| The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree offered at Aquinas College is
in collaboration with the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) and Saint Mary’s
Health Care. The curriculum is built upon a foundation of liberal arts and
theoretical sciences. Liberal arts/general education and nursing courses will
be offered at Aquinas College. The program educates students to work in
primary care settings and agencies, clinics, schools, as well as hospitals.
Students are educated to work with community leaders, teachers, parents
and physicians to improve the overall health of communities. |
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| Additionally,
individuals, families, and groups in health education, disease prevention, and health promotion are an integral part of the program. Because of its
broad scope, this program is unique in West Michigan. It requires four years
of study, including all class work at Aquinas taught by Aquinas and UDM faculty, and clinical experience at Saint Mary’s Health Care and other facilities
throughout West Michigan. Students are also placed in paid cooperative
positions earning both income and college credit. Graduates earn a Bachelor
of Science in Nursing degree from University of Detroit Mercy, which is
recognized for its excellence by major health care employers. The program is
fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). |
| |
| The following courses with a BIO, BYN or NUR designation are University of Detroit Mercy courses. Descriptions and credit for these courses are provided through the University of Detroit Mercy. |
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| BIO204 Applied Nutrition (3) |
| Principles of normal nutrition, emphasis on functions, requirements, sources, deficiencies of nutrients in all stager of the life cycle. Weight control, energy balance and nutritional assessments are discussed. |
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| BYN230 Microbiology for the Health Sciences (4) |
| Prerequisites: BY155, 156. |
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| NUR280 Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics (3) |
| An introduction to clinical pharmacology and the use of drugs as therapeutic agents. Basic pharmacologic principles and major drug classes are introduced. Implications associated with monitoring, administration, intervention, and education are incorporated. Prerequisite: BYN230. Co-requisite: NUR286, 287, 338. |
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| NUR338 Pathophysiology (4) |
| Introductory study of disease, its causes, and the body changes that accompany it. Specific diseases are discussed, including the pathogenesis as well as the morphological and physiological basis of the manifestation of each disease. Treatment of each disorder, including the rationale of the therapy, is also discussed. Prerequisites: BY155, 156. Co-requisite: NUR286, 287, 280. |
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| NUR204 Health Assessment (2) |
| Focuses on the development of self-awareness and relationship-centered care skills for the beginning practitioner within a changing, interdisciplinary-based health care system. The student is provided with an underlying framework of ideas to build on throughout the nursing curriculum. Critical thinking, values clarification, cultural diversity, interpersonal communication, group dynamics and team building are addressed. Development of a philosophy of caring in a professional nursing role is approached from the perspectives of historical tradition, social justice and a values-centered professional education. An introduction to servant leadership with service to the community is included. Prerequisite: Approval of the Nursing advisors. |
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| NUR205 Health Assessment (2) |
| Focuses on the process of health assessment of adults. Utilizes interviewing techniques to obtain a basic health history that incorporates spiritual, sociocultural, psychological and physical dimensions. Issues of privacy, confidentiality, and cultural sensitivity are discussed. Laboratory experience provides students with opportunities to perform specific physical assessments. Prerequisite: Approval of the Nursing advisors. Co-requisites: NUR244, 245, 246. |
|
| NUR244 Fundamentals of Adult Health Nursing (3) |
| Focuses on introducing the nursing process as a strategy for making clinical judgments and implementing care. Ethical and legal guidelines and an understanding of the inner spirit and humanity of the individual are discussed as the framework for providing holistic care. Prerequisite: Approval of the Nursing advisors. Co-requisites: NUR205, 245, 246. |
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| NUR245 Skills in Adult Health Nursing (1) |
| This laboratory experience provides students with opportunities to acquire fundamental technical skills, with an emphasis on the scientific principles that underlie the application of these skills. Prerequisite: Approval of the Nursing advisors. Co-requisites: NUR205, 244, 246. |
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| NUR246 Practicum ofAdult Health Nursing (1) |
| Focuses on socializing students to nursing in the community through health promotion, risk reduction, and disease prevention activities with older adults. Emphasis is on the application of nursing process, health assessment skills, communication techniques, techniques, and technical skills learned in concurrent nursing courses. Prerequisite: Approval of the Nursing advisors. Co-requisites: NUR205, 244, 245. |
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| NUR286 Health Restoration in Adults (4) |
| Focuses on health restoration of adults. Emphasis is placed upon: assessment and management of physical and physiological symptoms related to common disease and treatment, anticipation and management of health-related complications, and restoration of optimal level of function of individuals. Prerequisites: NUR204, 205, 244, 245, 246. Co-requisite: NUR287. |
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| NUR287 Adult Health Practicum (3) |
| Enhances theoretical learning related to health restoration of adults in a variety of settings. Integration of principles from nutrition, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and nursing science provides a foundation for clinical judgment and decision making. Emphasis is placed upon application of the nursing process to individuals with common/recurring acute and/or chronic illnesses. Nursing care is evaluated in the context of adherence to standards of professional practice. Prerequisites: NUR204, 205, 244, 245, 246. Co-requisite: NUR287. |
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| NUR333 Health Restoration of Adults & Their Families (2) |
