University of Alabama - Huntsville (College of Nursing)

The College of Nursing offers the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the Master of Science in Nursing, a Post-Master's Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate, and a Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education. The faculty of the College of Nursing believe that a baccalaureate education in nursing provides the basis for entry into professional nursing practice. The baccalaureate graduate is prepared as a generalist capable of functioning in a variety of roles and health care systems. Registered nurse students have an opportunity to synthesize prior nursing experience with new knowledge. The baccalaureate program is composed of a two-year upper division major, that builds on two years of science, liberal arts, and humanities. A broad array of knowledge and experience essential in the preparation of the professional nurse at the baccalaureate level is provided in all upper division coursework and clinical experiences. Consistent with the philosophy of progressive learning, students focus on health promotion, illness prevention, and adaptation with clients experiencing varying degrees of health. Health promotion, maintenance and restoration are emphasized throughout the program.

The faculty believe that nursing is both an art and a science focusing on health for individuals, families and communities. The baccalaureate program is designed to prepare professional nurses to use expert communication skills as they establish a relationship based on respect and the uniqueness of the individual; critical thinking skills in the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to health and illness, and therapeutic interventions designed to assist in achievement of optimal health.

Throughout the curriculum, students are guided to utilize and build upon the theory base for nursing practice. The undergraduate program is designed to contribute to the personal and intellectual development of students and to assist them in preparing for continued education and successful professional careers. Students engage in classroom learning and clinical experiences that focus on the current health needs of diverse populations.

The College of Nursing is dedicated to excellence in teaching, practice, scholarship, and service. Faculty have the responsibility to educate students of nursing as well as to provide continuing education, to engage in scholarly activities that will develop and extend the discipline of nursing, and to provide service to the nursing profession, the community, and the academic environment in which nursing study resides.

MISSION

The fundamental purpose of the College of Nursing is to prepare clinically excellent baccalaureate and master’s level nurses to deliver health care services to a culturally diverse population within a variety of health care settings. Our graduates practice as professionals, able to utilize critical thinking skills for therapeutic interventions, disease prevention and health promotion. The graduate, undergraduate and continuing education programs provide opportunities for participation in collegial, interdisciplinary learning activities that promote intellectual development and life-long learning. In support of the mission of the university, the College of Nursing, through its graduates, faculty activities, and programs, contributes to the health and well-being of the community.

PHILOSOPHY

The College of Nursing Faculty believes that nursing is both an art and a science. We believe nursing focuses on holistic health and wellness among individuals, families, and communities in the context of cultural, environmental, and spiritual diversity. The College promotes nursing knowledge through teaching, research, and service. The diversity and complexity of changing health care systems requires critical thinking and life-long learning. Nursing Education is within a broad theoretical and research based curriculum to address health care issues for individuals or groups with emphasis on delivery systems or health promotion and disease prevention. Implicit in this is an understanding and appreciation of human diversity in health and wellness. The faculty serve as facilitators and models of competence in nursing practice. We are dedicated to advancing the art and science of nursing. We participate in teaching, research, and service to our students and community. We maintain the advancement of new knowledge through research.

HISTORY

UAH is the only institution offering both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in north Alabama and is committed to becoming the regional center for research activities in nursing. The School of Nursing was established by act of the Alabama Legislature in 1971. The School was designated a College of Nursing in 1987.

Dr. Kathryn Crossland, the first Dean, was appointed in September, 1971, and the first students were admitted to the professional nursing curriculum for the fall of 1972. Thirty-six students were graduated in 1974. That same year the School of Nursing baccalaureate program was granted initial accreditation by the National League for Nursing. The Master of Science in Nursing degree was approved by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System in 1978. The first students were graduated in 1980 and the program received initial accreditation from the National League for Nursing in 1982. The program initially prepared graduates as specialists in family nursing. A major curriculum revision, begun in 1980, resulted in the development of a two track option: Adult Acute Care and Family Nurse Practitioner. A third track in Home Health Care Administration was added in 1988. In the fall of 1995, that track was modified to become a broader Nursing Administration track. The track was revised again in 2005 and is now the Leadership in Health Care System. This track is offered online with two, three-day residencies scheduled at the beginning of each fall semester. An Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track was added in 1994 and the Adult Acute Care track was modified and updated in 1998 resulting in an Adult Health Clinical Specialist track. A Post-Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program was initiated in 1994. A certificate program in Nursing Education was begun in 2003. Through May, 2005, the College has awarded 2720 bachelor’s degrees and 452 master’s degrees.

The College is housed in a centrally located building that was first occupied in 1976. The four-story structure houses state-of-the-art equipment, lecture rooms, distance learning classrooms and laboratories for teaching nursing. The building also contains faculty and administrative offices as well as offices, lounges, and study areas for student support. The unique design of the College of Nursing building promotes interaction among faculty and students and it supports the concept of a dynamic open system that is reflected in the philosophy of the programs of the College. The building is in close proximity to the Library, the University Center and other academic buildings, providing opportunities for faculty, staff and students to be an integral part of the University community.

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College of Nursing Location

College of Nursing Courses

NURSING AND HEALTH PROMOTION
Focus on nursing, health, and wellness across the life span. Emphasis on health promotion and prevention of illness. Strategies to optimize health are presented. Perceptions and beliefs related to health, illness, disease, and cultural diversity are explored as are mechanisms for promoting health through politics and the health care delivery system.

HEALTH ASSESSMENT
Focus on holistic health assessment of culturally diverse clients across the lifespan. Communication and psychomotor skills are developed in clinical laboratory settings. A separate section of this course is offered in the fall for those students majoring in exercise physiology.

