Define your future – and the future of healthcare – with the DNP - Leadership Track

The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the role of the DNP as a leader and change agent in healthcare. Skill development includes identification of a gap in practice, conducting a needs assessment and describing the scope and significance of the problem. [Practicum hours: 50]

Nursing Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement: This course focuses on advanced nursing practice as a form of inquiry, integration, and application of evidence into practice. Skill development includes evaluation of evidence-based practice methods, and use of information systems and patient technology for quality improvement. [Practicum hours: 50]

This course prepares students to assess, design, implement and evaluate evidence-based quality health care practices for individual and aggregate patient populations. Skill development includes defining outcomes linked to measures, variables, and data sources; appropriate data collection and evaluation methods. [Practicum hours: 50]

This course focuses on principles of leadership in relationship to change policy, and membership in high functioning teams to improve health care outcomes within complex systems. Skill development includes assessment of organizational culture, quality and safety data and exploration of principles for effecting change as a member and leader of a team. [Practicum hours: 50]

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the support and direction needed, in collaboration with the sponsoring facility and preceptor, to develop a proposal for a comprehensive, site specific DNP Project, including an evaluation plan. Skill development includes application of theory, review of the literature and population data to frame the DNP Project to drive cost-effective safe care. [Practicum hours: 125]

In this course, the student secures school approval and implements the approved project plan. Skill development includes managing time and resources, assessing and managing implementation issues, data collection, and utilizing communication, and leadership and collaboration strategies. [Practicum hours: 125]

In this course, the student completes and disseminates results of the project. Final projects reflect the student's ability to employ effective communication and collaboration skills, take a leadership role, influence quality and safety, transform practice, lead innovation, and successfully negotiate change in health care delivery. [Practicum hours: 50]

The residency course provides the student with the opportunity to develop and refine skills based on concepts and issues related to the advanced practice nurse role in areas such as: financial planning, needs-based organizational assessment, project planning, management, and evaluation. The student works closely with the faculty mentor to develop an individualized practice experience in an approved site. This course may be taken four times and includes 125 practicum hours per credit. Placement is variable on the student course schedule.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the fundamental concepts and calculations associated with financial accounting and managerial accounting within a healthcare organization. Students will study the foundational aspects of financial accounting with a primary focus on financial statements and the uses of the information in these statements. Students will also study the functional aspects of managerial accounting to include cost behavior, cost allocation, pricing, planning, budgeting, profit analysis, and performance evaluation. Application of these concepts will include analysis of case studies.

The course provides an extensive overview of leadership in the U.S. health services system. The focus of the course will be on the role health services leadership plays in the delivery of healthcare services, to include managing with professionals, financial management, services utilization, and other aspects of the U.S. healthcare system. The student will explore the key theoretical and practical elements of leadership as well as current issues clarifying how the U.S. health services system is organized, managed, and financed.

In this course the student will develop a strong foundation of health law, enabling them to deal with common legal and practical moral and ethical issues facing the healthcare organization on a daily basis. Topics will include statutory laws, rules and regulations, review of tort laws, criminal law, contract law, civil procedures and trial practice. The student will examine numerous legal, moral, and ethical issues.

The student will examine the theory and techniques used by healthcare executives to analyze financial status and trends. Topics include financial planning, budgeting, risk assessment, rate setting, financial controls, management care, cost accounting, and capital financing of healthcare organizations. The importance of proper financial management to effective healthcare leadership is emphasized.

This course will explore the essential conceptual and analytical understanding of health policymaking and politics, including their impact on health administration and leadership. Selected policy issues will be explored through the application of political concepts and behavioral models, including a system model of policymaking. The emphasis will be on understanding the health leaders approach to the policymaking system, become involved in it, and work through it to attain their objectives and those of their organization.

The student will examine demographic measurements, epidemiological methods, outcomes assessment, health promotion, and disease prevention from a global perspective.

Students will explore concepts and theories of operations and supply chain management. The student will develop both knowledge and skills in solving the operational problems of healthcare organizations.

This course covers the broad spectrum of strategic issues in healthcare including policies, guidelines, standards, processes, and controls required to manage and implement enterprise-level information. Treating information as a strategic asset to healthcare organizations, processes to manage various risks to the quality of information and ensure its appropriate use are covered.

This course explores requirements for clinical workflows in a variety of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency healthcare environments. It covers the documentation, review, mapping, and diagramming of clinical workflow information and processes. The course also covers the linkages between the improvement of patient care to workflow mapping and change management, as part of evidence based decision making in healthcare.

