ABCS Courses

Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses are at the core of the Netter Center’s work. ABCS students and faculty work with West Philadelphia public schools, communities of faith, and community organizations to help solve critical campus and community problems in a variety of areas such as the environment, health, arts, and education. Penn has 80-90 undergraduate and graduate ABCS courses each year, enrolling over 1800 students.

ABCS courses

  • Integrate service with research, teaching, and learning
  • Are a form of Community-Engaged Scholarship (CES)
  • Bring together academic expertise and the expertise of the community via mutually-beneficial, mutually-transformational democratic partnerships
  • Use collaborative local problem-solving to improve the quality of life and learning in the community and the quality of learning and scholarship in the university
  • Foster structural community improvement (e.g., effective public schools, neighborhood economic development)
  • Emphasize student and faculty reflection on the service experience
  • Help students become active, creative, contributing citizens of a democratic society

Click here to browse Fall 2024 courses.

To register for an ABCS course: You can browse and register for ABCS courses on Path@Penn. To find ABCS courses, use the advanced search tool and find "Academically Based Community Service Courses" in the University Attribute dropdown menu. The most updated list of ABCS courses is on the Netter Center website.

Obtain your clearances for working with minors here.

For current and prospective ABCS faculty and students: Click here for information on ABCS resources.

For graduate students interested in ABCS, community-engaged scholarship, and related activities: Learn more Provost's Graduate Academic Engagement Fellows at the Netter Center and Penn Graduate Community-Engaged Research Mentorship summer program.

 

2022 Spring Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study: Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 357
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach has the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester. Prerequiste: Completion of freshman & sophomore level courses

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 573
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach with the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 513
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. Prerequisite: Undergraduate by permission of instructor This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Pediatric Acute Care NP: Professional Role and Intermediate Clinical Practice

Nursing 735
Jessica A Strohm Farber

This course focuses on the implementation of the professional role of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC). Particular emphasis is placed on the role components of the nurse practitioner in pediatric acute care. Applications of nursing, biological and behavioral science are emphasized in the advanced clinical assessment, clinical decision making and management skills needed to care for complex, unstable acutely and chronically ill children and their families. The role of the advanced practice nurse in promoting optimal child/family outcomes is emphasized.

2021 Fall Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study: Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 357
Marion Leary Pamela Z Cacchione

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach has the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester. Prerequiste: Completion of freshman & sophomore level courses

Case Study: Self-Care of Chronic Illness

Nursing 355
Barbara Riegel

Self-care is done by lay people to prevent or manage chronic illness. In this case study, we will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting self-care. Fieldwork experiences are designed to provide practical experience in engaging well individuals in preventing illness and helping chronically ill perform self-care.

Nursing in the Community

Nursing 380
Holly M Harner Alicia G Kachmar

This course considers how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of both communities as a whole (populations) and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities locally and globally. It addresses the complexity of nursing practice using a public health paradigm. It requires students to draw from prior class and clinical knowledge and skills and apply this practice base to communities across care settings, ages, and cultures with different experiences of equity and access to care. It provides the tools needed to engage in collaborative community work and to give voice to the community's strengths, needs, and goals. It also moves students from an individual and family focus to a population focus for health assessment and intervention. Students consider the science, policies, and resources that support public health, and community based and community-oriented care. Clinical and simulated experiences in community settings provide sufficient opportunities for clinical reasoning, clinical care and knowledge integration in community settings. Students will have opportunities to care for patients and populations within selected communities.

Nutrition Throughout The Life Cycle

Nursing 375
Monique Dowd

Understanding and meeting nutritional needs from conception through adulthood will be addressed. Nutrition-related concerns at each stage of the lifecycle, including impact of lifestyle, education, economics and food behavior will be explored.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Advanced Physical Assessment and Clinical Decision Making: Nursing of Children Clinical I

Nursing 721
Loretta C Reilly Sura Lee

This clinical course is designed to help prospective advanced practice nurses develop advanced skills in physical and developmental assessment of children in a variety of well-child, clinic and hospital settings. Data collection, data interpretation, and hypothesis formulations are emphasized for the purpose of clinical decision making. The role of the advanced practice nurse in assessment of primary health care issues and health promotion is incorporated throughout the course. Collaboration as an integral part of assessment will be an ongoing focus.

Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 573
Marion Leary Pamela Z Cacchione

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach with the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 513
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. Prerequisite: Undergraduate by permission of instructor This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

2021 Spring Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study - Addressing the Social Determinants of Health: Community Engagement Immersion

Nursing 354
Dalmacio D Flores Marcus D Henderson Terri Lipman Monique Dowd

This case study offers students experiential learning to develop an in depth understanding of social determinants of health invulnerable, undersereved populations and to collaboratively design and refine existing health promotion programs based on the needs of the community site. Grounded on an approach that builds upon the strenths of communities, this course emphasizes the development of techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for underserved populations. Students are required to draw on skills and knowledge obtained from previous classes related to social determinants of health and community engagement and will engage in specific creative, innovative community based programs develped for populations across the life span. These culturally relevant programs, which have been shown to positively impact communities, create opportunities for students to address the social determinants of health, build engagement and leadership skills and increase program success and sustainability. Prerequisite: Completion of sophomore year nursing requirements

Case Study: Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 357
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach has the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester. Prerequiste: Completion of freshman & sophomore level courses

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Health

Nursing 587
Walter H Tsou Heather Klusaritz

Grounded in a social justice perspective, this course aims to provide the student with a foundational overview of the field of community health and leadership skills in public health advocacy. The course encourages critical thinking about health outcomes framed by the broad context of the political and social environment. This course analyzes the range of roles and functions carried out by leaders in healthcare advocacy for marginalized communities; integrates knowledge of health policy and the key influence of government and financing on health outcomes; explores community-based participatory research and interventions as tools for change; and discusses ways to develop respectful partnerships with community organizations. An assets-based approach that draws upon the strengths of communities and their leaders provides a foundation for community-engagement skill building. The course emphasizes the development of skills and techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for disenfranchised groups, including residents of urban neighborhoods. Prerequisite: Undergraduates with permission of the instructor

Health Education for Incarcerated Women

Gender,Sexuality&Women's Stdys 555 Nursing 555
Kathleen M Brown

This elective course will afford students the opportunity to develop and implement health education workshops for incarcerated women in the Philadelphia jail system. Students will explore the social and historical framework and trends in the incarceration of women, as well as the needs of this population, and will identify specific areas that need to be addressed by particular disciplines or professions. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and female inmates.

Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 573
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach with the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester.

Men and Incarceration

Nursing 556
Instructor TBD

Students in this course will develop and implement health and wellbeing education programming for incarcerated men in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Most of the classroom time is in the Philadelphia Prison interacting with male inmates. Evidence suggests improved self-regulation may enhance other therapeutic methodologies consequently reducing the frequency of reoffending. Students will explore the social and legal trends driving the incarceration of urban men and the resulting health and wellbeing needs of this population. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and male inmates.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 513
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. Prerequisite: Undergraduate by permission of instructor This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Pediatric Acute Care NP: Professional Role and Intermediate Clinical Practice

Nursing 735
Jessica A Strohm Farber Megan M Levy

This course focuses on the implementation of the professional role of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC). Particular emphasis is placed on the role components of the nurse practitioner in pediatric acute care. Applications of nursing, biological and behavioral science are emphasized in the advanced clinical assessment, clinical decision making and management skills needed to care for complex, unstable acutely and chronically ill children and their families. The role of the advanced practice nurse in promoting optimal child/family outcomes is emphasized.

2020 Fall Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study: Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 357
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach has the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester. Prerequiste: Completion of freshman & sophomore level courses

Case Study: Self-Care of Chronic Illness

Nursing 355
Barbara Riegel

Self-care is done by lay people to prevent or manage chronic illness. In this case study, we will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting self-care. Fieldwork experiences are designed to provide practical experience in engaging well individuals in preventing illness and helping chronically ill perform self-care.

