University of Tennessee Health Science Center, The (College of Nursing)

The College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is dedicated to the preparation of nurse leaders for excellence today and tomorrow. This mission is accomplished through the education of individuals for the delivery of patient care and the generation of knowledge essential for practice through research and clinical inquiry.

The college cultivates nurse leaders though a BSN program which prepares individuals for entry into a nursing career, MSN program which prepares beginning advanced practice nurses, DNP program which prepares expert clinicians for practice, and PhD program which prepares research scientists. Our programs use emerging technology to enhance access to our programs by providing course work that is convenient and timely for clinicians and students.

Our faculty are actively engaged in practice to improve the health of citizens in our community and research designed to enhance the delivery of patient care. These programs of research and practice involve the spectrum of nursing from acute to primary care and from neonatal to gerontology. DNP and PhD students are matched with faculty employing a mentor-mentee model that provides students with exemplary role models who are actively engaged in the activities they teach.

MISSION STATEMENT

Preparing nurse leaders for excellence today and tomorrow

STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy of the College of Nursing is consistent with the goals and mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The College philosophy focuses upon the nature of the PERSON, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, and NURSING.

The faculty believes that the PERSON is a unique integrated being that is continuously evolving. Each person has the right to participate in making decisions that affect his/her health and to accept or refuse health care within the context of safety to society.

The faculty views ENVIRONMENT as all conditions influencing the life and development of the person. The health of individuals, families, communities, and populations is affected by these conditions.

HEALTH is viewed as a dynamic state arising from a process of continuous change in the person and environment. The faculty views the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health as a complex phenomenon involving the shared responsibility of the person, health care providers, and society. Faculty view nursing as stated in the second edition of Nursing’s Social Policy Statement (ANA, 2003), “NURSING is the protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations”. Nursing must provide leadership in influencing the organizational, social, economic, legal, and political factors within the healthcare system and society. “These and other factors affect the cost, access to, and quality of health care and the vitality of the nursing profession”.

Professional nursing is a science and an art. The science of nursing requires that nurses study, explore, and research nursing and related knowledge areas. From these areas nurses develop and test nursing theories for the improvement of nursing practice and health care. The art of nursing requires that nurses use knowledge gained from the humanities, arts, and sciences as the foundation for acceptance and appreciation of clients’ values. Nursing care requires sensitivity as well as critical, logical, and analytical thinking to effect changes in clients and the health care system.

EDUCATION for professional nursing practice includes a sound theoretical knowledge base to support experiential learning. The faculty believes that the educational process facilitates continuing personal and professional growth. The intent of the educational programs is to focus on the learner with active participation of the student in the learning process. Education is a life-long process with the commitment of the learner to establish patterns of continued inquiry.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

The Academic Calendar of the College of Nursing is based on a term system, where each term is 20 weeks in length. Summer/Fall term is July through December; Winter/Spring term runs January through May. Students in all the programs (BSN, MSN, DNP, PhD) are expected to come to the UT Health Science Center campus in Memphis for three to five days at the beginning and end of each term (so, 4 times per academic year).

All courses in the MSN and DNP programs are offered using innovative distributive programming methods -- including the Internet, CD-ROM, and audio/video conferencing. The MSN and DNP programs have several required clinical courses. Faculty work closely with students to identify appropriate preceptors and clinical facilities in students' home communities so that these required clinical courses can be completed, even at a distance from the Memphis campus.

Most courses in the BSN (Traditional, Second Degree, & RN-BSN) and PhD program are web-enhanced, but continue to meet regularly during the term. Regular face-to-face on-campus meetings of students and faculty are expected in the PhD program, given the program's emphasis on the research mentoring relationship between faculty and student.

Clinical options in the MSN program prepare graduates for National Board Certification in a master's specialty. The number of credit hours required for each master's clinical option provides for graduates to meet requirements set by national specialty credentialing agencies. However, a minimum of 33 semester hours are required for the master's degree regardless of advanced practice specialty. The bachelor's and master's degrees are foundational to the DNP program with a minimum of 99 hours beyond the bachelor's required for the doctoral degree.

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College of Nursing Nursing School Location

College of Nursing Courses

INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH PRACTICE
Interprofessional Health Practice provides a framework for all health professional students to discover the benefits of a practice that actively engages all health professions. The course will focus on the role and scope of practice of various health professions, how teams function and the benefits of teamwork, and effective patterns of communication and collaboration among health care team members.

CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
This course focuses on biochemical principles as they relate to the practice of nursing. Biochemistry of acid-base balance, fluid and electrolytes, metabolism, hormones, and membrane transport systems will be examined. Biochemical laboratory analysis is described for specimens commonly tested in managing patient care.

