Saint Francis University (Nursing Department )

Welcome to the Department of Nursing. If you are thinking about a career in nursing, now is a great time to enter the profession. There are new and exciting career opportunities in professional nursing. The need for RNs is climbing in acute, primary and preventive care settings - with an increased demand for RNs to continue to rise through the year 2010.

Nursing is a flexible career with many different specialties for practice. This program prepares you for professional nursing practice. At the end of four years of study you will earn a bachelor's of science in nursing (B.S.N.), and then you are eligible to sit for the RN licensure exam.

The graduates of this program enter nursing practice initially. Many continue their formal education with most entering graduate schools in nursing to become nurse practitioners, teachers in nursing programs or staff development, or nursing administrators. All graduates keep up-to-date in their specialties with continuing education. There will be continued high demand for nurses in all specialties as well as the need for more nursing teachers, researchers, and administrators. This program gives the graduate an outstanding foundation for the future. It has prepared many of today's and tomorrow's nursing leaders.

Consider your goals. The nursing profession offers great flexibility. Opportunities exist in many specialties such as medical/surgical, ICU, pediatrics, obstetrics, emergency room, occupational health, home health, research, psychiatric, nurse administration, and military service.

HISTORY

The need for a baccalaureate program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing was evidenced through a feasibility study conducted by the university administration in 1978 and 1979.

In July of 1980, the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing gave full initial approval to the nursing curriculum, and the first class of nursing students was admitted in the Fall of 1980. Full approval was granted by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing in the Fall of 1984. The first nursing class graduated in 1984. The Class of 2006 is the 22nd graduating class.

In March of 1987, the Board of Trustees approved an R.N. to B.S.N. track within the B.S.N. program for registered nurses. In 1996, the Department of Nursing initiated the R.N. to B.S.N. articulation plan.

In 1997, the School Nurse Certification Program, a post-baccalaureate program consisting of four master's level courses, was approved by the College and by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

In 2001, the Saint Francis University Nursing Department announced the award of accreditation of the baccalaureate program by The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for the ten year period, 2001-2011.

In 2006, the Nursing Department passed it's mid-cycle report (5 year) from the CCNE and continues with it's accreditation.

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Nursing Department Nursing School Location

Nursing Department Courses

INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSIONAL NURSING
This course gives an overview of nursing practice, education, and theory. Emphasis is placed on caring from a personal and professional perspective. The student is socialized into the profession through the examination of professionalism. Open to those considering Nursing as a major.

NURSING ASSESSMENT OF THE PERSON
The focus of this course is the assessment of the person. Communication and physical examination skills are presented for use in conducting the nursing health history and physical health examination. The assessment of Functional Health Patterns provides a data base for the future identification of nursing diagnoses and a nursing care plan. The course includes clinical laboratory time following the theoretical component.

HEALTH AND THE DEVELOPING PERSON
This course focuses on the continuing, evolving changes that occur throughout the life of the person as he/she interrelates with the environment. These changes are identified within the perspective of Gordon’s topology of 11 functional health patterns. Concepts from the natural, behavioral, and social sciences provide the students with a framework for identifying commonly experienced biological, psychosocial, moral, and spiritual developmental changes experienced by individuals. Implications for health promotion and anticipatory guidance for the various age groups are addressed.

PERSPECTIVES IN PROFESSIONAL NURSING
This course focuses on nursing as a profession and the professional’s socialization for practice. Nursing as an art and science with a focus on human caring will be presented. This is the RN bridge course that can be taken after 50 general and prerequisite credits are completed. Spring.



FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN CARE NURSING
This course focuses on the nursing roles of caregiver, teacher, and advocate. The student learns theory and basic intervention skills fundamental to the practice of professional nursing. The caring concepts are introduced and utilized with individuals.

CARE OF CHILDBEARING FAMILIES
In this course, students focus on theory and clinical practice related to the care of childbearing families. The human experience of pregnancy and childbirth is examined from a caring perspective and applied to nursing practice. Clinical in a maternity unit (nursery postpartum, gyne, labor and delivery) and clinics.