| Focuses on health restoration of adults and their families. Emphasis is placed upon: assessment and management of physical and psychological symptoms related to complex/multisystem disease and treatment; anticipation and management of life-threatening complications; and restoration of optimal level of function in individuals and their families. Prerequisites: NUR 286, NUR 287. Co-requisites: NUR 335 and NUR 336. |
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| NUR336 Mental Health of Adults & Their Families (2) |
| Provides the theoretical base for meeting the mental health and psychiatric needs of individuals, families and small groups in their communities.The interrelationship between psychological, social, biological, and spiritual subsystems is examined within the context of mental health promotion, risk reduction, disease prevention, and psychiatric illness management of individuals and their families. Prerequisites: NUR 286, NUR 287. Co-requisites: NUR 333 and NUR 335. |
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| NUR335 Integrated Practicum with Adults & Their Families (4) |
| This integrated clinical experience enhances the theoretical learning related to complex health restoration and mental health needs of adults and their families. Synthesis of principles from psychiatric nursing, adult health nursing, pharmacology, pathophysiology and the social sciences provides a foundation for clinical judgment and decision making in a variety of settings. Prerequisites: NUR 286, NUR 287. Co-requisites: NUR 333, NUR 336. |
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| NUR360 Nursing Research & its Utilization in Health Care (3) |
| Explores nursing research and its utilization in health care within the context of scientific merit and clinical relevance. Following an overview of the research process, emphasis is placed on its use in solving clinical problems, enhancing clinical judgments, and/or measuring phenomena in clinical practice. Prerequisites: Statistics. |
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| NUR362 Health Families in the Community (2) |
| Focuses on expanding the student’s awareness of the influence and impact of the community on the individual and family as client. Nursing care strategies of referral and advocacy as components of collaborative and interdisciplinary care are addressed within the context of an urban setting, with an introduction to transcultural nursing care. Prerequisites: NUR 333, NUR 336, NUR 335. Co-requisites: NUR 364, NUR 365. |
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| NUR364 Childbearing & Childrearing Families in Health & Illness (4) |
| Provides the theoretical base for nursing care of families in childbearing and childrearing across both health and illness dimensions. Focuses on the biophysical, sociocultural and spiritual subsystems of the family within the context of community. Emphasis is placed on ethical and social justice concerns related to pregnancy, fetal, newborn, and childhood health issues. Prerequisites: NUR 333, NUR 336, NUR 335. Co-requisites: NUR 362, NUR 365. |
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| NUR365 Integrated Practicum with Childbearing/Childrearing Families (4) |
| This integrated clinical experience enhances the theoretical learning related to the childbearing and childrearing families within the framework of an urban community. This clinical encompasses not only extensive use of multiple community agencies but also takes the students into the hospital for select acute care experiences. Prerequisites: NUR 332, NUR 334, NUR 335 and Developmental Psychology. Co-requisites: NUR 362, NUR 364. |
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| NUR394 Cooperative Education for Nurses (1) |
| Prerequisites: NUR 286, NUR 287. |
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| NUR395 Cooperative Education for Nurses (2) |
| Prerequisites: NUR 364, NUR 365. |
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| NUR420 Intervening with Families and Aggregates at Risk (3) |
| Focuses on crisis intervention and management in the health promotion, illness prevention and mental health nursing care of families and aggregates at risk and in crisis in the community. A family eco-systems approach is taken to explore family dynamics within a sociocultural and community context. Major public
health and social justice issues, such as domestic violence, child/adolescent/sexual/elder abuse, substance abuse, and homelessness are explored, along with health/illness crises facing families across the age continuum. Prerequisites: NUR360, 362, 364, 365. |
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| NUR442 Community as Partners; Issues in Urban Health (2) |
| Focuses on the urban impact of global health concerns in identified aggregates with special emphasis on environmental issues. Examines epidemiological principles and public health policy in relation to health problems within a specific community. Provides students an opportunity to explore the development of partnerships from an assets-based approach as a means to deliver health care in a constantly changing environment. Prerequisites: NUR360, 362, 364, 365. Co-requisites: NUR 444, 445; NUR 420 must be taken either prior to or concurrent with NUR 442. |
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| NUR444 Leadership and Management in Nursing in a Changing Health Care System (2) |
| Focuses on leadership and management knowledge and skills needed by entrylevel practitioners in a changing, integrated health care system. Organizational leadership/management theories are presented, along with concepts such as strategic planning, change, managed care, quality management, fiscal management and human relation skills. Prerequisites: NUR360, 362, 364, 365. Co-requisites: NUR442, 445; NUR 420 must be taken either prior to or concurrent with NUR 444. |
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| NUR445 Integrated Leadership and Community Practicum (3) |
| Integrated clinical experience that enhances and integrates the theoretical learning related to nursing leadership and management and caring for populationbased health problems within a specified community. A comprehensive community assessment, including planning, implementation, and evaluation of community interventions is included. The final cumulative experience is collaborative planning and implementation of a health-based project with community organizational/partners. Prerequisites: NUR360, 362, 364, 365. Co-requisites: NUR442, 444; NUR 420 must be taken either prior to or concurrent with NUR 445. |
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| NUR498 Comprehensive Practicum (3) |
| Allows students to define and implement a role unique to their needs and work closely with a nurse in practice under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Preapproval of faculty needed prior to registration. |
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| NUR450+ Nursing Elective (1) |
| Electives in specific areas of nursing are available to offer the student additional insight and knowledge in nursing. |
