This course prepares RN-to-BSN students to understand and influence the policies that shape healthcare delivery, professional nursing practice, and population health. Building on prior nursing experience, students examine the U.S. healthcare system, the policy-making process, healthcare legislation, financing, regulatory agencies, ethics, and the social determinants of health while analyzing their impact on healthcare access, quality, safety, equity, and patient outcomes. Through the integration of evidence-based practice, systems thinking, leadership, advocacy, and interprofessional collaboration, students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze, influence, implement, and evaluate health policy at the local, state, national, and global levels. Emphasis is placed on the nurse's role as a leader, advocate, and change agent in advancing health equity, improving healthcare systems, and promoting high-quality, person-centered care consistent with the AACN Essentials (2021) and contemporary standards for professional nursing practice.
RN license
Admission to the RN-to-BSN Completion track