Program Description
The Department of Nursing offers graduate study leading
to the Master of Science degree. The Doctor of Nursing Practice
degree, a clinical doctorate, is also offered in the Family Nurse
Practitioner specialty. An individually tailored program of study is available for the advanced practice nurse with a master's degree.
The program includes advanced nursing courses,
support courses, clinical practica and disquisition
(comprehensive study or thesis). Master's degrees offered are in: Family Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist
in Adult Health and Nurse Educator.
Guidelines provided by the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), National Organization of Nurse
Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), National Association of Clinical
Specialists ( NACNS) and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
are utilized in the curriculum. The graduate
nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate
Nursing Education (CCNE).
Admission Requirements
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing
from a nationally accredited nursing program.
- Undergraduate and other transcripts sent directly from the institution to The Graduate School.
- GPA of 3.0.
- Undergraduate coursework in research and health assessment.
- Current unencumbered RN licensure
- Completed application to The
Graduate School.
- Three references: two from professional colleagues that address clinical competence and potential for graduate education, and one other reference.
- Written narrative of professional experience and future goals.
- Non-refundable $35 fee and $10
Processing fee.
- Interview, if requested. (Interview required for all FNP applicants.)
Degree
Requirements
- Clinical Nurse Specialist
in Adult Health:
A minimum of 44-48 (MS) semester credits.
Family Nurse Practitioner: A minimum of 54-58
(MS) or a minimum of 86 (DNP) semester credits.
Nurse Educator: A minimum of 36 (MS) semester
credits.
A minimum of 44-48
semester credits.
A minimum of
44-48 semester credits.
- A maximum of nine graduate semester credits
(with a grade of B or better) completed within seven years previous
to admission, may be transferred from other regionally accredited
colleges or universities with the consent of the student's
supervisory committee.
- 3.0 grade point average.
- Thesis or Comprehensive study.
M.S. Degree in Nursing
Core Requirements (16-20 credits)
Nurs 601 Theoretical Perspectives
of the Discipline 2
Nurs 602 Ethics of Healthcare and Nursing 2
Nurs 604 Advanced Nursing Research 3
Nurs 606 Healthcare Delivery Systems, Policy, and Financing 2
Nurs 608 Transcultural and Social
Perspectives 3
Nurs 620 Advanced Practice Roles 2
Nurs 797 Master's Comprehensive
Study 2-4 or
Nurs 798 Master's Thesis 6
Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health Requirements (28 credits)
Nurs 612 Advanced Health Assessment
3
Nurs 614 Advanced Pathophysiology I: Concepts 2
Nurs 616 Advanced Pathophysiology II: Systems 2
Nurs 620 Advanced Practice Roles
2
Nurs 630 Advanced Community Assessment
3
Nurs 631 Advanced Pharmacology
I 2
Nurs 632 Advanced Pharmacology II 2
Nurs 640 Adult Nursing I 3
Nurs 640P Advanced Nursing Practicum I 4
Nurs 641 Adult Nursing II 3
Nurs 641P Advanced Nursing Practicum II 4
Family
Nurse Practitioner Requirements
Prior to beginning clinical courses, this
track requires Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.
Nurs 612 Advanced Health Assessment
3
Nurs 612P Practicum I: Advanced Health Assessment 3
Nurs 614 Advanced Pathophysiology I: Concepts 2
Nurs 616 Advanced Pathophysiology II: Systems 2
Nurs 618 Family Nursing Theory and
Health Promotion 3
Nurs 620 Advanced Practice Roles
2
Nurs 620P Practicum IV: FNP Role Integration 4
Nurs 630 Advanced Community Assessment 3
Nurs 631 Advanced Pharmacology I 2
Nurs 632 Advanced Pharmacology II 2
Nurs 633 Family Primary Care I: Assessment & Management 3
Nurs 633P Practicum II: Family Primary Care I 4
Nurs 634 Family Primary Care II: Assessment & Management 3
Nurs 634P Practicum III: Family Primary Care II 4
Nurs 797 Master's Paper 2 or
Nurs 798 Master's Thesis 6
Nurse Educator Requirements (28-29 credits)
Nurs 612 Advanced Health Assessment
3
OR Nurs 630 Advanced Community Assessment 3
Nurs 614 Advanced Pathophysiology I 2
OR Nurs 616 Advanced Pathophysiology II 2
OR Nurs 621 Integrative Health Practices 3
Nurs 622 Teaching: Tech. Mgmt 3
Nurs 623 The Nurse as Educator 4
Nurs 627 Nurse Program / Curriculum
Design & Evaluation 3
Nurs 640P Advanced Nursing Practicum I 3
Nurs 641P Advanced Nursing Practicum II 3
Nurs 793 Independent study in clinical specialty 4
Specialty Electives: approved cognate courses 3
Family Nurse Practitioner Requirements (DNP)
601 Theoretical Perspectives/Discipline 2
602 Ethics 2
604 Research 3
606 Care Delivery/Policy/Financing 2
612 Advanced Health Assessment 3
614 Advanced Pathophysiology I 2
616 Advanced Pathophysiology II 2
630 Advanced Community Assessment 3
632 Pharmacology I 2
632 Pharmacology II 2
633 Family Primary Care I 3
634 Family Primary Care II 3
685 Economic Outcomes Assessment 2
Communication Elective 3
Family Theory Elective 3
Life-span Development Elective 3
710 Health Promotion/Disease Prevention 2
712P Assessment Practicum 6
720 Advanced Practice Roles 2
725 Applied Statistics 3
730 Clinical Applications 3
733P Family Primary Care: Residency I 8
734P Family Primary Care: Residency II 8
735P Role Integration Practicum 8
797S Comprehensive Study 6
Courses Offered
- 601 Theoretical Perspectives
of the Discipline 2
- The course is designed to help the student
analyze, critique, and apply a variety of nursing theories,
models, and conceptual frameworks in advanced nursing practice.
