Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Clinical

Program Requirements

Course Descriptions

Program Chart

• Clinical Nursing

  The Master of Nursing Clinical Nursing field of study program is designed to prepare nurses for clinical leadership roles in healthcare organizations in Canada and internationally. Graduates are prepared for advanced practice clinical roles such as clinical nurse specialists, nurse educators, professional practice leaders, and other related roles.

  Program Requirements

  The MN program requires 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:

  • NUR 1170H, NUR 1171H, NUR 1174H, NUR 1175H, NUR 1176H, NUR 1177H;
  • A 1.0 FCE practicum-based course (NUR 1179Y), which should be taken alone in the final session and only after completion of all other coursework and program requirements;
  • Two elective field of study courses (1.0 FCE). One of these two field of study courses may be selected from outside the Faculty of Nursing.

  Note: Effective September 2019, NUR 1017H, NUR 1034H, NUR 1022H, NUR 1028H and NUR 1072Y have been retired and replaced with NUR 1176H, NUR 1177H, NUR 1174H, NUR 1175H and NUR 1179Y.

  Students in the Clinical field follow a structured program of study, but with flexibility to enroll in clinical field of study courses based on career and academic interests, and subject to course availability. Students in the Clinical field will enroll themselves in their chosen field of study (elective) courses via ACORN. The Faculty will enroll students in all required courses.

  Year 1 course sequencing:

  • Fall – NUR1170H* and NUR1176H
  • Winter – One core field of study course** and NUR1174H
  • Summer – NUR1171H

  Year 2 course sequencing:

  • Fall – One core field of study course** and  NUR1175H
  • Winter – One core field of study course** and NUR1177H
  • Summer – NUR1179Y*

  *NUR1170H and NUR1179Y include a required practicum component, and associated in-class learning activities. There are 24 practicum hours in NUR1170H and 160 hours in NUR1179Y.  NUR1179Y must be taken alone in the final semester and only after completion of all other coursework and program requirements.

  **Students must complete 2 core field of study courses over the first 5 semesters of the program.

  NOTE: Clinical students may take one field of study course offered by another department or faculty, subject to approval by the Program Lead and Director, Graduate Programs. Students wishing to take a course outside the faculty should contact the Registrar for assistance with course enrolment.

  Placement Practicum Requirements

  See the Graduate Placements section of the website.

• Courses

  Note: Not all Core Courses are offered every year.  Please consult the course timetables and plan accordingly.

