Master of Science in Nursing
Program Director: Janice Hansen
Norwich University offers the Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in either Nursing Administration or Nursing Education. The Norwich University Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Administration is a 36 credit hour program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed as nurse leaders in a variety of health care settings. The Norwich University Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Education is a 36 credit hour program designed to prepare nurses to assume roles in formal academic settings or in staff development positions. The program is fully approved by the Vermont State Nursing Board and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Program Outcomes for the Master of Science in Nursing Administration
The program is designed to help students achieve the following outcomes:
- Use a variety of strategies to communicate effectively with stakeholders regarding nursing and health care system issues.
- Identify problems and seek interventions to improve health care delivery outcomes using appropriate data, effective critical analysis and decision-making skills.
- Apply leadership and management theory to develop collaborative partnerships across health care disciplines in current and future practice settings.
- Use appropriate data to make decisions in determining the effective use of human and fiscal resources.
- Develop and utilize evidence based practices to improve quality of healthcare.
- Implement the role of the nurse leader/manager as defined by the American Nurses Association scope and standards of practice.
- Demonstrate the abilities of nurse leader/manager as outlined by American Association of Colleges of Nursing and American Organization of Nurse Executives.
- Apply theories of nursing, systems, change, leadership and management in the delivery of healthcare services.
Program Outcomes for the Master of Science in Nursing Education:
- Use a variety of strategies to communicate effectively with stakeholders regarding nursing and healthcare system issues.
- Identify problems and seek interventions to improve healthcare delivery outcomes using appropriate data, and effective critical thinking and decision-making skills.
- Apply leadership and management theory to develop collaborative partnerships across healthcare disciplines in own-practice setting
- Effectively facilitate learning, learner development and role socialization.
- Utilize evidence based assessment strategies to evaluate learning in the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains.
- Implement the role of the nurse educator in terms of teaching, leadership, mentorship, scholarship, research, service, and clinical practice.
- Demonstrate a commitment to role competence through the pursuit of continuous quality improvement in the nurse educator role.
- Function within the educational environment as a leader and a change agent
Mission
The purpose of the Master of Science in Nursing program is to prepare visionary nurse leaders who demonstrate advanced critical thinking, communication, and decision making skills to ensure quality outcomes within the complex systems of the health care continuum. Graduates are prepared to initiate and effectively utilize research findings to improve outcomes, as well as utilize knowledge of health promotion, health care policy and systems, change and finance to effectively manage available resources in the changing health care environment. Masters prepared nurses utilize this knowledge base integrated with theories from nursing and related disciplines to create and implement ethical practices and policies to improve the environment in which health care is delivered.
The Masters prepared nurse engages in an expanded scope of practice that is characterized by critical analysis of problems and creative problem solving, and application of theories in the decision making process. The graduate manages change effectively and utilizes effective communication skills and technologies to create collaborative partnerships within nursing and across health care disciplines. Graduate education prepares the nurse to identify and evaluate personal and organization values and to implement ethical decisions and strategies to improve outcomes
Curriculum Map
| Semester 1 | Credits | Semester 2 | Credits | Semester 3 | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NR 510 Health Systems Analysis Policy, Environment, and Structure | 6 | NR 530 Evidence-Based Practice | 6 | Select one concentration course | 6 |
| NR 520 Theoretical Constructs for Leadership Roles in Nursing | 6 | Select one concentration course | 6 | Select one concentration course | 6 |
| NR 595 Residency1 | 0 | ||||
| 12 | 12 | 12 | |||
| Total Credits: 36 | |||||
| 1 | Students are required to attend a one-week, on-campus Residency Conference the June following or concurrent with their final course. |
Curriculum Requirements
The program’s first three seminars (18 credits) are common core content seminars and provide the foundation for specialization, addressing the study of health care delivery systems, ethical issues, and theoretical bases for nursing, leadership, and research. The remaining seminars (18 credits) address the specific content essential for either the concentration in nursing administration or in nursing education.
Core Courses (18 credits)
| NR 510 | Health Systems Analysis Policy, Environment, and Structure | 6 |
| NR 520 | Theoretical Constructs for Leadership Roles in Nursing | 6 |
| NR 530 | Evidence-Based Practice | 6 |
| Culminating Academic Requirement | ||
| NR 595 | Residency | 0 |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Concentrations (18 credits)
| Nursing Administration Concentration | ||
| NR 540 | The Heath Care Organization: Behavior and Development | 6 |
| NR 550 | Nursing Resource Management | 6 |
| NR 560 | Strategic Management in the Nursing Environment | 6 |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
| Nursing Education Concentration | ||
| NR 541 | Clinical Concepts: Advanced Pharmacology | 3 |
| NR 542 | Clinical Concepts: Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NR 551 | Theoretical Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction | 6 |
| NR 561 | Scholarship of Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation | 6 |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Electives
| NR 531 | Clinical Concepts: Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 |
| GU 590 | Selected Topics | 1-6 |
One-Week Residency
All degree candidates of the Master of Science in Nursing are required to attend a one-week Residency Conference on the Norwich University campus, during which they may attend professional presentations, participate in roundtable discussions with faculty, and present papers. The one-week residency is a degree requirement.
| Faculty Member | Institution at which highest degree was earned |
|---|---|
| Betty Fair, PhD | University of Texas |
| Roger Green, PhD | Rush University |
| Jo Anne Grunow, PhD | Rush University |
| Nancy Kupka, DNS | Rush University |
| Linda Susan McCord, DHA | University of Phoenix |
| Mario Ortiz, PhD | Loyola University |
| Linda Tjiong, DBA | University of Sarasota |
| Richard Watters, PhD | University of Western Australia |
Courses
NR 510 Health Systems Analysis Policy, Environment, and Structure 6 Credits
This seminar presents a global perspective of the healthcare system. Content includes an historical overview of healthcare systems in the United States, issues of cost, quality and access, as well as trends, such as, cultural diversity, demographic shifts, economics, technological influences and ethical issues impacting health care delivery. The student will gain the essential understanding of the continuum of care and examine the impact of integrated delivery systems on care delivery processes and patient outcomes.
