The School of Nursing offers graduate courses leading to the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree for those nurses who want to advance their careers beyond the baccalaureate level. Two tracks are offered: clinical nurse leader and nurse educator. The program is designed to be completed in 18 months of full-time study; alternatively, it can be completed on a part time schedule in a longer time frame. Students are allowed a maximum of 6 years from admission to completion of the MSN. The program consists of 38 credit hours and includes 400 hours of clinical practice and residency. A graduate level statistics course may be completed prior to enrollment or taken concurrently as a co-requisite.

Nursing courses are conveniently scheduled one day a week on Fridays with one course typically offered in the morning and a second course offered in the afternoon. Clinical practice hours are flexible and are arranged in collaboration with the student, faculty, and affiliated agency. With approval, a maximum of 9 graduate credit hours may be transferred into the program from another university, or a student may take up to 9 credits as a “student at large” (non-degree seeking) before matriculation in the program with approval of the program director or dean. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 to be eligible for graduation. Advanced Practice licensure is not available for nurse educators or clinical nurse leaders. Graduates may, however, be eligible to sit for national certification examinations for nurse educator or clinical nurse leader when available.

MSN Program Goals

• To develop within graduate students evidence of professional nursing excellence;
• To prepare nursing leaders who integrate knowledge, skills, and values in their professional practice within a global community;
• To achieve a community of life-long learners who are able to actively shape the future of nursing and health care.

MSN Student Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate leadership that enhances patient centered outcomes through management of the care environment and evidence-based care;
• Develop advanced nursing knowledge for quality improvement of patient outcomes in diverse populations and health care delivery effectiveness through interdisciplinary teams;
• Provide nursing leadership through the health care delivery system including expanding the independent role of the nurse, ensuring evidence-based educational outcomes, engaging in political processes, and improving access to health care.

Master of science in nursing Tracks:

Nurse Educator

The nurse educator track is designed for nurses who seek opportunities teaching in a school of nursing, a continuing education program, or a staff development role. A strong emphasis is placed on experiential learning opportunities focusing on teaching pedagogy and assessment of learning. Students receive a strong foundation in curriculum development, methods of inquiry, nursing theory, the role of education in health care, and evidence-based practice to enhance clinical outcomes. The nurse educator track incorporates a collaborative teaching residency with a skilled educator mentor. Graduates will be eligible to take the Certified Nurse Educator examination from the National League for Nursing. The nurse educator track requires successful completion (grade of C or better) of the following courses: NU540, NU560, NU515, NU500, NU505, NU520, NU535, NU555, Nu525, NU575, NU510, and NU590

CLINICAL NURSE LEADER

Coursework in the clinical nurse leader (CNL) track prepares a generalist practitioner with specialized skills in lateral integration of care and interdisciplinary collaboration. The clinical nurse leader role focuses on developing enhanced clinical skills for management of patient care and the care environment. Coursework builds strong leadership skills through development of analytical skills combined with assessment and inquiry techniques. Students will gain a strong foundation in nursing issues, nursing theory, research, and evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes. A required 8 week residency consisting of a minimum of 300 hours clinical experiences will be arranged collaboratively with the student, faculty, and a clinical mentor. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is currently developing a certification exam for the Clinical Nurse Leader and graduates of this program will be eligible to take the examination. The CNL track requires successful completion (grade of C or better) in the following courses: NU540, NU560, NU515, NU500, NU505, NU520, NU530, NU550, NU525, NU570, NU510, and NU590.

Master of science in nursing COURSES

505. Advanced Topics: Evidence-Based Practice (2 credits)

Exploration, integration, and application of skills needed to implement evidence-based practice will form the basis of this course. Students will develop skill analyzing clinical research findings including evidence from systematic reviews, meta-analyses or evidence obtained from random controlled trials, well-designed case control and cohort studies, and systematic reviews of descriptive and qualitative studies. Expert use of information technology and search strategies will empower students to answer appropriate clinical questions. Students will formulate a project for clinical or educational change based on best evidence.

510. Advanced Topics: Diverse Populations (2 credits)

Working with diverse populations to mobilize change in the health care environment will be the focus of this course. Diverse populations and global issues in nursing and health care will be examined in relation to health promotion and health practices that have informed nursing practice.

515. Nursing and Interdisciplinary Theory (3 credits)

Classic nursing and interdisciplinary theorists’ work are explored to inform and guide practice, education and research in graduate nursing roles. Examination of theories will focus on basic elements, interrelationships among major concepts as well as internal and external analysis of each model. The course focus is on survey exploration of theories from nursing, business, and social sciences critical to advancing knowledge and practice. Students will compare theoretical perspectives from at least two disciplines and reflect on how these guide change in nursing, leadership, and health care.