Nursing in the Community

Nursing 380
Steven Meanley Bridgette Brawner

This course considers how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of both communities as a whole (populations) and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities locally and globally. It addresses the complexity of nursing practice using a public health paradigm. It requires students to draw from prior class and clinical knowledge and skills and apply this practice base to communities across care settings, ages, and cultures with different experiences of equity and access to care. It provides the tools needed to engage in collaborative community work and to give voice to the community's strengths, needs, and goals. It also moves students from an individual and family focus to a population focus for health assessment and intervention. Students consider the science, policies, and resources that support public health, and community based and community-oriented care. Clinical and simulated experiences in community settings provide sufficient opportunities for clinical reasoning, clinical care and knowledge integration in community settings. Students will have opportunities to care for patients and populations within selected communities.

Nutrition Throughout The Life Cycle

Nursing 375
Monique Dowd

Understanding and meeting nutritional needs from conception through adulthood will be addressed. Nutrition-related concerns at each stage of the lifecycle, including impact of lifestyle, education, economics and food behavior will be explored.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Advanced Physical Assessment and Clinical Decision Making: Nursing of Children Clinical I

Nursing 721
Loretta C Reilly Sura Lee

This clinical course is designed to help prospective advanced practice nurses develop advanced skills in physical and developmental assessment of children in a variety of well-child, clinic and hospital settings. Data collection, data interpretation, and hypothesis formulations are emphasized for the purpose of clinical decision making. The role of the advanced practice nurse in assessment of primary health care issues and health promotion is incorporated throughout the course. Collaboration as an integral part of assessment will be an ongoing focus.

Health Education for Incarcerated Women

Gender,Sexuality&Women's Stdys 555 Nursing 555
Kathleen M Brown

This elective course will afford students the opportunity to develop and implement health education workshops for incarcerated women in the Philadelphia jail system. Students will explore the social and historical framework and trends in the incarceration of women, as well as the needs of this population, and will identify specific areas that need to be addressed by particular disciplines or professions. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and female inmates.

Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 573
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach with the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 513
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. Prerequisite: Undergraduate by permission of instructor This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

2020 Spring Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study - Addressing the Social Determinants of Health: Community Engagement Immersion

Nursing 354
Dalmacio D Flores Terri Lipman Monique Dowd

This case study offers students experiential learning to develop an in depth understanding of social determinants of health invulnerable, undersereved populations and to collaboratively design and refine existing health promotion programs based on the needs of the community site. Grounded on an approach that builds upon the strenths of communities, this course emphasizes the development of techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for underserved populations. Students are required to draw on skills and knowledge obtained from previous classes related to social determinants of health and community engagement and will engage in specific creative, innovative community based programs develped for populations across the life span. These culturally relevant programs, which have been shown to positively impact communities, create opportunities for students to address the social determinants of health, build engagement and leadership skills and increase program success and sustainability. Prerequisite: Completion of sophomore year nursing requirements

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Health

Nursing 587
Heather Klusaritz Walter H Tsou Terri Lipman

Grounded in a social justice perspective, this course aims to provide the student with a foundational overview of the field of community health and leadership skills in public health advocacy. The course encourages critical thinking about health outcomes framed by the broad context of the political and social environment. This course analyzes the range of roles and functions carried out by leaders in healthcare advocacy for marginalized communities; integrates knowledge of health policy and the key influence of government and financing on health outcomes; explores community-based participatory research and interventions as tools for change; and discuss ways to develop respectful partnerships with community organizations. An assets-based approach that draws upon the strengths of communities and their leaders provides a foundation for community-engagement skill building. The course emphasizes the development of skills and techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for disenfranchised groups, including residents of urban neighborhoods. Prerequisite: Undergraduates with permission of the instructor

Health Education for Incarcerated Women

Nursing 555
Kathleen M Brown

This elective course will afford students the opportunity to develop and implement health education workshops for incarcerated women in the Philadelphia jail system. Students will explore the social and historical framework and trends in the incarceration of women, as well as the needs of this population, and will identify specific areas that need to be addressed by particular disciplines or professions. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and female inmates.

