Nursing
It’s More Than a Job
What kinds of jobs and specialties await
you when you earn your nursing degree?
A degree in nursing will prepare you for a variety of professional career paths, such as:
Hospital registered nurse
Clinical nurse
Nurse manager
Nursing director
Nurse educator
Clinical research nurse
Public health nurse
Quality assurance or improvement coordinator
Case manager
What’s the Difference at DWU?
- You’ll graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) and be better prepared to serve patients, enjoy more employment opportunities, career advancements, and higher pay.
- Find a job that matches your passion. DWU holds a 100% job placement rate for nursing graduates.
- Spend your class time learning in the Glenda K. Corrigan Health Sciences Center with four high-tech simulation labs.
- With DWU clinical partnerships, you’ll gain experience in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, community agencies and others.
- DWU nursing graduates have a high pass rate with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). After you graduate, you will be eligible and ready for the exam.
Accreditation
The Arlene Gates Department of Nursing at Dakota Wesleyan University prepares students for meaningful careers in professional nursing in a liberal arts setting. The baccalaureate program at Dakota Wesleyan University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791. The nursing program has been granted full approval status for the B.S. and the LPN-B.S. programs by the South Dakota Board of Nursing, 4305 S. Louise Ave., Suite 201, Sioux Falls, SD 57106-3115, 605-362-2760.
Nursing Courses
Your nursing classes will take you from the classroom to the simulation lab to the clinical site.
Refer to our handy Curriculum Plan to envision
what your semesters might look like.
NUR 320 Fundamental Nursing Concepts II
3 Hours
This clinical, lab and didactic course allows students to gain fundamental competency of foundational nursing content and skills. Emphasis is on introductory medical/surgical concepts that focus on acute illness and health alterations. Lifespan, culture and diversity considerations for health and illness are explored. Students will use the nursing process, nursing diagnosis and clinical reasoning to apply fundamental concepts learned to lab, class, and clinical settings. Prerequisites: NUR 218, NUR 326, NUR 310, NUR 321. Corequisites: NUR 342, NUR 426, NUR 332.
NUR 310 Fundamental Nursing Concepts I
3 Hours
This clinical, lab and didactic course allows students to gain basic competency of foundational nursing skills. Students focus on beginning nursing concepts including patient documentation, communication, safety, asepsis, elimination, functional ability, and mobility. Students apply fundamental nursing concepts using the nursing process and nursing diagnosis as a guide for nursing care in the clinical setting. Prerequisites: NUR 316. Corequisites: NUR 318, NUR 321, NUR 326.
NUR 218 Introduction to Professional Nursing Concepts
3 Hours
This didactic course covers fundamental concepts in nursing. Students explore foundational concepts that allow application to the discipline of nursing. A signature assignment based on core course competencies validates student learning. Prerequisites: NUR 316. Corequisites: NUR 326, NUR 310, NUR 321.
NUR 115 Basic Patient Care
3 Hours
This didactic and lab course covers basic patient care skills. Participation in the classroom and lab allows students to develop competency of how to provide basic care to patients in the healthcare setting. This course prepares students for application of these skills to the discipline of nursing. A signature assignment based on core course competencies validates student learning.
NUR 110 Medical Terminology
1 Hours
This course is the study of medical terminology. It includes the definition and use of medical terms common to many health-related professionals. This is an online course.
NUR 450 Transition to Professional Practice
3 Hours
This clinical course provides students with the opportunity to gain competency in independent professional nursing practice and to apply, integrate, synthesize, and evaluate all concepts learned throughout the program. Students gain experience in a structured clinical setting through one-on-one collaboration with a dedicated preceptor. This allows students to gain experience for transition into entry level nursing practice. Prerequisites: NUR 408, NUR 410, NUR 318. Corequisites: NUR 423, NUR 418, NUR 440.
NUR 440 Nursing Concepts in Research
3 Hours
This didactic course allows students to focus on developing an evidenced based practice foundation. Students explore evidenced based practice, research designs and ethics in research. Emphasis is placed on the connection of research to patient centered care, safety, quality, and patient outcomes. Students gain practice with the elements of a research paper. Prerequisites: NUR 408, NUR 410, NUR 318. Corequisites: NUR 423, NUR 418, NUR 450.
NUR 426 Nursing Concepts in Population Health
3 Hours
This clinical and didactic course allows students to gain competency in the practice of population focused health promotion and disease and injury prevention across the lifespan. Students learn health education concepts and the effect that health disparities. health economics, culture and spirituality have on the health of a population. Infectious outbreaks are explored, and students gain experience with multidisciplinary collaboration and care coordination. Health promotion and disease prevention is integrated within the course and health care policy is assessed for its effect on the population health of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Prerequisites: NUR 218, NUR 326, NUR 310, NUR 321. Corequisites: NUR 342, NUR 320, NUR 332.
NUR 418 Concepts in Nursing Management
3 Hours
This didactic course allows students to apply concepts of nursing management to professional nursing practice. Students integrate management of care through collaborative thinking, clinical judgement, and examining healthcare quality. A reexamination and integration of nursing concepts is accomplished through an exhaustive review in preparation for the NCLEX RN exam. Prerequisites: NUR 408, NUR 411, NUR 412, NUR 318 Corequisites: NUR 423, NUR 440, NUR 450.
