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 

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