Men and Incarceration

Nursing 556
Instructor TBD

Students in this course will develop and implement health and wellbeing education programming for incarcerated men in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Most of the classroom time is in the Philadelphia Prison interacting with male inmates. Evidence suggests improved self-regulation may enhance other therapeutic methodologies consequently reducing the frequency of reoffending. Students will explore the social and legal trends driving the incarceration of urban men and the resulting health and wellbeing needs of this population. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and male inmates.

Pediatric Acute Care NP: Professional Role and Intermediate Clinical Practice

Nursing 735
Ruth M Lebet Jessica A Strohm Farber

This course focuses on the implementation of the professional role of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC). Particular emphasis is placed on the role components of the nurse practitioner in pediatric acute care. Applications of nursing, biological and behavioral science are emphasized in the advanced clinical assessment, clinical decision making and management skills needed to care for complex, unstable acutely and chronically ill children and their families. The role of the advanced practice nurse in promoting optimal child/family outcomes is emphasized.

2019 Fall Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study: Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 357
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach has the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester.

Case Study: Self-Care of Chronic Illness

Nursing 355
Barbara Riegel

Self-care is done by lay people to prevent or manage chronic illness. In this case study, we will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting self-care. Fieldwork experiences are designed to provide practical experience in engaging well individuals in preventing illness and helping chronically ill perform self-care.

Men and Incarceration: Healthy Mind, Strong Body, Better Life

Nursing 556
George Cronin

Students in this course will develop and implement health and wellbeing education programming for incarcerated men in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Most of the classroom time is in the Philadelphia Prison interacting with male inmates. Evidence suggests improved self-regulation may enhance other therapeutic methodologies consequently reducing the frequency of reoffending. Students will explore the social and legal trends driving the incarceration of urban men and the resulting health and wellbeing needs of this population. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and male inmates.

Nursing in the Community

Nursing 380
Monique Dowd Rebecca Phillips Robin Stevens Patricia O'Brien D'Antonio

This course considers how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of both communities as a whole (populations) and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities locally and globally. It addresses the complexity of nursing practice using a public health paradigm. It requires students to draw from prior class and clinical knowledge and skills and apply this practice base to communities across care settings, ages, and cultures with different experiences of equity and access to care. It provides the tools needed to engage in collaborative community work and to give voice to the community's strengths, needs, and goals. It also moves students from an individual and family focus to a population focus for health assessment and intervention. Students consider the science, policies, and resources that support public health, and community based and community-oriented care. Clinical and simulated experiences in community settings provide sufficient opportunities for clinical reasoning, clinical care and knowledge integration in community settings. Students will have opportunities to care for patients and populations within selected communities.

Nutrition Throughout The Life Cycle

Nursing 375
Monique Dowd

Understanding and meeting nutritional needs from conception through adulthood will be addressed. Nutrition-related concerns at each stage of the lifecycle, including impact of lifestyle, education, economics and food behavior will be explored.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Advanced Physical Assessment and Clinical Decision Making: Nursing of Children Clinical I

Nursing 721
Susan M Campisciano Rachel E Mccormick

This clinical course is designed to help prospective advanced practice nurses develop advanced skills in physical and developmental assessment of children in a variety of well-child, clinic and hospital settings. Data collection, data interpretation, and hypothesis formulations are emphasized for the purpose of clinical decision making. The role of the advanced practice nurse in assessment of primary health care issues and health promotion is incorporated throughout the course. Collaboration as an integral part of assessment will be an ongoing focus.

