Signature Healthcare
Please note: All course descriptions include semester hours for lecture, clinical/laboratory and NCLEX sessions. Curriculum plans for both the day and weekend/evening divisions follow and include semester hours of instruction for class, laboratory, clinical and NCLEX sessions. Students must follow the published curriculum plans.
Definition: Clock / Credit hours: Clock hours represent a 50 minute hour and credit hours are driven by a pre-determined ratio of theory hours to clinical / laboratory hours.
Nursing courses may or may not serve as direct credit transfer at other colleges and universities.
*Courses taught by Fisher College
NU110 Foundational Concepts of Nursing Practice
NU115 Student Success Seminar
*HE101 Human Anatomy & Physiology I
*MA130 College Mathematics with Nursing Applications
*PS105 Human Development
NU120 Care of the Family
NU116 Pharmacology for Nursing 1
*HE102 Human Anatomy & Physiology II
*EN101 English I
NU210 Adult Health I
NU117 Pharmacology for Nursing II
*HE213 Microbiology
*EN102 English II
NU220 Adult Health II
NU118 Pharmacology for Nursing III
*CM105 Public Speaking
*PH103 Ethics
*SO101 Sociology
NU250 Transition to Contemporary Nursing Practice
Nursing 101 introduces contemporary nursing and nurses’ roles in healthcare delivery systems. Concepts of human beings and health include the relatedness of physical, intellectual, emotional, sociocultural, and spiritual aspects that compose the whole person. Nursing interventions assist students in promoting, maintaining, and restoring the maximum strength of patients and families. The nursing process is taught as a systematic, problem-solving method that assists students in helping patients adapt to both internal and external environmental demands. Students develop nursing skills in the simulation laboratory. At Signature Healthcare/Brockton Hospital and community affiliations, students care for patients with basic, well-defined healthcare needs. Day, evening, and weekend hours may be used for clinical / classroom teaching. Clinical placements are two-week days.
Nursing 102 focuses on the concept that the family is the basic unit in society and that children grow both individually and as part of a family. Concepts include developmental tasks of families during the parenting process and families experiencing common medical and surgical disorders. Nursing interventions assist students in promoting, maintaining, and restoring family health to ensure cycles of optimal childbearing, childrearing, and overall health. At Signature Healthcare/Brockton Hospital and community affiliations, students care for healthy families during childbearing years, as well as children and families experiencing acute and chronic illnesses. Day, evening, and weekend hours may be used for clinical / classroom teaching. Clinical placements may be two weekdays and/or evenings or Friday evenings or every Saturday or every other weekend on both Saturday and Sunday.
Nursing 101 introduces contemporary nursing and nurses’ roles in healthcare delivery systems. Concepts of human beings and health include the relatedness of physical, intellectual, emotional, sociocultural, and spiritual aspects that compose the whole person. Nursing interventions assist students in promoting, maintaining, and restoring the maximum strengths of patients and families. The nursing process is taught as a systematic, problem-solving method that assists students in helping patients adapt to both internal and external environmental demands. This course incorporates the concept of aging as a complex and natural process. Concepts of aging, health promotion, risk reduction, health restoration, and maintenance of functional ability in older adults will be examined. Students develop nursing skills in the simulation lab. At community affiliations, students care for patients with primary, well-defined healthcare needs. Day evening and weekend hours may be used for clinical/classroom teaching. Clinical placements are two-week days.
This course is designed to assist the student in developing, adopting, and strengthening learning strategies and attitudes necessary to attain academic success. Concepts that encourage self-directed learning are explored to assist the student in assuming responsibility for learning. Weekly seminars empower the student to examine and adopt best practice techniques for studying and test-taking. Content areas include goal setting, problem-solving, study skills, test-taking strategies, test anxiety and stress reduction.
Nursing NU120 focuses on the concept that the family is the basic unit in society and that children grow both individually and as part of a family. Concepts include developmental tasks of families during the parenting process and families experiencing common medical and surgical disorders. Nursing interventions assist students in promoting, maintaining, and restoring family health to ensure cycles of optimal childbearing, childrearing, and overall health. At Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital and community affiliations, students care for healthy families during childbearing years, as well as children and families experiencing acute and chronic illnesses. Seven hours of review were added. Day, evening, and weekend hours may be used for clinical/classroom teaching. Clinical placements may be two weekdays or evenings or Friday evenings, or every Saturday or every other weekend on both Saturday and Sunday.
This course introduces the student to the pharmacological principles that will assist the student in promoting, maintaining, and restoring optimal level of wellness. Pharmacological concepts such as pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics will be explored with an emphasis on the nursing process and the safe administration of medications. The course will cover diverse patient populations across the lifespan. Specific areas of study will include family health and elder health.