APPLIED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
Application of anatomy and physiology to specific pathophysiological processes within a nursing framework.

NURSING PROCESS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND ILLNESS
Nursing process and promotion of mental health across the lifespan including restoration of mental health. Clinical laboratory experiences provide opportunities for application of individual and group interventions in a variety of settings.

ETHICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH CARE
Ethical and legal dilemmas related to health care are explored, focusing on issues impacting individuals, families, and society. Traditional and contemporary ethical philosophies are discussed in terms of society’s values. Concepts of autonomy, veracity, fidelity, beneficence, justice, and advocacy are explored in relation to ethical decision making. Models for ethical decision-making will be used to analyze ethical and legal dilemmas. Basic legal concepts related to contemporary health care are presented.

SCHOLARLY INQUIRY IN NURSING
Focuses on the various modes of inquiry used in the development of nursing science. Emphasis on the critical examination of nursing research including methodologies, utilization, and theoretical bases.

NURSING CARE OF ADULTS WITH ALTERATIONS IN HEALTH I
Nursing process applied to adult clients and families experiencing health problems requiring simple to complex nursing intervention. Clinical experiences in selected health care settings.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN NURSING I
Provides a foundation for professional nursing practice. Professional nursing practice, professional accountability, and clinical skills of nursing practice are addressed, with special emphasis on the development of interpersonal and psychomotor skills basic to professional nursing. College laboratory and clinical experiences are included. Open to admitted upper division students only.

PHARMACOLOGY IN NURSING
This course is designed to introduce essential pharmacologic concepts, critical thinking, and judgment skills so that the student is prepared to provide drug therapy that is safe and appropriate to patients from all populations.

NURSING CARE OF ADULTS WITH ALTERATIONS IN HEALTH II
Nursing process applied to clients experiencing alterations in health requiring complex and collaborative nursing management. Clinical experiences in the acute care environment.

POPULATION BASED HEALTH CARE
Promotion of health, prevention of disease in at-risk aggregate populations. Examines complex problems and health care policy.

FAMILY-CENTERED PARENT-INFANT NURSING
Nursing process used to promote health and facilitate adaptation for childbearing families. Clinical experiences in hospital and community settings.

FAMILY-CENTERED NURSING CARE OF CHILDREN
Nursing process for promoting health and facilitating adaptation in childbearing families and care of children. Clinical experiences in selected agencies.

COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING
Nursing process for client and community to promote community health. Clinical experiences in selected community settings.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT IN NURSING
Describes and analyzes selected theories of management and leadership in health care systems with focus on broadening students’ knowledge base and skills as they relate to entry-level nursing management. Organization structures and dynamics as well as pertinent issues and trends are addressed.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN NURSING II
Provides opportunities for professional nursing practice. Area of practice is determined jointly by student and faculty, guided by preceptor, and evaluated collaboratively by faculty and student. Seminars involve analyzing clinical experience utilizing the nursing process.

TRANSITION INTO PROFESSIONAL ROLES
For the registered nurse student, designed to synthesize previous experiences in nursing with selected theoretical knowledge. Examines the multi-dimensional role of the professional nurse in health systems. Through analysis of paradigm case(s) and development of a professional portfolio, the student evaluates his/her professional practice and develops goals designed to guide learning and professional development. Philosophical, social, political, legal, and ethical issues inherent in the practice of professional nursing in health systems. Thirty-two hours of nursing credit for prior learning will be conferred upon successful completion of this transition course.

THEORETICAL APPLICATIONS IN NURSING PRACTICE
Designed for registered nurse students to synthesize knowledge gained from previous nursing experience when analyzing theories, issues and concepts that influence professional nursing practice. Theoretical concepts, which influence critical thinking are applied to the nursing process. Analysis of normal processes and professional nursing responses to alterations in life processes across the lifespan are examined. Caring for diverse clients is emphasized. Ethical and legal issues which impact the care for client systems are examined when synthesizing theoretical and nursing practice issues. Open to students admitted to the upper division only.

CARING FOR FAMILIES, AGGREGATES AND POPULATIONS: THEORETICAL APPLICATIONS
Designed for registered nurse students to apply theoretical concepts related to primary, secondary, and tertiary care of aggregates. Emphasis is on application of the nursing process in promoting community health for at-risk aggregate populations. Clinical experiences are designed to meet the individual learning needs of the student in delivering and managing care of selected families with emphasis on the aggregate. Open to students admitted to the upper division only.

NURSING LEADERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Course focuses on the development and enhancement of leadership skills for the professional nurse in a variety of culturally diverse health care systems. Exploration of theories related to organizational models, change, and critical thinking; leadership in directing and controlling care; ethical, legal, and political influences on leadership; and enhancing self-awareness of leadership styles. Students are provided opportunities to apply nursing leadership concepts through a case study experience and in a clinical practice setting by conducting a clinical project.

HEALTH ASSESSMENT FOR THE PRACTICING PROFESSIONAL NURSE
Focus on holistic health assessment of culturally diverse clients across the lifespan. Communication and psychomotor skills are developed in clinical laboratory settings.

HONORS DIRECTED RESEARCH
This course allows for implementation of the student’s research proposal as developed in the honors section of Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing. The focus is on data collection and preliminary data analysis. The seminar format will provide students access to expert researchers.

HONORS RESEARCH SEMINAR
The focus of this seminar is completion of final research report as begun in Scholarly Inquiry in Nursing and Honors Directed Research.

Other nursing schools in Huntsville

Oakwood College (Department of Nursing) The Oakwood College Department of Nursing offers a program leading to the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree with a major in nursing with two professiona... Address: 7000 Adventist Blvd.

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