  Course
  NUR1016H Health Systems, Policy and the Profession Identify and critically examine health policy in Canada with specific attention to Ontario. The structure of the Canadian health care system, policy initiatives and relevant legislation are examined along with the role of the nurse, the nursing profession and other stakeholders in influencing the system. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1021H Nursing Ethics Nurses encounter ethical concerns and dilemmas in all facets of their professional lives. This course will focus on critically examining these concerns and dilemmas through the lens of ethical theory. Although the course will survey a number of theoretical approaches, it will focus on feminist health care ethics in order to capture the interface of ethics and politics. A number of substantive issues will be examined including those pertaining to nurse-patient relationships, the moral agency of nurses, the beginning and end of life, health policy, public health, and globalization. Throughout, the course will make visible the recurrent themes of power, nursing competence, and the importance of human connectedness and difference in nursing ethics. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1032H Group Process and Professional Practice Much of a nurses professional life is spent in groups, including team meetings, committees and client/ patient groups. Groups may be small (two or three individuals of family members) or large (community groups or clients/patients with common health problems). Effective group leadership requires an understanding of both group and interpersonal process. Focus on understanding principles of group process: what are the characteristics of an effective group; how are these effects achieved; what is the life cycle of a group; what are common impediments to an effective group. A brief overview of different group modalities and application is presented. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1030H Principles of Leadership and Advanced Clinical Practice in Emergency Preparedness This course teaches nurses and other health care professionals the principles required to prevent/mitigate, prepare for, facilitate, manage and coordinate prompt and effective management and recovery for a wide variety of major emergency and disaster situations within local, national, and global contexts. Four key emergency management components are addressed: Prevention and Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. An all hazards approach is emphasized including natural and human-induced hazards and disasters. Natural events such as hurricanes , technological events such as explosions, human events such as terrorism, special events such as mass gatherings, and context hazards such as climate change will be considered. Hospital and public health/community management approaches will be addressed with a focus on empowering people through prevention/education and fostering community resilience. Topics that will be covered include the principles guiding emergency management, disaster life cycle, disaster action planning, human responses in major emergency/disaster situations, key ethical/cultural/legal issues, mass casualty triage, managing emergency related infectious diseases, personal safety and security, surge capacity, community resilience, and leadership. Health will be considered within a Primary Health Care context as identified by the WHO's (2008) document: Primary Health Care: Now More Than Ever. Students are expected to prepare for & participate actively in the seminars, to learn within communities of learning, and to lead one of the class seminars together with peers. This course is developed for nurses and other health care professionals as well as for individuals who may be involved in emergency management for public health emergencies. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1036H Advanced Nursing Practice in Oncology The course will focus on the examination of theory and research literature from the physiological, socio-behavioural, medical, and nursing sciences for application in advanced level nursing practice in the care of adults and children with cancer and their families across the cancer continuum. Emphasis will be placed on a reflective practitioner model to facilitate the participants ability to apply theory and evidence in advanced level nursing practice to address common issues in the clinical course of cancer in the context of the multidisciplinary team. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1038H Social Determinants of Health in a Global Context This course defines health inequalities as unfair and avoidable differences in health, and applies a social determinants of health (SDOH) framework to address two related central questions. First, what are the social conditions that are responsible for health inequalities? Second, how are social inequalities in health generated and reproduced over time and place? Answering the former question involves identifying the non-medical factors and social conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age that are primarily responsible for health inequalities. This includes SDOH such as socioeconomic position, social class, economic inequality, race, ethnicity, nationality, migration, gender, residential environments, and work organizations. Addressing the latter question involves understanding how SDOH are affected by unequal power relations, including social closure, exploitation, racism, patriarchy, housing segregation, and employment relations. By examining which SDOH produce health inequalities and how social relations affect the distribution of SDOH, this course aims to develop a more critical understanding of why some people and populations are healthier than others. Given that SDOH is a multidisciplinary field of study, we will be guided by the theoretical and methodological insights ranging from social epidemiology to medical sociology and political economy. Moreover, the scope of this courses context will include both North America as well as global and comparative contexts. Students will learn key health inequality concepts and methods, be exposed to the state of the art literature on SDOH, and will develop a critical perspective on structured forms of inequality that creates advantaged and disadvantaged groups. This course is specifically designed to further develop your knowledge, skill, and judgment competencies related to the Canadian National Association categories of research, leadership, and change agent. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1040H Issues in Women's Health Care Engage in study of current issues in women's health care including several vital emerging theoretical, methodological and political debates in the field. Contextualize debates within the socio-historical context of a changing health care system. Analyses based solely on gender are no longer adequate to explain the complex problems encountered in a social world where distinctions such as class, race, ethnicity and (dis)ability form the basis of vastly different experiences of health and health care. Important tensions at the front lines of health care are encountered daily by women in various places and different positions as paid or unpaid care providers and care recipients. Discussions focus on the implications of these situated experiences of health and health care, for research in women's health, health policy, provision of health care, and for interventions which feature health education. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1043H Theories of Interpersonal Process Regardless of the clinical setting in which practice occurs, a fundamental aspect of clinical practice is communication. When we interact with clients/patients, we bring to the interaction our own histories. Examine some of the major theoretical constructs that influence the interpersonal process. Particular attention is paid to how an individual develops a sense of self and to the role of gender in the construction of self. Explore how the sense of self determines how we are with people, how readily we can hear others, and how effectively we can modify behaviours. These abilities are examined from both the clinician and the client/patient perspective. Object relations theory provides the primary theoretical perspective for examination of the interpersonal process, although other theoretical perspectives such as inter-subjectivity and self in-relation theory are considered. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1045H Theories of Pain: Impact on the Individual, Family and Society Pain is universal and exists across all ages and stages of the life cycle. Pain is a complex yet elusive phenomenon that has a major impact on the individual, family and society. A variety of conceptual and theoretical models have been developed for understanding the physiology and psychology of acute and chronic pain and for predicting the effect of pain on the individual, family and society in general. Measurement approaches and treatment modes influence the delivery of health care and the management of clinical, economic and administrative outcomes. In this seminar course, students will critically examine the theoretical basis of pain, analyze the quality and quantity of existing research that has utilized a variety of conceptual and theoretical perspectives, and critique and evaluate these perspectives in relation to clinical practice, research, theory and social health care policy. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1046H Persistent Illness: Theoretical, Research and Practice Implications Health issues that persist beyond the expected healing time have a major impact on the individual, family, and society and may include acute and/or recurrent episodes as well as life-long implications. Statistics Canada (2003) reports that 58% of Canadians aged 12 years or older have been diagnosed with one long-term condition of at least six months and many of these people are dealing with more than one condition. Their lives involve a series of challenging interconnected and time-dependent processes that have been underestimated in the health care focus on a cure. A variety of conceptual and theoretical models have been developed to facilitate an understanding of the complex experience of persistent illness and give direction for research, clinical practice, and policy approaches. Social, cultural, and institutional contexts in which people and their families receive care must be considered in any examination of clinical, administrative, and economic outcomes. Students in this course will critically examine a variety of theoretical and conceptual models developed to understand persistent illness, analyze the existing research that has utilized these perspectives, and evaluate the impact of these perspectives in relation to clinical practice, research, theory development, education, and social/political/ethical issues. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1047H Community Participation and Health This course introduces students to a holistic perspective on community participation/development theory and practice as it relates to the health of citizens. In our postmodern arena, there is a need to re-conceptualize community and to search for new alternatives for community participation that are conducive to health. To promote health requires students/professionals to appreciate how the determinants of health, such as social support, security, and peace, impact upon people in local, national, global and virtual communities. The course is divided into three areas: conceptual frameworks, applied perspectives, and student leadership. The course begins with a critical exploration of challenges to engaged community participation in local and global communities with related health impacts. Primary health care, quality of life, citizen education, human rights, national identity, and threats to water quality and accessibility will be critically analyzed and related to community capacity building for health. In the applied perspectives section, students will critically/constructively analyze community participation initiatives impacting upon health highlighting community tensions/conflict, the contested interface between governmental, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), children's health, women's economic community development, and emergency responsiveness. Experiential learning will be promoted through class site visits to the Toronto Board of Health and cultural venues, which participate in regenerating the local, highly diverse, urban environment of Toronto, Canada, including the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC). In the final section students will participate in a community of learning by working together in small groups to present a critical/constructive analysis of a local, national/provincial, or global community participation initiative. The course ending will highlight the invaluable leadership role of participating citizens/professionals as they construct sustainable and peaceful communities and take action to transform their future. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1049H Nursing Approaches to Common Physiological and Behavioural Manifestations of Critically Ill Patients Critically examine the research basis for nursing interventions used in the practice setting to manage common problems experienced by patients in a critical care setting. Benefit from the opportunity to obtain in-depth knowledge in the nursing management of patients who are critically ill. The phenomena examined are those that are common to all patients in critical care settings regardless of disease entity. For each topic, current knowledge regarding its pathophysiological basis is reviewed. This will provide the basis for discussing the effect of the phenomena on patient, both physiologically and behaviorally. Evidence to support nursing intervention is critically examined. The stress response and associated pathophysiological changes provides the framework for the discussion of: 1) alterations in sensory/perception-delirium; 2) nutrition in the critically ill patient; 3) impaired sleep and sleep deprivation; 4) weaning of ventilated patients and the associated complications; 5) prolonged immobility and associated complications; 6) pain in the critically ill patient. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1050H Coping with Illness  Critically examine theoretical and research literature regarding how people cope with acute and chronic illness. Although a number of theories of coping are explored, the work of Lazarus and his associates will provide the framework for examining the various factors which affect coping. The topics explored in-depth are those which have particular relevance for nurses caring for patients and families coping with an illness, including such topics as social support, uncertainty, self-esteem, control, etc. Research which examines how these factor influence coping form the basis for examining nursing interventions. Explore factors which influence a person's ability to cope with acute events, such as surgery or threatening procedures, and chronic situations such as a chronic illness. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1051H Assessment and Management of Common Responses to Illness This course will critically examine current research finding regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of specific nursing interventions for commonly encountered responses to illness. The relevance of the findings for clinical nursing practice will be discussed. The course will focus on common responses to illness such as fatigue, dyspnea, and difficulty sleeping. For each topic, current knowledge regarding its pathophysiological basis will provide the foundation for critically examining the current methods of assessment and intervention. The adequacy of the various methods of assessment will be examined including their suitability for people of different ages and different health conditions. The research basis for various nursing interventions will be critically examined and directions for future research explored. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1057 Interventions to Enhance Health, Abilities and Well-Being of Older Adults Examine theories and research about older people's health problems, their levels of function, their interests and quality of life. Critique and apply findings from studies of interventions and nurses and others that are effective in assisting older people to retain abilities, to manage deficits associated with aging and disease, and to enhance their well-being. Special attention is paid to caring for older people with cognitive impairments. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1059H TECHNOLGY, DIGITAL HEALTH, AND INFORMATICS FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES (Formerly: INFORMATICS: THEORY AND APPLICATION IN NURSING) Technology is ubiquitous in healthcare and nursing. Emergent technologies generate implications for future nursing practice as we move towards an increasingly digital world. This course offers an introduction to the development and significance of technology, digital health and informatics for nursing practice, administration, research and education. Issues, challenges, and opportunities related to technology and its relevance to nursing will be discussed. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to critically think about the dynamic relationship nurses have with technology, digital health and informatics, technical features related to emergent technologies, and the social and ethical considerations related to the future and role of nursing. (3 hours/week)
  NUR1067H MENTAL HEALTH TOPICS IN ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING (Formerly: RECOVERY-ORIENTED MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEMS OF CARE) In the field of mental health and addictions there has been a recent recognition of the importance of explicitly including a focus upon recovery into theories and practices regarding the delivery of care. This focus includes empowerment of consumers and family members, attention to their subjective experiences, and the use of person-centred and strength-based approaches to clinical practice, research and policy. This course will examine current and best practice approaches to treating various populations with a special emphasis on those with severe and persistent mental illness. It will also examine programmatic, policy and research applications of the recovery-focused paradigm.
  NUR1074H Facilitating Learning: Nursing Perspectives This course will prepare nursing students to utilize an evidence-based approach to facilitate learning in nursing practice/education. This interactive course is divided into three areas: theoretical perspectives, applied perspectives, and student leadership. The course begins by reflecting upon PHC values and principles, teaching/learning values and styles, and a wide range of learning theories. Learners will explore highlights of learning theories each of which has particular pedagogies that guide learning. These will include conventional/behaviouristic, self-directed, experiential, developmental, critical, feminist, transformational, adult learning theories, constructivism, social constructivism, reflection in/on action, arts based learning and emerging technological learning theories. Social constructivism, a pedagogy that focuses on learner-centered approaches, will be explored in depth. In the applied perspectives section, students will critically/constructively analyze best practices in facilitating health literacy, nursing simulations/clinical education, on-line learning, and knowledge translation. In the final section students will participate in a community of learning by working together in small groups to present a critical/constructive analysis of one topic related to best practices in facilitating learning. These topics are relevant to clinical practice and/or nursing education/continuing education. Topics include supporting effective facilitation, best practices in facilitation, and assessment of learning. The course will conclude with reflections upon facilitating learning within nursing contexts. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1077H Implementation Science in Healthcare Open to 2nd year MN students only. Please contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Implementation science is built on the foundation of effective utilization of evidence in practice through a series of processes and theoretical models defined under the umbrella of knowledge translation. Knowledge translation (KT) is defined as the exchange, synthesis and ethically-sound application of knowledge within a complex system of interactions among researchers and users to accelerate the capture of the benefits of research for Canadians through improved health, more effective services and products and a strengthened health care system (CIHR). This course will address the definitional, theoretical, methodological, clinical, evaluative and sustainable aspects of Implementation Science (commonly referred to as KT) reflected as an integral component in (a) the thesis of the doctoral level student who is interested in evaluating KT interventions or methods; (b) the thesis of the doctoral level student to maximize the impact and generalizability of their research results and to enhance scholarly outputs or (c) a selected initiative of the senior Masters level student (Year 2) demonstrating the application of research into practice (based on availability and permission of the instructor). In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1083H Comparative Politics of Health Policy in Globalizing World  This course takes students into a multidisciplinary approach that integrates national and global politics in the explanation of how health policies are generated and implemented, and how those politics shape population health. Emphasis is put in an understanding of specific health problems, political forces and political economy, both national and international that shape population health. In the first section the course begins with the robust descriptive empirical typology of welfare state types that has been associated with different health outcomes in wealthy countries. The next section devotes several weeks to theories of political and policy change including power resources, institutionalism, class, gender and race movements in health care reform, micro-approaches to health policy development, and policy diffusion models. The third section on national health systems compares the health systems of Liberal, Social democratic and Christian democratic welfare state types in EU countries. The course then presents the health care systems of East Asia and Latin America. The last section brings an international perspective into the politics of health policy by analyzing the impact of the neo-liberal globalization on health care systems. The course ends by reviewing current developments in Canada and around the world to provide alternatives and future directions. In-class 3 hours/week Program Requirements Course Type: Core Course Clinical Field
  NUR1170H Introduction to Advanced Practice Nursing NUR1170H is the first course in the MN Clinical Field and lays a strong scholarly, practiceoriented, and skills based foundation for the program and future professional practice as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). Learners will begin to explore and understand the complexity, breadth, and in-depth knowledge required to respond to the health needs of individuals, families, groups, communities and populations in advanced practice roles. The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has identified core competencies required of APNs in the document 'Advanced Nursing Practice: A National Framework' (CNA, 2008) as well as core competencies specific to the Clinical Nurse Specialist role (CNA, 2014). These two frameworks are used in the course in addition to multiple sources of scholarly literature and contemporary ideas of advanced nursing practice. This course specifically provides learners with opportunities to begin to develop the knowledge, skills, and judgment to enact the role of an APN. The course includes a practicum placement of 24 hours with an APN in any one of the following health care delivery settings: acute care hospitals, the community, long term care, or complex continuing care. The practicum placement should align with the individual student’s learning goals and future career goals and focus on the multifaceted breadth of skills needed for advanced nursing practice.
  NUR1171H Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing NUR1171H is the second field of study course in the Masters of Nursing Clinical Field. The overall purpose of this course is to help prepare students to provide or contribute to the delivery of nursing care at an advanced level by exploring in-depth knowledge of the contexts of healthcare, interpersonal relations, and group process. We will focus on exploring a selection of key topics in the socio economic contexts of health, interpersonal process, group process, and organizational/institutional dynamics that shape the work of advanced practice nurses in a range of healthcare settings. Critical frameworks on health/disease and a psychodynamic perspective inform this course. Learners will be expected to draw on the relevant literature, their clinical and scholarly experiences from NUR1170H, and their own subjectivities when exploring ideas in this course. This course is organized into four modules: (1) Critical Approaches to Health and Illness; (2) Transitions in Healthcare; (3) Interpersonal Relations in Nursing Practice; and (4) Group Process. Students will be encouraged to critically look at key health/nursing practice issues from multiple perspectives and dimensions (e.g. socio-political, ethical, institutional, etc.) that is required of a nurse at an advanced level.
  NUR1174H Research Design, Appraisal, and Utilization: Clinical The focus of this course is on the critical examination of clinical nursing research, with an emphasis on maintaining the links between the research problem, theory, and research methods. Consideration is given primarily to quantitative research approaches, designs, data collection and analysis, and implementing and disseminating findings. Strategies for critically analyzing research studies and for utilizing research findings in clinical practice are discussed. At the end of this course, you should be able to become a confident and efficient user of health care research, and an advocate for evidence-based practice. Course content falls within the following major categories: 1. Why should research inform practice? The benefits - and stress - of making decisions about the best form of care for a patient. Formulating a clear, answerable health care question. 2. Finding the evidence: searching relevant databases. 3. Critical appraisal of research publications: advantages and disadvantages of common quantitative research designs. Issues include bias, confounding variables, statistical power, generalizability, interpreting results, and determining implications for practice. 4. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis: synthesizing the evidence. How to critically read a systematic review and apply its conclusion to practice. 5. Measurement: critical appraisal of reports of diagnostic and screening tests; interpreting the results of psychometric studies. 6. Strategies to implement and disseminating evidence: preparing for and implementing change in practice.
