University Catalog

College of Nursing and Health Innovation

This is an archived copy of the 2023-2024 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.uta.edu/.

Department website: http://www.uta.edu/conhi/

CONHI Website

Mission and Vision

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation is an integral component of The University of Texas at Arlington and subscribes to the mission of the University.

The mission of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation is to advance global health and the human condition through transdisciplinary collaboration by engaging in high quality teaching, research, scholarship, practice and service to prepare a diverse population of health professionals and to reduce health disparities.  The vision of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation is to provide innovative, exceptional education through research and practice to advance health and the human condition globally.

The academic programs in Undergraduate Nursing, Graduate Nursing, and Kinesiology prepare individuals for professional roles in health care, health sciences, and health-related professions.  In addition, these programs prepare individuals for collaboration with other professionals and consumers in the delivery of holistic health care, health-related research, exercise science and advocacy for the improvement of health outcomes.

History and Overview

The UT Arlington College of Nursing was established in 1971 as the U.T. System College of Nursing in Fort Worth and was housed in John Peter Smith Hospital. The first baccalaureate class enrolled in fall of 1972; the graduate program (MSN) began in 1975. In 1976, the school became an academic unit of UT Arlington, moving to the campus in 1977.  Degree program offerings continued to expand to include a PhD in Nursing in fall 2003.  In fall of 2014, the Department of Kinesiology was combined with the College of Nursing to create the College of Nursing and Health Innovation. Before joining with the College of Nursing, the department of Kinesiology was a department in the College of Education and Health Sciences at UTA.

The Undergraduate Nursing Department consists of the BSN and the RN to BSN programs. In addition to the Arlington campus, these programs are offered online through the UT Arlington Academic Partnership program.

The Graduate Nursing Department offers a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with preparation as a nurse practitioner in the population areas of Adult-Gerontology Acute Care, Adult Gerontology Primary Care (previously Adult and Gerontology), Family, Neonatal, Acute Care Pediatric, Primary Care Pediatric and Psychiatric-Mental Health. Post-master’s certificates are available in all the above nurse practitioner specialties. In addition, the UT Arlington MSN Program offers preparation in Nursing Administration, Nursing Education, Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Primary and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Pediatric Primary and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner options in an online accelerated format.  An RN to MSN option is also available in an accelerated online format in Nursing Education, Nursing Administration and Family Nurse Practitioner.  Post baccalaureate certificates are offered in Nursing Administration, Nursing Education, and Health Informatics.  Post Master's Certificates options are available in all Nurse Practitioner tracks and in Nursing Administration.  Many of the Post Master's Certificates are also available in the accelerated online format.  The PhD in Nursing was approved in April 2003 with classes beginning in Fall 2003. A BSN-to-PhD entry option was approved in 2005, with classes beginning in Fall 2006. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) began in Fall 2009.

The undergraduate programs within the Department of Kinesiology are organized into four areas: exercise science, physical education teacher education, sports leadership & management and public health.  The graduate programs include a Graduate Certificate in Public Health, a Master of Science in Exercise Science, a Master of Science in Athletic Training and a PhD in Kinesiology.  Each of these academic programs provide students with a strong foundation in the sciences of their respective fields and provides a comprehensive discipline-specific program of study designed to prepare students for a specific career path. Some of the degree options work towards meeting the prerequisite requirements for admission to physical therapy, occupational therapy and physician's assistant graduate programs, as well as medical and dental schools (e.g., BS in Exercise Science - Clinical Health Professions).  Other degree plans prepare students for state and national certification/licensure (e.g., Physical Education Teacher Education and Athletic Training) programs. The Public Health programs prepare students for careers in public health, as well as preparation for advanced degrees in public health. The PhD in Kinesiology prepares students for careers in research, academic and related industry settings.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program at The University of Texas at Arlington is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

The Kinesiology Athletic Training Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).  CAATE ensures that accredited institutions and education programs that offer athletic training meet the rigorous standards for professional athletic training education and encourages continuous enhancement in the quality of preparing athletic trainers.

Research Interests of Faculty

The research programs of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation faculty are diverse. A sampling of their areas of study includes oncology, health disparities, leadership in nursing education, technology in the care of older adults, simulation and technology in health professional education, exercise interventions to mitigate heart disease, inter-professional collaborations education, statistical models, gerontology, bone and muscle disease and heart disease. Other faculty research interests include adapted sports, sports pedagogy, applied biomechanics, motor development, cardiovascular physiology, autonomic function, environmental physiology, cardiac function, pulmonary responses to exercise, postural control in the elderly, dynamic regulation of blood pressure, assessment and management of sports-related concussions, the effects of therapeutic modalities on the treatment of athletic injuries, and the effects of hyperbaric oxygen on the treatment of diseases.

Special

Smart HospitalTM

Assistant Dean: Jennifer Roye

The Smart HospitalTM is a simulated hospital environment complete with state-of-the-science equipment and furnishings. In this facility, students interact with and provide care to a full array of simulated patients who occupy the Emergency Department, ICU, Labor and Delivery suite, pediatric unit, Neonatal ICU, adult medical/surgical beds and the resuscitation room for large team training. Students learn utilizing simulation technology including full body interactive patient simulators, computerized scenario-based programs and individual trainers for specific skills.

The "patients" who populate our Smart Hospital are life-sized computerized manikins that actually interact with the learners. Patients include infants, children, adults, and even a mother in labor who goes through the labor process and delivers a newborn. Some manikins are static but others are interactive and responsive-they can speak and breathe, have heart sounds and lung sounds, and can progress through the various stages of numerous clinical states from birth through death. In addition, we have specially trained actors who can serve as patients or family members in clinical teaching scenes. In each clinical scenario, the students are exposed to situations and changes in patient conditions, both subtle and obvious, that they will experience in actual practice. With repeated exposure to these situations, students develop a deeper understanding of clinical conditions and become more adept at critical and clinical thinking. With this foundation, our students move more quickly from novice to expert and in so doing enhance the quality of patient care they provide.

Center for Research and Scholarship

Associate Dean: Dr. Paul J. Fadel

Scholarship is an essential component of the professional role in the College of Nursing. The Center provides support services to faculty and students: identifying funding sources; developing competitive proposals; writing grant applications; retrieving literature; collecting, entering and analyzing data; and disseminating research results and other scholarly products. Collaborative relationships for research with Metroplex health care agencies are in place.

Center for Hispanic Studies in Nursing and Health

The Center is dedicated to fostering an understanding between health care professionals and people of Hispanic origin for the purpose of increasing understanding of health and healing through research of individual experience, cultural meanings, and the structure of institutions as important variables influencing health outcomes. The Center is also committed to the provision of educational programs and services which will assist health care providers to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver increasingly culturally sensitive and competent care. The Center promotes interdisciplinary and interuniversity collaboration as a strategy for development of resources to solve or deal with bi-cultural issues facing health care professionals.

Rural Health Outreach Program

The purpose of the Center is to provide appropriate, affordable, accessible continuing education to the nursing staffs of acute care and psychiatric hospitals, long term care facilities, home health agencies, and other health care facilities in the rural communities of North Central Texas.

Center for Healthy Living and Longevity

Associate Dean: Dr. David Keller

The Department of Kinesiology's Center for Healthy Living and Longevity provides a multidisciplinary approach to improving health throughout the lifespan. Research and education initiatives focus on keeping older adults active, decreasing the incidence of sedentary-related diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, obesity, etc.), and the assessment and management of concussions. Contact: Dr. David Keller, kellerd@uta.edu.

Programs

Bachelor’s Degrees

Master’s Degrees

Doctoral Degrees

Certificates