This course addresses the process of retrieving, analyzing, and reporting intelligence to make healthcare decisions. It covers the techniques of extracting, transforming and loading data from a myriad of operational databases into corporate data warehouses, as well means to ensure that decision making is based on clean and reliable information. The course also includes ways to report the healthcare intelligence gathered.

Students examine fundamental public service values that differentiate the mission and purpose of government and nonprofit organizations from those of private, for-profit, organizations. The course focuses on applying public administration and organizational theories to analyze administrative problems faced by leaders and managers implementing government and nonprofit programs. Students learn to think systematically about selecting alternative options for delivering programs and improving organizational performance. Finally, students develop fundamental information literacy, computing, writing, and presentation skills required for effective academic and professional communication.

Students learn fundamental concepts and tools for managing the two most important organizational resources - people and information. The course emphasizes application of human resources concepts and tools for attracting, retaining, and developing employees and improving organizational performance in government and nonprofit organizations. Information technology concepts and tools for managing government and nonprofit organizations are also examined. Fundamental legal, ethical, and political obligations for managing human resources and information technology are also evaluated.

Students learn to apply fundamental methodological concepts and analytical tools necessary for contributing to administrative and policy discussions, critically assessing causal claims, and making informed administrative and policy decisions. The goal is to have students become critical consumers of academic research and professional reports and confidently apply statistical concepts and techniques for professional decision-making. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn fundamental concepts and tools for systematically analyzing administrative problems and making decisions that improve organizational performance. Specific techniques for analyzing common administrative problems are learned and the relevance of accounting for public values in such analyses is examined. Students also learn to use project management tools for effectively managing administrative projects. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating management analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to use fundamental budgeting, accounting, and financial management concepts and tools necessary for leading and managing government and nonprofit organizations. Students learn to use analytical techniques for making administrative and policy decisions with significant financial implications. Students also examine the competing values and politics that underlie and impact financial decisions in the government and nonprofit organizations. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating financial analysis methods and conclusions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to think strategically about leading organizations operating in a competitive political environment where collaboration is required to advance the organizational mission. The course focuses on using strategic and network management concepts and tools to improve organizational performance. The importance of strategically managing organizational communication is also examined. Finally, students develop skills for effectively communicating strategic planning methods, approaches, and decisions with colleagues, elected officials, the media, and the public.

Students learn to think and act as ethical leaders within a public service context. The course focuses on putting administrative decisions and organizational plans into action. Students learn to use leadership concepts and tools and interpersonal skills for working with individuals and groups to effectively execute administrative plans and make decisions. Students also develop knowledge and skills for communicating and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders; particularly elected officials, the media, interest groups, and the public.

Applying strategic decision making strategies, students will analyze the structures, practices, and performance of organizations in the administration of justice, including courts, law enforcement, and corrections, both not-for-profit and for-profit. Applied perspectives in ethical leadership functions that respond to organizational problems and objectives through best-practices will also be addressed. Additional topics will include program planning, implementation, and evaluation.

This course examines theories of victimization, ways to reduce the likelihood of victimization, and service to crime victims. Students will be required to create a community-based plan for reducing criminal victimization or a plan for agency response to crime victims.

This course introduces students to funding sources and grant writing. Students will be expected to locate funding options and write a grant application.

Learning theories and instructional design models are the two fundamental pillars for the field of instructional design. In this course, students will study the learning theories and philosophies that formed, influenced, and supported this field. Students will also study instructional systems theories, models, and systematic approaches to instructional design. In this course, students will apply these theories, strategies, and instructional models to create a learning, instructional design or training event in their chosen settings, including business, industry, government, healthcare, and classroom education. At the end of this course, students will make a plan on how to prepare for an instructional design career.

In this course, students will learn a framework for understanding human performance by working with scenarios and case studies to analyze performance problems, determine the level and type of intervention required, and make recommendations for a suite of solutions that will achieve the desired impacts.

In this course, students will apply design principles to create a learning event that includes the use of new and emerging technologies. Students will research collaboration and networking tools for their use and value in learning environments. Delivery platforms and software will also be explored for their impact on instructional strategies. Projects completed in the course will become part of the student's portfolio.

Be able to successfully managing projects and relationship are paramount skill in current workforce. In this course, students will study the project management theories, tools, and technologies and apply them in their own discipline. By the end of this course, students need to develop a project management process and a plan to resolve relationship issues.

