The Whitworth University Nursing Program prepares students to become caring, competent and ethical professional nurses. Grounded in a Christian liberal arts education, the program combines nursing science, hands-on clinical experiences and whole-person care to prepare graduates for practice in a complex healthcare environment.
Students develop the knowledge, skills and clinical judgment needed to provide safe, evidence-based care to individuals, families and communities across the lifespan. Through coursework, simulation and clinical learning experiences, students will learn to assess health needs, promote wellness, prevent illness, and support healing in diverse healthcare settings.
The program emphasizes critical thinking, compassionate care, effective communication, leadership, and collaboration with other healthcare professionals. Students are challenged to address health disparities, advocate for patients, and contribute to the well-being of local and global communities.
Graduates are prepared to provide high-quality nursing care, succeed on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), pursue professional growth and serve as leaders committed to lifelong learning and service.
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the nursing program will be able to:
- Provide safe, evidence-based nursing care.
- Apply clinical judgment and critical thinking to patient care decisions.
- Communicate effectively with patients, families and healthcare teams.
- Demonstrate compassion, integrity and respect for human dignity.
- Promote health and well-being across diverse populations.
- Use technology and evidence to improve patient outcomes.
- Practice leadership, professionalism and ethical decision-making.
- Engage in lifelong learning and service.
Courses
| NU 308 Professional Roles & Responsibilities | 3 |
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First of professional development series. Focus on nursing and health care research, information management, informatics, and development of nursing research. |
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| NU 310 Foundations of Nursing Practice | 4 |
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Introduction to the discipline of nursing, including nursing theory, professional values, nursing history and culture, and the role of the professional nurse in healthcare. Students investigate the relationship between theory and evidence-based practice in nursing. Critical thinking, clinical judgement, and communication strategies are emphasized. (Pre-req all nursing pre-requisite courses completed. Co-requisite NU311 & NU312) |
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| NU 311 Foundations of Nursing Clinical Practicum | 1 |
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Clinical practicum course focused on foundational knowledge and skills required for nursing practice. Includes 50 hours of clinical practicum. (Co-req NU310 & NU312) |
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| NU 312 Foundations of Nursing Lab | 2 |
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Laboratory course focused on the foundational knowledge and skills required for nursing practice. (Co-req NU310) |
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| NU 314 Patient-Centered Health Assessment | 4 |
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Focus on knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for patient-centered physical and functional assessment across the lifespan. Evidence-based assessment and documentation skills are acquired in the skills laboratory. (Co-req NU310) |
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| NU 315 Pathophysiology and Pharmacology for Nursing Practice | 4 |
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Foundations of the pathophysiology of key disease processes and pharmacological therapies. Principles of pathophysiology and pharmacology are integrated to provide a basis for study of medications used to treat or manage diseases in nursing practice. |
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| NU 330 Nursing Care Management of Chronic Diseases and Conditions | 4 |
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Nursing management of common chronic diseases and conditions across the lifespan including chronic mental health disorders. Emphasis on developing clinical judgement and principles of safe and effective nursing care for patients with chronic disease, conditions or disability. (Pre-req NU310, NU314 & NU315) |
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| NU 331 Nursing Care Management of Diseases and Conditions Practicum | 3 |
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Clinical practicum course focused on the nursing care of persons with chronic diseases, conditions, and disorders across care settings. Includes 150 hours of clinical practicum. (Co-req NU330 & NU332) |
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| NU 332 Intermediate Care Skills Lab | 2 |
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Laboratory course focused on the knowledge, skills and procedures associated with managing patients with chronic diseases and conditions. (Pre-req NU312 & NU314) |
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| NU 335W Evidence-Based Nursing Practice | 4 |
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Integration of the research process and evidence-based practice to promote patient-centered, safe and effective care. Incorporation of informatics into the research process and the delivery of evidence-based patient care. Designated Writing-Intensive course. (Pre-req NU310) |
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| NU 370 Nursing Care Management of the Child and Family | 2 |
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Family-focused nursing management of the normal physiological and developmental changes, and disease processes encountered when caring for childrearing families. Health promotion and social determinants related to child health are explored. (Pre-req NU310, NU314 & NU315) |
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| NU 371 Nursing Care Management of the Child and Family Practicum | 1 |
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Clinical practicum course focused on the nursing care of children and childrearing families practicum. Includes 50 hours of clinical practicum. (Co-requisite NU370, NU382) |
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| NU 380 Nurs Care of Childbearing Fam | 2 |
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This course focuses on the management of nursing care of childbearing families and the predicted adaptations to childbearing as well as conditions that can complicate pregnancy and delivery. Wellness, health promotion, and social determinants related to maternal health are explored. (Pre-req NU310, NU314 & NU315) |
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| NU 381 Nursing Care Management of the Childbearing Family Practicum | 1 |
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Clinical practicum course focused on the nursing care of families during the childbearing continuum in community and/or acute care settings. Includes 50 hours of clinical practicum. (Co-req NU380, NU382) |
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| NU 382 Maternal/Child Nursing Skills Lab | 1 |
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Laboratory course focused on the knowledge, skills and procedures associated with managing childbearing and pediatric patients. (Pre-req NU312, NU314; Co-req NU370 & NU380) |
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| NU 393 Core Values in Nursing | 1 |
