Program Description

The Master of Science in Nursing program with a direct entry pathway prepares students who have earned a non-nursing baccalaureate degree to obtain a registered nurse license and practice as an MSN nurse generalist in a variety of settings once state licensure Is attained. The program focuses on care for patients across the lifespan and in diverse environments. Learning will include didactic, simulation, laboratory, and clinical learning opportunities.  The program emphasizes the use of innovative technologies and preparation for assuming leadership roles. Clinical opportunities will provide the students to become an effective member of the interprofessional healthcare team through practice experiences that provide direct patient care in diverse areas.

Prior to enrollment, individuals considering a Master of Science in Nursing program should check with their applicable state board of nursing before enrolling in any graduate nursing program for any specific state requirements.

Students enrolled in this program are not eligible to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Core MSN Program Outcomes

Upon completion of their program, the student should be able to:

1. Integrate scientific evidence from nursing and biopsychosocial disciplines, genetics, public health, quality improvement, and organizational sciences when designing and implementing outcome measures in diverse settings and through the lifespan.
2. Demonstrate leadership skills that emphasize ethical and critical decision-making, fiscal responsibility, inter-professional relationships that promote safe, quality care within a systems framework.
3. Apply methods, tools, performance measures, and evidence-based standards when evaluating quality indicators within an organizational system.
4. Synthesize theories, models and research findings inherent to nursing practice, education and management to guide an organization or healthcare system towards achieving successful outcomes.
5. Apply client/patient care technologies and informatics to coordinate and ensure safe quality care and promote effective communication among members of the inter-professional healthcare team.
6. Analyze ethical, legal and sociocultural factors to influence policy development and healthcare delivery systems that promote the health of individuals and populations.
7. Articulate a leadership role within inter-professional teams through effective communication, collaboration and consultation with other professionals to manage, coordinate care and provide safe, quality family-centered and population-based care.
8. Incorporate organizational and culturally sensitive client and population centered concepts in the planning, delivery, management, and evaluation of direct and indirect evidence-based health promotion care and services to specified individuals, families and populations.
9. Implement scholarly activities in selected individuals, populations, and systems.

Pre-licensure Program Outcomes

Upon completion of their program, the student should be able to:

1.  Prioritize patient-centered care using clinical judgment and the nursing process. (Knowledge for Nursing Practice, Person-Centered Care)
2.  Collaborate with patients, families and team members to provide safe and culturally competent care. (Population Health, Quality and Safety)
3.  Integrate evidence-based practice within diverse clinical settings to deliver optimal care. (Scholarship, Systems-Based Practice)
4.  Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both systems effectiveness and individual performance. (Quality and Safety)
5.  Use informational technology to communicate, mitigate error, support decision making, and manage patient care. (Informatics and Healthcare Technologies)
6.  Evaluate quality improvement processes to enhance patient outcomes. (Quality and Safety)
7.  Integrate professionalism and advanced leadership skills within the interdisciplinary healthcare environment. (Interprofessional Partnerships, Professionalism, Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development)
8.  Analyze national and global policies, legislative concepts, and economics to address population outcomes. (Professionalism)

Program Content

A minimum of 60.00 semester credit hours is required.

• A minimum of 77.00 semester credit hours is required for students who have not met the undergraduate pre-requisite core courses.

Third Party Testing

Assessment and remediation are critical components of nursing education. Students in the nursing program may be required to take third-party, standardized, proctored exams in an electronic format throughout the curriculum. Students may be required to go to a third-party testing site to complete exams.  Standardized tests are valid and reliable predictors of success on the NCLEX examination and provide valuable feedback concerning student strengths and weaknesses. Student learning outcome data identifies content areas that require remediation, allowing faculty to personalize student support and intervention. Courses that utilize third-party exams will incorporate the points earned on the test as a percentage of the final grade earned for the course as specified in the course syllabus.

MSNDE Nursing Curriculum Progression Milestone Exams and Policy

The purpose of the nursing progression milestone exams and policy is to ensure preparation of the student for the NCLEX exam. This process validates knowledge acquisition and application through standardized, third-party exams. Students will be required to complete three progression milestone exams at key points in the curriculum as well as an exit exam during the final semester.  Each progression milestone exam is a comprehensive assessment of all content covered in the program up to exam administration.

Progression Milestone exam #1 is administered after or while completing NSG 520 , NSG 521 , NSG 522 .

Progression Milestone exam #2 is administered after or while completing NSG 523 , NSG 524 , NSG 525 , NSG 526 , NSG 527 , NSG 528 .

Progression Milestone exam #3 is a Pharmacology exam and will be administered during the semester prior to NSG 632  and NSG 635 .

If the *benchmark score on the first formal attempt is not attained, a plan for remediation will be developed in collaboration with the faculty/program chair/NCLEX coach and a second attempt will be provided.

If the benchmark score is not achieved on the second attempt, the student cannot be registered for any subsequent clinical courses. The student will be registered for outstanding general education requirements and a mandatory nursing remediation course. Students who are registered for the nursing remediation course must actively participate in the course, post attendance, and complete course requirements to be eligible for a milestone retake. Students who fail to actively participate, post attendance, and complete remediation course requirements, or who withdraw, will be dismissed from the program and ineligible to take the final milestone retake. The final milestone retake is administered to eligible students at the conclusion of the 8-week remediation course. It is important to note that this may impact the anticipated graduation date by a minimum of one semester.

Students who are successful on the final retake exam will be rescheduled by Registrar Services

Students who are unsuccessful on the final retake exam will be dismissed from the nursing program and provided advisement on alternative program pathways.

RN Exit Exam

The exit exam will cover content from all nursing courses, is reflective of NCLEX readiness and is administered in the final semester. Students will take practice assessments during the NSG635 course , in conjunction with individualized remediation and completion of assignments focused on NCLEX readiness.  This is followed by a final exit exam. Students who are unable to reach the *benchmark score on the exit exam will receive an Incomplete (I) grade for their NSG 635 course and will be required to successfully reach this benchmark on the final exit exam by the second week of the subsequent semester to resolve the (I) grade. 

If they are unable to resolve the (I) grade by the second week of the subsequent semester, the grade will convert to an (F) grade and the student will be placed on “Approved Break” for the remainder of the semester, during which time they must remain actively engaged in formal remediation.  This will cause a delay in program completion and graduation.  Students should discuss the implications of being on “Approved Break” with their financial aid advisor.

*Threshold benchmark scores required to pass the milestone or exit exams are based upon national student performance data and may be changed at any time by the university.

Dosage Calculation Exams

Dosage calculation exams are required at multiple points throughout the program. A student who is unable to pass any of the exams will not be allowed to progress without completion of remediation and demonstration of competency as evidenced by reaching the required score on a final dosage calculation exam attempt.