602 Ethics of Healthcare and Nursing 2- The course provides the graduate nursing
student with opportunities to analyze interactions among common
clinical, organizational, societal, and policy decisions from
ethical and legal perspectives.
604 Advanced Nursing Research 3- Research in Nursing includes an exploration
of the research process and the methodologies appropriate to
nursing.
606 Healthcare Delivery Systems, Policy, and Financing 2- Focus on healthcare delivery systems
configuration, policy development, and how healthcare systems
are financed.
608 Transcultural Nursing 3- Develop an understanding of diversities
in races, cultures, individuals, families, communities, populations,
lifestyles, gender, and age groups. Changing demographics will
be analyzed, major health needs identified, and health promotion
and disease prevention plans formulated.
612 Advanced Health Assessment 3- Performance of health histories, complete
physical/psychosocial assessments, and developmental assessments
of clients across the lifespan. A laboratory component is included.
612P Practicum I: Advanced Health Assessment 3- Clinical opportunities for application
of recently learned skills and extended clinical experiences
in advanced health assessment. Clinicals are supervised by a
healthcare provider who has documented expertise in the area
of specialization.
614 Advanced Pathophysiology I 2- General pathophysiological responses
to selected body systems to disease processes are presented
from both biological and behavioral perspectives. Emphasis on
normal cellular function, developmental changes, and common
physiological symptoms.
616 Advanced Pathophysiology II 2- Builds on the content from Nurs 614
with emphasis on normal cellular function, developmental changes
and common physiological symptoms. Synergistic clinical manifestations
and total body-mind responses to system alterations. Prereq:
Nurs 614.
620 Advanced Practice Roles 2- Focus on the advanced practice nurse's
role expectations. Includes an understanding of the profession,
regulations and rules of advanced practice, scope of practice,
legal ramifications of scope of practice, interdisciplinary,
collaborative practice. Prereq: Nurs 634P and 641P.
620P Practicum IV: FNP Role Integration 4- Clinical focus on the advanced practice
nurse's role expectations in the primary care setting.
Includes an understanding of the profession, regulations and
rules of advanced practice, scope of practice, legal ramifications
of scope of practice, and interdisciplinary, collaborative practice.
Prereq: Nurs 634P and 641P.
623 The Nurse as Educator 4- Major study in a selected area with
an emphasis in research. Prereq: Nurs 622P and 632.
630 Advanced Community Assessment 3- Epidemiologic techniques, reporting,
and research will be presented. Emphasis is placed on disease
prevention and control. Health problems of national and international
significance will be examined, and strategies for solutions
and/or management will be proposed. Prereq: Stat 330.
631 Advanced Pharmacology I 2- Information relative to therapeutic
management guidelines for treatment of selected disease processes.
Drug information by classification and basic principles of pharmacodynamic
and pharmacokinetics, clinical uses, mechanisms of action, contraindications,
adverse reactions, and client education implications.
632 Advanced Pharmacology II 2- Continuation of information relative
to therapeutic management guidelines for treatment of selected
disease processes. Drug information by classification and basic
principles of pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetics, clinical
uses, mechanisms of action, contraindications, adverse reactions,
and client education implications. Prereq: Nurs 631.