525. Project seminar (2 credits)

The student will explore the independent nursing role to effectively implement evidence-based practice or education in complex decision-making situations involving a clearly identified health care problem. Each student will collaborate in a health care setting across two or more disciplines identifying an issue that requires data collection, in-depth analysis, resource management, and quality improvement processes. The proposal for the terminal project will be developed in this course. A minimum of 50 collaborative practice hours will be required during this course.

530. Health Care Policy and Economics (3 credits)

An overview of U.S. Health care policy and finance issues will be explored. Health care policy initiatives affecting nursing practice, patient outcomes and the care environment will be analyzed with particular attention to forces affecting costs, access to care, and social impact. Trends in economic management of health care costs will be explored. A position paper with documentation from the literature will be developed to support a concept or to influence change within the care environment.

535. Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Evaluation (3 credits)

This course explores the foundations for course development, instructional design, learning style assessment, and the evaluation of learning outcomes in the field of nursing. The links between education and health care will be explored, with an emphasis on learning and change that target enhanced clinical outcomes and care environment management. Teaching methods, philosophies of education and learning, and tools for promoting communication, ethical issues in student practice, and the role of higher education in nursing will be concepts examined in this course.

542. Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)

544. Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits)

545. Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)

550. Clinical Nurse Leadership: Clinical Outcomes and Care Management (3 credits)

Building on baccalaureate level nursing skills and foundational pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment, the focus of this course is on integrative care approaches that improve health through graduate-level nursing and collaborative planning to design systems that promote positive health outcomes. Health promotion, disease reduction, and/or prevention as health-oriented strategies will be applied to patient care. Students will develop an outcome-focused model that relates to a graduate-level clinical practice area and that will inform the terminal project and residency.

555. Educator Responsibilities and Roles (3 credits)

Students will explore graduate responsibilities and roles in a variety of settings, including traditional higher education and health care settings. An analysis of the integration of evidence-based teaching strategies and evidence-based patient issues in a selected clinical area will be completed within this course. Strategies for building a personal philosophy of teaching and planned growth in an educator role will be identified. A dossier or curriculum vitae will be constructed in preparation for assuming an educator position. Managing and integrating clinical and classroom environmental strategies to promote learning in the nursing field will be emphasized. Ethical responsibilities and legal issues related to educator role will be explored.

560. Research Methods (3 credits)

Building upon undergraduate research methods and advanced statistics, this course will emphasize biostatistics and epidemiological data used to measure and improve clinical outcomes in health care. Research studies representing a variety of designs will be examined for applicability to improve nursing practice and clinical outcomes. Students will analyze research applications to improve nursing practice and will develop an integrated review and analysis of the research literature on a topic identified collaboratively with the faculty member.

570. CNL Residency (4 credits)

The residency is the culminating application of the role of the CNL. Under faculty supervision, students will design a collaborative residency with clinical preceptors focusing on refinement of nursing leadership skills and management of clinical outcomes in the care environment. The complexities of clinical nursing leadership in interdisciplinary clinical applications will be discussed in weekly meetings. Students will apply evidenced-based practice including risk management, interdisciplinary collaboration for the promotion of patient outcomes and the integration of informatics to advance decision-making. Advocacy, health care resource, and organizational issues will be intentionally evaluated. Students will develop a written analysis of personal leadership skill development and reflection of the impact of CNL change within the care environment. The CNL residency will require a minimum of 300 clinical hours over a 10- week period.

575. Educator Residency (4 credits)

This residency is the culminating experience in the educator role. Design and implementation of a comprehensive teaching project will be completed under the direction of an experienced faculty member. Analysis of learning environments, application of problem-based approaches, utilization of informatics and other health care technologies will be included in this course. Students will deliver a comprehensive, peer-reviewed educational program including a written reflective analysis of outcomes effectiveness. The educator residency will require a full semester mentorship with a practicing faculty member totaling a minimum of 300 hours.

590, 591, & 592. Advanced Nursing Project (1 credit each)

The terminal project will be a synthesis of master’s learning experiences directed at the integration of concepts fundamental to nursing leadership, improved clinical outcomes, and care environment management. Students will identify a validated problem within a complex system in collaboration with faculty and clinical leaders, conduct an extensive review of literature that guides and clarifies multiple approaches to problem resolution. The student will design, implement, and evaluate a selected approach to address the problem. This final project will enable the student to act as a change agent and will result in a final paper or business plan that is peer-reviewed and is of sufficient rigor to be replicated and/or published in the professional literature. This project will be the final entry into the student’s portfolio and will be submitted to the graduate advisor to meet graduation requirements.