MSN Education and Leadership Degree

Provides an orientation and introduction to graduate level study. A focus on electronic database searching and utilization of community-wide library resources, APA style and introduction to writing for publication, accessing and utilizing technology for online courses, and the professional portfolio will be initiated in this course. To be taken the semester of entry to the program.

Teaching and learning principles and theories of adult learning and educational processes provide the foundation for this course. Scholarly inquiry into multiple dimensions of the role of professional educator and leader are examined. The management of educational activities, staff development, curriculum planning, design, and evaluation, and the facilitation of learning in a variety of settings are addressed.

This courses focuses on providing the student with the practical skills to translate practice problems into researchable questions. Examination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, data collection, selection of measurements, and statistical analyses are considered. Students will develop a research proposal from significances to determination of the research plan.

Study of theoretical and practical characteristics of technology integration strategies, including using instructional software, using technology media, and integrating technology into the curriculum or practice environment in the role of nurse educator or leader are explored.

Economic and resource management, financial planning and budgeting, reimbursement systems in health care, cost containment, spreadsheets and human resource management for the nurse in an advanced role of educator or leader/administrator across health care settings comprise the focus of this course.

Examines historical and contemporary theoretical bases for advanced nursing practice. Analysis of selected models and theories from nursing and other disciplines are considered in the context of traditional, alternative, and complementary approaches to health promotion, disease prevention, and human responses to illness at the level of individual, family, and community. The concepts of person, health, environment, spirituality, and nursing are explored.

Travel to a selected country to experience the spiritual dimension of health care delivery, nursing education, and the role of nurses in a culturally diverse setting. The course offers a transcultural experience outside the U.S. Learning takes place through observation, experience, interaction, and critical thinking via on site visits and by reviewing current nursing and general literature. The course is designed to enhance the development of critical thinking and communication skills at on-site locations. University faculty and resource persons in the selected country will make arrangements for the desired experiences. Ninety practicum hours.

Examines applications of research-based practices to policy and nursing care decisions and delivery at the organizational, community, state, and national level. Research applications of solving practical organizational and system problems, quality and outcome indicators, reducing medical errors to produce a safer health care system with a major emphasis on community is the focus of this course. Students will propose a grant or quality improvement plan to improve a practice issue in the workplace. Ninety practicum hours.

Travel to a selected country to experience the spiritual dimension of health care delivery, nursing education, and the role of nurses in a culturally diverse setting. The course offers a transcultural experience outside the U.S. Learning takes place through observation, experience, interaction, and critical thinking via on site visits and by reviewing current nursing and general literature. The course is designed to enhance the development of critical thinking and communication skills at on-site locations. University faculty and resource persons in the selected country will make arrangements for the desired experiences. Ninety practicum hours.

Focuses on the analysis, application, and integration of 21st century leadership and management skills into the behavior of the nurse in the role of educator and leader. Practical organizational and problem-solving skills, resource management and development, collaboration, team building, and effective communication are emphasized.

5310 Education/Leadership Practicum. Application of program course work occurs in this capstone course in which students participate in field experience with a preceptor where they practice in the advanced role of nursing educator and leader in a selected field experience. Within the didactic sessions for this course, particular attention is given to the discussion of Best Practices in Education and Leadership. The course culminates in the presentation of the professional portfolio. Ninety practicum hours.

Examines the professional, ethical, legal, political, and social dimensions of developing an identity as an advanced practice nurse within the context of nursing practice, institutional, and community environments. Issues of health disparity, cultural diversity, and the health needs of underserved populations are examined. Further areas of consideration will include professional standards and certification, code of ethics, bioethical issues, confidentiality, plagiarism, and liability, regulatory, and collective bargaining considerations.

Overview of advanced concepts related to normal and abnormal body functioning. The primary focus is on in-depth and current understanding of disease processes across the lifespan integrating risk factors for disease in various populations.

Focuses on the clinical application of pharmacology needed in the provision of advanced practice nursing. The emphasis is on drugs commonly used in the family practice of ambulatory primary health care setting for the treatment of acute and chronic disease, and on the integration of drug therapy as one component of therapeutic management plans. The application of the principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics to clinical use of drugs will be explored, including therapeutic dosage patterns, side effects, drug interactions, contraindications.