NUR 423 Complex Nursing Concepts
Hours
This clinical and didactic course allows students to gain competency in complex nursing content and skills. Emphasis is on higher level thinking medical/surgical concepts that focus on acute and chronic illness and health alterations. Lifespan, culture and diversity considerations for health and illness are explored. Students will use the nursing process, nursing diagnosis and clinical reasoning to apply complex concepts learned to class and clinical settings. Prerequisites: NUR 408, NUR 411, NUR 412, NUR 318 Corequisites: NUR 418, NUR 440, NUR 450.
NUR 412 Lifespan Nursing Concepts II
3 Hours
This clinical and didactic course allows students to gain competency in providing nursing care for infants, children and adolescents across the lifespan to include the context of the family. Students explore normal development and nutrition and focus on abnormal development and congenital defects. Prerequisites: NUR 320, NUR 332, NUR 342, NUR 426 Corequisites: NUR 318, NUR 408, NUR 411
NUR 411 Lifespan Nursing Concepts I
Hours
This clinical and didactic course allows students to gain competency in providing nursing care for childbearing clients and their families across the lifespan to include pregnancy, birth, and the newborn period. Students explore women’s health, male/female reproduction, and contraception. Prerequisites: NUR 320, NUR 332, NUR 342, NUR 426 Corequisites: NUR 318, NUR 408, NUR 412
NUR 408 Advanced Nursing Concepts
Hours
This clinical and didactic course allows students to gain competency of advanced nursing content and skills. Emphasis is on higher level thinking medical/surgical concepts that focus on acute illness and health alterations. Lifespan, culture and diversity considerations for health and illness are explored. Students will use the nursing process, nursing diagnosis and clinical reasoning/judgement to apply advanced concepts learned to class and clinical settings. Prerequisites: NUR 320, NUR 332, NUR 342, NUR 426 Corequisites: NUR 318, NUR 411, NUR 412 5
NUR 342 Mental & Social Health Nursing Concepts
Hours
This clinical and didactic course allows students to gain competency in the care of individuals across the lifespan that are experiencing mental illness. Students examine acute and chronic mental illness and the affect that social health has on these clients. The course allows students to gain experience in the care of clients with mental illness and allows an examination of treatment options and community and private resources for this population. Prerequisites: NUR 218, NUR 326, NUR 210, NUR 321 Corequisites: NUR 342, NUR 320, NUR
NUR 332 Nutrition Concepts in Health and Illness
Hours
This didactic course covers basic concepts of nutrition related to the discipline of nursing practice. Students explore principles of human nutrition in health and during illness in clients across the life span. Prerequisites: NUR 218, NUR 326, NUR 310, NUR 321. Corequisites: NUR 342, NUR 426, NUR 320.
NUR 326 Nursing Concepts in Pharmacology
Hours
This course provides the foundation of basic pharmacology for professional nurses in general practice. Emphasis is on collaborative nursing management required for pharmacological therapies for healthcare participants across the lifespan. The course incorporates core drug knowledge related to therapeutic use, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, contraindications, adverse effects, and drug interactions with other drugs/food. Dosage calculations and basic conversions are explored while maintaining client safety. Prerequisites: NUR 316. Corequisites: NUR 218, NUR 310, NUR 321.
NUR 321 Health Assessment Nursing Concepts
Hours
This lab and didactic course allow students to gain competency in comprehensive health assessment skills and basic concepts of health promotion and disease prevention. Students learn and practice skills related to communication, health assessment, promoting well-being, and lab and diagnostic testing. Students integrate nursing process and nursing diagnosis and learn techniques to gather and record patient data. A signature assignment based on core course competencies validates student learning. Prerequisites: NUR 316. Corequisites: NUR 218, NUR 326, NUR 310.
NUR 318 Concepts in Nursing Leadership
Hours
This didactic course allows students to apply concepts of nursing leadership to professional nursing practice. Students integrate communication, leadership styles, professional values, ethics, systems thinking, and multidisciplinary collaboration into practice. Informatics and technology are also explored. Prerequisites: NUR 342, NUR 320, NUR 426, NUR 332. Corequisites: NUR 408, NUR 411, NUR 412.
NUR 316 Nursing Concepts in Pathophysiology
Hours
This didactic course covers basic concepts in pathophysiological processes and their effect on multiple body systems. Students explore the effect and progression of selected disease entities in client populations. This course provides a foundation for clinical judgement, diagnosis, and management of clients experiencing existing alterations in or risks for alterations in health status. Prerequisites: BIO 220, CHM 113/CHM 113L. Corequisites: BIO 233, BIO 330.
Get to Know Your Professors
Our caring and compassionate faculty and staff will guide you through your education right up to the day you participate in your pinning ceremony, one of the most meaningful days to
a new nurse.
Angela Klumb, B.S.N., RN
Instructor of Nursing
Paige Gau, M.S.N., RN, CPN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Penny Tilton, DNP, M.S.N., RN
Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing | Administrative Chair of Nursing
Sarah Raml, M.A., RN
Instructor of Nursing
Stacey Patzlaff, M.S.N., RN
Associate Professor in the Department of Nursing
Clinical Experiences
Gain clinical experience in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, and other community agencies. You may have the opportunity to work some clinical hours in a rural setting.
Avera Achieve Sponsorship Program
Through the Avera Achieve Sponsorship Program, you will have the opportunity to apply for a special scholarship and career placement opportunity.
Avera will support selected sophomore DWU nursing students with $20,000 in education funding for their junior and senior years as long as they successfully complete their studies and commit to working as nurses at Avera for three years following graduation.
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