Nursing, M.S.N.

Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration

Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Micah Scott

The Master of Science Family Nurse Practitioner program is designed to produce a professional with advance practice nursing skills to provide primary health care to patients and throughout the lifespan. The 46-47 credit hour curriculum prepares the graduate for advanced practice provider roles in health care service settings. The five full time and seven part time semester program includes foundational course work and a faculty-guided nursing practicum. The curriculum core focuses on Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning, Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nurses, Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics, Theory and Research, Families in Rural and Urban Communities, Advanced Practice Roles/Issues/Trends, Health Policy, and Advanced Practice Role Transition.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master’s curriculum, the new graduate will be able to:

1. Design client-centered care through advanced practice and education with an altruistic concern for the welfare of others while supporting autonomy and respecting human dignity.
2. Demonstrate integrity through accountability and responsibility for clinical decisions and lifelong learning.
3. Manage quality improvement measures that support legal/ethical standards through the use of evidence-based practice.
4. Impact the health of underserved populations through support and promotion of culturally competent care.
5. Evaluate domestic and global health integrating the knowledge of healthcare delivery systems, healthcare policies, epidemiology, and the environment.
6. Promote the health of clients/patients through education and multidisciplinary management of risk reduction, disease prevention and the management of illness.
7. Demonstrate professional role competence in education and advanced nursing practice.

Admission Requirements

Students desiring admission into the graduate program in nursing at UNCW must seek admission to the UNCW Graduate School. Admission to the UNCW Graduate School requires a completed Graduate School application; official transcripts of all college work; official scores on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT); writing sample uploaded directly into the online application; three letters of recommendation (one each from a former nurse faculty member and a current or former employer, preferred). Standardized test scores more than five years old at the time of application will not be considered. Applicants must also email or mail a Demographic Form directly to the program. In addition, students who are taking, or have taken, graduate work elsewhere must be in good standing at that institution to be eligible to take graduate work at UNCW. Additional admission requirements include:

1. Current unrestricted North Carolina registered nurse license or registered nurse license from one of the affiliated Compact states.
2. One year professional experience as a registered nurse (FNP option only).
3. Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program.
4. Strong academic record with a “B” average or better in basic courses prerequisite to graduate study in nursing.
5. Academic credits in undergraduate nursing research, statistics, leadership, community health, and health assessment
6. Computer competency
7. Six semester hours of graduate level transferred credit may be accepted upon approval.
8. A comprehensive invited interview may be requested.
9. Additional items as needed.
10. Application and supplemental documents must be submitted by the published deadline.

Students entering the graduate program must have completed successfully the following undergraduate courses: health and physical assessment, community health, statistics, and nursing research. Applicants must have access to a computer capable of supporting electronic mail, a web browser, a word processing program and multi-media presentations. In addition, applicants must demonstrate ability to use these computer applications.

Degree Requirements

1. A total of forty-six (46) to forty-seven (47) graduate credit hours is required for the family nurse practitioner option or thirty-five (35) to thirty-six (36) graduate credit hours is required for the nurse educator option. No minor is required.
2. All courses required in the program are open only to graduate students.
3. A total of six credit hours of transfer credit may be accepted with approval from the graduate coordinator.
4. With the exception of six approved transfer credits, all graduate study must be completed in residence depending upon the degree option pursued.
5. An MSN student must have a “B” or better in each required course. If a student earns a “C”, he/she must repeat the course and must earn a “B” or better to progress. A student will only be allowed to repeat one course. A student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
6. The program has no language requirement; however, one graduate language course, Spanish for Health Care Professionals, may be available as an elective.
7. Faculty-supervised research activity consisting of successful completion of NSG 500 - Theory and Research for Evidence-Based Practice  (4 credit hours) and either a master’s research thesis (3 credit hours) or a master’s evidence-based project (2 credit hours), is required. The master’s project emphasizes methods of implementing research findings to solve identified clinical or educational problems that an advanced practice nurse might encounter using appropriate research methods. A scholarly presentation is required to disseminate findings from the research activity.
8. The Oral Comprehensive Examination will be the formal defense of the thesis or research project.
9. Each student must complete an approved course of study within five years of the date of the first registration for graduate study to be eligible for graduation.