This course will expand the student’s understanding of various pharmacological agents used in adult health to assist in the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of optimal levels of wellness. Utilizing the nursing process, the student will focus on various disorders and diseases requiring pharmacological intervention. Specific areas of study will include Adult Health I.
This course will expand the student’s understanding of various pharmacological agents used in adult health to assist in the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of optimal levels of wellness. Utilizing the nursing process, the student will focus on various disorders and diseases requiring pharmacological intervention. Specific areas of study will include Adult Health II and mental health.
This course focuses on the concept of aging as a complex and natural process. Concepts of aging, family impact, health promotion, risk reduction, health restoration, and maintenance of functional ability in the older adult will be examined. Application of the new information will allow students to holistically assess, plan specific nursing interventions, and implement, and evaluate optimal nursing care for older adults. At Brockton Hospital and local short-term, sub-acute older adult agencies, students care for older adults and their families. Clinical placements are for one eight-hour day or evening shift each week for six weeks. In addition, all students spent 8 hours in the simulation lab and 2 hours ATI Practice Assessment with focused review.
Nursing 210 promotes the thought that the mind and body are inseparable and include physical, intellectual, emotional, sociocultural, and environmental parts. Concepts of human caring and human relationships are related and contain clinical empathy. Students apply the best current evidence to choose nursing interventions that assist patients in promoting, maintaining, and restoring optimal levels of wellness. Students apply the nursing process to provide safe basic nursing care with minimal risk of harm to themselves and others. At Signature Healthcare/Brockton Hospital and local community affiliations, students care for patients and families dealing with frequently occurring illnesses. Clinical placements may be two weekdays and/or evenings.
This course continues to promote the thought that the mind and body are inseparable and include physical, intellectual, emotional, sociocultural, and environmental parts. Nursing 220 integrates ideas of holistic nursing and the challenges of caring for those patients who have complex emotional and physical needs. Students synthesize nursing interventions to promote, maintain, and restore the optimal level of wellness of their patients in acute care, psychiatric, and community settings. Classroom and clinical experiences guide students to integrate the best current evidence and enhance clinical expertise. At Signature Healthcare/Brockton Hospital and local community affiliations, students are offered the opportunity to provide high-quality, safe nursing care with minimal risk of harm to self and others. Day and evening hours may be used for clinical/classroom teaching. Clinical placements are two weekdays and/or evenings.
NU 250, the final course in the RN Diploma program, assists the student in transitioning into the role of the professional nurse. Students work to synthesize prior learning and gain new knowledge through precepted experiences, simulation, NCLEX-RN preparation, and study of topics related to current nursing practice in seminar format. Internships with an RN in a healthcare setting enhance the student’s role transition and ability to achieve the SLOs. As students begin the transition to the RN role, concepts related to leadership, decision-making, and prioritization in contemporary nursing practice are integrated. Virtual ATI NCLEX-RN review program is utilized to promote NCLEX-RN preparation and success. Independent work and preparation are integral components of this course.
The focus of this course is to provide a strong foundation for students preparing for a career in nursing. It is an intensive course designed to stress correlations between the structures and functions of the various body systems. Each system discussed is treated from microscopic to macroscopic levels of organization. Topics include organic molecules, the cell, cellular metabolism, tissues, skin, bones, muscles, the nervous system, special senses, and the endocrine system. Homeostatic imbalances that result in disease will be discussed. Laboratory work includes the microscopic examination of tissues, dissections of preserved organ specimens and the cat, and investigation of various human physiological processes.
The study of the human organism relating to structure and function is intensified in this course. Topics include blood, cardiovascular system, lymphatic system, respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system, water and electrolyte balance, and reproductive system. Since this course is designed for nursing students, common health problems will be introduced to explore the underlying concepts of normal function as they apply to the basic pathogenesis processes. Specimen dissection continues to be an integral part of the course
This course is designed for nursing students, and emphasis is placed on the role of the healthcare professional in the prevention of infectious diseases. Class lectures correlate the structure, function, growth, and development of microorganisms to the modes of action of various antimicrobials and physical and chemical methods of microbial control. The student will survey causative agents, methods of transmission, mechanisms of pathogenicity, signs and symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments for common and emerging infectious diseases. The innate and adaptive defense mechanisms of the host will be explored. The laboratory deals with the use of the microscope, aseptic techniques, antibiotic resistance, antibiotic susceptibility, and the physiological, nutritional, and environmental needs of microbes. In addition, peer-reviewed journals will be used to prepare presentations on current topics in microbiology
This course provides a review and understanding of basic college-level mathematics concepts for nurses and other health science careers who do not intend to progress to college algebra or other conceptual courses in mathematics. The emphasis of the course is on developing practical skills using basic mathematics to solve practical problems in the context of health sciences.
