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The School of Nursing offers a
program of study in advanced practice nursing leading to a
Master of Science degree. Advanced practice nursing is defined as the specialized
and expanded practice of nursing. There are multiple tracks within the Master's Program
for individuals with differing credentials:
Specialty Areas
The master's program
offers general core content requisite for advanced practice
nursing as well as content aimed at preparation in a specialty
concentration. The
master's program prepares graduates to be certified as
either clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners in
their chosen specialty area.
The specialty concentrations are:
Admission patterns
Students are admitted to full time and part time curriculum plans in the fall semester. Students can be admitted in the spring to begin full time study in Nursing Administration and Leadership and part time study in all other concentrations. Please refer to the Application
Process and Procedures site for details regarding
admission.
Advanced Practice Nursing
Advanced nursing practice is
the specialized, expanded and advanced practice of nursing. In
1859, nursing was defined by Florence Nightingale as putting
the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him.
In the mid-1990's, Virginia Henderson defined the purpose of
nursing as to assist the individual, sick or well, in the
performance of those activities contributing to health or its
recovery (or to a peaceful death) that we would perform
unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge.
And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence
as rapidly as possible. In 1980, the American Nurses
Association defined nursing as the diagnosis and treatment of
human responses to actual or potential health problems. It is
evident from these definitions that nurses have historically
been focused on the provision of care that promotes well-being
of the people served, whether individuals, groups or
communities, as well as the healthy and the ill (ANA, 1995).
Over the past 20 years,
there has been growing appreciation for four essential
features of nursing practice that have become increasingly
evident:
Attention to the full range
of human experiences and responses to health and illness
without restriction to a problem-focused orientation;
integration of objective data with knowledge gained from an
understanding of the patient's or group's subjective
experience; application of scientific knowledge to the
processes of diagnosis and treatment; and provision of a
caring relationship that facilitates health and healing.
(ANA,1995, p. 6)
These essential
characteristics are incorporated in advanced practice nursing,
as nurses build upon their education and experiences as
baccalaureate-prepared professional nurses. Advanced practice
registered nurses have acquired the knowledge base and
practice experiences to prepare them for specialization,
expansion and advancement in the clinical practice of nursing.
Advanced practice registered nurses demonstrate a high level
of expertise in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of the
complex responses of individual, families or communities to
actual or potential health problems, prevention of illness and
injury, maintenance of wellness, and provision of comfort
(ANA, 1996).
It is important to recognize
that advanced practice registered nurses continue to perform
many of the same interventions used in basic nursing practice.
However, advanced practice nursing requires a greater depth
and breadth of knowledge, a greater degree of synthesis of
data, greater complexity in clinical decision-making, greater
skill in managing organizations and environments, and a
greater level of autonomy (ANA, 1996).
Adult Health Nursing
Acute
Care
Curriculum Plans
The Department of Adult
Health offers a concentration in adult health with an emphasis
on acute or primary care. The Adult Health-Acute Care
concentration will provide students with knowledge and
clinical decision-making skills supporting advanced practice
nursing in the care of acutely ill and injured adults.
Advanced nursing practice refers to the provision of advanced
independent nursing care integrated with delegated medical
diagnostic and management activities. Graduates of the program
are prepared to provide evidence-based care guided by a
selected nursing framework that maintains an emphasis on the
nursing aspects of health care.
Two role preparations are
offered in Adult Health-Acute Care concentration: Acute Care
Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist. The Acute
Care Nurse Practitioner works within a multidisciplinary team
and generally focuses on the integration of advanced nursing
and medical management of individual adults who are acutely
ill. The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) focuses on a specific
population of acutely ill adults and is responsible for
ensuring excellence in the delivery of nursing care services
to that group of people. This includes an emphasis not only on
the patient but also on the family and on the nursing staff.
The Adult Health program
provides didactic instruction in areas including research
utilization, health assessment, pharmacology, health
promotion, and management of acute and chronic health problems
of adults. Over 500 hours of supervised clinical experience,
focused on the implementation of the selected role, are
included in the program. Full time and part-time study options
are available. Upon completion of the program, graduates are
eligible to take the appropriate certification examination.
For more information about the admissions process - see
Master of Science - Nursing Program.
Adult Health Nursing
Primary
Care
Curriculum Plans
The Department of Adult
Health offers a concentration in adult health with an emphasis
on acute or primary care. The Adult Health-Primary Care
concentration will provide students with knowledge and
clinical decision-making skills necessary to implement
advanced nursing practice in the care of adults in primary
care settings. Advanced nursing practice refers to the
provision of advanced independent nursing care integrated with
delegated medical diagnostic and management activities. The
focus of the Primary Care concentration is on health
promotion, risk reduction and evidence-based care guided by a
selected nursing framework, maintaining an emphasis on the
nursing aspects of health care.
