Health Care Prerequisites

Interested in pursuing a career in health care or advancing to a higher nursing degree, but need to complete some prerequisites before starting your program? GW Nursing offers a catalog of prerequisite courses that satisfy requirements for our own programs, as well as, many other health professions and graduate nursing programs.

If you aspire to become a registered nurse or other health professional, you may complete our Undergraduate Health Care Prerequisites. If you are already a nurse and are looking to advance your nursing career by enrolling in an advanced degree program, you may complete our Graduate Health Care Prerequisites.

The undergraduate courses are available online in a 10-week format in spring, summer or fall — whatever works for your schedule These courses are open to all students who need to fulfill prerequisites for nursing or other health programs.

Available Undergraduate Courses

Ethical Foundations of Nursing (NURS 3101) - 3 credits

Offered in Spring, Summer and Fall

This 10-week course provides a basic understanding of ethical theory and principles as they relate to common ethical and moral dilemmas that challenge nursing professionals in clinical practice. The course introduces you to methods of analyzing and resolving moral dilemmas using clinical decision-making frameworks, as well as methods for increasing self-awareness by examining and understanding the impact of your own personal value systems.

Course Objectives

• Define commonly used principles and theories involved in bioethical decision-making.
• Identify historical factors that shaped the evolution of health care ethics.
• Describe the major bioethical dilemmas encountered by age, role and population-specific groups.
• Apply clinical decision-making frameworks to address bioethical dilemmas in clinical practice situations.
• Recognize the impact of personal values in ethical reasoning and nursing practice.
• Collaborate with group members to analyze contemporary bioethical issues.

Required Texts

• Butts, J.B. & Rich, K.L. (2023). Nursing Ethics: Across the Curriculum and into Practice, (6th Ed.) Boston: Jones and Bartlett. The e-book is available for free online with GW's Himmelfarb Library.
• Piccoult, J. (2004). My Sister’s Keeper. New York: Washington Square Press.
• American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD

Suggested Texts

• American Psychological Association (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th Ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Nutrition for Health Professionals (NURS 3102) - 3 credits

Offered in Spring, Summer and Fall

This 10-week course addresses the fundamentals of human nutrition and their scientific foundations. You will learn about nutritional requirements related to changing individual and family needs, such as food choices, health behaviors, food safety, prevention of chronic disease and nutrition-related public health in the United States and globally.

Course Objectives

• Describe the six classes of nutrients and explain their molecular structure, dietary source, and roles in physiological functioning.
• Explain how nutrients are digested, absorbed, and excreted, and the consequences of toxicity or deficiency.
• Discuss dietary recommendations and how nutrition is portrayed in research, on food labels, and in the media.
• Compare the role of nutrition in different life stages in human development and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.
• Explain how diet and physical activity impact body weight and risks for certain diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
• Provide an overview of causes of foodborne illnesses and discuss strategies for keeping foods safe.
• Explore the relationship between poverty, malnutrition, and obesity and describe food insecurity.
• Summarize the process of assessing an individual’s nutritional status, developing a care plan, and evaluating progress.
• Identify strategies for assessing readiness to change and counseling individuals on dietary changes, taking into account different cultural and environmental settings.

Required Texts

• Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2014). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Anatomy and Physiology I with Virtual Lab (NURS 3103) - 4 credits 

Offered in Spring, Summer and Fall

This 10-week course focuses on the fundamental structures and functions as they relate to the human body: homeostasis; anatomical language and body organization; tissues and histology; and integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous and endocrine systems. You will need to have a basic background in introductory cell/molecular biology.

Course Objectives

• Describe the interrelationship between anatomy and physiology as they relate to the various systems of the human body.
• Describe the levels of structural organization in an organism and the characteristics that define life.
• Utilize descriptive anatomical and directional terminology in the proper identification of various body structures.
• Describe homeostasis and explain how the body uses feedback mechanisms to maintain homeostasis.
• Describe the major characteristics, structure, function and location(s) of the various tissues of the human body.
• Describe the structural features and functions of the integumentary system, neurological system, endocrine system, skeletal system and muscular system.
• Apply knowledge of body systems to practical problem solving situations or case studies.
• Summarize the consequences or body’s response to physiological and anatomical changes.

Required Texts

Amerman, E.C. (2019). Human Anatomy and Physiology with Modified Mastering A&P access code. (2nd ed.) San Francisco, CA: Pearson Publishing

For this course, you will at minimum need access to the Modified Mastering A&P online resources.  The Value package includes the online resources and access to e-text (you can purchase a loose-leaf edition online through Pearson for a nominal fee).

You can purchase directly through Blackboard when the course opens (first day of semester) or you can purchase an access code through Pearson Directly:  Pearson’s Amerman Modified Mastering w/e-text access link

Please note: you will be required to have access to the publisher materials that accompany this book (Mastering A&P) – the access code can be purchased alone (providing an e-text) or with the textbook (which will still give you access to the e-book and online resources) – If you are purchasing online from Amazon or other places – please make sure you get the Modified Mastering Code  ISBN 9780134804712

Anatomy and Physiology II with Virtual Lab (NURS 3104) - 4 credits 

Offered in Spring, Summer and Fall

This 10-week course emphasizes the fundamental structures and functions as they relate to the human body:  homeostasis; anatomical language and body organization; tissues and histology; cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. 