CARE OF ADULTS WITH ACUTE ALTERATIONS IN HEALTH
In this course, students learn and apply theory and caring concepts related to the care of adults with acute alterations in health. Care is examined within various cultural contexts. Clinical in a hospital setting.

CARE OF CHILDREN
In this course, students learn and apply theory and caring concepts related to the care of children. Includes children with health alterations, promoting and protecting health, maximizing optimal functioning and working with families. Clinical in hospital and community settings.

HUMAN NUTRITION
This course provides basic information regarding human nutrition and its relationship to wellness. Emphasis is placed on normal nutritional needs of individuals throughout life. Attention is directed to nutrition in clinical practice, presenting nutritional therapy for enteral and parenteral nutrition, metabolic stress, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, renal cancer and HI V/AIDS as well as global, national, state and community nutritional needs, problems. Open to other health majors who meet the prerequisites.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY I

The student acquires a basic knowledge of pathophysiology and pharmacology for utilization in the professional practice of nursing. The effects of disease are viewed from a spirit-mind-body perspective. The course examines various disease processes, theft treatment modalities with emphasis on appropriate pharmacological interventions. Information presented will be applied to nursing courses given concurrently.

NURSING/HEALTH ELECTIVE: ASPECTS OF THANATOLOGY
The focus of this course will be on concepts relative to death and dying from a caring perspective.

NURSING ELECTIVE: PRINCIPLES OF CROSS CULTURAL NURSING
This seminar course examines the influence of cultural backgrounds, beliefs, values, and practices on the health of individuals, families, and aggregates. The role of the nurse in maximizing wellness is addressed in relation to various ethnic cultures and subcultures. Emphasis on cultural diversity assists the nursing student to acquire a global perspective on issues dealing with the health and well-being of people.

NURSING/HEALTH ELECTIVE: INTIMATE HUMAN BEHAVIOR
The focus of this course is the exploration of concepts of intimacy and sexuality. The human experience of intimacy and sexual expression and its relationship to health is examined. Implications for the nurse and other health care providers are addressed.

NURSING/HEALTH ELECTIVE: ADDICTIONS AND COMPULSIONS
The goal of this course is to provide a basic survey of theory, concepts, and practices relevant to addictive behavior, compulsive acts, dependency needs, and the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. A caring nursing perspective is utilized. The historical aspects and current epiderniological patterns of substance abuse and other addictive behaviors are presented. The individual, familial and societal effects of addictive and dependent behavior are emphasized.

NURSING ELECTIVE: NURSING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY
This course examines professional nursing in a selected country, viewing it within its cultural context and from ethnic, political, geographic, educational, and economic perspectives. Nursing’s commitment to caring, its professional development, and the nursing roles which are employed in the delivery of that country’s health care are studied. A trip to the foreign country comprises the focal point of this course.

NURSING ELECTIVE: SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS IN NURSING PRACTICE
This course focuses on the concept of spirituality, its relationship and application to nursing practice. Spirituality in nursing practice is addressed from an historical, contemporary, and personal perspective. The student examines the effects of his/her own spirituality on one’s nursing practice.

CARE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH LIFE-THREATENING ALTERATIONS IN HEALTH
Focuses on theory and clinical practice related to the care of individuals with life- threatening alterations in health. Various aspects of the critically ill adult, including the experience of death and dying, are examined from a caring perspective and applied to nursing practice.

CARE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH ALTERATIONS IN PSYCHIATRIC/MENTAL HEALTH
The course focuses on theory and clinical practice related to the care of individuals with alterations in psychiatric/mental health. Caring concepts are applied to individuals with acute and chronic psychiatric/mental health disorders.

NURSING RESEARCH
This course focuses on the research process and its relationship to nursing theory and practice. It provides a basic introduction to quantitative and qualitative nursing research enabling the student to critically read and appraise the research that others have conducted, and to write a research proposal.

