Continuing Education Programs

The Continuing Education Department for the School of Nursing focuses on the development and provision of programs that are responsive to the needs of health care providers (both individual and organizational) in our surrounding community. Courses are available for alumni and nurses in the community.

Programs

We offer these programs on a regular basis:

Faith Community Nursing

This is an eight-week online course (approximately 4–5 hours per week) concluding with a two-day retreat for an optimum educational and personal growth experience. Participants acquire knowledge, learn how to deal with common problems, reflect on personal spiritual development, develop a support system, and have the experience of a lifetime! The content includes introduction to the four major concepts of faith community nursing: the spiritual dimension, professionalism, holistic health, and community. FCN students attend worship services, present devotionals, and experience worship with emphasis on healing. The only prerequisite is that each participant be a currently licensed registered nurse.

Contact hours and fees¹: 40 contact hours. Students must complete all online course work and attend the full retreat to receive the Faith Community Nursing certificate and pin that confirms they have completed the standardized core curriculum.

Dates: TBD

For questions related to this course, contact Mary Lynne Knighten at mknighten@apu.edu.

RN Refresher

This course is designed to prepare nurses who have been away from the nursing workforce for entry-level positions by providing the opportunity to perform and practice fundamental nursing procedures in a skills lab, to work with RN preceptors in medical-surgical nursing units to enhance knowledge and upgrade competency in clinical skills, and to orient nurses to the acute facility.

Contact hours and fees: 28 contact hours for lecture, 18 contact hours for clinical (46 total). The cost of the course is $2,450 ($2,080 for alumni).

Dates of next course: TBD. Fill out our Continuing Education Interest Form if you’re interested and we will notify you when the next class is being offered. Contact SON Operations at sonoperations@apu.edu if you have additional questions.

Perioperative Nursing

Operating Room Nurses provide specialty care to patients undergoing surgery by preparing and maintaining the operating room for all surgical procedures including special equipment needed for scheduled and emergency procedures, positioning the patient, assisting, scrubbing, and circulating. L&D nurses need these same skills to circulate during cesarean deliveries. This 16-week course will provide basic didactic perioperative education and skills that will give the novice OR and L&D nurse the rationale and theory needed to provide safe patient care in the operating room with a clinical preceptorship.

The course is offered in the Spring, Summer, and Fall Semesters, and includes:

• Online and in-person learning from experienced clinical educators with OR and L&D experience
• Access to all AORN Periop 101: A Core Curriculum™ course modules, skills checklists, and videos; text books; and 1-year membership in AORN
• Virtual classes that embody an experiential “flipped classroom” approach, using jigsaw readings, case studies, and clinical scenarios to stimulate dialogue, critical thinking, and clinical reasoning
• Skills lab in an operating room at one of our convenient host hospital sites
• Materials, including name tags and books mailed to your home, disposable scrubs/booties/caps/gloves for skills sessions
• Precepted clinical experience (arranged in collaboration with the RN and hospital)
• Coordinated enrollment
• Required background check and health status tracker completion (additional fee for CastleBranch or Complio)

Contact hours and fees: 58 BRN-approved contact hours of CE credit from APU + 39.8 contact hours from AORN for completion of Periop 101: A Core Curriculum^TM. The cost of the course is $3,495 (includes $500 non-refundable deposit).

Dates of next course: May 18-August 24. Contact Mary Lynne Knighten mknighten@apu.edu for more information.

Note: This information is current for the 2024-25 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Refer to the current Academic Catalog for more information.

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Footnotes

1. Fees are low due to in-kind support from APU and community partners.