Part-time Study for MSN Programs

Students may enroll part-time. Each student will work with his/her advisor in designing his/her part-time program of study. Students who are enrolled full-time and find it necessary to change their status to part-time will develop a part-time program of study with their advisor and the graduate coordinator. The program must be completed in five years from initial enrollment into the graduate program.

Nurse Educator Concentration

Graduate Coordinator: RuthAnne Kuiper Ph.D., RN, ANEF

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) prepares advanced practice nurses who possess the knowledge, skill, attitudes, and values to meet the challenges of the 21st Century Health Care Delivery System in the following areas: (1) Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and (2) Nurse Educator (NE). The two-year (NE) and two and one-half year (FNP) full-tme MSN Program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC  20001, (202) 463-6930. The graduate of the UNCW School of Nursing master’s program in nursing will be able to practice in the role of nurse educator. Online Nurse Educator program is also available.

The Nurse Educator Option reflects the Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing as set forth by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The Essentials reflect the profession’s core values and provide the necessary curricular elements, framework, and outcomes expected of all graduates of master’s nursing programs.

Essential I: Background for Practice from Sciences and Humanities
Essential II: Organizational and Systems Leadership
Essential III: Quality Improvement and Safety
Essential IV: Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice
Essential V: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
Essential VI: Health Policy and Advocacy
Essential VII: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes
Essential VIII: Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving Health
Essential IX: Master’s-Level Nursing Practice

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master’s curriculum, the new graduate will be able to:

1. Design health care-centered curricula and programs with an altruistic concern for the welfare of students, patients, and communities while supporting autonomy and respecting human dignity.
2. Design health care-centered curricula and programs aimed at clinical prevention and population health.
3. Lead organizations and systems in the principles of nursing education through ethical decision making related to health promotion.
4. Integrate evidence into practice and quality improvement measures that support legal and ethical standards of health care education in diverse settings.
5. Use technology to educate health care providers and facilitate interprofessional collaboration to improve outcomes of all populations.
6. Evaluate domestic and global health integrating the principles of health care education for delivery systems, policies, epidemiology, and the environment.
7. Promote the health of patients through the education of providers to enable them to integrate interprofessional management of risk reduction, disease prevention and the management of illness.
8. Demonstrate professional role competencies of nursing education through the teaching and learning of advanced practice principles and theories.

Admission Requirements

Students desiring admission into the graduate program in nursing at UNCW must seek admission to the UNCW Graduate School. Admission to the UNCW Graduate School requires a completed Graduate School application; official transcripts of all college work; official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) if undergraduate GPA is less than 3.0; and three letters of recommendation (one each from a former nurse faculty member and a current or former employer, preferred). Standardized test scores more than five years old at the time of application will not be considered. Applicants must also email or mail a Demographic Form directly to the program. In addition, students who are taking, or have taken, graduate work elsewhere must be in good standing at that institution to be eligible to take graduate work at UNCW. Additional admission requirements include:

1. Licensure or eligibility for licensure as a professional nurse in North Carolina is required unless:
   a. The student’s license is from a compact state and that is the student’s primary state of residence (fixed permanent and principle legal residence) home https://www.ncsbn.org/compacts.htm
   b. The student is distance-based and will not be practicing in North Carolina while enrolled in school and has the licensure or eligibility for licensure in their primary state of residence.
2. Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program.
3. Strong academic record with a 2.7 GPA in undergraduate bachelor’s degree in nursing.
4. Undergraduate course work should include research & statistics, leadership, community health, and health assessment.
5. Twelve semester hours of graduate level transferred credit may be accepted upon approval.
6. An interview with faculty may be requested.
7. Additional items as needed.
8. Application and supplemental documents must be submitted by the published deadline.
9. Application for admission to the MSN-NE program will occur at 6 start dates, two in the Fall, two in the Spring, and two in the Summer.

