Pathophysiology

Course Description

NUR3125 – Pathophysiology is a 3-credit, upper-division lecture course providing nursing and pre-nursing students with a systematic study of the physiologic and biochemical processes underlying human disease. The course addresses how normal physiologic mechanisms become disrupted in disease states across major body systems: cellular pathology and tissue injury; inflammation and immunity; hemodynamic disorders; cardiovascular pathophysiology; respiratory pathophysiology; gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary pathophysiology; renal and urinary pathophysiology; endocrine pathophysiology; reproductive pathophysiology; neurologic pathophysiology; musculoskeletal pathophysiology; integumentary pathophysiology; and oncologic pathophysiology. Throughout, the emphasis is on connecting cellular and molecular mechanisms to clinical signs and symptoms — preparing students to integrate pathophysiologic understanding into nursing assessment, diagnostic reasoning, and care planning in subsequent clinical coursework.

The course sits within the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) under Nursing > Foundations and is offered at approximately 29 Florida public institutions — among the most widely-offered upper-division nursing courses in Florida. NUR3125 is required at every Florida public institution offering a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, including:

• Pre-licensure BSN programs (entering students completing both pre-nursing and nursing coursework toward initial licensure as RN)
• RN-to-BSN bridge programs (already-licensed registered nurses completing baccalaureate work)
• AS-Nursing (RN) programs at FCS institutions with embedded pathophysiology requirements

NUR3125 is the corpus's first dedicated upper-division nursing course. The course assumes substantial prior preparation in anatomy and physiology (typically BSC2085C/BSC2086C or equivalent), microbiology (typically MCB2010C), and chemistry (typically CHM1045C/CHM1046C or equivalent). Without these prerequisites, the cellular and molecular content of pathophysiology becomes largely inaccessible. The course is conceptually demanding — it is not a rote-memorization course; success requires understanding of underlying mechanisms and the ability to integrate information across body systems.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of NUR3125, students will be able to:

• Describe cellular pathology and tissue injury: types of cellular adaptation (atrophy, hypertrophy, hyperplasia, metaplasia, dysplasia); causes of cell injury; reversible vs. irreversible cell injury; necrosis (coagulative, liquefactive, caseous, fat, gangrenous) vs. apoptosis; the cellular basis of disease processes.
• Describe inflammation and tissue repair: the acute inflammatory response (vascular, cellular, chemical mediators); chronic inflammation and granulomatous inflammation; the systemic effects of inflammation; tissue repair (regeneration vs. fibrosis); wound healing (primary, secondary, and tertiary intention) and factors affecting wound healing.
• Describe immune system pathophysiology: innate vs. adaptive immunity; hypersensitivity reactions (Types I-IV); autoimmune disorders; immunodeficiency disorders (primary and acquired, including HIV/AIDS); transplant rejection; the immunology of infection.
• Describe hemodynamic disorders: edema; hyperemia and congestion; hemorrhage; thrombosis (Virchow's triad); embolism (arterial, venous, fat, air, amniotic); infarction; shock (hypovolemic, cardiogenic, distributive — including septic, anaphylactic, neurogenic).
• Describe cardiovascular pathophysiology: atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis; hypertension (essential and secondary); heart failure (left vs. right; systolic vs. diastolic); coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes (stable angina, unstable angina, NSTEMI, STEMI); valvular heart disease; cardiomyopathies; arrhythmias at introductory level; congenital heart defects at survey level.
• Describe respiratory pathophysiology: ventilation/perfusion abnormalities; obstructive lung diseases (asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, COPD); restrictive lung diseases; pulmonary edema; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); pneumonia (community-acquired, hospital-acquired, ventilator-associated); pulmonary embolism; lung cancer; pneumothorax; sleep apnea.
• Describe gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary pathophysiology: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); peptic ulcer disease; inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis); irritable bowel syndrome; intestinal obstruction; appendicitis; diverticular disease; cirrhosis and portal hypertension; viral hepatitis; cholelithiasis; pancreatitis (acute and chronic).
• Describe renal and urinary pathophysiology: acute kidney injury (AKI; pre-renal, intrinsic, post-renal); chronic kidney disease (CKD); glomerulonephritis; nephrotic syndrome; urinary tract infections; renal calculi; benign prostatic hyperplasia; bladder cancer; the body's compensatory mechanisms in renal failure.
• Describe fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base disorders: dehydration and fluid overload; sodium imbalances (hypo- and hypernatremia); potassium imbalances; calcium imbalances; magnesium imbalances; metabolic acidosis and alkalosis; respiratory acidosis and alkalosis; the body's compensatory mechanisms.
• Describe endocrine pathophysiology: diabetes mellitus (Type 1, Type 2, gestational; pathophysiology, complications, diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state); thyroid disorders (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid storm, myxedema coma); adrenal disorders (Cushing's syndrome, Addison's disease, pheochromocytoma); pituitary disorders (acromegaly, growth hormone deficiency, diabetes insipidus, SIADH); parathyroid disorders.
• Describe neurologic pathophysiology: stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic; transient ischemic attack); seizure disorders and epilepsy; traumatic brain injury; spinal cord injury; multiple sclerosis; Parkinson's disease; Alzheimer's disease and other dementias; meningitis and encephalitis; headache disorders; increased intracranial pressure.
• Describe musculoskeletal pathophysiology: osteoporosis; osteoarthritis; rheumatoid arthritis; gout; fractures and bone healing; muscle disorders (muscular dystrophy, fibromyalgia at survey level); soft-tissue injuries.
• Describe hematologic pathophysiology: anemias (iron-deficiency, vitamin-B12 deficiency, folate deficiency, aplastic, sickle cell, thalassemia, hemolytic); polycythemia; coagulation disorders (hemophilia, von Willebrand, DIC); platelet disorders; leukemias and lymphomas at introductory level.
• Describe oncologic pathophysiology: characteristics of neoplasia (benign vs. malignant); carcinogenesis; tumor classification and grading; staging (TNM system at introductory level); paraneoplastic syndromes; cancer pain; tumor lysis syndrome; common solid tumors (lung, breast, colon, prostate, melanoma) and hematologic malignancies (leukemias, lymphomas) at introductory level.
• Describe integumentary pathophysiology: pressure injuries (Stages 1-4 plus deep-tissue injury, unstageable); burns (depth, extent, complications); skin infections; common dermatologic conditions (psoriasis, eczema/atopic dermatitis at survey level).
• Describe reproductive pathophysiology at survey level: common gynecologic conditions; common male reproductive conditions; sexually transmitted infections; the pathophysiologic basis of common reproductive system disorders.
• Apply concepts of stress, adaptation, and homeostasis to disease processes: the general adaptation syndrome; the relationship between stress and disease; psychoneuroimmunology at introductory level; the role of stress in chronic disease.
• Apply concepts of genetics and genetic disorders at introductory level: inheritance patterns (autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked); chromosomal disorders; multifactorial disorders; the role of genetics in modern healthcare; genomic considerations in nursing care.
• Integrate pathophysiologic understanding to connect underlying mechanisms with clinical manifestations: explain why specific signs and symptoms occur given underlying pathology; predict expected lab and diagnostic findings given pathophysiology; identify expected complications of disease processes.
• Apply pathophysiologic understanding to nursing assessment and care: connect pathophysiologic concepts to systematic head-to-toe assessment; recognize life-threatening complications and their pathophysiologic basis; communicate pathophysiologic reasoning to interprofessional team members.
• Apply evidence-based practice at an introductory level: recognize quality nursing-research literature on pathophysiology and clinical implications; identify clinical practice guidelines from authoritative sources; the relationship between research and practice.