PHARMACOLOGY
This course builds a basic foundation of pharmacology, focusing on major drug classifications, their actions and side effects. Emphasis is on basic pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics.

ADVANCED PATHOLOGY
Study of the etiologies and processes of human biological responses to actual and potential injury in contrast to normal. The focus is on the underlying physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of disease states, and the scientific rationale for seeking, selecting, and interpreting physiological data. Age specific considerations are presented.

HEALTH ASSESSMENT
This course prepares the student to perform a holistic assessment of diverse clients across the lifespan. Skills addressed that are needed for the systematic assessment of health status include critical thinking, interviewing, obtaining a health history, performance of a physical examination, and documentation.

INTRODUCTION TO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
This course focuses on concepts, skills and techniques foundational for professional nursing practice. Students are provided opportunities to apply critical thinking skills to explore professional values, nursing process and the professional nursing role.

INFORMATICS FOR HEALTH CARE
This course provides an overview of healthcare information technology and computer science systems to prepare students to effectively and efficiently use technology for the identification, collection, processing, and management of data/information. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect healthcare information technology are explored.

MENTAL HEALTH
This course provides the theoretical and clinical foundation for providing safe, effective, patient-centered, evidence-based, culturally competent nursing care to individuals, groups and families experiencing mental health challenges. The course focuses on therapeutic communication as an integral component of the nursing process. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect the mental health of individuals, families, groups, and populations are explored. Credit: 5 (3-2).

GENETICS
This course provides a foundation for understanding and applying genetic knowledge within the clinical setting. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect the field of human genetics are explored.

PEDIATRIC AND ADOLESCENT HEALTH
This course provides the theoretical and clinical foundation for providing safe, effective, patient- centered, evidence- based, and culturally competent nursing care to children and adolescents. Developmental aspects associated with preventive care and health promotion of children and adolescents along the wellness-illness continuum are examined. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect child and adolescent health are explored.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
This course provides the theoretical and clinical foundation for providing safe, effective, patient-centered, evidence-based, and culturally competent reproductive health care to women and their families. Nursing care of pregnant women, infants, and their families during a normal pregnancy will be the primary focus of the course. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect reproductive health are examined.

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
This course examines historical and current issues that affect the profession. Students also explore the role of nursing theory in the continued development of professional nursing.

ADULT HEALTH AND GERONTOLOGICAL NURSING
This course provides the theoretical and clinical foundation for providing safe, effective patient- centered, evidence-based, and culturally competent nursing care to patients throughout the adult years. This course focuses on promotion of health and function, management of illness, and advocating for health care goals. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect the health of adults across the lifespan are examined.

ADULT HEALTH SKILLS
This course focuses on the development of essential technical skills used to provide adult health nursing care.

CLINICAL ANATOMY
This course provides knowledge of gross anatomical structures and the related general function of major organ systems and selected microscopic tissues.

INTRODUCTION TO EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE
This course focuses on the research method and the role of the professional nurse in critiquing and utilizing nursing research literature. Research as it relates to health care and clinical nursing practice is examined.

HEALTH OF POPULATIONS
This course provides the theoretical and clinical foundation for providing safe, effective, community-focused, evidence-based, and culturally competent nursing care to populations. The course focuses on community health assessment, community health planning, and community health education. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect the process of health promotion and disease prevention are examined.

ACUTE CARE
This course provides the theoretical and clinical foundation for providing safe, effective patient- centered, evidence-based, and culturally competent nursing care to patients in the acute care setting. This course focuses on medical and surgical management of illness and injury, and advocating for health care goals. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect the health of adults across the lifespan are examined.

ACUTE CARE SKILLS
This course focuses on the development of essential technical skills used to provide nursing care in the acute care setting.

LEADERSHIP
This course focuses on the basic concepts and theories of open systems and outcomes at the patient, organization, and health care levels, as they apply to nursing leadership and beginning management roles. Leadership, organization and management practices, and their impact on nurses, healthcare delivery systems, and patient outcomes are emphasized. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors that affect and are affected by the quality of leadership are examined.

INTERNSHIP
The clinical internship provides the opportunity, within a select area of interest, to facilitate role transition and lifelong learning. Emphasis will be on integration and application of knowledge and skills from previous course work in order to demonstrate the ability to design, provide, coordinate, and manage safe, effective, patient-centered, evidence-based, and culturally competent nursing care.

ROLE TRANSITION
This course focuses on the role development of the professional nurse. Professional nursing roles and interdisciplinary team collaboration will be addressed. Legal, ethical, cultural, economic, and social factors affecting professional nursing roles are examined.

Other nursing schools in Memphis

University of Memphis (Loewenberg School of Nursing) The Loewenberg School of Nursing offers an undergraduate and graduate curriculum with a strong liberal arts component. The school is committed to supp... Address: 610 Goodman

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