CARE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC ALTERATIONS IN HEALTH
The course focuses on theory and clinical practice related to individuals with chronic alterations in health. The human experience of chronicity with all its implications is examined from a caring perspective for application to nursing practice.

CARE OF HUMAN COMMUNITIES

The course focuses on theory and clinical practice related to the care of human communities. Caring concepts are applied in the home and community settings.

ADVANCED CONCEPTS
Course focuses on advanced concepts related to the care of individuals/families experiencing alterations in life-threatening and chronic health. Caring philosophy will be implemented, and these problems will be examined primarily using a case study approach. Clinical is based on individual educational needs.

NURSING MANAGEMENT/LEADERSHIP THEORY
This course focuses on principles of nursing management and leadership within a caring framework for the practice of nursing. Decision making, critical thinking, change, motivation, management process, operational skills and more are studied.

NURSING MANAGEMENT/LEADERSHIP PRACTICUM
This course enables the student to implement beginning management and leadership skills for use in the creation of a caring environment. The student is directly supervised by a preceptor. –

PROFESSIONAL NURSING SEMINAR
This course focuses on issues related to the role of the nurse as a member of a profession. Emphasis is placed on professionalism, contemporary issues, and futuristic trends in order to identify strategies that impact on nursing as a caring profession.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY II
The student acquires further knowledge of pathophysiology and pharmacology for utilization in the professional practice of nursing. The effects of disease are viewed from a body-mind-spirit perspective. The course examines various disease processes, their treatment modalities with emphasis on appropriate pharmacological interventions. Information presented will be applied to nursing courses given concurrently.

NURSING ELECTIVE: ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY IN NURSING PRACTICE
This course focuses on the nursing management of individuals receiving various types of pharmacological therapy. The student uses the case study format to examine the use and effects of various drug classifications in the management of illness.

NURSING ELECTIVE: ETHICAL ISSUES IN NURSING
An introduction to the ethical dilemmas confronting the nurse in today’s society. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own values as well as to examine current health issues from an ethical perspective. Emphasis will be placed on the ethical decision-making process and moral reasoning. Current legislation, political controversies, and economic constraints that affect the caring attitude of the professional nurse will be addressed.

NURSING ELECTIVE: NURSING INFORMATICS
Provides opportunity for the nurse to acquire and apply knowledge and skills from computer sciences to the health care field.

SPECIAL TOPICS
Exploration of special topics in such areas as determined by faculty and student interest.

HEALTH EDUCATION AND WELLNESS
In this course the student will focus on health education needs, and health promotion-disease prevention programs for children in the school system and their families. This course will identify methods of maximizing wellness of individuals and families. It will identify methods of assessment, development, management, and evaluation of health programs.

SCHOOL NURSE THEORY AND PRACTICE
This is the capstone course in the program, consisting of three credits of theory and two credits of school nurse practice (100 hours). This course examines in-depth the role of the school nurse in the school setting. It focuses on the student in relation to the school and community. It identifies the nurses’ responsibility for enhancing the students’ learning in relation to health promotion/disease prevention, maintenance of health, and maximizing the children’s potential and wellness. The course will provide opportunities for identification and implementation of strategies to keep children well and in the classroom. The focus is on the school community with emphasis on the student and family. Cultural and environmental issues specific to health of the school community will be addressed. Students will have practice in primary and secondary school settings.

Other nursing schools in Pennsylvania

Mansfield University (Robert Packer Department of Health Sciences) Mansfield University’s Robert Packer Department of Health Sciences and Physical Activities offers a nursing program, accredited by The National League... Address: 212C Elliott Hall

Neumann College (Division of Nursing and Health Sciences) Franciscan values and tradition infuse the strong liberal arts and professional education which is basic in developing the professional nurse within c... Address: One Neumann Drive

Neumann College (Division of Nursing and Health Sciences) Franciscan values and tradition infuse the strong liberal arts and professional education which is basic in developing the professional nurse within c... Address: One Neumann Drive

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