Electives by Application Only
Faculty will begin recruiting for these programs during 2nd semester and applications will be made available. Contact your program director for more information.
SON Honors Program (by application only)
- NUR 450 Honors Seminar I: Introduction to Nursing Research
- NUR 451 Honors Seminar II: Exploring Nursing Research
- NUR 452 Honors Seminar III: Research Immersion
This is a fun, interactive course that allows you to work at your own pace, explore women's health issues and look at how women's health has changed over the past decades. If you are passionate about women's health and learning more about important women's health issues to use in your future nursing career, then plan to enroll in NUR 335. You will love this course!
Spend your elective learning to communicate effectively with your Spanish-speaking patients. This is an on-campus course that meets two evenings per week and is taught within the College of Arts and Sciences.
More than one third of Americans have low health literacy, which leads to higher health care costs and poorer health outcomes. The Health Literacy course develops skills needed assess a person’s health literacy, plan effective health teaching and create readable and actionable health education materials.
This course is designed to increase the student’s understanding of long term and high acuity issues impacting the health of the unique population of adult patients, veterans, within the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA). Knowledge gained in this elective course can be applied to the care of VHA patients in this and subsequent didactic and practicum nursing courses. This course has an available honors section.
The transplant nursing elective offers students an introduction to the specialized field of organ donation and solid organ transplant. The course is distance accessible but does include a field experience within the UAB Comprehensive Transplant Institute. Topics covered include the transplant process, specific care among organ groups and professional considerations for nurses in this rapidly changing field.
Students taking the Perioperative Nursing elective have an opportunity to learn skills necessary for nursing in the operating room. Students will complete a clinical field experience in perioperative nursing within the UAB Health System.
This course equips students to care for patients involved with legal systems, working as part of an interprofessional forensic healthcare team. Building on core nursing, health, forensic and legal science concepts, students will explore an integrated model of forensic nursing care. Key topics include wound evaluation and treatment, investigative processes and distinguishing between intentional and unintentional injuries in medical forensic settings.
This course prepares students to explore an advanced model of forensic nursing care. The focus is on using public health science, historical research and evidencebased practices to develop policies, allocate resources and shape the future of forensic nursing. This course emphasizes promoting safety and health on a broader, systemic level, ideal for students aiming to impact policy and leadership in forensic healthcare.
This course explores the unique challenges in caring for children with complex medical conditions. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the pathophysiology, assessment and management of pediatric patients with chronic, multi-system, or severe acute illnesses.
This course is available as an elective for undergraduate or graduate level nursing students. The purpose of this course is to provide an expansion of knowledge of health-related issues for the pre-adolescent, adolescent, adult and aging male population. Students will explore common complications and disease processes specific to the male population while applying knowledge through engaging assignments.
This course explores the concept of substance use, misuse and addiction across the lifespan from a nursing perspective. Student will gain an in-depth understanding of the pathophysiological effects of substance use, misuse, addiction and overdose, pertinent legislation and the impact of substance use, misuse and addiction on the professional registered nurse. This is a graduate-level course that BSN students may take with permission from their program director. Graduate tuition rates will apply.
Principles of Developmental Care of the Newborn is taught by Taryn Temples, who is specialty certified as a neonatal intensive care nurse. If you are interested in working with infant or children in an ICU setting, this class is for you! Learn how a baby’s brain develops and how the hospital ICU environment can impact that long-term development. Discover interventions to help support a child’s neurobehavioral development including light and sound modification, feeding, bathing, positioning, & sleep practices, pain management, kangaroo care, family centered care and early intervention.
Students with a background in Spanish language courses are eligible to take the Advanced Spanish for Health Professions class for elective credit through the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.
This course offers an insightful overview of rehabilitation nursing, focusing on the care of patients with traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Students will gain valuable knowledge through interactive lessons and one day field experience at the Spain Rehabilitation Center.
As nurses, we frequently encounter loss in all its variations regardless of our field of expertise. Living with Loss is expected to broaden one’s comprehension of the breadth of loss and how it impacts our patients, those who care about and for them, as well as ourselves. This distance accessible elective will explore the concepts of loss, grief, bereavement and self-care through scholarly literature, the arts and social media.