Optional Outcomes

Depending on instructor selection and program emphasis:

• Engage with genetic and genomic considerations in greater depth: pharmacogenomics; precision medicine at survey level; the future of genomic-informed nursing care.
• Engage with specific population pathophysiology: pediatric pathophysiology; geriatric pathophysiology; obstetric pathophysiology; pathophysiology in vulnerable populations.
• Engage with specific high-prevalence disease deep-dives: diabetes management deep-dive; cardiovascular-disease prevention; cancer screening and prevention.
• Engage with introductory clinical-reasoning case studies integrating pathophysiology with patient assessment and care planning.
• Engage with health disparities and the pathophysiologic basis of social determinants of health.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Cellular Pathology: Cellular adaptation; causes and types of cell injury; reversible vs. irreversible injury; necrosis types; apoptosis; subcellular responses to injury.
• Inflammation and Tissue Repair: Acute inflammation (vascular, cellular, chemical mediators); chronic inflammation; granulomatous inflammation; systemic effects; tissue repair; wound healing and factors affecting it.
• Immune System Pathophysiology: Innate vs. adaptive immunity; hypersensitivity reactions Types I-IV; autoimmune disorders (overview, rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, others); immunodeficiency including HIV/AIDS; transplant rejection.
• Hemodynamic Disorders: Edema; hyperemia and congestion; hemorrhage; thrombosis (Virchow's triad); embolism types; infarction; shock (hypovolemic, cardiogenic, distributive — including septic, anaphylactic, neurogenic); hemodynamic monitoring at introductory level.
• Genetic Disorders: Inheritance patterns; chromosomal disorders; multifactorial disorders; genomic concepts in nursing care.
• Cardiovascular Pathophysiology: Atherosclerosis; arteriosclerosis; hypertension (essential and secondary); heart failure; coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes (stable angina, unstable angina, NSTEMI, STEMI); valvular heart disease; cardiomyopathies; arrhythmias at introductory level; congenital heart defects at survey level.
• Respiratory Pathophysiology: V/Q abnormalities; obstructive lung disease (asthma, COPD); restrictive lung disease; pulmonary edema; ARDS; pneumonia; pulmonary embolism; lung cancer; pneumothorax; sleep apnea.
• Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Pathophysiology: GERD; peptic ulcer disease; inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's, ulcerative colitis); irritable bowel syndrome; intestinal obstruction; appendicitis; diverticular disease; cirrhosis and portal hypertension; viral hepatitis; cholelithiasis; pancreatitis.
• Renal and Urinary Pathophysiology: Acute kidney injury (pre-renal, intrinsic, post-renal); chronic kidney disease; glomerulonephritis; nephrotic syndrome; urinary tract infections; renal calculi; benign prostatic hyperplasia; bladder cancer.
• Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Disorders: Dehydration and fluid overload; sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium imbalances; metabolic and respiratory acidosis/alkalosis; compensatory mechanisms.
• Endocrine Pathophysiology: Diabetes mellitus (Type 1, Type 2, gestational; complications including DKA and HHS); thyroid disorders (hyper-, hypo-, storm, myxedema); adrenal disorders (Cushing's, Addison's, pheochromocytoma); pituitary disorders; parathyroid disorders.
• Neurologic Pathophysiology: Stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic, TIA); seizure disorders and epilepsy; traumatic brain injury; spinal cord injury; multiple sclerosis; Parkinson's disease; Alzheimer's disease and other dementias; meningitis and encephalitis; headache disorders; increased intracranial pressure.
• Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology: Osteoporosis; osteoarthritis; rheumatoid arthritis; gout; fractures and bone healing; muscle disorders.
• Hematologic Pathophysiology: Anemias (multiple types); polycythemia; coagulation disorders (hemophilia, von Willebrand, DIC); platelet disorders; leukemias and lymphomas at introductory level.
• Oncologic Pathophysiology: Neoplasia characteristics; carcinogenesis; tumor classification, grading, staging; paraneoplastic syndromes; common solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.
• Integumentary Pathophysiology: Pressure injuries; burns; skin infections; common dermatologic conditions at survey level.
• Reproductive Pathophysiology: Survey-level coverage of common gynecologic and male reproductive conditions; sexually transmitted infections; common reproductive disorders.
• Stress and Adaptation: General adaptation syndrome; stress and chronic disease; psychoneuroimmunology at introductory level.
• Integration and Clinical Reasoning: Connecting pathophysiology to clinical manifestations; predicting lab and diagnostic findings; identifying expected complications; integrating with nursing assessment.

