Graduate Courses

Scholarly Practice Advancement Research project (SPAR ) (3)

MSN

Students in the MSN program may complete the program requirements by completing a MSN SPAR Project (NURS 595 – Scholarly Practice Advancement Research project (SPAR), 3 credits). Typically, students register for this option from the first term of enrolment into the program and work on the SPAR alongside the completion of their required and optional course work (30 credits). The SPAR project must be completed under the supervision of a faculty member and a proposal for the project has to be prepared and approved by the supervisor and one additional supervisory committee member. The initial steps towards proposal development can be undertaking under the guidance of the provisional advisor, assigned to each student from the start of the program (please find below specific guidelines for proposal development).

The SPAR represents an original piece of scholarship that builds on knowledge and skills acquired from coursework. The SPAR project may take a variety of forms and will draw on accepted research and synthesis methodologies to address topics relevant to the discipline of nursing. The SPAR project will typically focus on an issue of immediate relevance to an area of nursing practice, which might be inclusive of clinical, educational, leadership, health policy, or health administrative domains. The overall aim of a SPAR project - that is narrower in scope and focus than a thesis - is to provide a critical analysis of an issue that will inform decision-making within the nursing profession and advance practice and health care. Such critical analyses are evidence and theoretically informed.

How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

Social Epidemiology: Special Populations (3)

MSN

This course focuses on trends, social and institutional policies and practices that influence the health and illness profiles of particular population groups. With a particular focus on seniors; trends in the social organization of service delivery for their impact on the health of seniors.

PHD, MSN and MN Students may be eligible to register with the instructor's permission. Please send a statement of intent (1 page / 250 words) to demonstrate knowledge in the substantive area to instructor, and copy student.services@nursing.ubc.ca to obtain permission. 

Objectives:

• Draw upon evidence to analyze the ways that population trends and social and institutional policies shape the health and illness experiences of older people
• Critically analyze the relationships between population trends and subsequent development of social and institutional policies and resource allocation
• Apply insights about the relationships between population trends and social and institutional policies to the appraisal of older peoples' health and fitness
• Propose strategies that support the development of person-centered, evidence based policies to support older people experiencing health and illness trajectories of aging

How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

Special Topics in Nursing - Enacting Philosophies of Care (6)

MSN

This course examines the interface between aging & health and examines how different philosophies to care are enacted in a range of practice settings and considers indicators of their impact on seniors health. The course includes field work and site visits.  

Objectives:

• Draw upon evidence to analyze different philosophies of care and how they are enacted in Seniors' health across care settings
• Critically analyze the relationship between enacting philosophies of care and the broader sociopolitical-cultural contexts
• Apply insights about the relationships between enacting philosophies of care and the broader socio-political-cultural contexts to leadership in Seniors' Care
• Propose leadership strategies that support the enactment of philosophies of care within the broader socio-political-cultural contexts of Seniors' Care

How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

Specialized Domains of Nursing Practice - Health Informatics (3)

MSN

Nursing and clinical informatics is an applied field and an area of study which focuses on the application and critique of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the context of healthcare. Students will examine theoretical, historical and current issues in nursing and clinical informatics, and examine both the positive and negative implications of using technologies in the clinical setting. Topics will include the professional role of nurses and other professions in the design and use of technologies, organizational factors, human factors, software development and implementation, legal, privacy and ethical issues, patient use of technologies for healthcare, and best practices for patient safety, knowledge translation and evidence-based practice.

Objectives:

• Critically analyze practices related to the use of information and communication technologies by nurses and other clinicians
  • Examine the history of healthcare informatics and identify implications for current care
  • Critique theories underpinning the use of information and communication technologies
  • Identify and appraise key principles of human-centred design and organizational factors related to the implementation and use of ICT by clinicians and patients
• Critically examine best practices to ensure that clinical information systems are designed to adequately capture nursing and clinical care (data structures, nursing knowledge representation, data collection as by-product of care)
  • Articulate infrastructure required for adequate health information exchange across the care continuum
  • Analyze implications of using the system development life cycle (SDLC) in the context of healthcare
  • Identify technology design issues that may impact patient safety (e.g., technology induced errors)
  • Critically reflect on roles of nurses, other professionals and patients in the development and maintenance of healthcare computer systems 
  • Examine privacy, legal and ethical implications of the use of ICT by clinicians and patients

• Formulate and critically analyze a plan to implement healthcare technologies to facilitate evidence based practice while ensuring patient safety

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  How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

  Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

   

Specialized Domains of Nursing Practice - Healthy Infant and Child Development (3)

MSN

In this course, students will critically examine past and current theoretical perspectives and concepts in informing understanding and research in infant and child growth The course will consider infant and child development in the context of changes in health care, discourses from health care providers, and shifting work and gender roles in families. Major social and cultural, as well as bio-behavioral influences on normal growth and development will be explored. Particular topics of interest to students in the class can be explored in more detail in the seminars. Key writing in the area of infant and child development will be critically analyzed.
This seminar course offers opportunity to critically examine relationships among personal, interpersonal, and contextual features that affect infant and child development. The course will consider infant and child development in the context of the child’s family, national priorities, changes in health care and discourses from health care providers. Concepts such as infant/ child attachment, resiliency and self-regulation will be highlighted. The development of a more sophisticated understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of current understanding of interrelated factors and adequacy in informing and guiding research and health care interventions to foster children’s growth and development is part of the learning process.

