Bachelor of Science - Nursing (Honours) - BScN

Students explore the theoretical foundations of nursing and the competencies and standards expected within the current nursing profession. Learners familiarize themselves with current Canadian nursing professional organizations, issues, and standards. Students analyze the societal, cultural, and historical influences on nursing practice.

Students construct a foundation of critical reading and writing skills to build upon in degree-level programs. Learners retrieve scholarly literature and write about it in a variety of modes, including personal reflection, description, synthesis and analysis. Current APA style must be applied to all writing.

Students learn an overview of the field of psychology and developmental psychology, with an emphasis on current applications in local and global contexts. Learners examine various perspectives of psychology including neuroscience, development, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation and emotion, sexuality, social dynamics, and personality theory. Students will also identify the growth, development, and behavioural changes individuals experience from birth through old age. Students prepare to interact and work effectively with people of all age groups.

Students learn human anatomy and physiology at the cellular, tissue, organ, and system levels of organization. Students learn the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, and cardiovascular systems, with a focus on material relevant for clinical applications.

Students explore concepts related to primary health care (PHC) nursing across the lifespan. Through the exploration of primary health care strategies, including screening programs, education, preventative care, clinical support, case management and navigation, students learn how a PHC focus enables patients, during each life stage, to optimize wellness, reduce the risks of acquiring a chronic disease and to better manage that disease. The course explores how nurses help clients achieve their health goals by implementing evidence-informed practice guidelines and techniques

Learners build competencies required for professional caring as a nurse. Students develop skills in reflection, as an intentional process of thinking, analyzing and learning in various nursing settings and roles. Learners explore the concept of self as a nurse and integrate reflection into their emerging practice. Learners describe, analyze, and apply the therapeutic communication skills required in professional helping relationships. Learners build the skills of relational practice through the development of self-knowing, reflection from a nursing perspective, and fundamental communication skills.

Students explore sociology as the study of social behavior and human groups focused on peoples’ attitudes and behaviours. Students learn how societies are established and change. The concepts, theories, and methods of sociology are examined with respect to Canadian society.

Students learn human anatomy and physiology at the cellular, tissue, organ, and system levels of organization. Students learn the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, and cardiovascular systems, with a focus on material relevant for clinical applications.

Students apply the theory and principles of pharmacology to nursing practice. Skills developed include those related to safe and legal medication administration, patient education, and response to potential adverse reactions. Learners are required to integrate new learning related to pharmacology with prior learning of anatomy and physiology and nursing scope of practice and evidence informed care.

This course focuses on fundamental aspects of human disease. Students learn the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues, and organs altered by disease and/or injury. Important pathophysiological concepts such as cell, injury, inflammation, and immune responses are discussed. Students learn how cancer, and selected diseases impact each of the body systems. There is a focus on etiology and mechanisms of alterations of cells, tissues, and organs that explain patients’ symptoms and signs. There is application of pathophysiological knowledge to nursing practice. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course comprises a branch of biomedical and laboratory medicine. Students learn the structure and locations of different molecules and macromolecules as well as various chemical processes and metabolic pathways within the human body. Learners discuss reference values and function tests of body organs and systems in health and disease. Students focus on the interpretation of clinical and laboratory data and the role of the lab in the diagnosis of various diseases.

This course introduces students to the field of microbiology. Students learn about the fundamental aspects of bacteria including structure, classification, microbial growth, and genetics as well as methods of sterilization disinfection. Students discuss epidemiology of diseases, extent of host involvement, and tools of pathogenicity. There is discussion of viruses, fungi and protozoa of medical importance. Students learn about foundational laboratory techniques required for microbiology diagnosis including microscopic identification of bacteria, bacterial culture, Gram staining and antibiotic sensitivity testing.

Students engage in ethical and professional development, with a focus on ethical issues impacting health care. Ethical, professional, legal concepts and theories guiding professional nursing practice are examined. This includes issues of confidentiality, informed consent, new technologies, professionalization and power. Opportunities are provided for learners to examine moral, professional, ethical, and legal nursing knowledge in relation to current practice. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on fundamental aspects of human disease. Students learn the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues, and organs altered by disease and/or injury. Important pathophysiological concepts such as cell, injury, inflammation, and immune responses are discussed. Students learn how cancer, and selected diseases impact each of the body systems. There is a focus on etiology and mechanisms of alterations of cells, tissues, and organs that explain patients’ symptoms and signs. There is application of pathophysiological knowledge to nursing practice. This is the second in a series of related courses, applying concept and skill development to a different set of body systems and processes. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course builds on materials taught in Biomedical Chemistry and Lab Diagnostics 1. Students focus on the systemic approach of lab diagnostics, and review the cardiovascular, renal, digestive, and hepatobiliary systems among others. Students discuss normal and abnormal biochemical lab findings. Learners focus on the interpretation of clinical and laboratory data and the role of the lab in the diagnosis of various diseases.

In this course, students learn the foundational concepts and tests related to statistical analysis. Students use statistical software packages to develop and visualize statistic results. Students learn to communicate foundational statistical results, evaluate the statistical merit of arguments published in research articles, and articulate statistical analysis and its limitations to a variety of audiences.

Students focus on the nurse’s role in meeting the health care needs of childbearing families. Learners acquire an understanding of human growth and development and nursing care of the maternal-child-family unit during the antenatal, perinatal and postpartum period. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning about nursing processes and practices and apply this to work with the maternal-child-family unit.

This course focuses on the integration of evidence into clinical practice, with a focus on understanding a variety of research methods and concepts related to evidence-based practice. Students have opportunity to initiate nursing research praxis through searching for and critically appraising published evidence. Learners integrate new and prior learning.

In this course, student focus on the social construction of society inequities. Students learn to critically examine health determinates and outcomes, power inequities, and marginalized populations in relation to access and provision of services. Learners are required to integrate the concepts associated with working with diverse populations into their evolving nursing practice.

Learners will integrate their knowledge of the nurse’s scope of practice with new understandings of the nurse’s role in meeting the health care needs of infants, children and youth. Students apply the principles of family-centred care, employ critical thinking and evidence-based clinical judgement to plan and deliver safe and professionally competent care for pediatrics clients who are healthy and who are experiencing illness

This course focuses on nursing knowledge including historical, philosophical, theoretical, and scientific underpinnings. Opportunities are provided to describe inter-relationships between theory and research grounded in clinical practice, through a knowledge translation approach. Learning experiences require integration of new and prior learning.

In this course, students discuss current issues in population, environmental and global health using a health promotion and upstream thinking approach. Students explore principles and processes related to epidemiology, determinants of population, environmental and global health issues while considering the impact of globalization on specific populations and settings.

Students critically examine current and complex nursing practice issues and trends. Seminar-style group discussions require learners to hone skills specific to the nursing profession’s role in leadership, quality assurance, & resource management within our current and future healthcare system. Students will integrate program knowledge and skills with new learning and skill development associated with advocacy and change facilitation within healthcare. Learners build and reflect on their knowledge as novice practitioners and the impact these issues and trends may have on their professional practice.