Applicants must have access to a computer capable of supporting electronic mail, a web browser, a word processing program and multi-media presentations. In addition, applicants must demonstrate ability to use these computer applications. Remediation instruction for navigating the on-line platform is available from the TAC Center (https://uncw.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/Home/).

Degree Requirements

1. A total of thirty-three (33) graduate credit hours is required for the nurse educator option. Students who need to maintain full-time status will complete 33 graduate credit hours in 4 semesters. No minor is required.
2. All courses required in the program are open to qualified graduate students and those who are approved to take courses as a non-degree seeking status.
3. A total of twelve credit hours of transfer credit may be accepted with approval from the program coordinator.
4. With the exception of twelve approved transfer credits, all graduate study must be completed in residence depending upon the degree option pursued.
5. An MSN student must have a “B” or better in each required course. If a student earns a “C”, he/she must repeat the course and must earn a “B” or better to progress. A student will only be allowed to repeat one course, one time and must do so before they progress in the program. A student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to graduate.
6. Faculty-guided evidence-based education project after successful completion of NSG 513 , and NSG 525 , is required and will be presented in NSG 597 - Nursing Education Practicum II . A scholarly presentation is required to disseminate findings from the research activity.
7. Successful completion of an oral presentation and a written paper of the evidence-based education project will be a culminating required assignment in order to apply for graduation.
8. Each student must complete an approved course of study within five years of the date of the first registration for graduate study to be eligible for graduation.

Purpose

The online Master of Science Nurse Educator option prepares a nursing professional who uses educational theory in health care teaching situations. The program is designed to produce a professional with teaching and learning skills to prepare health care educators for future health care delivery systems. The 33 credit hour curriculum prepares the graduate for full-time educator roles in institutions of higher education or health care service settings. The four semester program includes foundational course work and a faculty-guided nursing education practicum and evidence-based project. The curriculum core focuses on Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning, Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nurses, Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics, Collaboration for Population Health, Finance, & Policy, Health Care and Nursing Practice Informatics and Technology. The educational cognates integrate educational theories and research; the design and delivery of nursing education curriculum and instruction; and teaching and learning evaluation into three specially designed courses that emphasize the learning needs in health care; didactic instruction, clinical instruction, and distance learning. Finally there are two courses, NSG 595 Nursing Education Residency  & NSG 596 Nursing Education Practicum I , at the end of the curriculum which provide field experiences to apply the skills learned. The program is delivered in a nationally accredited school of nursing. The Nurse Educator option provides advanced theory and practicum experiences emphasizing:

• Nursing education in institutions of higher education for students in a variety of health care education programs.
• Health care education for patients and families across the life span in a variety of health care contexts.

The completion of the program or the post-master’s certificate courses will enable nurse educators in the state of North Carolina to meet the requirements for the North Carolina Board of Nursing and enable the graduates to be eligible to take the Certification for Nurse Educators (CNE) examination sponsored by the National League for Nursing.

Nurse Educator Option Course Sequence

NSG 513  is a pre-requisite to NSG 524  and NSG 525 . Enrolling in NSG 513  before other nursing education foundation courses will prepare the enrolle for subsequent course work and lay a foundation for the MSN-NE program essentials.

NSG 513 , NSG 524 , NSG 525  are prerequisite to NSG 595 Nursing Education Residency  & NSG 596 Nursing Education Practicum I . Taking these courses in sequence will prepare new enrollees for the teaching practicum experience and the development of an evidence-based project.

A plan of study for enrollees admitted during any semester is displayed in the course list below. Students can adjust the number of courses or sequence provided they abide by the pre-requisite rules.

Total:

Graduate Nursing Core - 9 credits
Functional Area Content - 12 credits
Direct Care Core - 9 credits
Elective - 3 credits