Curriculum and Course Descriptions
The MSN curriculum for Nurse Educator and Nurse Executive differ, though some courses are found in both concentrations.
The MSN curriculum for Nurse Educator is as follows:
- NS 509 Advanced Nursing Roles & Phenomena (3 credit hours)
The focus of this course is on the progression of the nurse into the more developed position. Included in the course is the study of and personal reflections about the additions of five ways of knowing to nursing praxis. Those enrolled in the course investigate concept analysis scholarly papers in order to better comprehend responsibilities of nursing. Students take note of similarities and differences in research traditions and methods as a way to explain phenomena. In this course, students also start to work on their professional portfolios. - NS 513 Measurement and Statistical Concepts for Data Interpretation (3 credit hours)
This course centers around application of concepts previously learned to various approaches, including theory and statistical methods. Areas studied in this course include measurement principles, descriptive statistics and associations between variables. Students are also required to compose papers that use statistics to emphasize similarities and differences between groups and that study recovery of patients over time. - NS 516 Teaching/Learning Principles (3 credit hours)
In this course, students study the fundamentals of teaching-learning and comprehensive theories of adult education geared towards college level students. Students review the learning approach that focuses on methods and techniques used to teach adults and the concepts related to it, which include transformational learning, reflective learning and self-directed learning. Students also learn about motivational and personality characteristics for the social system, as well as awareness of diversity in students, including ethnicity and culture. - NS 518 Instructional Methods (3 credit hours)
In this course, students learn about education approaches that are used in teaching in classroom, online and clinical settings. Students also study significant approaches in academic and psychological measurement of learning. - NS 508 Issues in Advanced Nursing Roles (3 credit hours)
The focus of this course is on the health care delivery system, paying close attention to economic, political, social, cultural, global, and professional concerns, as well as legal, ethical and economic issues in health care both now and as expected in the future. Students will become stronger in their critical thinking, decision making, and organizational leadership abilities. Also, students will improve in their abilities to administer and incorporate biophysical sciences, psychosocial sciences, the humanities, and the science of caring. - NS 517 Critical Appraisal of Knowledge for Practice (3 credit hours)
This course serves to help students comprehend research methods and analyze statistics in order to form correct critical appraisals. For a particular study, students make conclusions, find implications, and give advice based on findings. Merits of studies are judged for responding to various research questions. Also discussed are issues concerning the appropriateness of evidence or theory within an identified agency or institutional setting. - NS 519 Synthesis and Use of Knowledge for Evidence-Based Practice (3 credit hours)
In this course, students work together to find and analyze evidence for an academic, administrative, or practice PICO question. Students learn about major sources of research and best practices guidelines. Using practice sites, students study approaches to promote change and improve end results while they implement a recommendation. Then, students learn to assess both the acceptance of innovation, as well as the improvement in outcomes. - NS 546 Advanced Health Assessment, Pathophysiology &Pharmacology (3 credit hours)
This course lays the groundwork for students to acquire a comprehensive health database, including history and holistic assessment, across the lifespan. Students study physiologic changes and clinical manifestations that arise from illnesses, along with drug therapy employed to treat or affect health status in order to facilitate critical analysis of accumulated assessment data and advocate clinical decision-making. Practical application of course theory is made possible by precepted clinical experience. - NS 523 Curriculum/Program Development & Evaluation (4 credit hours)
Students learn about creating a curriculum/program as a nurse educator in this course, including the goals, uses, structure, and implementation. The emphasis of the course is on students recalling their prior experience with classroom/experiential learning and research completed when considering different curricula/program structures. - NS 592 Capstone I (2 credit hours)
The first of two capstone courses, in this course students work together to integrate the hands-on training they have gotten during the program, along with the concepts they have learned, which includes research, practice, education and leadership content. This course emphasizes the method of recognizing a nursing problem (PICO [T]), exploring and critically judging written material by creating a summary matrix table. - NS 524 Practicum in Nursing Education (4 credit hours)
This is a hands-on experience in which students work with an educator during 126 contact hours to use what they have learned thus far, including using various teaching-learning theories, strategies, and designs in a real-world setting. Students who have less than three years of experience teaching work with undergraduate students in classrooms and clinical environments; students with more than three years of experience teaching improve their abilities as a nurse educator in this course. - NS 594 Capstone II (2 credit hours)
The second of two capstone courses, in this course students work together to finish the work they began in the first capstone course, NS 592. They again integrate the hands-on training they have gotten during the program, along with the concepts they have learned, which includes research, practice, education and leadership content. The focus of the course is on constructing an evidence-based manuscript that can be published in a peer-reviewed journal or platform or a poster presentation that can be given at a national or regional conference.
