) (S)
Community Health Nursing
Prerequisite: All third-year courses in the Traditional Program or all first-year courses in the Second Degree Program.
Provides a foundation for nursing practice in community health by emphasizing the application of concepts and theories. Through a focus on family- and community-oriented nursing practice, students expand their roles from caring for an individual within a family to assessing and intervening to solve family and community health problems. Examines the influence of political, socioeconomic, and ecological issues on the health of populations. Includes clinical practice in selected community agencies.

NUCO 475 - (3) (Y)
Synthesis Practicum
Prerequisite: Completion of all other required nursing courses.
This final clinical course provides an opportunity to integrate the knowledge and skills acquired from previous courses during an intensive 168-hour precepted practicum. Students work directly with clinical preceptors under the direction of faculty members to refine their skills in group patient care delivery, priority setting, and decision making. Clinical placements include a wide range of inpatient and outpatient settings.

NURS 495 - (3) (Y)
Distinguished Majors Seminar I
Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Nursing DMP.
Designed to provide information and guidance about the process of initiating a research project, to explore issues related to the research process, and encourage communication among Distinguished Majors Program participants.

NUCO 496 - (2) (Y)
Distinguished Majors Seminar II
Prerequisite: NURS 495.
Designed to assist students in the process of preparing their thesis to present to their peers and the faculty. Will also assist to prepare thesis for publication.