Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies


160 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549-1190
Website: www.hofstra.edu/nursing
Email: sgnpa@hofstra.edu


Kathleen Gallo, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN
Founding Dean and Professor, Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies
Email: Kathleen.Gallo@hofstra.edu

Renee McLeod, DNP, PhD(c), FNP-BC, ACNP-BC, FNAP, FNYAM
Vice Dean
Professor of Nursing
Chair of Graduate Nursing Program
Email: Renee.McleodSorjan@hofstra.edu

Mary Ellen LaSala, PhD, RN
Associate Professor of Nursing
Chair of Undergraduate Nursing Program
Email: MaryEllen.LaSala@hofstra.edu

Jennifer Saleta, EdD, MBA, FACHE
Associate Dean for Administration
Email: Jennifer.M.Saleta@hofstra.edu

Barbara Callahan, DNP, MS, ANP-BC, GCNS-BC
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
Assistant Professor of Nursing

Email: Barbara.A.Callahan@hofstra.edu


About the School

The Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies aims to be the global leader in interprofessional education preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. The Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies incorporates the diverse academic programs and infrastructure of Hofstra University, as well as the significant clinical activities and educational resources of Northwell Health.

The Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies offers a four-year Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nursing program (127 s.h.) degree program that will provide the educational, clinical, and experiential base for entry-level professional practice, as well as the platform on which to build a career through graduate-level study and lifelong learning.  The School also offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program with three tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner (70 s.h.), Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (70 s.h.), and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (68 s.h.); as well as four advanced certificate programs Family Nurse Practitioner Advanced Certificate (25.5 s.h.), Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Advanced Certificate (26.5 s.h.), Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Advanced Certificate (25 s.h.) and Registered Nurse First Assistant Advanced Certificate (6 s.h.).  The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) - Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), Doctor of Nursing Practice (97.5 s.h.) program prepares graduates to deliver high-quality, holistic, evidence-based anesthesia, and pain services.  The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP applies evidence in practice to improve the quality of care and health outcomes.

The School also offers a Master of Science in Cardiovascular Sciences and Perfusion Medicine (62 s.h.), a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (79 s.h.), and a dual Bachelor of Science Life Sciences/Master of Science in PA studies for first-year students.

Undergraduate Nursing

Go to information for this department.

Courses

Nursing (NUR)

  • NUR 011 - Professional Nursing Seminar I

    Semester Hours: 1
    This course facilitates students’ ability to conceptualize nursing practice and the experiences of individuals, families, communities, and populations living with health and illness. This seminar is the first of two required professional nursing seminars students will take during the first years of their nursing program while taking their required arts and science courses. The seminars expose students to the significant aspects of nursing’s history and major documents that hold nurses accountable for their practice with patients/populations and explore the unique identity of baccalaureate-prepared professional nurses as members of an interprofessional team who are committed to diverse patients and families/significant others living in health and illness. This first seminar discusses the nursing program’s mission that is in concert with Hofstra Northwell’s missions and will prepare them as professional nurses who will “prepare students to become lifelong learners.” The course introduces core themes of the undergraduate nursing program: innovation, humanism, advocacy, leadership, scholarship, and inquiry. It emphasizes the major purpose of Nursing’s Social Policy Statement which is the foundation of professional nursing practice and outlines the nursing profession’s commitment to the public it serves. This course facilitates students’ ability to conceptualize nursing practice and the experiences of individuals, families, communities, and populations living with health and illness and emphasize evidence-based research knowledge from nursing science, including grand and middle-range nursing theory, and medical science 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 012 - Professional Nursing Seminar II

    Semester Hours: 1
    This course addresses professional role development, integrating concepts of multidimensional care and inquiry and analysis skills to inform clinical decision-making, professional judgment, and lifelong learning. This course will expose students to contemporary case studies in nursing. A case-based pedagogy will be utilized to explore principles of nursing across the life span in challenging issues. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 105 - Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice

    Semester Hours: 3
    This course focuses on developing students’ critical analysis and synthesis competencies to critically appraise nursing as well as health-related research, judging clinical practice guidelines, and completed evidence-based projects to determine the best available quality research to use in their evidenced-based nursing in clinical practice. An emphasis is placed on utilizing the steps of evidenced-based practice to identify an appropriate clinical practice question to determine if there is sufficient evidence to make recommendations for clinical practice change. The learner will apply investigative skills in the translation of new knowledge to improve practice and health outcomes. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    MATH 008 and WSC 002. Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 108A - Integrated Pathophysiology with Pharmacologic Principles I