NR 520 Theoretical Constructs for Leadership Roles in Nursing 6 Credits
This seminar prepares the student with the theoretical foundation to function in management level nursing roles across a variety of nursing specialties and health care settings. The student will be prepared to understand, evaluate, and utilize appropriate theories within his/her own practice. Theoretical constructs will include nursing and other relevant theories from the social, organizational, and behavioral sciences. Specific theories addressed include: systems, change, nursing management, and leadership theories, as well as ethical principles in health care and professional role development. Theoretical concepts are augmented by individual projects that require the student to examine his/her practice setting using the above constructs.
NR 530 Evidence-Based Practice 6 Credits
This seminar prepares the student to become proficient in the utilization of research, the critical evaluation of research, identification of researchable problems within a variety of practice settings, and the application of research to clinical problems. The course incorporates both quantitative and qualitative research methods, application of statistical analysis of data, the utilization of information systems for accessing, storing and analyzing data, identification of researchable clinical problems, critical analysis and application of existing research, and application of theoretical constructs to frame a research proposal. Class assignments related to evidence based practice are augmented as the student identifies a researchable nursing problem within his/her own practice setting and develops a related research proposal.
NR 531 Clinical Concepts: Advanced Pathophysiology 3 Credits
This seminar may be taken at any point during the latter half of the Master’s program, either concurrently with one of the other seminars or after completion of the 6-seminar concentration. It will satisfy the requirements of some states (e.g., Texas and California) that stipulate advanced coursework in pharmacology, pathophysiology, and health assessment for nurse educators. The course will focus on the pathophysiology, assessment, and evidence based interventions of select acute and chronic conditions across the lifespan. This course will expand on undergraduate level knowledge of disease entities commonly found in patient populations cared for by students.
NR 540 The Heath Care Organization: Behavior and Development 6 Credits
This seminar prepares the student to incorporate systems theory as a basis of understanding the impact of market forces on health care delivery. Course content includes theories of leadership and organizational behavior, design and culture as well as group dynamics (i.e., communication, conflict, negotiation). In addition,, concepts which focus on governance, decision making, performance improvement will be discussed. Class work is augmented by case studies and individual project work that require the students to examine practices in their own organizations.
NR 541 Clinical Concepts: Advanced Pharmacology 3 Credits
This seminar focuses on clinical applications of pharmacotherapeutic agents used in the care of patients. The seminar content is designed to build on prior pharmacological study of actions and effects of drugs on the human system across life span. Students will study pharmacologic mechanisms of action, effects on organ systems, routes of administration, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic uses, considerations related to age and physiological state, adverse reactions, contracindications, and regulatory issues related to nursing education practice.
NR 542 Clinical Concepts: Advanced Health Assessment 3 Credits
This seminar will focus on advanced clinical history taking and physical assessment for patients across the lifespan, Course content focuses on concepts, theory and practice of comprehensives health histories and assessments for patients of all ages and states of health. Both components will require a comprehensive examination: a proctored paper and pencil exam for pharmacology and a videotaped health assessment demonstration for the latter portion of the seminar.
NR 550 Nursing Resource Management 6 Credits
This seminar focuses on the critical aspects of human and financial resource management. Human resource management including hiring practices, disciplinary action, and performance appraisal and performance improvement are examined in this seminar. Healthcare finance incorporating nursing unit based budget preparation, management control systems, and operations management are addressed. In addition, quality improvement, risk management and marketing are explored in this seminar. The student is expected to utilize his/her workplace environment for the exploration, development and application of the course objectives.
NR 551 Theoretical Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction 6 Credits
This seminar prepares students to apply theoretical concepts related to education and nursing to the development and implementation of curricula. Topics will include history of curriculum in nursing, theories of teaching and learning, instructional design theory and method, technology in education, learner diversity, and curriculum development, A precepted practicum experience will coincide with didactic coursework. Students will choose a preceptor in an educational role who can facilitate role development and the implementation of the students’ work. Students will be required to develop a curriculum for a course or unit of study and implement a portion of the course or program using technology. Student work will become part of the student’s portfolio and shared with peers in the electronic classroom.
NR 560 Strategic Management in the Nursing Environment 6 Credits
This seminar is the capstone course in the Master of Science in Nursing-concentration in Nursing Administration. The seminar consists of two integrated components: 1) online-classes, consisting of study and discussions related to the development of a learning contract, concepts related to strategic management and professional practice; 2) a 60-hour, self-directed administrative practicum to implement the learning contract objectives. Discussions will relate to the acquisition of the necessary tools for successful practice as a Master’s prepared nurse administrator. This culminating experience is designed to enable students to apply the knowledge and skills learned throughout the graduate program and to guide their future career goals.
NR 561 Scholarship of Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation 6 Credits
This seminar prepares students to measure and assess learners in a variety of nursing contexts (e.g., clinical evaluation, via simulation) as well as evaluate curriculum on the program level. Foundations of educational measurement and evaluation , learner assessment, objective development, the evaluation of critical thinking as well as the context of nursing education will be discussed. Students will take part in a concurrent precepted practicum in which they will be required to engage in clinical education and evaluation of learners, as well as the development of assessment strategies for previously developed curriculum. Students will have an opportunity to reflect on the multiple roles of the nurse educator in practice. Prerequisites: completion of NR 510, 520, 530, 541, 551, and national certification in an area of specialty nursing practice, or permission of the Program Director.
NR 595 Residency 0 Credits