Mar 29, 2024  
Graduate Catalog 2012 - 2013 
    
Graduate Catalog 2012 - 2013 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Nursing, MSN


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School of Nursing

Rhodes Tower 915
(216) 687-3598
http://www.csuohio.edu/cehs/departments/nursing/msn.html

Vida B. Lock, Dean, School of Nursing

Programs of Study

MSN Degree

Population Health: Specialized Populations
Population Health: Forensic Nursing
Population Health: Clinical Nurse Leader
Population Health: Nursing Education
Population Health: Nursing Executive

MSN/MBA Degree

Introduction

The MSN program is based on the principles of population health and is designed to prepare graduates with advanced knowledge, competencies, and skills in the nursing care of populations (aggregates). The graduate will have in-depth skills in population assessment, demography, epidemiological assessment and data analysis, evaluation of research, survey research, data projections, cost-benefit analysis, and the ability to apply nursing theory, population theory, ethics, cultural awareness, and political strategies to design, implement, and evaluate population health programs. Students may select from five tracks available, according to their interests and professional goals. In keeping with the rules and regulations of the Ohio Nurse Practice Act, the program does not prepare nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists; graduates are not eligible to apply for a certificate of authority in the State of Ohio.

Accreditation

The graduate program in Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Faculty Research

Program faculty members have research specializations in a wide variety of areas, allowing them to help graduate students explore many potential research topics.The many partnerships in which the School of Nursing is involved also provide opportunities for collaboration with practitioners in community settings.

Current faculty information can be located on the Cleveland State University Faculty Profile page.

Financial Assistance

Graduate assistantships (registration for a minimum of nine credit hours per semester) are available on a competitive basis to full-time students who apply and are eligible. Assistantships cover tuition and provide stipend support. Assistants may be involved in three types of graduate assistantships: teaching, research, and administrative. Each type of assistantship is designed to meet the needs of the University and to assist in the professional development of students.

Non-Degree Status

A total of nine credits of graduate nursing courses may be taken as a non-degree graduate student, with permission of the Nursing faculty after admission to the Graduate Catalog as a non-degree seeking student. No nursing course may be taken beyond this limit. Students who wish to progress in nursing course work must reapply for admission as a degree seeking student to the College of Graduate Studies and to the MSN program.

Admission Information

Applicants to the Master of Science in Nursing program must meet the minimum requirements established by the College of Graduate Studies and the MSN program faculty. Applicants are advised to begin the admissions process by scheduling an advising appointment with the Department’s Recruiter/Advisor at (216) 687-3810. The general requirements for admission are:

  1. A baccalaureate degree in nursing.
  2. A valid, active license as a Registered Nurse in Ohio.
  3. An undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 or above, documented through submission of official academic transcripts from all schools attended.*
  4. Completion of a graduate or undergraduate level statistics course with a grade of B or better.
  5. Submission of the names of two individuals along with contact information (telephone number and email address) whom the admission committee can contact to discuss the applicant’s ability to be successful in graduate study.
  6. Identification of a population on which the student will focus during his or her program of study.
  7. Submission of a three-to-five page typed essay explaining why the applicant wants to earn an MSN; how such a graduate degree fulfills the applicant’s personal and professional goals; and the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies that the applicant hopes to develop during the educational process.
  8. Applicant to the MSN/MBA program must meet the admission requirements of both the MSN and the MBA programs; GMAT scores are an additional requirement.

*An applicant who does not meet the minimum 3.0 GPA requirement may still be considered for admission as a non-degree graduate student. See the requirements set forth by the College of Graduate Studies  which appear in this Catalog.

Applicants must submit the Cleveland State University application for Graduate Admission with a check or money order for the $55 admission application fee. All application materials should be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office. The admissions office will forward materials to the School of Nursing.

Apply Now: http://www.csuohio.edu/gradcollege/admissions/apply.html

Applications for fall semester are reviewed by the School of Nursing Graduate Committee beginning March 1. Applications received after that date are considered for fall semester on a space-available basis.

Students may pursue the program on a full- or part-time basis. The University mandates a six-year time limit to complete master’s degree requirements.

Annual Documentation

Once accepted into the program, each student is required to present, at the time of entrance and annually thereafter, documentation of licensure as a registered nurse, professional liability insurance, CPR certification, and current immunizations. This information is required by clinical sites, as well as accrediting agencies. Students are responsible for their own transportation to clinical sites.

