2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

NRSG 501 Introduction to Professional Nursing

This course provides the direct-entry MSN student with an introduction to the healthcare system and the nursing profession. Concepts of person, health, nursing, and environment are introduced and provide a foundation for the role of the nurse and other health professionals within systems of care. The course focuses on patient-centered care, interprofessional communication, health promotion, and individuals as bio-psychosocial-spiritual beings along the health and wellness spectrum. A clinical decision-making process is also introduced as a foundation for nursing clinical judgment and scholarship.

Credits

4

Prerequisite

Must be admitted to the DEMSN program.

Corequisite

NRSG 502, NRSG 506, NRSG 510

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Evaluate the role and responsibilities of the nurse as a member of the interprofessional healthcare team. SLO#3 Collaborate with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members to promote optimum states of health and wellness. SLO#4 Synthesize concepts from nursing practice and other disciplines to form the foundation of professional nursing practice.
  2. Discuss clinical decision-making processes and their systematic approaches to clinical reasoning and judgement. SLO#1 Apply current evidence and sound clinical judgement in the provision of compassionate, patient-centered care in all healthcare settings. SLO#4 Synthesize concepts from nursing practice and other disciplines to form the foundation of professional nursing practice.
  3. Recognize clinical judgment as an integral part of the nurse's scope of practice. SLO#1 Apply current evidence and sound clinical judgement in the provision of compassionate, patient-centered care in all healthcare settings. SLO#5 Demonstrate leadership, accountability, and cultural humility when managing care for diverse patients across the lifespan and continuum of care.
  4. Describe the effect of environment, culture, and lifestyle of the health status of individual, bio-psychosocial-spiritual beings throughout the life cycle. SLO#2 Analyze the impact of social, political, economic, and technological trends on patient health behaviors, nursing practices, and the healthcare delivery system. SLO#3 Collaborate with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members to promote optimum states of health and wellness.
  5. Evaluate the impact of evidence-based practice guidelines, regulatory standards, and ethical principles on patient care and current healthcare systems. SLO#1 Apply current evidence and sound clinical judgement in the provision of compassionate, patient-centered care in all healthcare settings. SLO#4 Synthesize concepts from nursing practice and other disciplines to form the foundation of professional nursing practice. SLO#6 Promote patient and staff safety by utilizing quality improvement processes within complex systems of health care.
  6. Analyze communication tools and strategies to effectively collaborate with interprofessional healthcare team members. SLO#3 Collaborate with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members to promote optimum states of health and wellness. SLO#6 Promote patient and staff safety by utilizing quality improvement. processes within complex systems of health care. SLO#7 Utilize innovative technologies to enhance communication and access to equitable, holistic health services for individuals, families, and populations.
  7. Examine the impact of health promotion, cultural competence, and therapeutic communication on quality patient-centered care. SLO#1 Apply current evidence and sound clinical judgement in the provision of compassionate, patient-centered care in all healthcare settings. SLO#5 Demonstrate leadership, accountability, and cultural humility when managing care for diverse patients across the lifespan and continuum of care.