Objectives:

• Analyze and critique selected publications on infant and child development
• Critically examine trends and the strength and limitations of theories of infant and child attachment and self-regulation in informing and guiding research and best practices
• Analyze interrelated factors and environments that influence infant and child development
• Consider sources of variability that may foster or impede growth and development trajectory across diverse populations of infants and children and sub-populations
• Draw conclusion of the strengths, limitations and effectiveness of selected intervention studies developed to promote maternal infant interaction and optimal neurodevelopment over the infant’s first few years of life
• Critically examine your assumptions and positions with regard to important elements of child development and their effects on your practice

• Apply your understanding to develop critical questions about directions for nursing practice and/or education to foster infant and child growth and development

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  How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

  Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

   

Specialized Domains of Nursing Practice - Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Adolescent Health (3)

MSN

In this course students will critically evaluate the theoretical approaches that inform adolescent health care and research, explore the evidence for key health issues among various populations of youth, and evaluate interventions, research, or policy affecting specific areas of adolescent health and vulnerability. Although, the course focuses primarily on a population health approach rather than clinical practice in acute care settings, the content will be useful for a variety of disciplines that work with young people in health and community settings.

Objectives:

• Identify the major approaches to conceptualising adolescent health and risks to health from various disciplines.
• Draw upon various sources of information about key health issues for diverse populations of adolescents.
• Evaluate the use of different theoretical approaches in guiding research on adolescent health.
• Evaluate strengths and limits of key theories in guiding health promotion and health care for youth.
• Recognize some of the implicit theoretical and ideological perspectives underlying policies or programs to promote the health of adolescents.
• Critically evaluate the potential fit between the goals and the theory.
• Apply theories to develop a research, practice, or policy proposal to address a priority health issue for a population of adolescents.

• Identify gaps in theoretical development for adolescent health promotion.

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  How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

  Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

   

Specialized Domains of Nursing Practice - Nursing and Health Care in Historical Perspective (3)

MSN

Exploration of nursing and health care history. This course offers an opportunity to understand changes in nursing practice and health care in their historical context. Past approaches in the history of nursing practice are analysed in the broader context of changes in health care and shifting work and gender relationships. Major social and cultural influences, such as religion, gender, class, ethnicity, and education as well as the impact of institutional health care and science on the evolution of nursing practice will be explored. Main events and ideas, such as the rise of the modern hospital, public health, the threat of disease and changing social circumstances that shaped nursing and health care are included in the list of topics covered in the course. These topics will be examined based on critical analysis of historical readings. Approaches to historical inquiry will be explored in selected experiential activities.

Objectives:

• Analyze and critique selected secondary works on the history of nursing and health care to develop an understanding of the broader social context that has shaped nursing and health care over time
• Examine and analyze events and ideas influential to nursing and health care
• Explore the use of historical methods of analysis for raising contemporary nursing issues questions
• Critique your own views with regard to the development of nursing and articulate and critically evaluate selected questions on the history of nursing practice and interventions

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  How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

  Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

Specialized Domains of Nursing Practice - Organizational Considerations for Fostering Health (3)

MSN

The section of NURS 586 is specially designed for the students' enrolled in the MHLP in Seniors Care program.  It focuses on the organizational considerations for fostering health and managing health threats for seniors. 

PHD, MSN and MN Students may be eligible to register with the instructor's permission. Please send a statement of intent (1 page / 250 words) to demonstrate knowledge in the substantive area to instructor, and copy student.services@nursing.ubc.ca to obtain permission. 

How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

Specialized Domains of Nursing Practice - Violence in Families: Advanced Understandings and Responses (3)

MSN

This course builds upon a basic understanding of violence in families over the lifespan and presents a critical analysis to intervention strategies. It provides an overview of assessment, prevention and intervention strategies for social workers and nurses in their professional interactions with clients/patients who have experienced or perpetrated violence at different stages of their lifecycle. Interventions are considered in terms of the socio-political context of individuals and/or families and individual vulnerabilities due to age, gender, class and ethnicity. Inter-professional collaboration in providing intervention strategies will be emphasized.

Objectives:

• Appreciate and understand the social context in which violence occurs
• Identify the risk markers to and signs and symptoms of different types of abuse in families and assess for presence of violence
• Identify the appropriate types of interventions for different types of abuse
• Appreciate the value of close collaborative practice between nurses and social workers and with allied health, social service, and legal services

• Appreciate and promote violence prevention strategies

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  How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, please select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

  Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...) 

   

The Philosophy of Evidence (3)

PhD

This course presents a study of changing paradigms of nursing science in historical perspective. It includes a critical analysis of constructs and theories in nursing science. The focus is on both theoretical analysis and empirical investigation. Prerequisite: NURS 511 or equivalent.      

Objectives:

• Interpret the evolution of nursing as an academic discipline and its relationship to the profession
• Interpret the social context and historical development of scientific knowledge
• Describe the relationships between ontological, epistemological and methodological positions
• Articulate logical and coherent claims about the nature of scientific evidence in a practice discipline
• Analyze the philosophical underpinnings and theoretical implications of a range of knowledge claims

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  How to access your course in the UBC Course Schedule: In the top right corner of the page, p lease select the correct session (W or S), select your course from the list of NURS courses, and click on the course & session number (e.g NURS 123 XXX) to read the published notes for that section. To register as a student you must logged in with your CWL. 

  Link to UBC Course Schedule (For Registration, restrictions, etc...)