This course will examine concepts and issues that influence advanced nursing practice such as health teaching, policy development, programme planning, environmental health concerns, family relationships, cultural influences and selected health care problems. Professional issues and strategies which can facilitate the development of the nursing profession will be examined. Consideration will be given to selected variables influencing the development and resolution of issues. Additionally, it will focus on health care economics and policy analysis of current health care problems and issues. The student will examine the role of the advanced nurse practitioner in health policy formulation and political action. Advanced problem solving and decision making theories and concepts will be essential components of this course.

This course builds upon the knowledge of pathophysiology acquired at the basic level and through clinical practice; this course will focus on the application of advanced principles of pathophysiology to the diagnosis and treatment of conditions occurring across the life span and within the scope of advanced nursing practice. Additionally, appropriate screening and diagnostic laboratory evaluative methods will also be examined.

Basic pharmacologic principles and the pharmacologic actions of the major drug classes will be discussed in relation to physiologic systems. Emphasis will be on the application of these agents to advanced nursing practice. Theoretical and scientific basis for using pharmacotherapeutic principles in the treatment and management of conditions within the scope of advanced nursing practice will be highlighted. The use of clinical protocols will also be explored.

Elective Option I - Nurse Educator

The student will be taught to analyse and utilize teaching strategies, evaluation methods, and documentation methods for nursing education in the classroom and clinical settings. In addition to an emphasis on student assessment methods, programme evaluation will be emphasized. The course will also address student learning needs, as well as legal and ethical issues.

Elective Option II - Nurse Administrator

This course focuses on policy decisions related to the organization, financing, and delivery of health care in the local, national and international community. It will examine political and social forces that shape nursing practice and health care delivery at all levels. Ethical dimensions of public policy formulations and implementation will be highlighted.

Elective Option II - Nurse Administrator

This course is the practical component of NUR 812 and 814 where students will apply the knowledge gained to nursing administration. Attempt will be made to have students gain experience at various levels of health facilities i.e., primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The course provides a mix of activities including finances and auditing, minute and report writing, procurement and stores management, organisation of workshops and supervision of direct reports. Thus, students will be able to competently manage nursing activities at ward, committee and facility levels. Six hours of practical experience per week under the guidance of a mentor will be expected. Weekly seminars, regular meetings with the faculty supervisor, papers, and individual projects will be essential elements of the course.

Elective Option III - Advanced Clinical Practioner

This course focuses on interdisciplinary illness management, health promotion, and outcome management for individuals and cohorts of patients using selected theoretical frameworks to guide decision-making. Students will be taken through advanced nursing care strategies for promotion of health and disease prevention throughout the lifespan from the perspective of the advanced practitioner.

This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to integrate advanced nursing competencies with population-based public health strategies. It builds on knowledge and skills from previous courses in public health nursing. The course equips students with skills for advanced community-based interventions and outcomes measurement, while emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention interventions across the life span. Weekly seminars on advanced concepts in public health will be held. Regular meetings with the faculty-supervisor, and individual projects will be essential elements of the course.

This course examines key concepts, principles and policies related to the care of children and their families and how they are enacted in Ghana and internationally.  Six hours of clinical practice experience per week will be required. The course will provide information on the global burden of disease among children and adolescents. The focus will be on health promotion and health maintenance strategies to meet the physical, developmental, and psychosocial needs of children and adolescents. The student will be challenged to critique, adopt, or apply child care concepts and policies in planning change projects in the area of child health.Weekly seminars on advanced concepts in child health will be held. Regular meetings with the faculty-supervisor, and individual projects will be essential elements of the course.