Clinical Placement

Students admitted to Phase II of the MSN Program (600 level) take courses which include a lecture and clinical component. In the clinical component, students develop competencies enacting the roles of the population health nurse expert with their population of focus in several different care environments. During these learning experiences, graduate students interact with members of their population, health care professionals, interest groups, and others who are involved with their population. These opportunities enable the student to use the Precede- Proceed Model, nursing theory, and other concepts, theories, and frameworks to promote the health of aggregates. Students are encouraged to identify their population of interest soon after they enter the program to facilitate identification of clinical sites for optimal learning.

Students in the forensic track interact with law enforcement officials, attorneys, medical examiners, crisis specialists, correctional facility officials, and other nursing professionals involved in the promotion of health/ nursing care of victims/perpetrators of crime, violence, or traumatic events.

Students in the nursing education track will interact with their population in their cognate area, and develop skills and competencies in the application of teaching-learning strategies and the clinical supervision of nursing students.

Exit Requirements

There is no thesis requirement for the MSN program. Graduation is based on the successful completion of the required courses and clinical experiences. NUR 606 or NUR 626 Practicum in Population Health Care are the capstone courses for the program. Students are expected to plan and implement a clinical project to address the needs of their population of focus. Each student is expected to make an oral presentation of his or her project and develop a manuscript for submission to a refereed journal.

Students may, however, elect to substitute a thesis for the practicum course as part of their program of study. The thesis option requires the student to plan and carry out a research project, or develop a scholarly essay. Any student who selects this option will develop and submit a paper for publication to a refereed journal and publicly present and defend the thesis.

A student who chooses to complete a thesis should select a thesis advisor early in the program, preferably by the completion of Phase I courses (500 level courses). The advisor helps the student establish an Advisory Committee of faculty from the student’s area of interest and an external member from a cognate area. After the committee has been established, the student prepares a research proposal that must be approved by the Advisory Committee. The committee members also monitor the thesis project.

Students should enroll in NUR 699 each semester in which they are involved with their thesis. See the Academic Regulations section of this Catalog for additional information on Thesis requirements.

Programs of Study


Population Health: Specialized Population Track


38 credit hours leading to the Master of Science in Nursing Degree.

The specialized population track allows students to select a population of interest with approval of the faculty. Students in this track follow the program described under the MSN degree. The track enables nurses to practice with populations across care settings.

Career Information

The focus in population health prepares graduates to practice in the evolving health care delivery system. Currently, managed care puts all decisions in the context of population-based data. Nursing activities—designed and implemented according to care maps and critical pathways—are grounded in aggregate data analysis. Graduates are prepared to function collaboratively in acute care settings or community-based settings, to manage health care of population groups, and to work with populations to plan programs to address health concerns. The program enables graduates to practice with populations across care settings, to assume leadership roles in the health care delivery system, and to pursue doctoral education.

Degree Requirements


A minimum of 38 credit hours of study is required, including courses in advanced nursing knowledge, population health, a capstone project, and a cognate, or area of interest.

Population Health: Forensic Track


39 credit hours leading to the Master of Science in Nursing Degree.

The forensic track allows students to choose victims or perpetrators of crime or traumatic events as their population of interest. Students will apply the principles of population health to nursing strategies required for the scientific investigation, treatment, and health care of victims/perpetrators due to violence, criminal activity, or traumatic events across care settings. Students will acquire the in-depth knowledge and skills required to interface the law, forensic science, law enforcement, mental health and health care with nursing.

Career Information

The track in forensic nursing prepares the nurse to function in a variety of roles in the evolving health care delivery system. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE)— Nurse expert who cares for patients who have been sexually assaulted. These nurses are employed by a variety of institutions, including hospitals, crisis centers, and government agencies.
  • Forensic Nurse—Nurse expert who cares for all types of victims of violence. This nurse conducts forensic evaluations for any patient who presents medico-legal needs. Any living victim and/or suspect may benefit from the objective forensic evaluation that is conducted. Forensic nurses are often employed by hospital emergency rooms, crisis centers, trauma centers, correctional facilities, medical examiner’s offices, and government agencies.
  • Legal Nurse Consultant—Nurse expert who works with attorneys. A variety of cases are handled, from malpractice to personal injury. Policies and procedures are studied, and documentation of nursing actions is reviewed. This nurse also assists attorneys with preparing for trial proceedings and may testify in some instances.
  • Forensic Psychiatric Nurse, Correctional Nurse, and Institutional Nurse—Nurse expert who works with the accused in institutions and facilities. Forensic needs are identified and treatments are made available.
  • Death Investigation Nurse—Forensic nurse experts may assist coroners and death investigators. The holistic nursing approach is integral to care of the deceased victim’s family, community, and the investigation.