Optional Topics

• Genetic and Genomic Considerations in Greater Depth: Pharmacogenomics; precision medicine; genomic-informed nursing care.
• Pediatric Pathophysiology: Distinctive considerations for children.
• Geriatric Pathophysiology: Distinctive considerations for older adults.
• Obstetric Pathophysiology: Pregnancy-related conditions.
• High-Prevalence Disease Deep-Dives: Selected diseases of special programmatic interest.
• Clinical Reasoning Case Studies: Integrating pathophysiology with assessment and care planning.
• Health Disparities and Social Determinants: Pathophysiologic basis of disparities.

Resources & Tools

• Most-adopted textbooks at Florida institutions: Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children by McCance and Huether (Elsevier) — among the most widely-adopted nursing pathophysiology textbooks; Porth's Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States by Norris (Wolters Kluwer); Pathophysiology: A Practical Approach by Story (Jones & Bartlett); Understanding Pathophysiology by Huether and McCance (Elsevier; concise version of the McCance/Huether parent text).
• Reference resources: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease by Kumar, Abbas, Aster (Elsevier) — the standard reference for medical pathology; Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (McGraw-Hill) — for pharmacology integration; the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) for current research literature.
• Online learning platforms: Elsevier Adaptive Learning (paired with McCance/Huether); Lippincott Online Resources (paired with Porth); Jones & Bartlett Navigate; Adaptive Quizzing platforms (HESI, Kaplan, ATI — many Florida nursing programs use these for both pathophysiology and broader NCLEX preparation).
• NCLEX-RN preparation alignment: Pathophysiology content is heavily tested on the NCLEX-RN. Nursing students typically use HESI Adaptive Testing, Kaplan NCLEX-RN, or ATI Comprehensive Predictor resources alongside pathophysiology coursework; institution-specific predictor exams in pathophysiology are common.
• Clinical practice guidelines (free, authoritative): American Heart Association (heart.org); American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org); American Cancer Society (cancer.org); CDC (cdc.gov); WHO (who.int); the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN — nccn.org); Up-to-Date or DynaMed (institution-licensed; clinical-reference platforms widely used in nursing education).
• Online supplementary resources: Khan Academy Health and Medicine (free, comprehensive at introductory-to-intermediate level); Osmosis (osmosis.org — paid, popular for pathophysiology video review); Picmonic (paid, mnemonic-based learning); Lecturio (paid, video-lecture platform).
• Tutoring and support: Institution nursing-program tutoring (often peer-led by senior nursing students); nursing-faculty office hours; institutional learning labs; nursing-program academic-success programs; peer study groups (essential for pathophysiology success).

Career Pathways

NUR3125 is foundational for the entire upper-division nursing curriculum and the broader nursing-career pathway in Florida. Specific career pathways supported include:

• Registered Nurse (RN) — the foundational career pathway. Florida RN employment is substantial across hospitals, long-term care, ambulatory care, home health, hospice, public health, schools, and many other settings.
• Hospital Bedside Nursing — medical-surgical, critical care (ICU, CCU, NICU, PICU), emergency, perioperative, women's health, oncology; major Florida health systems (AdventHealth, Orlando Health, BayCare, Lee Health, Memorial Healthcare, HCA Healthcare, Tampa General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Mayo Clinic Florida, Sarasota Memorial Hospital).
• Outpatient and Ambulatory Nursing — physician practices, specialty clinics, dialysis centers, infusion centers, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care.
• Home Health and Hospice Nursing — Florida's substantial home-health and hospice sector.
• Long-Term Care Nursing — skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, memory care.
• Public Health Nursing — Florida Department of Health county health departments; community-based public-health programs.
• School Nursing — Florida K-12 school districts; growing demand.
• Specialty Nursing Certifications — most specialty certifications (CCRN, CMSRN, OCN, etc.) require pathophysiology fluency at the level NUR3125 develops.
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Pathway — Master's-prepared NP, CNS, CRNA, CNM all build on the pathophysiology foundation; NUR3125 is essential preparation.
• Specialty Bachelor's-Level Roles: Case management, infection prevention, quality improvement, clinical informatics, nursing education.
• Articulation to Graduate Programs: NUR3125 satisfies the BSN pathophysiology requirement; the BSN itself is the foundation for graduate nursing study (MSN, DNP, PhD).
• Florida BSN Programs: University of Florida College of Nursing; University of South Florida College of Nursing; University of Central Florida College of Nursing; Florida State University College of Nursing; University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies; Florida International University Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences; Florida Atlantic University Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing; University of North Florida Brooks College of Health; University of West Florida; FCS-institution BSN programs (Miami Dade College, Valencia College, Broward College, Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College, and others).

