Nursing

The M.S.N. program focuses on the preparation of nurses to meet the needs of the community for health care providers/nurses with advanced practice knowledge and skills. Graduates are prepared for clinical practice in adult health nursing and for roles as clinical managers and educators in health care settings such as hospitals, community agencies, clinics, home health care agencies and community colleges.

The MSN program at EMU School of Nursing is focused on preparing advanced practice registered nurses as Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialists. Candidates who successfully complete this program are eligible to take the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification exam to qualify as an Adult-Gerontology C.N.S.

School of Nursing Information

Interim School Director: Michael L. Williams, MSN, RN, CCRN,
e-mail: michael.williams@emich.edu
Website: http://www.emich.edu/nursing/

Advisor Information:

Program Coordinator: Bobbi Towne, MSN, RN
Phone: 734-487-2340
Email: rtowne1@emich.edu

Program Director: Laurie Blondy, PhD, JD, RN
Phone: 734-487-3275
Email: lblondy@emich.edu

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the MSN program in EMU School of Nursing, students must first meet requirements set by the Graduate School as described in the Eastern Michigan University Graduate Catalog. Applicants are considered for selection into the MSN program upon completion of the following:

1. Possess a B.S.N. degree (Applicants holding an R.N. license with a bachelor’s in another discipline may apply for a conditional admission).
2. Have at least a cumulative 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) college GPA. (Applicants may seek conditional admission with a GPA of 2.75).
3. International students must have a minimum score of 550 (paper) or 79 (internet) on the TOEFL or 77 on the Michigan English Language Ability Battery (MELAB) or 6.5 on IETLTS, or 53 on Pearson Test of English. (These scores are the same requirements as the EMU Graduate School.)
4. Have a current unrestricted license to practice as a professional registered nurse in Michigan or eligibility to obtain a Michigan license.
5. Submit two (2) professional references that document competence in nursing practice and potential for success in a graduate program of study. (Complete the reference forms provided).
6. Submit a two to three page essay about professional goals, reasons for obtaining a M.S.N. degree (or certificate) and your future plans.
7. Submit a four to five page current sample of your writing using peer-reviewed literature to support your ideas. Essays will be evaluated based on your ability to express yourself, degree of scholarly content, spelling, grammar, and use of the American Psychological Association style with a minimum of three references.
8. Have successfully completed an approved basic statistics course that includes descriptive and inferential statistics within the last 10 years.
9. Have successfully completed a basic health assessment course.
10. Successful completion of an undergraduate community health nursing course and clinical (or equivalent), from an accredited university. R.N.s with a Bachelor’s in a discipline other than nursing have to either complete the Community Health Nursing courses (NURS 450 & 451) or successfully complete the Community Health ATI Examination to demonstrate equivalency.

All documents above should be submitted directly to the Graduate School Office of Admissions, along with any transcript from other universities or colleges previously attended.

Application Process:

Applicants must:

• Complete an application for admission to EMU at www.emich.edu/admissions Admission to the university takes an average of 2-3 weeks.
• Submit official transcripts from each educational institution you have attended so your EMU admission application can be processed.
• Select the program code: NUR/MSN-HH for the M.S.N. program on your application.

Program Requirements

The program consists of 40 to 49 credit hours, depending on the election of a clinical track and/or concentration:

• Twenty-four credit hours of core graduate nursing courses. These courses consist of eight three-hour courses in advanced pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, advanced pharmacology, nursing theory for practice and research, health care trends and delivery systems, advanced practice role development, and evidence based nursing 1 and 2.
• Sixteen credit hours (minimum of 500 clinical hours) of Clinical Nurse Specialization (CNS) in adult-gerontology health. Each clinical course includes a precepted practicum by an advanced practice nurse with a minimum preparation at the Master’s level. Nine to twelve credit hours related to a concentration from four options (if selected)
• Two to four credit hours related to scholarly inquiry (if selected)

Students may select one of four concentrations.
“Teaching in health care systems” focuses on the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for working as education coordinators and/or faculty at a community college.
“Quality improvement in health care systems” focuses on the knowledge, skills and abilities needed by nurses working in quality improvement, risk management, or other quality of care leadership positions.
“Gerontology” concentration focuses on the knowledge, skills and abilities needed by nurses working in long-term care and other settings providing care to older adults.
“Individualized study” focuses on a student’s professional goal and negotiated program of study.

