SUNY Upstate Medical University (College of Nursing)

The College of Nursing at SUNY Upstate Medical University is the only state-supported college in the Syracuse area designed exclusively to further educate registered nurses (RNs). We offer three programs: an upper-division bachelor of science degree, a master of science degree, and a post masterís advanced certificate.

HISTORY

First Registered Nurses Graduate in 1959

To meet the shortage of nurses, the State University of New York Upstate Medical University initiated an Associate's Degree Program in 1959. More than 500 registered nurses were graduated from the program between 1959 and 1976.

In 1974, as a response to the need for primary care nurses, a Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program was implemented. This program was supported primarily by federal grant monies. Over 300 Nurse Practitioners were graduated; many of them remained at Upstate Medical University upon graduation and are still here today.

1984 Brings Addition of BS/MS Program

In the fall of 1984, a combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Program (BS/MS) was offered by the Department of Nursing of University Hopital at Upstate. Seventeen full-time students were enrolled in the first class. Enrollment grew, and the College of Nursing was initially established in 1986, with Dr. M. Janice Nelson appointed as the first dean. Her mission was to expand the services offered by the new College of Nursing and in 1988 a separate Bachelor of Science in Nursing program was established.

Full Accreditation

In 1991, the National League for Nursing granted full initial accreditation to both the Bachelor of Science and the combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science Programs, which furthered the prestige of nursing educational excellence provided by the College of Nursing.

Implementation of a Clinical Nurse Specialists and Master of Science Programs

1992 saw the implementation of a separate Master of Science Nursing Program to prepare Clinical Nurse Specialists. The programs continued unchanged until 1994 when the College of Nursing received a $500,000 grant from the State of New York to create and implement a Master of Science Program. This program was designed to prepare Advanced Practice Nurses for the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist or Nurse Practitioner. Successful completion of this project has given the College of Nursing the ability to offer the Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Post Master's Advanced Certificate nursing programs.

Continued Accreditation

In 1996, educational excellence was reaffirmed with the continuing award of accreditation by the National League for Nursing for a period of eight years. In 2004, the college was accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for the maximum period of ten years. Application for reaccreditation will be in 2014.

2007 and Beyond...

In 2007, the college re-opened the RN to MS option. This option enables qualified students to complete the BS and MS degrees in three years of full-time study.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

This classroom-oriented program focuses on theory and application, and serves as a foundation for graduate study. It prepares you to deliver comprehensive nursing care to patients of all ages in a variety of health care settings as direct care providers and leaders. Our courses build on, but do not duplicate, the content taught in basic nursing programs.

Our bachelor's program is a direct response to today's health care situation: patients are sicker, hospital stays shorter, and community health nursing stronger. The curriculum emphasizes the leadership skills essential for problem-solving and improving the delivery of health care. The curriculum includes courses in epidemiology, pathology, ethics, health policy and politics, patient education, family health nursing, research and management. Clinical experiences focus on community health as well as trends in nursing and health care.

To accommodate students' schedules, courses are offered in the fall and spring during the day, late afternoon and evening. A few courses are offered during the summer session. Classes are taught
Monday through Thursday. Most classes meet once a week for three hours. Often, two or three courses may be scheduled on the same day to fulfill eight or nine credits per semester. In addition, classes are alternately scheduled; for example, courses offered during the daytime one year will be scheduled during evening hours the next year.

Faculty advisors work closely with students to help fit courses and program requirements into their work and daily lives. Advisors ensure that enrollment and course scheduling meet students' needs and career goals.

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College of Nursing Nursing School Location

College of Nursing Courses

HEALTH ASSESSMENT
This course is aimed at broadening the student's knowledge and perspective of health assessment of the individual across the age span within the context of system interactions. Cultural and sociological aspects as well as communication skills for interviewing and history taking, which are critical to health assessment data collection, are emphasized. Risk factors and variables affecting health patterns are studied along with techniques for physical examination. Focus is on the performance of a systematic, comprehensive health assessment and the critical analysis of assessment data.

PROFESSIONAL WRITING
Reviewing the use of primary and secondary research materials, this course also covers copyright procedures, government documentation and annotated bibliography. The course stresses publication in professional journals and presentations at professional conferences.

CONCEPTUAL BASES IN NURSING
This course is the socialization course for the upper division Registered Nurse. Differences between educational preparations for RNs are analyzed. Components of a profession and the professional role are discussed and debated. This course focuses on identifying the scope of professional nursing practice from an evolutionary perspective. Emphasis is on exploring the historical trends on the development and implementation of the professional nursing role. The mission and philosophy of the College of Nursing are discussed and students articulate their philosophy from a professional and personal perspective. An overview of the theoretical bases for professional nursing is interrelated with current models of practice, particularly the principles of evidence- based practice. Students also apply principles of group dynamics.

PATHOLOGY
This course covers basic pathologic mechanisms and specific diseases/disorders affecting the major organ systems of the human body. Commonly encountered diseases/disorders will be covered in detail. Pathophysiologic mechanisms and concepts are included, especially for most commonly encountered disease states. Topics such as genetics/heredity, immune system disease, and malignant processes are presented as well.

GERONTOLOGY/AGING
Courses acceptable for this selected elective option must focus on the biological, psychological, and/or social aspects of the adult or older adult populations, including research and theory related to issues, needs, and realities of the aging process in these developmental stages of life.

BIOSTATISTICS
This is a basic course in statistical concepts designed to enable health science professionals to apply basic descriptive and interfential statistical techniques to problems in their field. The topics discussed include descriptive statistics, elementary probability, normal distribution, hypotheses testing, regression and correlation theories, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and chi square, t-curve and F- distribution.

