This is an archived copy of the 2016-17 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://coursecatalog.tamuc.edu.

Nursing

Barbara Tucker (Head)
Location: Nursing Building, Room 100, 903.886.5315, Fax 903.886.5729
Nursing Web Site: http://www.tamuc.edu/academics/colleges/educationHumanServices/departments/nursing/default.aspx

The Nursing Department offers a generic Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, designed to prepare students for licensure and professional practice.  General education courses comprise a liberal education foundation upon which professional education builds to prepare students as broadly educated citizens capable of critical thinking.  Nursing is an integrative profession, which is built upon supporting arts and sciences and uses concepts, models, and theories from the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences as foundation for specialized nursing knowledge and the practice of nursing science.

Nursing courses provide knowledge in physical and emotional assessment, theoretical foundations of human behavior, health promotion, illness prevention, and health restoration.  Skill in utilizing this knowledge is taught through high fidelity simulation laboratory experiences as well as faculty-planned learning experiences in clinical facilities.  BSN graduates are eligible to apply to the Texas Board of Nursing to take the National Council Licensure Examination.  After successfully completing this examination, the graduate is issued a license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the state of Texas.

The Nursing Department subscribes to the mission of Texas A&M University-Commerce to "discover and disseminate knowledge for leadership and service."  The mission and philosophy for the Nursing Department serve as a foundation for the development, administration, and implementation of the nursing program, integrating the concepts of caring, critical thinking, life-long learning, and professionalism throughout the curriculum.  The Nursing Department facilitates the development of competent practitioners with critical thinking skills to meet the diverse and evolving health care needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities.  The leadership and services provided by baccalaureate-prepared Registered Nurses is an essential component of health care for vulnerable, underserved, and culturally diverse groups in rural Northeast Texas.  The BSN program provides a foundation for graduate study.

Nursing Department Vision

Texas A&M University-Commerce Nursing Department will be recognized as a center of excellence in nursing education that prepares professionals to practice in a dynamic healthcare environment and serve a diverse community.

BSN Nursing

Pre-Nursing

RN to BSN

NURS 490 - H Honors Thesis
Hours: 3
Individualized instruction/research at an advanced level in a specialized content area under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisite Consent of head. Note May be repeated when the topic varies.

NURS 491 - H Honors Reading
Hours: 3
Individualized instruction/research at an advanced level in a specialized content area under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisite Consent of head. Note May be repeated when the topic varies.

NURS 497 - Special Topic
Hours: 4
Note May be repeated when the topic varies.

NURS 3115 - Clinical Nutrition
Hours: 1
This seminar course is on the nutritional needs of individuals throughout their life span along with the factors that influence these needs. Introduction to dietary modifications used for various health conditions and in different cultures.Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

NURS 3133 - Gerontological Nursing
Hours: 1
This seminar course is on optimum health care for the aging client within the framework of the nursing process. Emphasis is on understanding the unique needs of the aging population, encouraging health promotion and self-care, identifying variable responses of elderly clients to pathological conditions, and maintaining a level of function that promotes quality of life. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

NURS 3232 - Professional Nursing Issues
Hours: 2
Concentrates on legal, ethical, economic and political issues affecting the nurse as an individual and a professional, and health care delivery to clients, groups and aggregates. Consideration is given to self-discovery, personal assertiveness, role conflict, negotiation and collective bargaining. Students are encouraged to apply critical thinking strategies during classroom discussions and presentations.

NURS 3311 - Pathophysiology
Hours: 3
This course relates manifestations of disease, risk factors for disease, and the principles of pathology underlying illness and injury to therapeutic nursing interventions and outcomes. Prerequisites: BSC2401 BSC2402.

NURS 3312 - Principles of Pharmacology
Hours: 3
This course focuses on the basic drug classification, concepts and principles of pharmacology with special consideration for the nursing role in developing a comprehensive approach to the clinical application of drug therapy through the use of the nursing process. Nursing implications relative to the utilization of drug therapy are examined. Dosage calculations are evaluated for competency. Prerequisites: BSC 2401 and 2402.

NURS 3313 - GLB/Therapeutic Communication
Hours: 3
Emphasis is on caring communication as an essential dimension of professional healthcare. Theories are presented to explain the dynamic relationship between human behavior, health, illness, and culture. The impact of interpersonal relationship skills to effect positive changes in individuals and their families is also emphasized. Communication in the role of educator will be introduced as part of the teaching/learning course content.

NURS 3414 - Health Assessment
Hours: 4
Concepts and principles underlying assessment of the health status of individuals are presented. Emphasis is placed on interviewing skills, health histories, and the physical and psychosocial findings in the well person. Development of communication and assessment skills. Students implement in the nursing process by obtaining health histories, performing physical and psychosocial assessments, establishing a database, and formulating initial nursing plans. Prerequisites: BSC 2401, BSC 2402.

