Intellectual and Conceptual Foundations

This foundational course will examine the philosophy of nursing knowledge including foundations of nursing theory; concept development; and its application to research. Students will explore approaches to the analysis and development of concepts and the application of nursing concepts and frameworks to clinical practice and research. Ideas, assumptions, events, people, and writings are examined for their influence, inter-relationships and significance to nursing.  Types of reasoning will be evaluated within the context of nursing and health. Major theories, frameworks and concepts of nursing and health, and their implication for research will be discussed. The focus of the course will be on development of critical thinking skills in analyzing key elements of philosophies, concepts and conceptual frameworks.