Faculty
Jack E. Rydell, chair
Joylyn Anderson
Jean C. Bokinskie, emerita in residence
Jennifer L. DeJong
Jane E. Indergaard
Virginia E. Liffrig
Kari L. Novak
Jack E. Rydell
Tally R. Tinjum
Amanda L. Tracy
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing at Concordia College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org), and maintains approval through the Minnesota Board of Nursing.
Upon successful completion of the program and graduation from Concordia College, the student will be granted a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, meet the qualifications for Public Health Nurse registration in Minnesota, and be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam for the registered nurse (RN).
NCLEX-RN pass rates of Concordia College graduates rank consistently well above the national average and among the top pass rates in Minnesota and North Dakota. Board examination pass rates are available on the Minnesota and North Dakota Boards of Nursing websites.
The purpose of the nursing program is to influence the health of the world by sending into society compassionate, thoughtful, and informed baccalaureate-prepared professionals dedicated to the vocation of nursing. The nursing curriculum prepares professional practitioners by providing a sound educational basis for continuing development, for graduate study in nursing, and for accepting professional and community responsibility. The nursing program serves as a resource for society through consultation, collaboration, political involvement, scholarship and clinical practice.
The nursing program provides learning experiences that prepare students to achieve the following outcomes:
- apply concepts from the arts, humanities and sciences to professional nursing practice1
- communicate clearly and effectively1
- apply critical-thinking skills in deliberative decision-making1
- provide nursing care in accordance with the Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA, 2015) and Nursing’s Social Policy Statement: The Essence of the Profession (ANA, 2010)
- provide nursing care in accordance with the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (ANA, 2015)
- 1
Adapted from Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 2008. AACN. Washington, D.C.
The curriculum is sequentially organized to facilitate student learning. The beginning courses provide a theoretical foundation for the major. Course content and learning experiences progress from simple to complex, from individual to family and community-client, from faculty-directed to student-directed learning, and from theory to application. Faculty members design experiences to provide opportunities for students to integrate theory with practice, engender a spirit of inquiry, and develop critical-thinking abilities. This design enables students to acquire cognition, attitudes, and skills needed to develop the variety of behaviors that constitute the professional nursing role.
Courses
Introduction to evidence-based approaches as the basis of safe, patient-centered nursing practice. Focuses on information literacy, scholarship in the discipline of nursing, problem-solving approaches to clinical practice, application of research evidence, and integration of patient values and preferences in decision-making about patient care. Prerequisite: formal acceptance to the nursing major.
Introduction to the preparation of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse as a generalist. Includes foundational concepts, theories and skills in professional nursing. Introduces the student to simulation-based learning to demonstrate competency in introductory clinical skills. Prerequsite: Formal acceptance to the nursing major.
Introduction to the major, encompassing concepts integral to the nursing process such as communication, legal issues, values and ethics, spirituality, pain management and immobility issues. Prerequisite: formal acceptance to the nursing major.
Focuses on health assessment and health promotion of individual clients across the lifespan through utilization of the nursing process and basic nursing concepts.
Synthesis and application of nursing and psychiatric-mental health concepts to promote the wellness of individuals and groups. Prerequisite: NURS 251 - Nursing Concepts.
Emphasizes the physiologic, psychologic and pathophysiologic concepts that provide the foundation for professional nursing care.
Focuses on the etiology, pathophysiologic mechanisms and nursing care of adult clients experiencing common disorders of body system function.
Focuses on nursing care and health promotion for the childbearing family and includes identification and care of high-risk clients.
Focuses on health assessment and health promotion of individual clients through utilization of the nursing process and basic nursing concepts. Prerequisite: NURS 251 - Nursing Concepts.
Focuses on nursing care of the child-rearing family with the child and family as client. Course content includes care of the child from infancy through adolescence within hospital and community settings; acute and chronic illnesses; common stressors throughout the growing years; and strategies for health promotion.
Focuses on the etiology, pathophysiologic mechanisms and organizations of nursing care of adult clients experiencing selected complex stressors.
This course focuses on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic properties, therapeutic uses, adverse effects, contraindications, and basic nursing considerations of selected drug classifications. An emphasis will be placed on the basic science of drugs and their application in real-life clinical practice. Regular practice sessions will be integrated within the course, where nursing students will role-play as nurse educator to assist students in applying theory to practice.
Courses covering various topics of interest in this particular discipline are offered regularly. Contact department or program chair for more information.
Paired with a mentor, the nursing student will participate an internship/co-op experience within a North Dakota health care facility. The practice area will vary by student interest and availability of clinical placement by the hiring agency. This course is repeatable. Open to nursing majors only
The Cooperative Education program in nursing is an experience in integrating clinical work experience and prior coursework in nursing. Qualified nursing students are employed by selected healthcare agencies on a semester/summer plan. Hours are arranged by mutual agreement among student, employer and faculty coordinator.
Population Health Nursing is the synthesis of nursing theory and public health theory applied to promoting and preserving the health of populations. The focus of community health practice is the community as a whole, with nursing care of individuals, families and groups being provided within the context of promoting and preserving the health of the community. The course examines roles of the Public Health Nurse (PHN) and the Community Health Nurse (CHN) in addressing the health of populations. Health promotion is addressed through primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of health problems. Barriers and approaches to health promotion, risk reduction, illness management and disease prevention within subpopulations across the world are compared and contrasted from international and global perspectives.
Focuses on the etiology, pathophysiologic mechanisms and nursing care of critically ill adult clients.
Focuses on the etiology, pathophysiologic mechanisms and organization of nursing care of adult clients experiencing selected complex stressors. Prerequisite: successful completion of first three semesters of nursing courses and NURS 403 - Adult Health Nursing.
Synthesis and application of nursing and psychiatric-mental health concepts to promote the wellness of individuals and groups.
This capstone course is a synthesis of nursing theory and the professional practice role. History and current trends in the discipline and the complex role of the professional nurse as an interdisciplinary team member are discussed and analyzed. PEAK required. Prerequisites: successful completion of five semesters of the nursing major. Co-requisite: NURS 424 - Synthesis of Patient Care in Nursing Practice.
This capstone clinical is a synthesis of the professional practice role. Students engage in 120-hours of preceptored-clinical to demonstrate management and delivery of patient care. Principles of delegation, critical thinking, prioritization, communication, patient/family education, nursing process, ethics, and safety are emphasized. Prerequisite: successful completion of five semesters of the nursing major. Co-Requisite: NURS 423 - Transition to Nursing Practice.
This course provides an opportunity for individual students to conduct in-depth study of a particular topic under the supervision of a faculty member. Contact the department or program chair for more information.
This course provides an opportunity for individual students to conduct research in a specific area of study, completed under the direction of a faculty mentor. Specific expectations of the research experience to be determined by the faculty. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.