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Online Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Curriculum

Curriculum Details

49 TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED

The 24 women’s health courses required for the MSN Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner program prepares you to meet the health needs of female patients across the entire lifespan. Carlow’s comprehensive nurse practitioner curriculum ensures you’ll be ready to provide preventative healthcare and restore wellness for women through multiple stages of their life.

The coursework uses an evidence-based, scholar-practitioner model, which fosters teamwork and collaboration, and includes 600 hours of clinical experience along with a brief, hands-on residency on Carlow’s campus. Through the MSN WHNP program, you’ll be qualified to sit for the NCC board certification in a shorter amount of time than you would in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program while still gaining meaningful education for the later pursuit of an advanced degree. Once you complete the women’s health nurse practitioner program requirements, you’ll be a confident and competent women’s health provider.

Core Courses

Credits

This course is an advanced level course in pathophysiological functioning in human organisms. The focus will be on the central concepts of pathophysiology at the cellular, tissue, and program levels. Elements of related supportive and therapeutic management across the lifespan will also be discussed.

This graduate level writing course will help the student refine writing skills from the fundamentals of writing through argumentation. Through a series of small writing assignments, this course will prepare the student for scholarly writing and research.

This course will focus on the advanced practice role as it relates to practice in a primary care setting, or women’s health setting. Topics will include the multifaceted aspects of legal and financial issues related to advanced practice; nurse to nurse practitioner to physician role differentiation; how advanced practice nurses manage care provision to individuals and families; and special issues in the community.

Theory and techniques in the measurement of human health, development, and level of functioning will be presented. Clinical practice in obtaining health histories, conducting physical examinations, making physical measurements, and testing functioning in individuals across the lifespan will be included. Common diagnostic tests will be used to identify pathologic variations and to initiate intervention(s). Clinical experiences will take place in clinics located in rural and medically underserved areas.

Prerequisite NU 741; Co-requisite: NU 7451.

The student will apply techniques in the measurement of human health, development, and level of functioning in the clinical setting. The student will gain clinical practice in obtaining health histories, conducting physical examinations, making physical measurements, and testing functioning in individuals across the lifespan.

Co-requisite: NU 745.

Students will be introduced to the diagnostic testing modalities including but not limited to: Radiographs, Laboratory Values, Suturing, Extremity Splinting/Casting, Joint injections. Students will participate in learning modules and simulation module activities in order to achieve course objectives. Diagnostic techniques, procedures, and results will be used to formulate Differential Diagnosis for plan of care development and implementation.

Prerequisites: NU741, NU742; Co-requisites: NU745, NU7451

Using a problem-­based approach to symptoms, students will be introduced to the diagnostic framework, algorithms, and terminology that will allow them to move from symptom to diagnosis. Evidence-­‐based diagnosis will focus on the accuracy of the health history and sensitivity of the physical exam, laboratory studies and tests to “rule in” or “rule out” specific diseases. Students will learn the importance of formulating clinical impressions that lead to hypothesis testing in the care of patients across the lifespan.

Prerequisites: NU741, NU742; Co-­requisites: NU745, NU7451

This course examines the ethical, moral, and legal accountability and professional responsibility for nurse leaders, nurse educators and advanced practice nurses (APN). Ethical leadership and the roles of the leaders, nurse educators and APN as it relates to social justice, technology and business, research, and advanced practice specialty areas will be explored. The regulatory and legal framework for leaders, nurse educators, and APNs scope of practice will be addressed. Ethical reasoning, decision making, and action will be applied.

This course focuses on quality, informatics, and the role of statistics in quality improvement. Concepts, models, and strategies of quality improvement and informatics are examined. Students will apply principles of quality and regulatory management with an emphasis on defining, measuring, and evaluating outcomes within and across organizational systems. The student will apply informatics and statistical concepts to identify, gather, process, and manage information/data. At the end of the course, the student will be able to create and implement innovative solutions to improve patient care and safety.

This course will study the interaction of chemicals with living systems across the lifespan. It explores decision-­‐making processes that identify concepts, and principles that illuminate the importance, meaning, and rationale for using one drug over another. Builds on knowledge of drugs, pathophysiology, and disease states across the lifespan.

Prerequisite or co-requisite: NU 741.

This course, the first in two sequential clinical courses in primary care, addresses the health care needs of adults across the lifespan from early adulthood through senescence. It introduces the student to acute and chronic common health concerns. Emphasis is placed on the collaborative management of patients to achieve desired outcomes. Students use scholarly inquiry to further develop their practice. Evidenced­‐based research as related to normal and high-­risk populations.

Prerequisites: NU 741, NU 742, NU 745, NU 7451; Co-requisite: NU 7461

The focus of each of the clinical courses is the management of acute and chronic health problems and the planning and management of both nursing and medical care by the advanced practice nurse.

The focus of this course is the management of acute and chronic health problems in women’s and reproductive health. It will incorporate planning and management of both nursing and medical care by the advanced practice nurse. Particular emphasis will be placed on high-­‐risk groups and individuals living in medically underserved populations.

The focus of each of these one-credit courses is the management of acute and chronic health problems and the planning and management of both nursing and medical care by the advanced practice nurse. Particular emphasis will be placed on high-risk groups and individuals living in medically underserved populations. Students will complete one clinical credit in primary care (NU 7501) prior to completing one clinical credit in women’s health (NU 7522), women’s health II (NU 7561) and women’s health III (NU 7571) settings. Each credit will require 75 hours of clinical practice. Clinical practice courses must be completed either in the same semester with the corresponding theory course or within the next term. 1-2 credits for each of the six courses.

