Nursing Leadership: Executive, Educator, or Legal Nurse Consultant, Master of Science in Nursing

Admission

Please refer to “The Graduate Admissions Process” section for general graduate admission information. For consideration and admission to the Master of Science in Nursing program, all applicants must satisfactorily submit or complete the following:

1. A completed Wilmington University graduate application form and the non-refundable application fee before registering for your first graduate course.
2. Proof of current unencumbered RN license, (copy of computer verification acceptable).
3. Register for either MSN 6500 or MSN 6502 as your first course.
4. Prior to completing your first course:
   1. Submit official transcripts reflecting the following:

      Graduation from a nationally accredited baccalaureate program in nursing.

      Completion of an undergraduate statistics course, with a grade of “C” or higher.

   2. Meet with a program chair for a program planning conference.

All of the documents indicated above should be sent directly to:

Wilmington University

Office of Graduate Admissions

31 Reads Way

New Castle, DE 19720

Program Purpose

The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program is designed to prepare professional nurses for roles in advanced practice. The curriculum emphasizes the relationships among advanced nursing practice, theory, and scholarly inquiry. Nurses educated at the graduate level demonstrate competency in the roles of advanced caregiver, leader, teacher, and participant in and/or conductor of research. Nurses prepared at the graduate level also have the opportunity to influence health policy and to practice with a high level of autonomy in a variety of settings.

Goals

The goals of the Master of Science of Nursing program are to prepare graduates to:

1. Function effectively in advanced nursing practice roles in a variety of settings.
2. Engage in personal and professional development through life-long learning.
3. Broaden career mobility and opportunities in nursing.

Program Competencies

Through completion of the Master of Science in Nursing program, graduates will:

1. Promote the art of nursing by valuing the unique relationships among people, which create meaning and preserve human dignity;
2. Synthesize theoretical, experiential, and research knowledge as the scientific basis for advanced nursing practice;
3. Use the ethical and legal standards recognized by the nursing profession to guide advanced nursing practice;
4. Implement knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research to improve nursing practice by evaluating published research, applying findings to practice, and participating in research activities;
5. Incorporate findings from teaching/learning theories and research to educate individuals and groups;
6. Implement knowledge of health policy, financial aspects of health care, and the organization of health delivery systems to influence continuous improvement in health care;
7. Fulfill a leadership role in advanced nursing practice through effective collaboration, client and peer advocacy, sensitivity to diversity, and ongoing participation in professional organizations;
8. Negotiate an appropriate role for advanced nursing practice in the context of a dynamic health care system;
9. Demonstrate advanced oral and written communication abilities;
10. Demonstrate the ability to access, use, and evaluate information and information technologies.

Prerequisite Course Requirements

All students are required to have prerequisite knowledge of statistics. If the student has not completed an undergraduate course in statistics with a grade of “C” or better, he or she will be required to complete statistics prior to registering in MSN 6606 Research in Nursing Practice and/ or prior to consideration for degree candidacy (completion of 12 credits). If an undergraduate course in statistics has not been successfully completed, the following course is appropriate:

Course

Core Requirements

All M.S.N. degree students are required to take the following courses:

Program Design

Today’s health care environment requires competent, innovative leaders. Nurse leaders are needed for managed care initiatives, roles in nursing education, entrepreneurial pursuits, consultation and interdisciplinary coordination of healthcare, and clinical research projects. The purpose of the Nursing Leadership concentration is to provide the opportunity for nurses to acquire and refine the skills needed for leadership roles in nursing.

To fulfill the requirements of the M.S.N. Leadership program, students must complete all courses, consisting of 36 credit hours, while maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Students complete course work with an emphasis in executive practice, the educator role, or the legal nurse consultant role. The program is interdisciplinary, with course work through the Colleges of Education and Business in addition to the College of Health Professions. Technology is integrated into the program, and nursing courses may be offered in a distance learning format. Students in all concentrations can spend time in the final capstone courses in a variety of ways: e.g., field practice time, small project, or thesis development.

All concentrations are designed to develop the students’ knowledge of research to improve the practice of nursing and strengthen the awareness of contemporary influences on health care needs of individuals, families, and communities. Philosophy of nursing leadership and health care expands the foundation for ethical decision making as students develop skill in working within the context of prevailing systems of care. The program is usually completed within a two to three year time-frame; however, it must be completed within five years.

Executive

Knowledge of local, national, and global health care policies will enable the professional nurse to work with other professionals in establishing priorities. Beyond this foundational knowledge, the nurse leader needs to refine skills relevant to individual career goals. Selected course work may emphasize entrepreneurial, policy, or management roles of the nurse leader.

Educator

Skilled educators are needed to teach students, clients, and staff. Depending on the student’s particular interest, course work will provide the opportunity for increased knowledge and skills for the current or future educator.

Legal Nurse Consultant

The Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC) role is a functional specialty practice of nursing. Legal nurse consultants use critical thinking and expert knowledge of health care systems and professions to assess health care practice standards applicable to nursing. Courses at Wilmington University prepare students to meet the standards of LNC practice. For LNC students, the capstone experience is a required six-credit field practicum. The LNC courses are available as online courses only. Students should be comfortable with the Online Learning format and are required to take the DIS 095 pre-requisite.

Program Requirements

Courses are not listed in the order of completion. Students are advised to begin their course of study with courses that are offered beginning in the Fall and Spring Block l sessions. MSN 6500 and MSN 6502 are recommended to be taken early in the course of study; MSN 6606 is the pre-requisite for MSN 6607. Capstones are to be taken after all other courses as the completion to the program.

Core MSN Courses (12 credits)

Executive Concentration Requirements (24 credits)

Choose either:

Students select three from the following courses:

Educator Concentration Requirements (24 credits)

Choose either:

Legal Nurse Consultant Concentration (24 credits)

The six-credit capstone is earned by completing a field practicum, a small project, or research thesis and by submitting a final scholarly paper and professional poster. The student works with an individual faculty in a collaborative effort throughout the process.

This program may be completed in 24 to 27 months. However, students do have up to five years to complete the program. Students must complete all courses, consisting of 36 credits, while maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Up to six transfer credits may be accepted if the course content corresponds to required courses.