NURS 3531 - Nursing Care of Parents/Newborns
Hours: 5
Focuses on nursing care of childbearing families using both nursing and developmental theories. Bio-psychosocial factors such as legal/ethical and cultural considerations related to pregnancy, birth and newborn periods are included. A historical overview of obstetrical advances and parent-child nursing are presented. Practice in providing nursing care to families during each phase of the childbearing cycle occurs in local hospitals and clinics. The nursing process is used with emphasis on the theoretical and empirical basis of practice. Experience in patient/family teaching such as childbirth classes is included. Prerequisites: NURS 3620.

NURS 3620 - Fundamentals of Nursing Care
Hours: 6
An introduction to the scope of human needs, utilization of the nursing process as a systematic approach to meeting those needs, and the role of the professional nurse in assisting individuals toward optimal health. Clinical settings are utilized in the application of fundamental concepts, principles of nursing, and communication skills that are employed in providing basic client care.

NURS 3630 - Nursing Care of Adults I
Hours: 6
Introduces the student to the use of the nursing process in the care of adults with chronic or non-complex illness. Uses a systems approach to discuss the effects of illness on individual and family, and to examine the disruption of growth and development patterns across the lifespan from young adult to senior years. The course includes clinical laboratory to allow the student the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts to clinical practice in diverse adult populations. Prerequisites:NURS 3620.

NURS 4162 - NCLEX-RN Preparatory Course
Hours: 1
This seminar course provides the student with competencies and strategies to enhance the transition from student to baccalaureate prepared nurse. Students gain an understanding of the role of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) in developing and administering the RN licensing examination.Prerequisites: NURS 4650.

NURS 4342 - Nursing Research
Hours: 3
Study of theory and research as a base for nursing practice. Critically analyzes published research studies with regard to implications for clinical practice. The course is planned for collaborative peer examination of the research process through critique of nursing studies. Prerequisites: Department approved statistics course; NURS 3630, NURS 3531, or consent of instructor.

NURS 4540 - Nursing Care of Mental Health Clients
Hours: 5
Demonstrates the relevance of psychosocial nursing concepts to all areas of professional practice. Provides a conceptual integration of the nursing process, theories, and research from psychosocial sciences and humanities as these relate to the care of persons with mental disorders. Clinical experience provides an opportunity for application of psychosocial concepts and methods in using the nursing process to promote optimal levels of wellness for individuals, families, and target groups. Prerequisite: NURS 3630.

NURS 4541 - Nursg Care of Child/Families
Hours: 5
Using a family-centered approach, this course focuses on health promotion, acute and chronic health conditions, and rehabilitative needs of children. Emphasis is placed on developmental, physiological, psycho-social, cultural, and spiritual care of the child within the family unit. Using the nursing process, strategies are formulated for promoting and maintaining optimal functioning of the child-family unit and for enhancing the strengths of the family unit. Clinical activities emphasize the application of theory to practice in a variety of acute care settings.Prerequisites: NURS 3531.

NURS 4650 - Nursing Care of Adults II
Hours: 6
Presents critical thinking and problem-solving strategies for care of adults with acute or complex illness and/or injury. The effects of acute illness are examined in relation to the individual’s developmental stage, culture, and gender. Building on Nursing Care of Adults I, a systems approach is used to analyze and intervene in alterations to the health of the individual and family. The course includes clinical laboratory to allow the student the opportunity to integrate theoretical concepts and clinical practice in diverse populations. Prerequisites: NURS 3630.

NURS 4660 - Rural and Community Health Nursing
Hours: 6
Explores rural community health nursing, focusing on historical development, philosophy, health care systems, epidemiology, and individuals, families, and specific aggregate groups. Applies theoretical and empirical knowledge in using the nursing process in rural community settings to promote, maintain, and restore health. Focuses on transcultural nursing concepts, rural, and home health care delivery. Diverse roles of the community and public health nurse are examined and a rural community assessment is completed using research and data processing skills. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

NURS 4661 - Leadership in Professional Nursing
Hours: 6
Uses a systems framework and critical thinking strategies to study the coordinating role of the professional nurse within health care delivery. Current theories of management, leadership and change are examined and related to nursing practice. Focuses on synthesis of this knowledge to develop innovative and creative approaches to nursing practice. Applies theoretical and empirical concepts of leadership through supervised experiences gained in local health care institutions.

Bonnie Smithers
Instructor
L.V.N., Del Mar College; B.S., Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; M.P.A., Troy State University; M.S.N., Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Monica Tenhunen
Assistant Professor
B.S.N., San Diego State University; MS., University of California; D.N.P., Johns Hopkins University

Barbara Tucker
Professor and Chair/Director
BS., Texas Womans University; MS., Texas Womans University; Ph.D., Texas A&M University