NR593 - Independent Study Project
Health Sciences
Richard Pessagno, MSN, RN, CS E-Mail - Vita
Course Description:
This course is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to explore and study an area
of clinical nursing practice, nursing education or nursing administration, under the guidance of
the instructor. Students will select an area of study and develop a learning plan that identifies
specific learning objectives that can be evaluated in a measurable fashion. The learner is
expected to produce a scholarly paper and/or project that evidences in-depth knowledge and
research related to the topic. The student’s learning plan should state clear objectives with
measurable outcomes, with a specified time line for each process. The instructor must approve
topics, learning objectives, outcomes and the time line before the student can begin his/her
work.
Projects can include, but are not limited to: in-depth clinical case studies, research papers,
annotated bibliographies, designing and implementing a patient or a staff education teaching
program, developing a staffing model, or developing and implementing a innovative clinical
program to be utilized in the clinical setting of the learner. The project for this class should
have direct application to the student’s area of expertise. Students are encouraged to be
creative and innovative in their thinking.
This course is a self-paced learning course. Course objectives are outlined below, as are the
required text and other course requirements. Learners are expected to complete this course in a
nine-week time frame. Communication with the instructor can be completed through e-mail, US mail,
telephone and fax. Students should feel free to contact the instructor at any time during the
course for any assistance or guidance.
Course Objectives:
To incorporate advanced nursing knowledge, nursing theory and nursing research into a
formulated project that focuses on the student’s area of expertise.
To identify and analyze current trends in nursing practice and nursing research as it
applies to the student’s area of expertise.
To formulate a scholarly project or paper, integrating advanced nursing concepts and
evidencing current knowledge of applicable research to current trends in nursing practice,
nursing education and/or nursing administration.
To provide the student with the opportunity to further demonstrate, through independent
processing, the ability to apply advance nursing knowledge to the area of expertise for the
student.
American Psychological Association. (1994). Publications manual of the American Psychological
Association (4th ed.). Baltimore: Garadmond/Prideman Press. ISBN #: 1557987912
Other texts will be discussed and required based on the students learning objectives.
Grading:
Students must earn a grade of B or better in the Independent Study Project course. A grade of C
is considered marginal work for the MSN program.
Grading for the course is as follows:
A
B
C
F
93 - 100
84 - 92
83 - 75
74 and below
The student will develop a plan for evaluating his/her own learning. The instructor must approve
the plan. Each student and the instructor will negotiate assignments, papers, and exams based on
the individual students learning objectives. All papers and other written assignments are
expected to be APA format.
Students are expected to notify the instructor after enrollment in the course, so that a plan
of learning can be initiated. After the topic is agreed upon the student will be expected to
develop an outline and project schedule. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor for
guidance and direction during the course of study.
