General Information | M.S. in Nursing | Ph.D. in Nursing | Course Descriptions | Faculty
Philosophy |
Characteristics of Graduates |
Admission |
Academic Regulations
Program Description |
Clinical Nurse Specialist |
Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner |
Health System Management |
M.S.N.-M.B.A. Joint Degree
Post-Master's Primary Care Nurse
Practitioner |
Post-Master's Acute Care Nurse
Practitioner
Admission |
Grades |
Nurse Practitioner Program Completion
Requirements
The 36-credit curriculum leading to the degree of Master of Science in Nursing is designed to prepare nurses for advanced practice roles with opportunities for specialization in an area of clinical concentration. Students in the program complete core courses in nursing theory, research, epidemiology/population-based assessment, resource management and health policy, as well as a clinical area in adult health nursing, community/home health nursing, critical care nursing, or psychiatric-mental health nursing. Elective credits complement and enhance the program. The program may be completed in one calendar year of full-time study (two semesters and two six-week summer sessions). Part-time study is available.
Students may enter one of the CNS tracks after completing a baccalaureate in nursing, or they may progress to the Adult Health, Community/Home Health, or Psychiatric/Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist track after satisfactorily meeting the criteria for progression in the Second Degree to MSN program. The entire sequence of courses for the Second Degree to MSN program may be found in the Undergraduate Record.
Program Course Work
The ratio of clinical hours to credits is 4:1. Courses will be taught only if there is a sufficient number of students registering for them. Semester schedules published by the Office of the Registrar must be consulted for courses to be offered during a given semester.
Following are descriptions and recommended course sequences for the specific areas of clinical concentration.
Clinical Nurse Specialist/Adult Health Nursing
Track
Adult health nursing emphasizes the
preparation of nurses for advanced practice roles as care managers for adults with acute and/or chronic health deviations. Advanced practice
roles include clinical practice, teaching, consultation, research,
and management. Students work with faculty and preceptors to develop
knowledge, clinical expertise, and leadership abilities in directing
the nursing care of selected client populations in hospitals, clinics,
and/or rehabilitation settings.
| Fall Semester | ||
| GNUR 580 | Theoretical Foundations of Nursing | 3 |
| GNUR 584 | Pathophysiology | 4 |
| GNUR 585 | Epidemiology/Population Based Assessment | 3 |
| GNUR 730 | Adult Health Seminar I | 3 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GNUR 582 | Research Processes for Health Care Practitioners | 3 |
| GNUR 702 | Family Health Promotion | 3 |
| GNUR 731 | Adult Health Seminar II | 3 |
| GNUR 732 | Adult Health Practicum I | 3 |
| Summer Session | ||
| GNUR 590 | Health Policy and Issues | 3 |
| GNUR 707 | Introductions to Health Informatics | 2 |
| GNUR 733 | Adult Health Practicum II | 4 |
| GNUR 791 | Resource Management I | 3 |
Clinical Nurse Specialist/Acute/Critical Care Nursing
Track
The critical care nursing option is designed to prepare practitioners with advanced skills in the
care of critically ill individuals. Emphasis is placed on examining
human responses and functional patterns of critically ill individuals,
and designing appropriate nursing care strategies for managing
patients in critical care settings. Clinical experiences are designed
to provide relevant opportunities in the five components of the
advanced practice role: expert clinician, manager, researcher,
teacher and consultant.
| Fall Semester | ||
| GNUR 580 | Theoretical Foundations of Nursing | 3 |
| GNUR 584 | Pathophysiology | 4 |
| GNUR 585 | Epidemiology/Population Based Assessment | 3 |
| GNUR 760 | Seminar I: Introduction to Clinical Decision Making in Bio-System Dysfunction | 3 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GNUR 582 | Research Processes for Health Care Practitioners | 3 |
| GNUR 590 | Health Policy & Issues | 3 |
| GNUR 707 | Introductions to Health Informatics | 2 |
| GNUR 736 | Critical Care Practicum I | 3 |
| GNUR 761 | Seminar II: Problem Based Clinical Decision Making in Complex Patients | 3 |
| Summer Session | ||
| GNUR 737 | Critical Care Practicum II | 3 |
| GNUR 791 | Resource Management I | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
Clinical Nurse Specialist/Community/Home Health
Nursing Track
This area of concentration prepares nurses for advanced practice in promoting the health
of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Emphasis is
on assessing the health status and health delivery systems of
communities, the care needs of individuals and groups, and designing
nursing interventions in organizationally complex settings. Courses
provide the required knowledge and expertise needed to plan and
evaluate care in community settings, including home health, primary
care clinics and public health departments. The focus is on care
management to assure continuity of health service delivery for
individuals and groups.
| Fall Semester | ||
| GNUR 580 | Theoretical Foundations of Nursing | 3 |
| GNUR 585 | Epidemiology/Population Based Assessment | 3 |
| GNUR 700 | Health Assessment of Communities | 3 |
| GNUR 721 | Care Management in Community and Home Health | 3 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GNUR 582 | Research Processes for Health Care Practitioners | 3 |
| GNUR 702 | Family Health Promotion | 3 |
| GNUR 722 | Community and Home Health Care Systems | 3 |
| GNUR 723 | Community and Home Health Practicum I | 3 |
| Summer Session | ||
| GNUR 590 | Health Policy and Issues | 3 |
| GNUR 724 | Community and Home Health Practicum II | 3 |
| GNUR 791 | Resource Management I | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
Clinical Nurse Specialist/Psychiatric-Mental
Health Nursing
This area of concentration prepares nurses for advanced practice in the field of psychiatric-mental
health nursing. A major emphasis is placed on critical consideration
of scientific information about neurostructural-neurochemical,
cognitive, behavioral, social, and cultural correlates of psychiatric
illness in the context of the advanced practice of psychiatric
mental health nursing. Supervised clinical practice is directed
toward the application of the above emerging scientific knowledge
to patient care through psychiatric mental health nursing interventions
with the persistently mentally ill, geriatric, and other special
populations. Faculty work closely with students to develop individualized clinical
experiences in acute, chronic, and community settings.
| Fall Semester | ||
| GNUR 580 | Theoretical Foundations of Nursing | 3 |
| GNUR 585 | Epidemiology/Population Based Assessment | 3 |
| GNUR 770 | Biological Basis of Mental Health and Mental Illness | 3 |
| GNUR 771 | Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Seminar I | 3 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GNUR 582 | Research Processes for Health Care Practitioners | 3 |
| GNUR 702 | Family Health Promotion | 3 |
| GNUR 773 | Theoretical Foundations of Mental Health-Psychiatric Nursing | 3 |
| GNUR 774 | Psychiatric-Mental Health Practicum I | 3 |
| Summer Session | ||
| GNUR 590 | Health Policy and Issues | 3 |
| GNUR 775 | Psychiatric-Mental Health Practicum II | 3 |
| GNUR 791 | Resource Management I | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
Continue to: Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Track
Return to: Chapter 11 Index