Role preparation in Adult
Health-Primary Care concentration is that of the Adult Nurse
Practitioner. The Adult Health program provides didactic
instruction in areas including research utilization, health
assessment, pharmacology, health promotion, and management of
acute and chronic health problems of adults. Over 500 hours of
supervised clinical experience, focused on the implementation
of the Adult Nurse Practitioner role, are included in the
program. Full time and part-time study options are available.
Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible to take
the appropriate certification examination. For more
information about the admissions process - see Master of
Science - Nursing Program.
Child
Health Nursing
Curriculum Plans
Students are invited to
participate in a community of nursing scholars as they study
child health nursing. School of Nursing faculty actively
involve students in maternal child nursing research areas such
as the study of chronic illness in adolescents, pregnancy
after infertility, the effects on parents of a child in the
neonatal unit, adolescent parenting, improved outcomes during
labor, breastfeeding support, childbirth education and early
mothering roles.
The Child Health Nursing
concentration prepares graduates for advanced practice roles
in the care of children. Graduates qualify to sit for the
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certification examination. The
concentration assists nurses to gain knowledge in health
promotion, disease prevention, and common health alterations
of children in primary care, ambulatory care, and acute care
settings.
Students are only admitted
to the child health concentration in the fall. Full time and
part time plans of study are available. Prerequisite courses
include undergraduate courses in health assessment, research
methods and statistics. For more information about the
admissions process - see Master of Science - Nursing
Program.
In addition to the core
master's curriculum courses, students broaden their
knowledge in several specialty courses: Health Promotion in
Children, Management of Acute Problems of Children, and
Chronic Illness and Disability in Children.
Clinical experiences are
tailored to meet student needs for advanced practice role
preparation as Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Students will
typically be placed in a series of individually precepted
clinical experiences. Experienced practitioners work
collaboratively with the nursing faculty to provide a diverse
range of clinical learning opportunities.
Select students have the
opportunity to apply for an additional semester's work that
focuses on promoting the health of children with disabilities.
The Virginia Institute of Developmental Disabilities offers
the program. Students will gain competencies in
interdisciplinary studies in developmental disabilities.
Tuition and stipends are available for the additional semester
of study. For more information on the study of children with
disabilities, please contact Dr. Anne Cox at (804) 828-8244.
Clinical Nurse Leader
Curriculum Plans
The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is an advanced generalist clinician with education at the master's degree level. Graduate education is necessary because the CNL must bring clinical competence and knowledge to the point of care and to serve as a resource for the nursing team. The master’s degree with a major in nursing will prepare graduates for an advanced generalist role. In practice, the CNL oversees the care coordination of a distinct group of patients and actively provides direct patient care in complex situations. This master's degree-prepared clinician puts evidence-based practice into action to ensure that patients benefit from the latest innovations in care delivery. The CNL evaluates patient outcomes, assesses cohort risk, and has the decision-making authority to change care plans when necessary. The CNL is a leader in the health care delivery system, and the implementation of this role will vary across settings.
The CNL is not prepared as an advanced practice nurse (APN) as the APN is currently defined. The CNL is an advanced generalist in contrast with the specialized focus of the practice by clinical nurse specialists (CNS) and nurse practitioners. Advanced practice nurses are prepared with specialist education in a defined area of practice. The CNL and APN roles complement one another. For example, the CNL may call on the CNS to provide consultation when a specialist area of concern arises.
Community
Health Nursing and Public Health
(Dual Degree Program)
Curriculum Plans
The
School
of
Nursing
offers a dual degree program
in Community Health Nursing and Public Health in collaboration
with the School of Medicine
Department of
Epidemiology and Community Health
that leads to two degrees, a Master of
Public Health (MPH) and a Master of Science (MS) in Nursing
with a focus in community health. This dual degree program is tailored to meet the needs
of students who want to have a public health degree in
conjunction with a clinical degree.
This dual degree program requires 58 credits of study
in the two programs over five semesters of full-time study.
Students may enroll for part-time study.
Applicants
must successfully meet the admissions requirements of both the
MPH program (see
School
of
Medicine) and the MS in Nursing program. Application
should be made to the
School
of Graduate Studies.Applications will be reviewed in the
School
of Nursing
by a joint review committee
comprised of faculty from both schools.Advisers will be assigned from the School of Nursing
.
Students
will be required to take eight core MPH courses, five core
nursing courses, four additional community health nursing
courses and complete a three-credit public health oriented
research project.
Community
Health Nursing
Curriculum Plans
The School of Nursing offers a program
in Community Health Nursing that leads to a Master of Science (MS) in Nursing
with a focus in community health. Students may enroll for part-time study.
This program is intended for
individuals who have already earned a Master of Public
Health.
Family
Health
Curriculum Plans
Flexible Academic Programs
are offered in family health nursing leading to certification
as a Family Nurse Practitioner. As students study family
health nursing, opportunities exist to be involved in faculty
research. Maternal child faculty research areas include the
study of chronic illness in adolescents, pregnancy after
infertility, the effects on parents of a child in the neonatal
unit, adolescent parenting, improved outcomes during labor,
breastfeeding support, childbirth education and early
mothering roles.