    Semester Hours: 3
    This is part one of a two-part integration of pathophysiology with the principles of pharmacology. The purpose of this course is to examine altered cell functioning resulting in deviations from homeostasis while appreciating key aspects of pharmacology. The course examines pharmacotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of illness and the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of wellness in diverse individuals across the lifespan. Emphasis is on the principles of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenetics in the treatment of selected illnesses as well as safe administration and monitoring of the effects of pharmacotherapeutic agents. Simulation will be utilized to explore concepts of safety, harm reduction, and patient education. Topics of study include principles of homeostasis and the immune, cardiopulmonary, renal, and nervous systems. The student’s ability to relate the role of professional nursing to utilize this knowledge to create an individualized patient-centered plan of care is emphasized. Pathological alterations in health at the systems level and implications for nursing care are emphasized. Simulation will be utilized to explore concepts of communication and patient education. At the completion of this course, the student will understand the major drug classifications, through the use of prototypes and understand key concepts of pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenetics while emphasizing key concepts of immunology and pathophysiology. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 108B - Integrated Pathophysiology with Pharmacologic Principles II

    Semester Hours: 3
    This is part two of a two-part integration of pathophysiology with the principles of pharmacology. The purpose of this course is to examine altered cell functioning resulting in deviations from homeostasis while appreciating key aspects of pharmacology. The course examines pharmacotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of illness and the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of wellness in diverse individuals across the lifespan. Emphasis is on the principles of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenetics in the treatment of selected illnesses as well as safe administration and monitoring of the effects of pharmacotherapeutic agents. Simulation will be utilized to explore concepts of safety, harm reduction, and patient education. Topics of study include principles of homeostasis, gastrointestinal, hematological, musculoskeletal, and endocrine systems. The student’s ability to relate the role of professional nursing to utilize this knowledge to create an individualized patient-centered plan of care is emphasized. Pathological alterations in health at the systems level and implications for nursing care are emphasized. Simulation will be utilized to explore concepts of communication and patient education. At the completion of this course, the student will understand the major drug classifications, through the use of prototypes and understand key concepts of pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenetics while emphasizing key concepts of immunology and pathophysiology. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 109 - Basic Health Assessment and Practicum

    Semester Hours: 3
    This course provides the students with the knowledge and skill necessary to perform a comprehensive health assessment utilizing the skills of history taking, inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation. Normal assessment findings, frequently seen variations from normal and cultural differences, are discussed. This course provides the RN student with the knowledge necessary to perform a health assessment and use critical thinking skills to identify risk factors for actual or potential alterations in health. The courses also focus on differentiating between normal and abnormal physical findings when conducting a head-to-toe physical examination. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 108 A, HSCI 103; Co-requisite: NUR 108 B, HSCI 105; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 112 - Seminars in Nursing II

    Semester Hours: 1
    This course emphasizes professional role development of nursing across transitions of care. This course explores the art of nursing practice in guided observational experiences in a wide variety of settings. The observational experiences will support narrative reflections utilizing social sciences and the arts and humanities in nursing practice. This course also will highlight the relationships between and among members of the interprofessional team, patients, families, and communities. Observational experiences chosen will represent areas of practice of professional nursing leadership in forensics, school-based, community-based health centers, oncology, palliative care, and community-based addiction/recovery settings. At the completion of this course, students will have a better understanding of nursing practice in community and hospital-based settings 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    NUR 012  or Standing in the Senior Year. Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 118 - Ethical Integration of Patient Safety and Improvement Sciences in High Reliability Systems

    Semester Hours: 3
    This course uses an ethical and improvement science framework to solve practice problems. The main focus is on developing student’s nursing competencies proposed by the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) model. The course will address specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) of QSEN nursing competencies to promote quality and safety in healthcare. Students are exposed to the six QSEN nursing competencies of patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice (EBP), quality improvement (QI), safety, and informatics in the context of various patients/populations problems and settings. A key focus of the course will highlight the role of the professional nurse in utilizing evidenced-based improvement science methodologies to support a safety culture that embraces opportunities to improve health care delivery processes and health care outcomes. At the completion of this course, students will employ ethical principles that minimize the risk of harm to patients, staff, and providers. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    NUR 105 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 119 - Transition to Professional Leadership

    Semester Hours: 3
    This course will present basic organizational and systems leadership processes needed for a bachelor in science prepared generalist professional nurse to provide high-quality care and patient safety concepts to diverse individuals and populations in a variety of settings. A major framework used will be the integration of the curriculum course outcome competencies related to liberal arts, biological, medical, nursing, and improvement sciences with these organizational and systems leadership processes using a nursing process framework. The course also focuses on enhancing students’ ability to reflect on the ethical reasoning, advocacy for patients, and conflict resolution needed while participating in inter and intra professional healthcare teams. It will prepare them to have accountability for delivering, coordinating, and/or delegating safe high-quality care as well as self-care for themselves and providers. The course will provide complex patient care situations to illustrate the needed leadership competencies for successful role preparation on their pathway to licensure registered professional nurse and readiness for clinical practice. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 140 , NUR 141 , NUR 118 , NUR 112 ; Corequisite: NUR 145 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 125 - Medical Microbiology