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This seminar-style course is designed to introduce current nursing students to the core values of nursing. Values such as integrity, empathy, altruism, social justice, respect, authentic communication, and others will be explored. Topics will include how values impact personal motivation and patient interactions. This class will also explore how values impact collegiality and inter-professional relationships. Practically, students will discuss how to identify and integrate personal and professional values into professional practice and the vocational life of a nurse. As part of Whitworth's Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing, this seminar will use guided reading, discussion, and reflection, to provide nursing majors opportunities to explore, reflect, and personally apply the integration of values within the vocation of nursing. This course is only available for students concurrently enrolled in the College of Nursing. |
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| NU 394 Ethics and Professionalism in Nursing | 1 |
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This seminar-style course is designed to introduce current nursing students to ethics and professionalism in nursing. Building on NU 378 discussions related to core values in nursing, students will explore the description of ethics being values in action. Students will also be introduced to bio-medical ethics and healthcare models of integrated ethics that lead to a clearer understanding of professional nursing practice. The impacts of ethical and professional practice will be for the nurse, the patient, and the healthcare organization. As part of Whitworth's Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing, this seminar will use guided reading, discussion, and reflection, to provide nursing majors opportunities to explore, reflect, and personally apply the integration of ethics and professionalism within the vocation of nursing. This course is only available for students concurrently enrolled in the College of Nursing. |
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| NU 398 Topics in Nursing | 1-3 |
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Selected upper-division topics in nursing. Periodic offering. |
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| NU 410 Nursing Care Management of Acute and Complex Conditions | 4 |
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Nursing management of common, complex, or exacerbations of conditions seen in acute care settings including mental health disorders. (Pre-req NU330) |
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| NU 411 Nursing Care Management of Acute and Complex Conditions Practicum | 3 |
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Clinical practicum course focused on the nursing management of common or complex conditions seen in acute care settings. Includes 150 hours of clinical practicum (Co-req NU410, NU412) |
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| NU 412 Acute Care Skills Lab | 2 |
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Laboratory course focused on the knowledge, skills and procedures associated with managing patients in the acute care setting. (Pre-req NU332) |
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| NU 415 Nursing Leadership | 3 |
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Focus on impact of leadership, management, and resource allocation on patient outcomes. Strategies for collaboration with healthcare professionals and developing personal leadership style included. |
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| NU 425 Health Policy | 3 |
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Examination of health policy and its significance to nursing practice. Principles of access, equity, affordability, and social justice in health care delivery are explored. |
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| NU 450 Population Health Nursing | 3 |
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Course focuses on the professional nursing role in population-focused health promotion, disease prevention, and the continuum of care. Theories, concepts, and social determinants of health inherent in population-based nursing care are explored. (Pre-req NU310) |
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| NU 451 Population Health Nursing Clinical Practicum | 1 |
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Clinical practicum course focused on the application of population health and community health nursing concepts by working with interprofessional teams in the community to improve health outcomes of vulnerable populations. Includes 50 hours of clinical practicum. (Co-req NU450) |
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| NU 480 Transition to Practice and NCLEX-RN Preparation | 3 |
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Synthesis of previous coursework/knowledge to reflect on achievement of program outcomes and transition to professional RN practice. Includes structured NCLEX-RN exam preparation. (Pre-req NU410, Co-req NU481, NU485) |
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| NU 481 Capstone Clinical Practicum | 3 |
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Clinical practicum course in which students realize the full scope of baccalaureate nursing practice working with a population typical of those that would be assigned to a registered nurse. Includes 150 hours of clinical practicum. (Co-req NU480 & NU481) |
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| NU 485W Capstone Project | 3 |
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Focuses on the application of nursing knowledge by applying core knowledge, competencies, and leadership skills as evidenced by completion of a scholarly evidence-based project. Project outcomes will be disseminated in writing and public presentations. Designated Writing-Intensive course. (Co-req NU480 & NU481) |
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| NU 493 Spiritual Care in Nursing | 1 |
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Spirituality is widely considered to be an important component of holistic health, yet is often ignored during health care interactions. Arising from discussions in NU 393 and NU 394 on values, ethics, and the professional duty to care for the whole patient, readings and discussions will focus on the role of spiritual care or spiritual therapeutics in nursing practice. This seminar-style course is designed to introduce current nursing students to ethics and professionalism in nursing. As part of Whitworth's Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing, this seminar will use guided reading, discussion, and reflection, to provide nursing majors opportunities to explore, reflect, and personally apply the integration of spiritual therapeutics within the vocation of nursing. This course is only available for students concurrently enrolled in the College of Nursing. |
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| NU 494 Finding Purpose and Meaning in Nursing | 1 |
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In the cumulating seminar in Whitworth's Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing, and building on NU 393, NU 394, and NU 493, students will identify "who" they want to be as professionals. A personal exploration of motivation, identifying a sense of call or purpose, and discovering the true meaning of vocation in nursing will help students articulate their "why". Understanding one's "who" and "why" will director students toward "how" to live out their vocation as a nurse. As part of Whitworth's Certificate of Vocational Development in Nursing, this seminar will use guided reading, discussion, and reflection, to provide nursing majors opportunities to explore, reflect, and personally apply ideas of calling, job satisfaction, purpose and meaning within the vocation of nursing. This course is only available for students concurrently enrolled in the College of Nursing. |
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| NU 498 Topics in Nursing | 1-3 |
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Selected upper-division topics in nursing. Periodic offering. |
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