Innovation in Health: Foundations of Design Thinking

Nursing 573
Marion Leary

Innovation, defined as a hypothesis-driven, testable, and disciplined strategy, is important to improve health & healthcare. Employing new ways of thinking, such as with design thinking, will help open up possibilities of ways to improve health & the process of healthcare. Incorporating current & emerging social & digital technologies such as mobile apps, wearables, remote sensing, and 3D printing, affords new opportunities for innovation. This course provides foundational content & a disciplined approach to innovation as it applies to health & healthcare. A flipped classroom approach with the in-class component focusing on group learning through design thinking activities. The course is open to undergraduate nursing students as a case study & upper-level undergraduates and graduate students from across the Penn campus. The course provides a theoretical foundation in design thinking & may provide an overview of innovation technology & digital strategies as well as social & process change strategies. To enhance the didactic component, students will actively participate in a design case study. Students will be matched by interest and skill level with teams & will work with community-based organizations, healthcare providers and/or innovation partners. Student teams will meet their partners to identify & refine a health or healthcare problem to tackle. Students will work throughout the semester to create an innovative solution that will be pitched to their community-based organization, healthcare provider, and/or innovation partner at the end of the semester.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 513
Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Women and Incarceration: Health Education For Incarcerated Women

Nursing 555
Kathleen M Brown

This elective course will afford students the opportunity to develop and implement health education workshops for incarcerated women in the Philadelphiajail system. Students will explore the social and historical framework and trends in the incarceration of women, as well as the needs of this population, and will identify specific areas that need to be addressed by particular disciplines or professions. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and female inmates.

2019 Spring Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Addressing the Social Determinants of Health: Community Engagement

Nursing 354
Dalmacio Dennis Flores Monique Dowd Terri Lipman

This case study offers students experiential learning to develop an in depth understanding of social determinants of health in vulnerable, underserved populations and to collaboratively design and refine existing health promotion programs based on the needs of the community site. Grounded on an approach thatbuilds upon the strengths of communities, this course emphasizes the development of techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for underserved populations. Students are required to draw on skills and knowledge obtained from previous classes related to social determinants of health and community engagement and will engage in specific creative, innovative community based programs developed for populations across the life span. These culturally relevant programs, which have been shown to positively impact communities, create opportunities for students to address thethe social determinants of health, build engagement and leadership skills and increase program success and sustainability.

*Completion of sophomore year nursing requirements; permission needed from instructor

Case Study: Self-Care of Chronic Illness

Nursing 355
Barbara J. Riegel

Self-care is done by lay people to prevent or manage chronic illness. In this case study, we will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting self-care. Fieldwork experiences are designed to provide practical experience in engaging well individuals in preventing illness and helping chronically ill perform self-care.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja V.E. Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Health

Nursing 587
Heather A. Klusaritz Terri H. Lipman Walter H. Tsou

Grounded in a social justice perspective, this course aims to provide the student with a foundational overview of the field of community health and leadership skills in public health advocacy. The course encourages critical thinking about health outcomes framed by the broad context of the political and social environment. This course analyzes the range of roles and functions carried out by leaders in healthcare advocacy for marginalized communities; integrates knowledge of health policy and the key influence of government and financing on health outcomes; explores community-based participatory research and interventions as tools for change; and discuss ways to develop respectful partnerships with community organizations. An assets-based approach that draws upon the strengths of communities and their leaders provides a foundation for community-engagement skill building. The course emphasizes the development of skills and techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for disenfranchised groups, including residents of urban neighborhoods.

*Prerequisites: Enrollment in the National Clinician Scholars Program; Permission needed from department

Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner: Professional Role and Intermediate Clinical Practice

Nursing 735
Ruth M Lebet Jessica A Strohm Farber

This course focuses on the implementation of the professional role of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC). Particular emphasis is placed on the role components of the nurse practitioner in pediatric acute care. Applications of nursing, biological and behavioral science are emphasized in the advanced clinical assessment, clinical decision making and management skills needed to care for complex, unstable acutely and chronically ill children and their families. The role of the advanced practice nurse in promoting optimal child/family outcomes is emphasized.

*Prerequisites: NURS 720; NURS 721; NURS 685 or NURS 607; Registration also required for clinic

*Corequisites: NURS 734

Women and Incarceration

Nursing 555 Gender,Sexuality&Women's Stdys 555
Kathleen M Brown

This elective course will afford students the opportunity to develop and implement health education workshops for incarcerated women in the Philadelphia jail system. Students will explore the social and historical framework and trends in the incarceration of women, as well as the needs of this population, and will identify specific areas that need to be addressed by particular disciplines or professions. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and female inmates.