The MSN curriculum for Nurse Executive is as follows:
- NS 509 Advanced Nursing Roles & Phenomena (3 credit hours)
The focus of this course is on the progression of the nurse into the more developed position. Included in the course is the study of and personal reflections about the additions of five ways of knowing to nursing praxis. Those enrolled in the course investigate concept analysis scholarly papers in order to better comprehend responsibilities of nursing. Students take note of similarities and differences in research traditions and methods as a way to explain phenomena. In this course, students also start to work on their professional portfolios. - NS 513 Measurement and Statistical Concepts for Data Interpretation (3 credit hours)
This course centers around application of concepts previously learned to various approaches, including theory and statistical methods. Areas studied in this course include measurement principles, descriptive statistics and associations between variables. Students are also required to compose papers that use statistics to emphasize similarities and differences between groups and that study recovery of patients over time. - NS 550 Organizational Behavior & Structure (3 credit hours)
In this course, students review behavioral science literature and theories regarding individual and group behavior in healthcare organizations. Students will learn how and why individuals and groups act in particular ways at their companies. They will also learn about hypotheses and approaches concerning: motivation, change, chaos, complexity, crisis, communication, team building, healthy work environments, toxic organizations, and conflict resolution. Company growth, makeup and ideology are also taught. - NS 552 Role of the Nurse Executive I: Leading an Organization (3 credit hours)
Students learn about various areas of management in this course, including planning, organizing, and coordinating aspects. They will learn more about what to expect in their professional role as nurse executive, which includes transformational, quantum, and organizational leadership theories. Also, students will learn about: creating a vision, planning, power, risk-taking, decision-making, reflective practice, emotional intelligence and competence, forces of magnetism, AONE and IOM competencies, and personal and professional obligation and liability. - NS 508 Issues in Advancing Nurse Roles (3 credit hours)
The focus of this course is on the health care delivery system, paying close attention to economic, political, social, cultural, global, and professional concerns, as well as legal, ethical and economic issues in health care both now and as expected in the future. Students will become stronger in their critical thinking, decision making, and organizational leadership abilities. Also, students will improve in their abilities to administer and incorporate biophysical sciences, psychosocial sciences, the humanities, and the science of caring. - NS 517 Critical Appraisal of Knowledge for Practice (3 credit hours)
This course serves to help students comprehend research methods and analyze statistics in order to form correct critical appraisals. For a particular study, students make conclusions, find implications, and give advice based on findings. Merits of studies are judged for responding to various research questions. Also discussed are issues concerning the appropriateness of evidence or theory within an identified agency or institutional setting. - NS 519 Synthesis and Use of Knowledge for Evidence-Based Practice (3 credit hours)
In this course, students work together to find and analyze evidence for an academic, administrative, or practice PICO question. Students learn about major sources of research and best practices guidelines. Using practice sites, students study approaches to promote change and improve end results while they implement a recommendation. Then, students learn to assess both the acceptance of innovation, as well as the improvement in outcomes. - NS 554 Role of the Nurse Executive II: Human Resource Management (3 credit hours)
Students will learn about human resource management (HRM), which includes overseeing and directing others. The main focus of the course is on quantum and transformational leadership, which includes such subject matter as: delegation, motivation, staffing, empowerment, employee engagement, recruitment and retention strategies, employee selection, performance evaluation, compensation, staff development, coaching/mentoring, disciplinary action, cultural competence and diversity in the company, and legal matters having to do with human resource management. - NS 558 Role of the Nurse Executive III: Financial Management & Economics (4 credit hours)
In this course, students study the history of health care reimbursement, economics and health care, accounting principles and information systems for data retrieval which will serve as the introduction to budget principles, development, variances, and strategies. Discussion of strategic management, business plans, cost-benefit analysis, cost- effectiveness analysis, collective bargaining, productivity, marketing, staffing, and patient classification systems from a financial perspective is involved. Excel is used in this course for solving financial problems and budgeting exercises. - NS 592 Capstone I (2 credit hours)
The first of two capstone courses, in this course students work together to integrate the hands-on training they have gotten during the program, along with the concepts they have learned, which includes research, practice, education and leadership content. This course emphasizes the method of recognizing a nursing problem (PICO [T]), exploring and critically judging written material by creating a summary matrix table. - NS 559 Practicum: Management, Improvement, & Evaluation in Health Care Organizations (4 credit hours)
Students in this course choose a health care setting — which can include acute care, long term care, etc. — in which to concentrate and spend 126 hours working with an advisor, who is a nurse executive/administrator. Students use what they have learned in administration and supervision and apply it to the role of nurse executive; specifically, students focus on a subject that they identify as needing improvement, brainstorm an approach to improve this subject, refer to evidence and theory to defend the approach, and finally apply and reflect on the approach and share the conclusions and outcomes. - NS 594 Capstone II (2 credit hours)
The second of two capstone courses, in this course students work together to finish the work they began in the first capstone course, NS 592. They again integrate the hands-on training they have gotten during the program, along with the concepts they have learned, which includes research, practice, education and leadership content. The focus of the course is on constructing an evidence-based manuscript that can be published in a peer-reviewed journal or platform or a poster presentation that can be given at a national or regional conference.