Choose one program from the following:

Students choose one program below:

• M.S.N. in Adult Health and Concentration (41-42 hours)

• M.S.N. in Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist and Concentration (48-49 hours)

• M.S.N. in Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (40 hours)

M.S.N. in Adult Health with Concentration: 41-42 hours

 This concentration to be phased-out, effective Winter 2014

 

Core courses: 24 hours

• NURS 500 - Advanced Pathophysiology 3 hrs
• NURS 502 - Advanced Health Assessment 3 hrs
• NURS 506 - Nursing Theory for Practice and Research 3 hrs
• NURS 510 - Advanced Pharmacology 3 hrs
• NURS 605 - Health Status Trends and Health Care Delivery Systems 3 hrs
• NURS 606 - Advanced Practice Nursing Role Development 3 hrs
• NURS 640 - Evidence Based Nursing Practice I 3 hrs
• NURS 642 - Evidence Based Nursing Practice II 3 hrs

Advanced Adult Health Track: 9 hours

• NURS 650 - Advanced Adult Health Nursing I (To Be Deleted) 3 hrs
• NURS 660 - Advanced Adult Health Nursing II (To Be Deleted) 3 hrs
• NURS 665 - Practicum in Adult Health Nursing (To be Deleted) 3 hrs

Concentration Options: 8-9 hours

One option from the following:

Option I: Teaching

• NURS 620 - Teaching in Health Care Systems: Instructional Strategies and Skills 3 hrs
• NURS 622 - Teaching in Health Care Systems: Curriculum/Program Development and Evaluation 3 hrs
• NURS 624 - Practicum in Teaching in Health Care Systems 3 hrs

Option II: Quality Improvement

• HLAD 525 - Quality Improvement in Health Care 3 hrs
• NURS 686 - Practicum in QI in Health Care Systems 3 hrs

One course from the following:

• MGMT 638 - Building Continuous Improvement Teams 3 hrs
• QUAL 552 - Quality Planning 3 hrs
• QUAL 557 - Measuring Customer Satisfaction 3 hrs

Option III: Gerontology

• BIO 511 - Animal Physiological Ecology 3 hrs
• AGIN 512 - Applied Psychosocial Aspects of Aging 3 hrs

One course from the following:

• NURS 665 - Practicum in Adult Health Nursing (To be Deleted) 3 hrs
• SWRK 553 - Ethnicity and Gender Issues Among the Aged 2 hrs

Option IV: Individualized Study

Courses to be determined by student and advisor to meet individual needs.

M.S.N. in Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist with Concentration: 48-49 hours

Core courses: 24 hours

• NURS 500 - Advanced Pathophysiology 3 hrs
• NURS 502 - Advanced Health Assessment 3 hrs
• NURS 506 - Nursing Theory for Practice and Research 3 hrs
• NURS 510 - Advanced Pharmacology 3 hrs
• NURS 605 - Health Status Trends and Health Care Delivery Systems 3 hrs
• NURS 606 - Advanced Practice Nursing Role Development 3 hrs
• NURS 640 - Evidence Based Nursing Practice I 3 hrs
• NURS 642 - Evidence Based Nursing Practice II 3 hrs

Advanced Adult Health CNS Track: 16 hours

• NURS 652 - Advanced Adult Health Nursing for CNS I 5 hrs
• NURS 662 - Advanced Adult Health Nursing-CNS II 5 hrs
• NURS 667 - Practicum in Advanced Adult Health Nursing for CNS Track 6 hrs

Concentration Options: 8-9 hours

Select one of the following options:

Option I: Teaching

• NURS 620 - Teaching in Health Care Systems: Instructional Strategies and Skills 3 hrs
• NURS 622 - Teaching in Health Care Systems: Curriculum/Program Development and Evaluation 3 hrs
• NURS 624 - Practicum in Teaching in Health Care Systems 3 hrs

Option II: Quality Improvement

• HLAD 525 - Quality Improvement in Health Care 3 hrs
• NURS 686 - Practicum in QI in Health Care Systems 3 hrs

One course from the following:

• MGMT 638 - Building Continuous Improvement Teams 3 hrs
• QUAL 552 - Quality Planning 3 hrs
• QUAL 557 - Measuring Customer Satisfaction 3 hrs

Option III: Gerontology

• BIO 511 - Animal Physiological Ecology 3 hrs
• AGIN 512 - Applied Psychosocial Aspects of Aging 3 hrs

One course from the following:

• NURS 665 - Practicum in Adult Health Nursing (To be Deleted) 3 hrs
• SWRK 553 - Ethnicity and Gender Issues Among the Aged 2 hrs

Option IV: Individualized Study

Courses to be determined by student and advisor to meet individual needs.

M.S.N. in Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist: 40 hours