Course Objectives

• Apply concepts of homeostasis, regional and directional terminology, and histology to the study of body systems.
• Describe gross anatomy and physiology of reproductive, cardiovascular, respiratory, urinary, lymphatic, and digestive systems.
• Describe the relationship between anatomical features of the systems and their related tissues.
• Calculate physiological parameters and interpret data.
• Recognize and explain the anatomical and physiological interrelationships within and between systems of the human body.
• Apply knowledge of the systems to practical, problem-solving situations.
• Demonstrate the consequences of physiological and anatomical changes on the body.

Required Texts

Amerman, E.C. (2019). Human Anatomy and Physiology with Modified Mastering A&P access code. 2nd edition. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Publishing.

For this course, you will at minimum need access to the Modified Mastering A&P online resources.  The Value package includes the online resources and access to e-text (you can purchase a loose-leaf edition online through Pearson for a nominal fee).

You can purchase directly through Blackboard when the course opens (first day of semester) or you can purchase an access code through Pearson Directly:  Pearson’s Amerman Modified Mastering w/e-text access link

Please note: you will be required to have access to the publisher materials that accompany this book (Mastering A&P) – the access code can be purchased alone (providing an e-text) or with the textbook (which will still give you access to the e-book and online resources) – If you are purchasing online from Amazon or other places – please make sure you get the Modified Mastering Code ISBN 9780134804712

Microbiology for Health Professionals with Virtual Lab (NURS 3105) - 4 credits 

Offered in Spring, Summer and Fall

This course explores principles of microbiology, with an emphasis on microorganisms that affect health and cause human disease. Topics include an overview of microbiology and aspects of medical microbiology, identification and control of pathogens, disease transmission, host resistance and immunity.

Course Objectives

• Compare the major differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms.
• Interpret the main morphological features of bacteria.
• Discuss microbial growth and metabolism of bacteria.
• Analyze the mode of action of antibiotics and the function of immunity against pathogens.
• Examine the causative agents of commonly encountered human infectious diseases.
• Interpret bacterial staining characteristics.
• Compare and contrast the biochemical tests used to differentiate bacteria.

Required Texts

Bauman, R. (2018). Microbiology With Diseases By Body Systems, 5 e. New York: Pearson Publishing. Textbook ISBN-13: 978013477206 Mastering Microbiology Access Code w/ Ebook: ISBN-9780134607900

Introduction to Statistics for Health Professionals (NURS 3106) - 3 credits 

Required Text

Agresti, A., Fanklin, C. & Klingenberg, B. (2020). Statistics: The Art and Science of Learning from Data with MyLab Statistics, 5/e. ISBN 9780136559894.

Introduction to Math for Health Professionals (NURS 3107) - 3 credits

This concepts-based course introduces students to the theory, practice, and application of math to dosage calculations in healthcare.

Course Objectives

Convert measurements within and between the metric system and the U.S. customary system works. (B2, B12) Interpret medication orders. (B2, B11, B12) Perform medical calculations using dimensional analysis and ratio and proportion. (B2, B4, B6, B12)

Required Text

Giangrasso, A.P. , & Shrimpton, D. (2018). Dosage Calculations: A Multi-Method Approach with MyLab Nursing, 11/e. ISBN-13: 9780134858074

Available Graduate Courses

Biostatistics for Health Care Research (NURS 6208) - 3 credit

Offered in Spring and Summer

Basic concepts and modeling approaches used in biostatistics through the use of health care research data.

Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology (NURS 6220) - 3 credits

Offered in Spring and Fall

System-focused advanced physiology and pathophysiology for analysis of health deviations across the life span.

Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (NURS 6222) - 4 credits 

Offered in Spring and Summer

Nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students will acquire the knowledge, skills and clinical foundation for advanced health assessment and diagnostic reasoning in the ambulatory health care setting. This course is a prerequisite to all other clinical courses and includes a Campus Learning and Skills Intensive (CLASI).

Advanced Pharmacology for Nursing (NURS 6234) - 3 credits

Offered in Spring and Summer

Pharmacologic concepts commonly seen in advanced practice nursing; major pharmacological classes for selected disease states and application in therapeutic decision making to encounters across the lifespan. Prerequisite: NURS 6220.

Important notes for students:

• E-books are available for some courses for free online with GW’s Himmelfarb Library
• Graduate prerequisites offered through the GW Nursing satisfy the prerequisite requirements for our graduate programs, but other schools may have different requirements. If you are taking these prerequisites for another school, we encourage you to contact one of their officials to determine if the course(s) meet their requirements there prior to your enrollment.
• Current GW undergraduate and graduate students should check with their academic advisor or school official to see if a waiver is needed to enroll in GW Nursing online prerequisite course offerings.