Pre- or co-requisites NU 750 FOR NU 7501; students must take NU 752 with or prior to taking NU 7522; students must take 756 with or prior to takin NU 7561; students must take NU 757 with or prior to taking NU 7571

This course continues to provide the framework for clinical practice in well woman gynecologic care and care of the pregnant woman. Evidence-based care processes are presented. Topics include common variations experienced by the woman with a healthy pregnancy and during the normal life cycle. Psychosocial factors influencing adaptation to pregnancy, motherhood, and reproductive life issues are explored. Cultural factors impacting childbearing women are explored. Physical assessment skills specific to care of pregnant women, and skills for gynecological assessment are presented and practiced in the clinical setting. Management approaches for preconception care, and preparation for childbirth and breastfeeding will be covered in this second women’s health course. Pharmacotherapeutic agents and prescribing responsibilities used in the management of preconception and pregnancy are considered throughout the course. 2 credits

Prerequisites: NU 752; NU 7522; Co-requisites: NU 7561, NU 757, NU 7571

The focus of each of these one-credit courses is the management of acute and chronic health problems and the planning and management of both nursing and medical care by the advanced practice nurse. Particular emphasis will be placed on high-risk groups and individuals living in medically underserved populations. Students will complete one clinical credit in primary care (NU 7501) prior to completing one clinical credit in women’s health (NU 7522), women’s health II (NU 7561) and women’s health III (NU 7571) settings. Each credit will require 75 hours of clinical practice. Clinical practice courses must be completed either in the same semester with the corresponding theory course or within the next term. 1-2 credits for each of the six courses

PRE- OR CO-REQUISITES: NU 750 FOR NU 7501; students must take NU 752 with or prior to taking NU 7522; students must take NU 756 with or prior to taking NU 7561; students must take NU 757 with or prior to taking NU 7571

This third women’s health course focuses on complex issues in gynecologic care of women. The student will be provided the opportunity to synthesize and integrate research, theories, concepts, and advanced skills into a framework for advanced nursing practice in women’s health care, applying physiologic, developmental, psychosocial, and cultural factors to diverse populations, from adolescence to senescence. Analysis is used to evaluate contemporary trends and issues, as well as policy that have an impact on the delivery of health care to women.

Prerequisites: NU 752 AND NU 7522; co-requisites: NU 756, NU 7561, NU 7571

The focus of each of these one-credit courses is the management of acute and chronic health problems and the planning and management of both nursing and medical care by the advanced practice nurse. Particular emphasis will be placed on high-risk groups and individuals living in medically underserved populations. Students will complete one clinical credit in primary care (NU 7501) prior to completing one clinical credit in women’s health (NU 7522), women’s health II (NU 7561) and women’s health III (NU 7571) settings. Each credit will require 75 hours of clinical practice. Clinical practice courses must be completed either in the same semester with the corresponding theory course or within the next term. 1-2 credits for each of the six courses.

Pre- or Co-requisites: NU 750 FOR NU 7501; Students must take NU 752 with or prior to taking NU 7522; students must take NU 756 with or prior to taking NU 7561; students must take NU 757 with or prior to taking NU 7571

This FNP focused research course provides a review of elementary research concepts and the introduction of moderate to advanced research concepts. Students will identify pertinent clinical problems, review the literature regarding those problems, and formulate a plan to address clinical problems using evidenced-­‐based sources and appropriate statistical methods. Students will compose a rudimentary clinically-­‐based research proposal for continuation in subsequent graduate level courses. This course fulfills the graduate assessment requirement for writing.

This course focuses on theoretical foundations and conceptual principles of leadership, professional collaboration, communications, and the skills necessary to practice leadership competently in healthcare environments, recognizing that organizational and systems leadership are critical to the promotion of high quality and safe patient care. Key concepts including ethical and critical decision making, motivation and individual behavior, interpersonal and group behavior, job satisfaction, work stress and culture, and influences of micro-, meso-, and macro-organizational behaviors are explored. The course is designed to enhance leadership self-awareness and to encourage students to fashion personal perspectives on how to lead professionally. Analyzing trends and issues in the current health care system that have implications for exercising leadership will help students determine the way they can make a difference.

This graduate level course addresses health risks and trends in communities and in families. High-risk populations, aggregates, and communities comprise the focus for investigation. Developmental, psychodynamic, social-political, and cultural theories and concepts are synthesized and applied to analysis of health behaviors in community settings and in families across the life cycle. Risk appraisal methods and evidence-based strategies to identify and prevent health risks in individuals, families, and communities are examined. This course highlights local, state, and federal resources for families, particularly those individuals in medically underserved areas.

This course introduces economic concepts and current policy issues facing the United States health care system. Issues of cost, quality, access, disparities, and finance will be examined from the view of payers, providers, and regulators, and the interactions of these stakeholders both within the United States and in comparison with global markets. Topics will include various health care markets, the role of government in financing of health care, the structure and functions of public and private health insurance, economic components of the delivery system, and understanding the challenges of health care reform.

The purpose of this course is to prioritize management strategies and apply selected practice models for delivery of care to women across the lifespan, in a variety of community specialties. The focus of this course is to provide the student with opportunities to integrate in depth diagnostic and management skills to provide care for women. The emphasis of this course is on the formulation and management of individualized treatment plans based on diagnostic findings and current practice models.

Prerequisite: NU741, NU742, NU745, NU7451, NU746, NU7461

Course description coming soon.

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