  NUR1175H Introduction to Qualitative Research: Methodologies, Appraisal and Knowledge Translation: Clinical Increasingly, qualitative modes of inquiry are used in nursing and social science research to better understand health, illness, and health care delivery. This course is designed to provide students in the Clinical Nursing field with a strong understanding of the philosophical foundations, approaches, and methods associated with qualitative research, and to acquaint students with critical issues and debates among qualitative researchers. This course will enhance students’ capacities to understand, evaluate, and utilize qualitative research in nursing and health sciences, and will contribute to their development for advanced practice.
  NUR1176H History of Ideas in Nursing Practice: Clinical This course will critically explore some aspects of the discourse of nursing through the examination and interpretation of both historical and contemporary accounts of nursing practice in light of shifting and prevailing intellectual ideas, socio-cultural and/or historical circumstances. An emphasis will be placed on both the continuities and discontinuities in nursing practice through time. This course will help students to articulate the practice of clinical nursing, its philosophical ontologies, and its relationship to or place within the contemporary historical world dominated by globalization, neoliberalism, managerialism and proliferating virtual technologies. At the same time, we will explore the distinctive contributions of nurses to the care of the sick and the running of the health care system.
  NUR1177H Program Planning and Evaluation in Nursing: Clinical In this course, you will use existing evidence and theory to: 1) develop and implement solutions for problems or issues in your practice, and 2) evaluate programs / interventions in nursing and health care. As an advanced practice nurse in Clinical Nursing, you will have many opportunities to design, implement, and evaluate new programs or interventions as well as leading changes in what and how nursing care is provided and arranged. This course will prepare you to thoroughly assess the nature and scope of a problem, as well as to design, implement, and evaluate the effects of a solution or program to address a problem. You will draw heavily from and build on what you learned in your research courses regarding evidence and interpretation of data collected using different types of research designs. This course contributes to your development as an advanced practice nurse—such as clinical, research, leadership and consultation and collaboration (Advanced Nursing Practice: A National Framework 2008). The Canadian Nurses Association has identified competencies required of advanced practice nurses in the document 'Advanced Nursing Practice: A National Framework' (2008). Specifically, this course is intended to develop your knowledge, skill, and judgment related to the CNA advanced practice competencies of research, leadership, and consultation / collaboration.
  NUR1179Y Advanced Nursing Practice Scholarship: Clinical NUR1179Y provides learners who are in the final term of their MN-Clinical program with opportunities to integrate previous learning and continue the analysis, synthesis and integration of advanced theoretical principles and concepts related to advanced nursing practice. According to the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA 2008, p9), “advanced nursing practice is an umbrella term describing an advanced level of clinical nursing practice that maximizes the use of graduate educational preparation, in-depth nursing knowledge and expertise in meeting the health needs of individuals, families, groups, communities and populations”. The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has identified core competencies required of advanced practice nurses in the document 'Advanced Nursing Practice: A National Framework' (CNA 2008). This course specifically provides you with opportunities to further develop and establish your knowledge, skills, and judgment related to CNA categories of competencies: clinical, leadership, research and consultation and collaboration. You will focus on the competencies related to the Clinical Nursing field and your future goals. You must be very familiar with this framework. Advanced nursing practice involves “analysing and synthesizing knowledge; understanding, interpreting and applying nursing theory and research; and developing and advancing nursing knowledge and the profession as a whole” (CAN 2008, p10). In this course, learners activate, build, and refine the knowledge and skills that are consistent with the core competencies as outlined in the framework including clinician, researcher, leader, and consultant/collaborator. Students are expected to integrate knowledge from previous course work as well as assigned readings. Nursing takes place in a variety of settings and contexts, including, but not limited to, hospitals, communities, clinics, and educational settings. Scholarship in advanced practice is not confined to any one role or setting. Scholarship is an attribute of the advanced practice of nurse clinicians, educators, administrators/ managers, and researchers. Thus, NUR1179Y is completed in a variety of settings to allow options and the selection of a focus for scholarship in practice that builds on the foundation of completed course work and professional experiences. These foci include clinical, education, management / administration, and research, including knowledge translation. Learners have options to pursue practicum placements in any of the following settings: acute care hospitals, the community, long-term care, complex continuing care, or colleges / universities. The practicum placement should align with the individual student’s learning goals, completed course work, and future career goals. Course participation consolidates learner development as an advanced practice nurse. Throughout the course, learners engage in the following: • a formal guiding relationship with an advanced practice nurse preceptor • demonstration of advanced nursing practice competencies (CNA, 2008) • actively participation within a community of learners to understand and integrate advanced practice nurse competencies.

   

• Clinical Field Program Chart

  Courses are prescribed and normally students progress through the program within a defined student cohort. Normally, successful completion of Year 1 courses is required for students to enter Year 2 of their program.

  The normal Clinical Field program course sequence and practicum requirements are as follows:

  	Fall Semester (Sept-Dec)	Winter Semester (Jan-Apr)	Summer Semester (Apr-Jun)
  Year 1	NUR1176H and NUR1170H      (24 clinical hours)	NUR1174H and 1 core field of study course	NUR1171H
  Year 2	NUR1175H (and option to take 1 elective outside the faculty instead of at the faculty during the winter session)	NUR1177H and 1 core field of study course	NUR 1179Y          (160 clinical hours)