Degree Requirements


The 39 credit-hour curriculum is structured so that the student will take all of the core courses in the Population Health major. This allows students to gain a strong foundation in population health, as well as theory and research. This also affords an opportunity for student interaction with persons in other areas of interest related to population health and nursing. In addition, the student is required to take courses related to the specific population of victims/perpetrators of crime, violence, or traumatic events on which he or she has chosen to focus.

Population Health: Clinical Nurse Leader Track


38 credit hours leading to the Master of Science in Nursing degree.

The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) track is designed to meet the Ten Assumptions listed below developed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2004). This track prepares nurses to be leaders in the health care delivery system across all settings in which health care is delivered. Courses prepare students to design, implement, and evaluate client care by coordinating, delegating, and supervising direct care provided by the health care team. The Ten Assumptions for Preparing Clinical Nurse Leaders (AACN, 2004) are:

  • Practice is at the Microsystems level.
  • Client care outcomes are the measure of quality practice.
  • Practice guidelines are based on evidence.
  • Client-centered practice is intra- and inter-disciplinary.
  • Information will maximize self-care and client decision-making.
  • Nursing assessment is the basis for theory and knowledge development.
  • Good fiscal stewardship is a condition of quality care.
  • Social justice is an essential nursing value.
  • Communication technology will facilitate the continuity and comprehensiveness of care.
  • The CNL must assume guardianship for the nursing profession.

*Note: The CNL role is not one of administration, but rather a provider and manager of care to individuals or cohorts within a unit or health care setting.

Program of Study

Students will follow the same course of study as those in the MSN: Specialized Populations Track with the added expectation that elective hours be used to complete a course in pharmacology and ETE 501 - Technology Strand . Students will focus on the 10 assumptions of the CNL role in courses that include a clinical component (NUR 604 , NUR 605 , NUR 606 ), and they will be placed with preceptors from practice partners involved in the development of the CNL role.

Population Health: Nursing Education Track


39 credit hours leading to the Master of Science in Nursing Degree

The nursing education track provides nurses in the MSN program with the opportunity to acquire the skills needed for the teaching and clinical supervision of nursing students. Graduates of this program are prepared to teach and clinically supervise nursing students in the care of specifically identified populations or a cognate area. For example graduate students may study the health care needs of medical surgical clients as their cognate area and then apply the principles learned in the education track to the instruction of student nurses delivering care to this group of clients. Graduate students will take the core courses in the master’s program as well as specialized courses focusing on nursing education: curriculum design and development, instructional design, faculty and student roles, and the evaluation and supervision of nursing student nurses.

Career Information

The program is designed to prepare graduates for positions as clinical faculty in schools of nursing or staff development instructors in health care or related facilities.

Degree Requirements


The 39 hour curriculum is structured so that the graduate student will take all of the core courses in the Master of Science in Nursing major. In addition, the graduate student will be required to take courses related specifically to curriculum design and development, instruction, and the evaluation and supervision of nursing students.

Population Health: Nursing Executive Track


38 credit hours leading to the Master of Science in Nursing Degree

Introduction

The executive track in the MSN program is designed for individuals who have a minimum of five years of advanced professional experience and a BSN with a master’s degree in a discipline other than nursing. The student would be able to apply up to 10 credits from a previous master’s degree, as per University guidelines, provided the credit hours are applicable to the MSN curriculum. Course sequencing would allow the student to earn the degree in one calendar year

Degree Requirements


The 38 hour curriculum is structured so that the graduate student will take all of the core courses in the Master of Science in Nursing major. In addition the student will develop an individual program of study with the program director based on previous experience and educational preparation. Students may be able to demonstrate achievement of program and course objectives, in part, through portfolio submission. Portfolio submission requires course enrollment but may allow students to meet course objectives based on individual professional accomplishments and expertise. All students in the executive track are expected to be full time students and graduate in one calendar year.

Area of Concentration – Individual Program of Study

(20 credits)

Examples of Individual Programs of Study:

Student with BSN, MBA

Application of MBA credit to MSN
NUR 503 Nursing Research (3 credits)
NUR 603 Finance (2 credits)
Elective credit (5 credits)
Total credit hours: 10

Student with BSN, MPH

Application of MPH credit to MSN
NUR 503 Nursing Research (3 credits)
NUR 602 Health Care Policy (2 credits)
Elective credit (2 credits)
NUR 505 Epidemiology (3 credits)
Total credit hours: 10

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