*Permission needed from deparment

2018 Fall Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study: Self-care of Chronic Illness

Nursing 355
Barbara J. Riegel

This case study introduces the role of self-care by patients with chronic illness. We will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting patient self-care. Fieldwork experiences will enable students to gain practical experience in engaging chronically ill individuals in self-care.

*Prerequisites: NURS 215

Nursing in the Community

Nursing 380
Patricia D'Antonio Rebecca Phillips

This course considers how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of both communities as a whole (populations) and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities locally and globally. It addresses the complexity of nursing practice using a public health paradigm. It requires students to draw from prior class and clinical knowledge and skills and apply this practice base to communities across care settings, ages, and cultures with different experiences of equity and access to care. It provides the tools needed to engage in collaborative community work and to give voice to the community's strengths, needs, and goals. It also moves students from an individual and family focus to a population focus for health assessment and intervention. Students consider the science, policies, and resources that support public health, and community based and community-oriented care. Clinical and simulated experiences in community settings provide sufficient opportunities for clinical reasoning, clinical care and knowledge integration in community settings. Students will have opportunities to care for patients and populations within selected communities.

*Prerequisites: NURS 225; NURS 235; NURS 245; NURS 255

Nutrition Throughout The Life Cycle

Nursing 375
Monique Dowd

Understanding and meeting nutritional needs from conception through adulthood will be addressed. Nutrition-related concerns at each stage of the lifecycle, including impact of lifestyle, education, economics and food behavior will be explored.

*Prerequisites: NURS 054, NURS 112, or comparable nutrition or introductory course

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja V.E. Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Men and Incarceration: Healthy Mind, Strong Body, Better Life

Nursing 556-001
George Cronin

Students in this course will develop and implement health and wellbeing education programming for incarcerated men in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Most of the classroom time is in the Philadelphia Prison interacting with male inmates. Evidence suggests improved self-regulation may enhance other therapeutic methodologies consequently reducing the frequency of reoffending. Students will explore the social and legal trends driving the incarceration of urban men and the resulting health and wellbeing needs of this population. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and male inmates.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 513
Tanja V.E. Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Women and Incarceration

Nursing 555
Kathleen M Brown

This elective course will afford students the opportunity to develop and implement health education workshops for incarcerated women in the Philadelphia jail system. Students will explore the social and historical framework and trends in the incarceration of women, as well as the needs of this population, and will identify specific areas that need to be addressed by particular disciplines or professions. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and female inmates.

*Permission needed from department

2018 Spring Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study: Addressing The Social Determinants Of Health: Community Engagement Immersion

Nursing 354
Terri Lipman Rebecca Phillips

This case study offers students experiential learning to develop an in depth understanding of social determinants of health in vulnerable, underserved populations and to collaboratively design and refine existing health promotion programs based on the needs of the community site. Grounded on an approach that builds upon the strengths of communities, this course emphasizes the development of techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for underserved populations. Students are required to draw on skills and knowledge obtained from previous classes related to social determinants of health and community engagement and will engage in specific creative, innovative community based programs developed for populations across the life span. These culturally relevant programs, which have been shown to positively impact communities, create opportunities for students to address the social determinants of health, build engagement and leadership skills and increase program success and sustainability.

Case Study: Self-care of Chronic Illness

Nursing 355
Barbara J. Riegel

This case study introduces the role of self-care by patients with chronic illness. We will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting patient self-care. Fieldwork experiences will enable students to gain practical experience in engaging chronically ill individuals in self-care.

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja V.E. Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Women and Incarceration

Nursing 555 Gender,Sexuality & Women's Stud 555
Kathleen M Brown

This elective course will afford students the opportunity to develop and implement health education workshops for incarcerated women in the Philadelphia jail system. Students will explore the social and historical framework and trends in the incarceration of women, as well as the needs of this population, and will identify specific areas that need to be addressed by particular disciplines or professions. Students will have direct contact with the jail system, its staff, and female inmates.