    Semester Hours: 3
    This course is an overview of common groups of human pathogenic microorganisms, including structure, pathogenicity, epidemiology, diagnosis, and laboratory identification. Modes of action of selected antimicrobials and chemotherapeutic agents are also discussed. Essential concepts for health professionals and nursing students are discussed, including recognition of infection, the spread of infection, infection control measures, and laboratory specimen collection and interpretation. Consideration is given to the interaction of microbes and virions in humans.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    BIOL 112 ; Co-requisite: NUR 126  



  • NUR 126 - Mentorship in Science Technology & Mathematics (STEM)

    Semester Hours: 1


    This course supports a general introduction to the basic concepts and principles and for success in learning to integrate applied sciences in nursing.

    The course applies to the nursing science requirement for general education.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    BIOL 112 ; Co-requisite: NUR 125  



  • NUR 130 - Fundamental Nursing Care of the Adult

    Semester Hours: 3
    This course allows students to integrate and apply their scientific knowledge and experiences to improve patients’ health and wellness with commonly occurring medical-surgical problems in the acute care setting. This course emphasizes the use of the nursing process and in developing competence in providing and coordinating nursing care. The course includes clinical practicum to allow the student the opportunity to integrate theoretical concepts and clinical practice in diverse adult populations. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 108B  and NUR 109 ; Co-requisite: Standing in Junior Year (3rd Year) and NUR 131 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 131 - Adult Gerontological Nursing and Care of Elder Patients with Chronic Disease

    Semester Hours: 4
    This course allows students to integrate and apply their knowledge and experiences in adult health to the specialized care of an older adult. The learner will apply critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to care for older adults with acute or complex illnesses and/or injuries. The effects of acute illness are examined in relation to the individual’s developmental stage, culture, and gender. Building on concepts in the fundamental nursing care of the adult, a systems approach is used to analyze and intervene in alterations to the health of the individual and family. Course content focuses on the phenomena of healthy aging. The course emphasizes health promotion and illness prevention for older adults, including identifying disease risk factors associated with aging. The older adult is viewed as a healthy and productive individual in their community who are willing to share their lifetime knowledge, value system, and cultural beliefs to younger generations. The analysis will be conducted on internal and external stressors that influence developmental tasks and activities of daily living, encompassing the physiological, psychological, and sociological health dimensions. The course includes clinical practicum to allow the student the opportunity to integrate theoretical concepts and clinical practice in diverse elder populations. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 108B  and NUR 109 ; Co-requisite: Standing in Junior Year (3rd Year) and NUR 130 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 132 - Human Genetics and Precision Medicine

    Semester Hours: 2
    This course will provide an understanding of the genetic principles and concepts such as screening, assessments, treatments, and counseling as well as the advancement of laboratory technology to determine genetic risk that has come to mainstream healthcare. Content will include discoveries in molecular genetics, advancements in determining genetic risk for families through an algorithmic exploration of illness prediction will be explored, including information about the mechanisms producing adult-onset and pediatric genetic conditions, methods of prevention, early pharmacogenetics intervention, and possible treatment modalities. Bio-ethical principles and implications will be integrated throughout the course. In addition, the framework of “precision medicine” will be used rather than a traditional genetics approach in which strategies are developed for a group or cohort of patients with a common clinical presentation, to present tailored approaches to predict diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies for an individual based on his or her genes and genetic modifications of these genes. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 109 ; Co-requisite​​​​​​: NUR 130  and NUR 131 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 133 - Family & Patient Centered Care of Women

    Semester Hours: 4
    This course focuses on the application of the nursing process in the care of childbearing families using both nursing and developmental theories. The course will allow students to demonstrate competency in knowledge, skills, and professional assessment of biopsychosocial factors, legal/ethical, cultural, and educational considerations related to women’s health across the lifespan, pregnancy, birth, and newborn period. Selected issues related to gender and sexuality will be discussed as they relate to women’s health and healthcare delivery. The course includes a clinical practicum to allow the student the opportunity to integrate theoretical concepts and clinical practice while providing nursing care to individuals and families in acute and ambulatory settings. Experience inpatient/family teaching such as childbirth classes is included. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    NUR 130 , NUR 131 , and NUR 132 . Standing in Junior Year (3rd Year). Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 134 - Care of Individuals and Communities with Behavioral Health Disorders

    Semester Hours: 4
    This course focuses on the application of the nursing process in the care of psychiatric populations across the lifespan. Students will apply theories and implement evidence-based care for clients with psychiatric/mental health issues, including psychosocial concepts; cultural, ethical, and legal influences; and wellness of individuals and family groups. Development of professional role in psychiatric/mental health nursing. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 130  and NUR 131 . Standing in Junior Year (3rd Year). Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 135 - Care of the Surgical Populations Across Transitions