HEALTH CARE POLICY AND POLITICS
The focus of this course is on the role of the professional nurse as a participant in the political process in the practice setting and in the broader public sector. Particular attention is given to the development of public policy related to health care. Consideration is given to historic, sociologic, technologic, economic, legal, and political factors which influence health care delivery. Attention also is given to the local, state, and federal systems for financing and delivering health care with consideration of the issues of access and distribution of services. Analysis of the political action process is used to operationalize the concept of the nurse as an agent of change, client advocate, and participant in decision-making related to health policy. Opportunity is provided for the student to study a political issue and to meet with appropriate legislative representatives to discuss his/her position on current legislation related to the issue.

HEALTHY AGING
This course focuses on holistic nursing care for the aging population. Theories and myths about aging are examined. The changes of normal aging and common health problems of older adults are included. Nursing strategies to assist older adults in achieving and maintaining productive and functional lifestyles are emphasized. In addition, concepts related to the care of patients and their families at the end of life are explored.

MANAGEMENT IN NURSING
This course introduces the student to the symbiotic components of nursing management and leadership. Management and leadership theories are examined to reflect the interdependent relationship between the two. Emphasis is placed on the functions of the management process, planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, as they relate to the role of a nurse manager. Effective communication skills are discussed to facilitate group cohesion and team building.

COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING
Using an open systems framework, this course focuses on the theory and practice of community health nursing. Community health nursing is a blend of two components: public health science with its roots in epidemiology and the art and science of nursing. While students work with individuals as well as families and groups, emphasis is on community-as-client to critically examine a population-focused practice of nursing. Students assess families and communities to identify health needs and to apply research-based nursing interventions at all levels of prevention to meet the specific needs of identified population groups. Using available community resources, students develop advanced communication skills in collaborating with clients and health team members to plan, implement, and evaluate interventions to improve the overall health of the community.

EPIDEMIOLOGY
This course presents epidemiological principle and methods with emphasis on the health status and health needs of a population, on levels of prevention, and on promotion of health strategies.

MULTICULTRALISM/DIVERSITY
Courses acceptable for this selected elective option must promote perspectives on issues of age, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, religion or lifestyle choices that help the learner to question assumptions and move beyond stereotypes for a better understanding of self and others in our increasingly interconnected global environment.

RESEARCH IN NURSING
Research in Nursing addresses critical inquiry in the development of nursing science. This course is an introduction to the principles of scientific inquiry, including identification of forms of analytical thinking common to problem solving in nursing. Students are guided in the development of critical appraisal skills in the evaluation of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and in examining the role of the professional nurse as data collector, designer, producer, replicator, and consumer of research. Information will be provided to assist the student to critique selected nursing research studies, with the opportunity for evaluating and using research findings in relation to nursing practice.

FAMILY NURSING THEORY
This course examines the contemporary family’s structure, function and process. Various theoretical frameworks and models are explored and applied to nursing assessment of and intervention with the healthy and high-risk family system in a variety of clinical settings. Students utilize a wellness approach to optimize health within a developmental framework and promote family resilience and adaptation throughout the life span. Psychosocial, cultural, economic, gender, and spiritual variables and their impact on family life are analyzed.

NURSE AS EDUCATOR
The focus of this course is on role development of the nurse as an educator. Emphasis is placed on preparing the student to perform effectively as a communicator of information which will enable the client to act as a responsible partner in his/her own health care. Recognizing teaching as an important clinical skill, this course engages students in formal inquiry into key components of patient education. Students have the opportunity to participate in the processes of needs assessment, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of education programs. Students conduct critical analysis of educational materials, apply research findings to patient education, and conduct a cost analysis of educational programs. The impact of legal issues, ethical dilemmas, and changes in the health care delivery system on patient education is discussed.

TRENDS IN PRACTICE AND HEALTH CARE
This capstone course focuses on the role of the professional nurse in the changing healthcare delivery system. It provides an opportunity for students to apply and synthesize learning gained in previous course work and experience to the care of clients in a variety of settings. The students will choose a clinical experience for the semester in which to apply a selected concept to the nursing management of clients and to observe nurses in expanded roles in today's health care practice. Student led seminars on these concepts will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and clinical experiences to demonstrate nursing interventions within a new or expanded role and to enhance critical thinking and communication. The students will work with individuals, families, or groups in the community taking into account the cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of the client population. During this clinical experience, the students will also refine their personal philosophy of nursing, be able to articulate it in writing, and compare it to their philosophy of nursing first developed in NURS 326. Pre/corequisite: First 3 semesters of BS program or equivalent of 75% of BS course work completed.

HEALTH CARE ETHICS ELECTIVE
This course covers examination of ethical theories and principles as they inform contemporary health care dilemmas. Students learn how philosophical principles such as autonomy, confidentiality, veracity, justice, beneficence, nonmalfeasance, and informed consent create a context for exploring particular ethical topics, i.e., suicide, reproductive rights, death and dying, abortion, testing and screening, biomedical research, and professional conduct. Though dealing with practical situations, this course emphasizes critical and theoretical thinking.

Other nursing schools in New York

D’Youville College (Nursing Department ) The four-year bachelor of science degree (BSN) prepares graduates for the state board examination and entry-level practice. This program has a strong ... Address: 320 Porter Ave.

Sage Graduate School (Department of Nursing) The Department of Nursing strives to prepare nurses to practice in a variety of innovative health care settings within a context of rapid global and t... Address: 45 Ferry Street

Columbia University (School of Nursing) Columbia University School of Nursing is part of one of the world’s most renowned academic health centers. One of only 18 other such centers in the US... Address: 630 West 168th Street

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