Special Information

Articulation and Transfer

NUR3125 articulates broadly within the Florida public-college system. The course is required at every Florida public institution offering a BSN program. A grade of C or higher (often B or higher in nursing-program contexts) is typically required for the course to satisfy nursing major prerequisites and to allow continued progression in nursing coursework. Some Florida BSN programs require a B or higher in NUR3125 specifically given its foundational nature for upper-division nursing courses. Students should consult their nursing-program academic policies.

Prerequisites

Standard prerequisites typically include:

• BSC2085C (Anatomy and Physiology I) and BSC2086C (Anatomy and Physiology II) — both with grades of C or higher; these are non-negotiable foundations
• MCB2010C (Microbiology) — typically with grade of C or higher; supports infectious-disease and immunology content
• CHM1045C (General Chemistry I) — at most institutions; supports cellular and molecular pathology content
• Admission to a BSN program at most institutions (some institutions allow advanced pre-nursing students to take NUR3125 prior to formal program admission)

Specific prerequisites vary by institution and program type (pre-licensure BSN, RN-to-BSN, AS-Nursing). Students should consult their nursing-program advisor.

NUR3125 vs. Related Courses

Florida nursing-program coursework includes several related but distinct courses:

• NUR3125 (this course) — Pathophysiology — the systematic study of disease mechanisms; lecture-only.
• NUR3145 — Pharmacology in Nursing — drug mechanisms and clinical applications; sometimes paired with NUR3125 in the upper-division-foundations sequence.
• NUR4xxx-level clinical courses — apply pathophysiology and pharmacology in specific clinical contexts (medical-surgical, women's health, pediatric, mental health, community health, leadership/management).
• BSC2085C/BSC2086C (Anatomy and Physiology I/II) — undergraduate prerequisite courses establishing normal physiology; the foundation for NUR3125.

Students should not confuse NUR3125 with PCB3063C (Genetics) or other biology courses — though they may overlap in content with introductory cell biology, NUR3125 is specifically nursing-focused with explicit clinical application emphasis.

Course Format and Workload

NUR3125 is typically a 3-credit lecture course meeting 3 hours per week for 15-16 weeks (45 contact hours total). The course is widely offered in face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online formats — increasingly fully online for RN-to-BSN program students. Expect: substantial textbook reading (pathophysiology textbooks are dense and reading is unavoidable); regular weekly assignments (often combination of textbook readings, online activities, case studies); 3-4 unit exams (multiple-choice exam format mirroring NCLEX-RN style); a comprehensive final exam. Out-of-class workload typically runs 8-12 hours per week — successful pathophysiology students develop the habit of regular daily study rather than weekly cramming. The volume of material is substantial, and the conceptual integration across body systems requires sustained thinking time.

Common Difficulty Areas

Students often find specific topics in NUR3125 challenging:

• Acid-base disorders — the integration of metabolic and respiratory components plus compensatory mechanisms requires considerable practice
• Endocrine pathophysiology — the interplay of multiple hormone axes is conceptually complex
• Hemodynamic disorders, particularly shock — the integration of cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal pathophysiology in shock states is demanding
• Acute coronary syndromes and arrhythmias — the cardiology content has substantial detail and clinical relevance

Students experiencing difficulty should seek support promptly — pathophysiology builds on itself, and gaps quickly become barriers to subsequent material.

Course Code Variations

Florida institutions consistently use NUR3125 for this course. Course titles include "Pathophysiology," "Pathophysiology for Nursing," and "Altered Health States." Some institutions offer variants such as NUR3125C (with integrated lab/clinical-reasoning component); the lecture-only NUR3125 is most common. The course is consistently 3 credits.