The RN to BSN Degree Completion Option's contemporary curriculum reflects the competencies that nurses need to practice in today's healthcare system. All courses are taught by the expert faculty who teach on IU's campuses, so you can be assured that you're learning from the best.
Required nursing coursework consists of nine core courses and two electives. Please note the following:
You may take up to nine credit hours of non nursing courses (e.g., general education courses) while you complete your nursing coursework.
General education requirements must be completed prior to graduation.
You must take NURS-B 331 first and NURS-R 470 last. All other nursing courses may be taken in any order you desire.
Core Courses
(RN-BSN) Social, ethical, cultural, economic, and political issues that affect the delivery of health and nursing services globally are critically analyzed. Government and entrepreneurial interests are examined. Emphasis is placed on the impact of policy decisions on professional nursing practice and health services.
This course bridges the nurse to the essential elements of baccalaureate professional practice. Students examine intra and inter professional communication, collaboration, and teamwork to enhance quality patient care. Students explore nursing professional organizations, issues in professional practice, and the impact of lifelong learning on career development.
(RN-BSN) This course addresses nursing informatics: state of the science and issues for research, development, and practice. It clarifies concepts of nursing, technology, and information management; and comprises theory, practice, and the social and ethical issues in nursing and health care informatics.
P: All fourth-semester nursing courses. (RN-BSN) This course introduces nursing and other health sciences students to the basic concepts and techniques of data analysis needed in professional health-care practice. Principles of measurement, data summarization, and univariate and bivariate statistics are examined. Differences in types of qualitative data and methods by which these types of data can be interpreted are also explored. Emphasis is placed on the application of fundamental concepts to real-world situations in client care.
(RN-BSN). This course focuses on nursing research and evidence-based practice. Students develop skills in retrieving and appraising literature relevant to clinical problems, understanding the research process, and critiquing evidence from research publications and other sources to inform evidence-based nursing practice.
(RN-BSN) This course allows students to synthesize knowledge and skills learned in the baccalaureate program and to demonstrate competencies consistent with program outcomes and to refine their nursing practice skills. Students will plan and organize learning experiences, design a project, and practice professional nursing in a safe and effective manner.
P: All sixth-semester nursing courses. (RN-BSN) Building on the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, this course explores the nurse's role in ethical clinical practice, academic work, health policy, and research conduct, focusing particularly on the advocacy role of the nurse. Common ethical problems are discussed and strategies for resolution of ethical dilemmas are applied.
(RN-BSN) Basic epidemiological principles and community health nursing models are applied in collaboration with diverse groups. Disease prevention strategies are applied to individuals and populations to promote health. Students apply the concepts of community assessment, disease prevention, and health promotion to plan, implement, and evaluate interventions for populations in the community.
(RN-BSN) This course focuses on development of management skills assumed by professional nurses, including delegation of responsibilities, networking, and facilitation of groups, conflict resolution, leadership, case management, and collaboration. Concepts addressed include organizational structure, delivery systems, change, managing quality and performance, budgeting and resource allocation, staffing, scheduling, evaluation and career development.
Elective Courses
(RN to BSN) This course focuses on the complete health assessment, the nursing process, and its relationship to the prevention and early detection of disease across the life span. Students learn the skills of interview, inspection/observation, palpation, percussion, and auscultation in assessing clients across the life span and comparing normal from abnormal findings.
(RN-BSN) This course promotes a holistic approach to persons in the later years of life. Death and dying, legal and ethical issues, family care giving, and future challenges will be discussed in the context of best practices as outlined by the John A Hartford Foundation: Institute for Geriatric Nursing.
(RN-BSN) This course will serve as an introduction to a variety of complementary therapies, including healing touch, guided imagery, hypnosis, acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology, and massage. The class will critically examine each therapy through assigned readings, literature reviews, presentations, guest lecturers, and optional experiential activities.
(RN-BSN) This course explores emergent trends in health and health care, including technological advances in health care, developing approaches to care based on new knowledge and/ or research findings, and trends in health care delivery in a themed, survey or independent study format.
(RN-BSN) This course explores focuses self-management and health promotion based on the Eight Dimensions of Wellness (source). This course will unfold as modules, each focusing on a dimension of wellness. Students will examine occupational wellness, social wellness, financial wellness, physical wellness, emotional wellness, environmental wellness, spiritual wellness, and intellectual wellness.
(RN-BSN) This dynamic course provides learning opportunities for global health issues that contribute to health disparities and ways in which healthcare workers are striving to address them. Priority is given to healthcare issues highlighted by the World Health Organization including infectious and chronic illness, women's health, environmental impacts and disaster response.
(RN-BSN) This course focuses on basic principles of pharmacology. It includes the pharmacologic properties of major drug classes and individual drugs, with an emphasis on the clinical application of drug therapy through the nursing process.
(RN to BSN) This course focuses on the theoretical and practical perspectives of disaster response and emergency management for nursing professionals. Students will explore disaster/ emergency response preparedness, leadership principles, decision-making, and recovery training measures for health care providers devoted to supporting community disaster resilience.
(RN to BSN) Students will synthesize knowledge and skills relevant to care coordination to ensure smooth care transition. Students will develop an understanding of the role of the RN as a member of a interprofessional team, as well as options for the most appropriate care setting for an individual patient.