633 Family Primary Care I: Assessment and Management 3- Clinical decision-making skills are
fostered in the diagnosis, management, monitoring, and evaluation
of common acute, emergent, and chronic health conditions. Selected
case studies of clients will be examined in relation to problems,
diagnoses, plans, and evaluations. Prereq: Nurs 612, 612P, and
616.
633P Practicum II: Family Primary Care I 4- Clinical opportunities for application
of recently learned skills and extended clinical experiences
in advanced health assessment. Theory, research, and didactic
learning experiences are incorporated and supervised by a healthcare
provider with expertise in the area of specialization. Prereq:
Nurs 631 and 633.
634 Family Primary Care II: Assessment and Management 3- Clinical decision-making skills are
fostered in the diagnosis, management, monitoring, and evaluation
of common acute, emergent, and chronic health conditions. Selected
case studies of clients will be examined in relation to problems,
diagnoses, plans, and evaluations. Prereq: Nurs 633.
634P Practicum III: Family Primary Care II 4- Clinical opportunities for application
of clinical experiences in advanced health assessment. Theory,
research, and didactic learning experiences are incorporated
in the student practice and supervised by a healthcare provider
with expertise in the area of specialization. Prereq: Nurs 632
and 634.
640 Adult Nursing I 3- Evaluation and synthesis of advanced
pathophysiology concepts applied to nursing and health-related
theories, and research related to client outcomes. Health and
illness phenomena, symptom management, and nursing interventions
will be reviewed. Prereq: Nursing 612 and 616.
640P Advanced Nursing Practicum I 3-6- Clinical opportunities for application
of clinical experiences in a primary care setting. Theory, research,
and didactic learning experiences are incorporated in the student's
practice and supervised by a healthcare provider with expertise
in the area of specialization. Prereq: Nurs 640.
641 Adult Nursing II 3- Continuation of Adult Nursing I. Emphasis
on clinical decision making, teaching/learning theory, and formulation
of researchable questions for advanced nursing practice as an
adult CNS. Prereq: Nurs 640.
641P Advanced Nursing Practicum II 3-6- An extended practicum time allowing
the student a chance to more fully integrate skills and knowledge
learned through the graduate program. Emphasis will continue
on consultation, program planning, education, health promotion,
and prevention of disease/illness. Prereq: Nurs 641.
696 Special Topics 1-5- Special topics related to specific areas
of study. May be interdisciplinary in nature and may be repeated
under various topics. Prereq: Graduate Status.
793 Independent Study 1-4
-
- 797 Master's Comprehensive
Study 2-4
- A project is selected which will contribute
to the student's preparation for advanced practice in
nursing. A committee comprised of three faculty members is chosen:
two from nursing (one who serves as adviser) and one faculty
member from a related field. A final examination is required.
Prereq: Nurs 601, 602, 604; Approval of advisory committee.
798 Thesis in Nursing 6-10- Major study in selected area with an
emphasis in research. The thesis research is carried out under
the supervision of a nursing faculty adviser. Three other faculty
members serve as committee members, one from nursing and one
from outside of the department in a related field. The final
examination is an oral defense of the thesis. Prereq: Nurs 601,
602, and 604.
-
710 Health Promotion/Disease Prevention 2
- Critically examines patterns of health behaviors, lifestyle, developmental stages and psychosocial, cultural and spiritual contributions to well being. Includes data-based assessment and management of preventive health services.
- 712P Assessment Practicum 6
- In this course the student integrates
health history, physical examination and laboratory evaluations
in a plan for management of client needs. Prerequisite:612.
720 Advanced Practice Roles 2- Scope of practice, legal parameters of
advanced practice, collaborative and interdisciplinary practice
in the advanced nursing role. Prerequisites: 601, 602, 606.
730 Clinical Applications 3- Student designs individualized study
in an area of focus. Options include extension of a scholarly
study, extended clinical practice, intensive study of specialized
treatment modality and other appropriate foci. Prerequisite:
634.
733P Family Primary Care: Residency I 8- Student synthesizes skills acquired in
previous didactic and clinical courses to provide diagnosis,
treatment, and management of an increasingly varied group of
clients. Prerequisite/Corequisite: 633.
734P Family Primary Care: Residency II
8- Student synthesizes skills acquired in
previous didactic and clinical courses, in particular NURS 733P,
to provide diagnosis, treatment, and management of an increasingly
varied group of clients. Prerequisite/Corequisite: 733P, 633.
735P Role Integration 8- Focus is on the role of the advanced
practice nurse in the primary care setting. Prerequisite: 733P.
797S Comprehensive Study 6 (DNP Only)- Demonstration of ability to produce independent
scholarly work pertinent to advanced nursing practice. Prerequisite:
601, 604.
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