Overview
NURS 517: NP: Pathophysiology and Pharmacology for Nurse Practitioners II is part of the Master of Nursing: Nurse Practitioner (MN-NP) degree and the Post-Masters Diploma: Nurse Practitioner (PMD-NP) program. NURS 517 may also be taken as an elective course by other Master of Nursing (MN-GEN) or Master of Health Studies (MHS) students and by non-program students.
In NURS 517, you will build on foundational knowledge from NURS 516 to further develop an integrated understanding of pathophysiology and pharmacotherapeutics. Emphasis is placed on the application of this knowledge to support clinical decision-making in the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic health conditions commonly encountered in nurse practitioner practice.
Outline
NURS 517 is a paced course delivered over 13 weeks using a blended learning approach that combines asynchronous online learning and regular synchronous virtual sessions.
Course content emphasizes the integrated application of pathophysiology and pharmacotherapeutics to support safe, evidence-informed nurse practitioner practice across the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on the following:
- Pathophysiology and pharmacologic management of common health conditions across body systems
- Pain assessment and management
- Principles of anti-infective therapy, including virology and immunization
- Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic management considerations across populations
- Application of pharmacotherapeutic principles in clinical decision-making
Learning outcomes
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the link between the presenting signs and symptoms of common diseases across the lifespan and disordered physiology;
- Apply an understanding of disordered physiology to a client’s past and current health history to inform shared decision-making;
- Discuss the mechanisms of action, contraindications, and interactions of common classes of drugs including controlled drugs and substances prescribed by nurse practitioner;
- Outline steps in conducting an opioid trial, stepping up opioid treatment and weaning controlled drugs and substances.
Evaluation
Assessment in NURS 517 consists of multiple course activities with assigned percentage weightings. Your final grade is based on overall performance across all required assessments. A variety of assessment approaches are used to evaluate achievement of the course learning outcomes.
| Activity | Weight |
| Participation activities | 10% |
| Assessments | 20% |
| Exams | 70% |
| Total | 100% |
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E. (2024). Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (9th ed.). Elsevier.