The course will study the teaching and learning philosophies, methods, and techniques in higher education. Topics will cover learning theories, instructional design models, instructional strategies, and evaluation of student performance. By the end of this course, students will develop their own teaching philosophy along with an instructional unit demonstrating their mastery of learning theories and instructional design models, selection of proper learning technologies in designing the instruction, and incorporation of appropriate instructional and assessment methods. In addition, students will also explore faculty careers in higher education.

Leaders of instruction and learning must stay abreast of continual changes in technology and leverage them to ensure the competitiveness and health of their organization. However, not all technologies and emerging processes are worth adopting. In this course, students will examine pedagogical trends and emerging technologies. Students will learn how to evaluate theories and incorporate designs, processes, and technologies in strategic and tactical decisions for instruction and learning in the organization.

In this course, students will be exposed to new and innovative approaches for designing effective learning and instruction. This course will equip students with knowledge of applicable frameworks and strategies for implementation at the organizational level. Students will review learning environments such as e-learning, blended and hybrid learning, mobile learning, game-based learning, and informal and social learning, to determine the appropriate learning environment based on the learning and training needs of an organization.

This course provides a framework for an in-depth understanding of day-to-day, practical approaches/aspects of problems/challenges that impact the human resource management field. Topics include recruiting, hiring, training, retaining, rewarding, and promoting employees; compensation and benefits; employment planning, performance management systems, and succession planning; labor relations; and managing organizational relationships.

The primary purpose of this course is to introduce the principle theories and practices in the area of employment and workplace law. Topics include the federal and state laws associated with hiring, firing and discipline, medical leave (including FMLA, ADA and worker's compensation), discrimination, harassment, immigration, labor law, unemployment compensation, workplace privacy. Additional topics may include workplace investigations, workplace violence and employment-related legal processes, including EEOC Charges and lawsuits.

This course examines employment relations from a historical perspective including the creation and rise of unionism, the evolution of collective bargaining, recent civil rights acts affecting the workplace, and concludes by envisioning what the future may hold regarding employee, employer relations. Topics include the role and responsibilities of the HR manager with regard to employment relations, the legal framework of contract negotiations and administration through the lens of the National Labor Relations act and strategies and tactics used for union avoidance.

Organizations are composed of groups of people who work together to achieve defined outcomes. Experience has proven time and again that the key factor which differentiates successful companies from those who struggle to survive is people who make up the employee base. While the human resources function is given the specific task of planning for and resolving many employee-related issues and needs, individual managers have direct responsibility and accountability for motivating and leading employees to achieve sustained organizational success. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively with human resources to enhance the contributions of all employees to organizational effectiveness. Students will learn about the elements which drive business success, theories of motivation, and methods for creating a plan for maximizing the human capital of an organization.

Healthcare Leaders, more than ever, are facing challenging opportunities with the changing dynamics of the industry. During this course students will explore how executive-level leaders can manage complex health systems using strategic planning, risk management and innovative business practices.

The science of epidemiology and population health concepts are essential for addressing and projecting the health needs of communities and the allocation of public and private resources. This course focuses on the utilization of epidemiologic findings and population health data to support and aid health care policy development and administrative decision making. Students will be able to apply these concepts to analyze public health and population health data for epidemics, chronic health conditions, or diseases to develop data supported strategies as healthcare administrators.

With the changing landscape of disease concerns the healthcare industry has had to pivot to use innovative ways to reach patients in uncertain times. This has raised many issues such as HIPAA, access to care, and healthcare workers competencies. This class will explore the new and changing landscape of the future delivery models and how to ethically address patient, family, healthcare professionals and government concerns.

This course provides and overview of the historical and current leadership concepts, theories and constructs. Application and assessment of the individual leadership style will enable the student to develop their leadership voice. This course will provide a construct that will enable the student to identify transferrable skills that align with the organization that they are serving in. This course will also challenge students to assess their own leadership strengths and weaknesses and produce an in-depth plan of action to develop and refine leadership competencies. Students will conduct substantive scholarly research to address and capture relevant and cutting-edge leadership theoretical work for application in course assignments.

Now more than ever, organizations must deal with rapid complex change. This course focuses on evaluating and implementing key theoretical concepts and practices central to leading and managing organizational change initiatives. Students will examine the competencies and strategies needed to be a successful change leader and manager. In addition, they will analyze the impact of brain research, organizational structures, and organizational culture on change. While evaluating real-world situations, they will learn best practices for initiating, implementing, and sustaining major change.

This course focuses on the application of systems theory, social psychology concepts, organizational lifecycles, and biological principles to the understanding of business operations. Includes a review of basic business principles, multiple intelligences, organizational intelligence, organizational culture, emotional intelligence, biomimicry and organizational DNA.