MSN Program for the Registered Nurse degree (RN to MSN)
Permanent Status Program Review
The
The RN to
MSN program of study remains a popular program for nursing education in the
Therefore, the goals of this program are to:
Academic Priorities
This program is congruent with the graduate academic priorities of the university.
The nursing courses in this program (14 out of 15) are delivered online. This format is also congruent with the undergraduate academic priority of UD “to extend national leadership in instructional innovation and improvement.” Using technology to deliver course content, holding meaningful discussion groups online, and require extensive written assignments assures the quality of the program while meeting the diverse needs of the students.
Previously addressed
concerns
In the original proposal, concerns were raised regarding the actual numbering of courses used (see correspondence p. 5-7). Recommended changes were incorporated to reflect numbers congruent with the 600 master’s level. See Requirements for the BSN and MSN Degree (p. 4)
Impact and Demand
The RN to
MSN program requires no additional course development. All courses are already
present within the RN to BSN or traditional MSN programs currently offered by
the
Impact Upon Non-Nursing Units: One non-nursing course is affected by this program. EDUC 665: Elementary Statistics has already been offered in a distance format for the Health Services Administration graduate course of study. For the future, it is our intent to continue to offer this course via distance learning. This course offering has been negotiated with the respective departments for support of this specialty track.
Nursing Electives: Of the 6 credits of electives for the RN to MSN program, 3 of these credits have been replaced by NURS 622 Advanced Pharmacology needed for students planning on taking the specialty certification exam.
Admission/Retention: The program admission requirements follow the policy that is delineated in the UD College Catalog 2007-2008 (p.315). To date, 105 applications have been received, of those, 33 were not admitted. Denials were due to GPA issues, or inability to meet other qualifying criteria. An additional 14 applications are still in various stages of the process. Students in the RN to MSN program of study may decide to complete only the BSN program. For students who are unable to achieve and maintain the required grade point average, the RN to BSN program is a viable option. To date, 9 students have voluntarily chosen to transfer into the BSN program. Course substitutions for the already completed coursework were made. The RN to MSN program has a dedicated staff and faculty who provide advisement and guidance throughout the program to ensure that all students are successful.
Enrolled Students. As of Fall 2007, 5 students have completed
the program. The students represented the following states:
|
RN to MSN |
2004 F |
2005 S |
2005 F |
2006 S |
2006 F |
2007 W |
2007 S |
2007 F |
|
applicants |
41 |
10 |
13 |
12 |
6 |
|
8 |
15 |
|
admissions |
36 |
5 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
|
4 |
7 |
|
graduates |
|
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Dropped/no show |
3 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
|
|
|
3 |
Support. The typical student is a fulltime working professional. The tuition in the program is supported by the student’s employer through a tuition benefit. There are no additional costs to the student beyond books and travel expenses to attend the on campus weekend course (NURS 335). All courses in the curriculum were already present in the RN to BSN or the traditional MSN programs and are built into the workload of full time faculty. There are no additional resources required to support and maintain the program.
Evaluation
Students
who complete the Master of Science in nursing program will be able to work as clinical
nurse specialists in a variety of healthcare settings. They will demonstrate the following program
outcomes or behaviors:
1.
Evaluate
theories and concepts drawn from nursing, the arts and humanities, and the
biological, social, and physical sciences as the basis for practice as clinical
nurse specialists.
2.
Analyze
the influence of value systems and ethnicity on health care practices,
healthcare systems, and the roles of clinical nurse specialists.
3.
Demonstrate
competence as a clinical nurse specialist.
4.
Collaborate
in interdisciplinary efforts to provide healthcare and improve healthcare
delivery systems to local, state, and/or national levels.
5.
Assume
leadership in interpreting and promoting professional nursing to other members
of the profession, other disciplines, consumers, and legislators.
6.
Provide
leadership in defining, developing, and implementing current and emerging
nursing roles.
7. Develop proposals for studies or projects that can contribute to the expansion of
nursing knowledge.
8. Demonstrate ethical decision making and professional accountability as a clinical
nurse specialist.
9. Advocate
for health legislation at local, regional, and/or national levels.
Assessment of Learning Outcomes:
The
Job Placement of Graduates:
The typical
student is a fulltime working professional. Data are collected on previous and
present job positions through the demographic survey at graduation. Of the 5 recent graduates of this program, 2
reported changing job positions upon completion of the program. Thus far, the five
students who have completed the program have not elected to take the
certification exam. The certification exam is not a requirement of the program.
REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE BSN and MSN DEGREE (RN to MSN Program only)
credits
Successful
completion of RN licensure exam 30
Completion
of non-nursing prerequisite courses (42cr) and electives (18cr) 60
NURS335 BRN
Orientation (on campus) 1
NURS411/412Topics in Health Care Delivery (Nursing Elective) 6
NURS435 Leadership
& Management in Health Organizations 3
NURS442 Community Health Nursing 3
NURS604 Advanced
Nursing Roles 3
NURS609 Nursing
Science: Theory & Research 4
NURS620 Advanced
Health Assessment 3
NURS621 Advanced
Pathophysiology* 3
* (PSYC667 Developmental Psychopathology, PSYC 829 Advanced
Psychopathology
or EDUC 813 Childhood
Psychopathology required for Psychiatric Clinical
Nurse Specialist program.)