Aging is not just about getting older. It’s about living well, staying engaged, and navigating the systems designed to support us. This interactive course explores how individuals and communities foster healthy, inclusive aging. Students dive into the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of aging, investigate age-friendly design, and examine real-world policy and legal issues affecting older adults. From interviewing an aging adult to designing community innovations or intergenerational programs, students will apply knowledge in meaningful ways. Ideal for students passionate about equity, accessibility, and the future of aging in our society. This course is offered in-person during the spring semester. Open to traditional BSN students only and is not distance-accessible.
A Partnership of the UAB School of Nursing and Children’s of Alabama (COA)
The Student Nurse Internship Program (SNIP) is a unique opportunity for BSN students who are potential future employees of COA to gain work and learning experiences that will accelerate their transition to professional nursing practice upon graduation.
BSN students selected for the three semester internship (3rd, 4th, and 5th semesters of the BSN Program) will have the opportunity to:
- Work as a Student Clinical Assistant (CA) at COA.
- Complete the elective course (Care of the Medically Complex Child) designed specifically for student interns.
- Complete the final student preceptorship (5th preceptorship) on a designated unit at COA.
Application
BSN students may apply for the SNIP during the second semester of the BSN program. Applicants will complete an application and participate in an interview. Applicants are notified of their selection prior to the start of the SNIP program in the third semester. Students will be notified of the application period and provided a copy of the application at the beginning of their second semester of the BSN program.
Application Deadline: March 1
Selection Criteria
- Applicants must submit by the deadline:
- A completed application.
- A copy of your resume/CV.
- A video essay (maximum of 5 minutes) that addresses the following:
- Describe prior experience in working with a pediatric population (ex. Daycare, previous employment, volunteer experiences, etc.)
- Describe your nursing career goals after graduation
- Describe how this opportunity will help you prepare to achieve your career goals
- Participate in a formal interview.
- Be in good academic standing at the time of application with a minimum Nursing GPA of 3.0.
- Verify their intention to seek employment at COA upon graduation from the BSN program.
- Agree to:
- Work as a Student Care Assistant a minimum of 16 hours per month (maximum of 24 hours) during the internship.
- Complete their senior preceptorship on a designated unit of COA.
- Not be currently employed.
- Meet all employment requirements of COA.
Contact
FYE courses improve student success by helping to bridge the gap between high school experiences and university expectations and enhance successful progression towards graduation by establishing the foundations for academic achievement and holistic development.
Students interested in the field of nursing are encouraged to take the School of Nursing FYE course (NUR100).
The areas of focus include academic skill preparation, orientation to the UAB campus, and the profession of nursing. Students explore their personal and professional strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the pursuit of a degree in nursing through various assessment and university activities.
What do students gain from this course?
- An understanding of the nursing profession.
- An introduction to the various nursing career fields.
- A critical analysis of topics with emphasis on nursing related areas.
- Review of successful academic skills and habits.
- Exposure to curricular and co-curricular opportunities.
- The understanding of university policies and procedures.
- Opportunity to network with faculty, fellow classmates and upper-class students.
- The understanding of pre-nursing requirements.
- Awareness of involvement and leadership opportunities.
Students in the nursing FYE course also are offered an opportunity to shadow a nurse at UAB Hospital as well as spend a day in the school's state of the art simulation labs where they are introduced to health screening skills.
The Dean’s Nursing Scholars Program is designed for academically talented high school seniors who are strongly considering a career in nursing.
Scholars receive a number of benefits, including:
- Opportunities to attend School of Nursing special events designed for the Scholars.
- Priority admission to the highly regarded and competitive BSN nursing program as long as the Scholar:
- Enrolls at UAB directly from high school.
- Successfully completes the required undergraduate pre-requisite foundation and core classes.
- Achieve and maintain a 3.2 or higher GPA in the required pre-nursing foundation courses and cumulative GPA (All Area V courses must be taken at UAB).
Criteria for Selection
- Individuals selected for the Dean’s Nursing Scholars Program must:
- Be a high school senior.
- Possess a minimum high school grade point average of 3.8
- Be admitted to UAB through the UAB Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
- For priority consideration, admission applications to UAB must be submitted by December 1 of the applicant’s high school senior year.