This course will introduce the student to the life-cycle study of human development from conception to death. It will include physical, emotional, and cognitive development at each significant developmental stage. This life-cycle approach will emphasize the works of Elkind, Erikson, Piaget, and Levinson.
This course is a skills-based introduction to critical reading, writing, and critical thinking. Through interdisciplinary reading assignments, in-class work, and a series of papers, students will develop an approach to analyzing and responding to ideas presented in class in writing and orally. In addition, students will develop their research techniques and their ability to understand the mechanics of writing, including punctuation, grammar, and spelling
In this course, students apply critical reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to analyze and develop ideas in written and oral forms. Through interdisciplinary reading assignments, a series of papers, a research paper, and an oral presentation, students will evaluate and formulate their own arguments in response to ideas presented in class. In addition, students will continue to develop their research techniques and their abilities to understand the mechanics of good writing
This course examines major theorists and theories regarding ethical decisions. Students will explore how these theories apply to contemporary moral issues, both societal and individual, such as gene-altering, abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, sexual relations, cheating, and business conduct. A library component will be included.
An introductory course in communication and oral presentation skills. Students will explore the theory and process of human communication. Emphasis is placed on oral and written communication, organization of thinking and material, and public presentation techniques. A library component will be included.
Explores the basic concepts, research methods, and theories concerning the relationship between individuals and society. This course will emphasize the influences of culture, social structure, and institutions in explaining human activity. The topics of deviance, collective behavior, and social change will also be examined and discussed.
These classes are not part of BHSON's Curriculum and are not applicable for your Diploma in Nursing but will provide you with incredible learning opportunities and may enable you to earn Fisher College credits toward your Associate in Science degree.
An introduction to the basic elements of pre-calculus statistics. Topics of central tendency, measures of variation, sampling techniques, basic probability theory, statistical inference, and linear correlation and regression. A library component is included.
This course examines the history, beliefs, doctrines, and contemporary practices of the world's most influential religions. Religions studied include Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Provides an introduction to the study of the use and abuse of alcohol and controlled drugs, addiction to them, and rehabilitation counseling. Examines the sociological, psychological, and biological bases of abuse and addiction, and the effects of drugs on the brain and normal human functioning. Reviews the most commonly abused drugs and the characteristics of persons most likely at risk for abuse or addiction. Reviews different theories of addiction, including the biological, psychodynamic, social learning, and socio-cultural. Develops skills in intervention, assessment, and administering screening tests, diagnosis, treatment selection, and referral. Reviews relapse-prevention and community-based education programs. Explores substance abuse policy in the United States in its social, cultural, historical, economic, and political contexts. Examines contemporary debates regarding drug control and legalization.
This course presents an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural view of the family. Readings from history, anthropology, human growth and development, and sociology will be studied. Several popular beliefs and myths will be examined critically. A library component is included.
Open elective for Day or Evening Division A sociological introduction to the historical and current influence of race, ethnicity, gender, and class on individuals and families, regarding inequality of social status, political power, access to education, health care, housing, other human services, career opportunity, and economic well-being. Examines both theoretical approaches and empirical evidence regarding the ways inequality is created, maintained, and overcome in society, and the harmful effects on individuals, families, and society as a whole. Topics addressed included: the social causes of racial, ethnic, gender, and class discrimination in American society; the nature of oppression and historical and current social justice and liberation movements seeking to combat it; individual and institutional forms of social injustice; social conditions promoting prejudice, racism, discrimination, segregation, and inequality of opportunity; social constructions of race and gender roles; and the responsibilities of the healthcare and human services professionals in combating injustice.
Prerequisite: EN102 (or by permission from the Program Director)
This course explores the concepts of cultural diversity, cultural competency, cultural heritage, and history as they relate to health from a global perspective. Students will gain an appreciation of the human experience of various cultures to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges these populations face when navigating a healthcare system that is foreign to them. The dimensions and complexities of providing healthcare for people worldwide, with many ethnicities and various cultural, religious, and social practices, are discussed. Selected populations are explored to illustrate a panorama of traditional health and illness beliefs and practices.
This course is an introduction to gerontology. Using a multidisciplinary approach, it focuses on the process and the experience of aging. The physical, cognitive, social, and emotional processes of aging will be discussed. The course will focus on major theories of aging, demographic trends, ageism, and global and cultural diversity issues.