EDUC665 Elementary
Statistics 3
NURS686 Clinical
Nurse Specialist Role Integration 4
NURS868 Scholarly
Project 3
NURS869 Master’s
Thesis 6
NURS687 Nursing
Science: Research Application 3
Adult Health
NURS636 Adult Health Nursing I 4
NURS646 Adult
Health Nursing II 4
NURS654 Nursing
of Children I
4
NURS655 Nursing
of Children II
4
NURS671 Psychiatric
Mental Health Nursing I 4
NURS672 Psychiatric
Mental Health Nursing II 4
Total Credits
Required 134-137
This document contains E-mail correspondence between Dr.
Koford, Undergraduate Studies Chair and Dr. Plowfield, former Nursing
Department Chair.
Re: BRN to MSN – Course re-numbering
"Koford, Ken" wrote:
>
> Professor Plowfield, I believe that we can do this effectively without problems, relying on your good faith and good will to solve this small problem. I will bring the 2 e-mails to the meeting on Friday and do not expect any troubles.
>
> Kenneth Koford
> Chairperson
> Undergraduate Studies Committee
>
-----Original Message-----
> From: Lisa Ann Plowfield [mailto:plow@udel.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2003 10:06 PM
> To: kofordk@be.udel.edu
> Cc: jkw@udel.edu; paulanka@udel.edu; sclark@udel.edu
> Subject: [Fwd: Psych course]
>
> Dear Professor Koford:
>
> I apologize for the delay in sending you this message. I have, however, discussed the number sequencing issue with our related departmental curriculum committees as well as the Dean of our College. As you and I discussed, our department is willing to alter our graduate course numbers to the 600 level. Hopefully this change will be more consistent
with the rest of the University community. Please know that our department offers no doctoral studies; therefore, our 800 courses have always been our master's level.
>
> Also, the committee's concerns re: the pysch & education 800 level courses have been addressed. The Department of Psychology will be offering a 600 level lifespan psychopathology course that all of the students in this track will take in place of the 800 level EDUC and PSYC courses. Chairperson and Professor DiLorenzo's email message to this effect is being forwarded with this email to you.
>
> I am aware that Dr. Julie Waterhouse is unable to attend the next meeting, and unfortunately I will be out of town presenting at a conference. Would you like me to ask someone else to represent this program at your meeting?
>
> Please let me know if you or your committee members have any other concerns that I need to investigate and address. Thank you for your time both by email and telephone.
>
> Sincerely,
> Lisa Plowfield, Chairperson, Dept of Nursing
March 19, 2003
Professor Karen Stein
Chairperson
Coordinating Committee on Education
Dear Professor Stein:
I write to clarify the Undergraduate Studies request and my response to the issue of changing our 800 level graduate courses to the 600 level. Our department will submit these course number changes through the appropriate Faculty Senate Committee channels during the Fall 2003 semester. We believe these changes will allow our courses to become more consistent with the University’s numbering system for graduate courses.
Please know that the Department of Nursing has never offered any doctoral level courses, and our 800 level courses have always been for our master’s students. Our Department does not offer a doctoral degree. In trying to research why the master’s courses were given an 800 sequence, I found no supporting documentation or faculty information.
I appreciate your attention to this need as our Department pursues a master’s degree program for registered nurses. Please let me know if you have any additional concerns.
Sincerely,
Lisa Ann Plowfield, PhD, RN
Chairperson
March 25, 2003
Dear Executive Committee Members of the Faculty Senate:
Thank you for your time and review of our newly proposed Master of Science in Nursing Program for the Registered Nurse. This program was developed as a result of numerous conversations and assessments of the regional registered nurse population. Support for the program became more evident as Provost Rich shared the University’s academic priorities. After discussions with the Office of Graduate Studies, our faculty developed the proposed program with a total of 134 credits. The total credits were determined by examining the nature of overlapping course content and the experiential basis of prospective students, all who will be seasoned and experienced professionals.
Currently, I have identified 66
RN to MSN programs in the
For the programs with higher credits than our proposed program, I have found that the higher credits are due to higher Master of Science in Nursing program credits. These programs all offer accelerated master’s degree programs with overlaps of 15-24 semester credits. Our program is offering the 134 credits due to an overlap in 20 semester credit hours.
I believe our faculty are
proposing a very sound and timely program that will help meet some of the
current health care needs related to the nursing shortage. Our faculty
have found that the majority of students who enter our RN to BSN program plans
to pursue graduate education. This proposed major will be a leader in the
I am pleased to provide you with this review and analysis. Please let me know of any additional concerns or questions.
Sincerely,
Lisa Ann Plowfield, PhD, RN
Chairperson