Courses

A practical focus on the competencies required for nursing leadership. Students have the opportunity to develop leadership skills necessary for today’s complex healthcare environments, which take into account Christian values and principles. Building on their existing practice expertise, students explore ways to innovatively incorporate emerging research, theory and practice concepts into a particular field of healthcare leadership practice, including (but not limited to) health care administration and operational management. Emphasis is placed on concepts such as values clarification, engagement and relationship building, patient advocacy, inter-professional communication and team building, quality improvement, and the ethics of leadership.

An overview to the history, research, ethics, and issues affecting advanced nursing practice in Canada and internationally. Attention is paid to Christian values and principles as students explore the history of advanced nursing practice and the inter-professional and sociopolitical contexts in which it operates. The interrelated domains of advanced nursing practice (ANP), consultation, education, research, and leadership are explored in the context of older adult care, as well as ANP practice roles such as clinical nurse specialist, clinician, and professional practice leader. Attention is given to the moral issues surrounding aging, including end-of-life issues.

An advanced practice course with a specialty focus on older adult nursing care across the spectrum of health and illness. Students develop expertise about role of nurses in the contexts of primary care, home care, parish nursing, long-term care, and palliative-hospice care. Utilizing faith-based perspectives, fundamental concepts pertaining to primary health care, chronic disease management, and the supportive needs of older adults and their families are emphasized.

This course provides students with a solid framework for addressing ethical issues and ethical decision making. Through a contextualized approach that draws on a variety of ethical theories, learners in this course critically analyze a range of issues facing leaders in healthcare settings, including micro or individual level decisions (e.g., treatment withdrawal) to meso or organizational level questions (e.g., resource allocation pertaining to organ donation or restructuring decisions), to macro or social level issues (e.g., public health policy that focuses on prevention rather than treatment, or the challenge of conflicting worldviews in a pluralistic society). Exploration of moral leadership and the processes of ethical decision-making includes Christian principles, personal values, and professional obligations. Resources such as the profession's code of ethics and moral policy-making statements are utilized in addition to ethical theories.

The thesis provides an opportunity for the student to conduct independent nursing research in an area of interest. The process of research—from identification of problem for investigation, research design, data collection and analysis, to written report of findings—is the focus.

A synthesis of research, theory, and practice within the student's stream, substantive area of focus, and particular practice setting. Students work alongside a mentor in practice (e.g., education, administration, or advanced practice with the older adult) to design, implement, and evaluate a knowledge translation project that will be of service to the healthcare community (either practice or education).