This concentration prepares
graduates for advanced practice roles in the care of children
and adults within a family framework. Graduates qualify to sit
for the Family Nurse Practitioner Certification examination.
The concentration assist nurses to gain knowledge in health
promotion, disease prevention, and common health alterations
of children, pregnant women, and adults in primary care,
ambulatory care, and acute care settings.
Prerequisite courses include
undergraduate courses in health assessment, research methods
and statistics. For more information about the admissions
process - see Master of Science - Nursing Program.
In addition to the core
master's curriculum courses, students broaden their
knowledge in several specialty courses: Health Promotion and
Disease Prevention in Children, Management of Acute Problems
of Children, Common Health Problems of Women, Perinatal
Nursing, Advanced Adult Health I and Primary Care of Families.
Clinical experiences are
tailored to meet student needs for advanced practice role
preparation as Family Nurse Practitioners. Students will
typically be placed in a series of individually precepted
clinical experiences. Experienced practitioners work
collaboratively with the nursing faculty to provide a diverse
range of clinical learning opportunities.
Nursing
Administration and Leadership
Curriculum Plans
The Nursing Administration
and Leadership curriculum content is designed for 21st century
advanced practice. The content includes: the nurse as an
integrative leader, applied organizational and administrative
theory, financial and human resource management, high
performing health care systems, conflict resolution as well as
urban and culturally sensitive health care. Graduates are
eligible for certification by American Nurses '
Association
Credentialing
Center
.
Undergraduate courses in
financial accounting, economics or microeconomics, statistics
and research methods are all either pre- or
co-requisite courses for the Nursing Administration and
Leadership concentration.
Flexible scheduling and
format for many course offerings is available along with
multiple program entry options for full and part-time study.
Integrative
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing
Curriculum Plans
The Integrative Psychiatric
Mental Health Concentration prepares graduates for roles as a
clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and nurse
practitioner (NP) in Adult Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and
holistic nurse (HN). The curriculum is designed with
an emphasis on content requisite for certification by the American
Nurses Credentialing Center and the American
Holistic Nurses Credentialing Program. Students enrolled
in the Integrative Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
Concentration will have experience that reflect both nurse
practitioner and clinical nurse specialist roles associated
with the specialty.
Nurse Educator
Curriculum Plans
The nurse educator concentration prepares students for roles in nursing education. These roles focus on the facilitation of learning through curriculum design, teaching, evaluation, advisement, and other activities undertaken by faculty in schools of nursing. Nursing education may take place in a variety of settings including hospitals, colleges and universities. The implementation of the faculty role may be in traditional classroom-based environments or in nontraditional environments.
Nurse educators engage in a number of roles and functions, each of which reflects the core competencies of nursing faculty. Those competencies include the following: 1) facilitate student learning; 2) facilitate learner development and socialization; 3) use assessment and evaluation strategies; 4) participate in curriculum design and evaluation of program outcomes; 5) function as a change agent and leader; 6) pursue continuous quality improvement in the nurse educator role; 7) engage in scholarship and 8) function within the educational environment. The extent to which a specific nurse educator implements these competencies varies according to many factors, including the mission of her/his institution, rank, academic preparation, and type of program in which she/he is teaching.
After completion of the Nurse Educator track and two years or more of full-time employment in the academic faculty role, graduates are eligible to sit for the Nurse Educator certification exam.
Women's
Health Nursing
Curriculum Plans
As a student, you are
invited to participate in a community of nursing scholars as
you study women's health nursing. School of Nursing faculty
actively involve students in maternal child nursing research
areas such as the study of chronic illness in adolescents,
pregnancy after infertility, the effects on parents of a child
in the neonatal unit, adolescent parenting, improved outcomes
during labor, breastfeeding support, childbirth education and
early mothering roles.
The Women's Health Nursing
concentration prepares graduates for advanced practice roles
in the care of women. Graduates qualify to sit for the
Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Certification examination.
The concentration assist nurses to gain knowledge in health
promotion, disease prevention, and common health alterations
of women across the life cycle and includes, but is not
limited to, reproductive and perinatal issues.
Students are only admitted
to the women's health concentration in the fall. Full time
and part time plans of study are available. Prerequisite
courses include undergraduate courses in health assessment and
statistics. . For more information about the admissions
process - see Master of Science - Nursing Program.
In addition to the core
master's curriculum courses, students broaden their
knowledge in several specialty courses: Introduction to
Women's Health, Common Health Problems of Women, Perinatal
Nursing and Advanced Perinatal Nursing.
Clinical experiences are
tailored to meet student needs for advanced practice role
preparation as Women's Health Nurse Practitioners. Students
will typically be placed in a series of individually precepted
clinical experiences. Experienced practitioners work
collaboratively with the nursing faculty to provide a diverse
range of clinical learning opportunities.
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