Graduate

An Interdisciplinary Course In Advanced Leadership Skills In Community Health 

Nursing 587-401
Terri Lipman Heather Klusaritz Walter Tsou

Grounded in a social justice perspective, this inter professional course aims to provide the student with a foundational overview of the field of community health and leadership skills in public health advocacy. The course encourages critical thinking about health outcomes framed by the broad context of the political and social environment. This course analyzes the range of roles and functions carried out by leaders in healthcare advocacy for marginalized communities; integrates knowledge of health policy and the key influence of government and financing on health outcomes; explores community-based participatory research and interventions as tools for change; and discuss ways to develop respectful partnerships with community organizations. An assets-based approach that draws upon the strengths of communities and their leaders provides a foundation for community-engagement skill building. The course emphasizes the development of skills and techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for disenfranchised groups, including residents of urban neighborhoods.

*Prerequisites: Enrollment in a Masters or Doctoral Program 
*Undergraduates need permission

Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner: Professional Role and Intermediate Clinical Practice: Dance for Health Program

Nursing 735
Terri Lipman Jessica A Strohm Farber

This course focuses on the implementation of the professional role of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC). Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the nurse practitioner in pediatric acute care. Applications of nursing, biological and behavioral science are emphasized in the advanced clinical assessment, clinical decision making and management skills needed to care for complex, unstable acutely and chronically ill children and their families. The role of the advanced practice nurse in promoting optimal child/family outcomes is emphasized.

Integral in the role of the PNP-AC is engagement in the community and addressing Social Determinants of Health. The community engagement in this course is a collaborative initiative among the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, West Philadelphia high school students and a community recreation center. For the first part of the initiative, PNP-AC students will provide an interactive curriculum for the high school students based on the needs identified by staff and students. The second objective of this engagement is related to increasing access to physical activity.  Lack of activity contributes to obesity and type-2 diabetes which is more prevalent in areas of poverty and in African American and Hispanic populations. Interventions that are culturally relevant and targeted to the needs of the community are needed. Dance has been successfully used in underserved communities as an enjoyable method of obesity reduction. The Penn/high school partnership will direct Dance for Health – an intergenerational program focused on increasing activity in the community.  This project will actively engage the community in each component of planning and implementation, and outcome data will be collected by high school and nurse practitioner students.

2017 Fall Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses
Undergraduate

Case Study: Self-care of Chronic Illness

Nursing 355
Barbara J. Riegel

This case study introduces the role of self-care by patients with chronic illness. We will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting patient self-care. Fieldwork experiences will enable students to gain practical experience in engaging chronically ill individuals in self-care.

Nursing in the Community

Nursing 380
Alison Meredith Buttenheim Monica Harmon

This course considers how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of both communities as a whole (populations) and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities locally and globally. It addresses the complexity of nursing practice using a public health paradigm. It requires students to draw from prior class and clinical knowledge and skills and apply this practice base to communities across care settings, ages, and cultures with different experiences of equity and access to care. It provides the tools needed to engage in collaborative community work and to give voice to the community's strengths, needs, and goals. It also moves students from an individual and family focus to a population focus for health assessment and intervention. Students consider the science, policies, and resources that support public health, and community based and community-oriented care. Clinical and simulated experiences in community settings provide sufficient opportunities for clinical reasoning, clinical care and knowledge integration in community settings. Students will have opportunities to care for patients and populations within selected communities.

Nutrition Throughout The Life Cycle

Nursing 375
Monique Dowd

Understanding and meeting nutritional needs from conception through adulthood will be addressed. Nutrition-related concerns at each stage of the lifecycle, including impact of lifestyle, education, economics and food behavior will be explored. As an ABCS course, students will be given the opportunity to address a real world nutrition-related issue in West Philadelphia in collaborations with Penn and/or local programs. Students will work in West Philadelphia with either senior citizens in the LIFE Program or K-8 students through the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative's Fruit Stands for 2-4 hours/week outside of class time.

*Prerequisites: NURS 054, NURS 112, or comparable nutrition or introductory course

Obesity and Society

Nursing 313
Tanja V.E. Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

Graduate

Obesity and Society

Nursing 513
Tanja V.E. Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.