    Semester Hours: 2
    This course introduces classic nursing principles that underpin clinical practice in perioperative nursing. Frameworks include principles such as comfort measures, assessment of patients both preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively, environmental concerns, positioning and transporting, asepsis and sterile technique, medication administration, intrusive therapies, and use of the nursing process with particular emphasis on the intervention component. Concepts related to nursing fundamentals and nursing care are integrated throughout the course. The campus laboratory and clinical settings will afford practical experience in the application of the principles and skills taught in the theory portion of this class. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 130  and NUR 131 . Standing in Junior Year (3rd Year). Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 140 - Fundamental Nursing Care of Populations & Communities

    Semester Hours: 6
    This course allows students to apply theoretical and empirical knowledge in using the nursing process in community settings to promote, maintain and restore population health. The course will explore social determinants of health and their impact on individuals, communities, and society at large. Principles of community health nursing will aid students to demonstrate population-based competencies of engaging stakeholders and community-based organizations to improve the health of individuals, families, and specific aggregate groups. Theories related to cultural humility and population-based care will be explored for their impact on epidemiological illness rates in rural and underserved communities. A clinical practicum will enable learners to utilize evidence-based practice and quality improvement science to complete and examine a community needs assessment. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 130 , NUR 131 , and NUR 134 ; Co-requisite: NUR 141 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 141 - Family and Patient Centered Care of Children and Adolescents

    Semester Hours: 6
    This course allows students to integrate and apply their scientific knowledge and experiences to improve the health and wellness of children within the context of family-centered care. A family-centered framework guides this course’s focus on health promotion, acute and chronic health conditions, and rehabilitative needs of pediatric populations. The nursing process and ethical consideration are used with an emphasis on the developmental, physiological, psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual care of the child within the family unit. Using the nursing process, strategies are formulated for promoting, enhancing, and maintaining optimal functioning of the child-family unit. A clinical practicum to develop student competencies in providing nursing care to pediatric patients and families during each phase of the childbearing cycle is included. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 133  and NUR 134 ; Co-requisite: NUR 140 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing program. 



  • NUR 145 - Capstone Integration of Evidence Based Nursing in Health Systems

    Semester Hours: 6
    This course allows students to integrate and apply their scientific knowledge and experiences to improve the health and wellness of patients with commonly occurring medical-surgical problems in the acute care setting. The emphasis of this course is on the use of the nursing process and in developing competence in providing and coordinating nursing care. The course includes clinical practicum to allow the student the opportunity to integrate theoretical concepts and clinical practice in diverse adult populations. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Prerequisite: NUR 118 , NUR 140 , NUR 141 ; Co-requisite: NUR 119 ; Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



  • NUR 146 - Health Policy and Advocacy

    Semester Hours: 2
    This course will examine the health care policy environment, including the economics and politics of health care policy. Students will explore institutional, local, regional, national, and international approaches to public health, population health, health systems, and determination of research and development priorities. Students will be engaged in the discussion of a variety of critical, contemporary policy issues such as health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, the increase of medical expenditures, the effects of the Affordable Care Act, the evolution of managed care, and comparison of other nations’ healthcare systems. Students will examine the role of the registered professional nurse in the advocacy of public policy. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Open only to students enrolled in the Nursing  program.



Physician Assistant Studies

Go to information for this department.

Courses

Physician Assistant Studies (PHA)

  • PHA 101 - Physician Assistant Seminar I

    Semester Hours: 1
    Spring
    This introductory course examines the historical development of the Physician Assistant (PA) profession, PA education, and the PA’s role in the interdisciplinary team and various practice settings. The course also provides an overview of professional, legal, and ethical issues that PAs encounter in clinical practice.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    This course can only be taken by students enrolled in the Direct Entry Physician Assistant program .



  • PHA 102 - Physician Assistant Seminar II

    Semester Hours: 1
    Spring
    This course will provide an introduction to the communication skills essential for the physician assistant (PA) to develop in order to successfully interact with patients, their families, and other members of the health care team. Emphasis will be placed on effective interviewing techniques and examining the boundaries of the patient encounter. The course will also focus on developing useful strategies for conflict resolution.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    PHA 101 . This course can only be taken by students enrolled in the Direct Entry Dual Physician Assistant Program .



  • PHA 103 - Physician Assistant Seminar III

    Semester Hours: 1
    Spring
    This course is designed to provide the pre-physician assistant student with a basic understanding of clinical symptoms involved in the evaluation of common disease processes. Emphasis is placed on illness by symptom, rather than by disease. This unique approach will provide the student with the foundation necessary to progress from symptoms to a differential diagnosis to treatment decisions in the professional phase of the program.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    PHA 101 , 102 . This course can only be taken by students enrolled in the Direct Entry Physician Assistant program .