MSN: Program Objectives

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is based on the following documents and standards:

Core program objectives are based on Graduate Core Curriculum Content (The Essentials of Masters Education for Advanced Practice Nursing, American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 1996).
The Nurse Practitioner (NP) program and program objectives are based on Advanced Practice Nursing Core Curriculum (AACN, 1996), Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Competencies in Specialty Areas (National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties [NONPF] and AACN, 2002), and NONPF (2006) Domains and Core Competencies.
Nurse Educator (NE) program objectives are based on National League for Nursing (NLN) practice domain categories from the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) 2005 Candidate Handbook.
Additionally, the program and program objectives reflect the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2003) Code of Ethics for Nurses, and the ANA (2004) Scope and Standards of Practice.

Core Program Objectives (Common to both NP and NE programs)

The graduate of the Master of Science in nursing program will:

Effectively develop and communicate professional role with clients and colleagues (NONPF Domain IV; NLN Domains 1,5)

Demonstrate cultural competence in the ethical delivery of care to vulnerable populations (Also NONPF Domain VI & VII; NLN Domains 1,2, & 6)
Utilize knowledge from sciences, humanities, and nursing to promote health, prevent disease, and provide quality health care to individuals, families, groups, and communities (Also NONPF Domain 1)

Contribute to nursing knowledge through the scholarship of integration, application, and teaching (NLN Domain 6)

Analyze economic, policy, environmental, and social forces to impact health care delivery and quality of care (Also NONPF Domain V; NLN Domain 6;)

The nurse practitioner graduate will demonstrate ability to:

Synthesize assessment data to diagnose and manage patient health and illness needs (NONPF Domain I)
Effectively serve as client partner and advocate within the health care delivery system to meet client needs. (NONPF Domain II; V)

The nurse educator graduate will demonstrate ability to:

Develop and implement educational curriculum and teaching-learning activities based on theories, knowledge, and principles of learning and pedagogy (NLN Domains 3 & 4)
Engage in formative and summative evaluation of teaching-learning and use results of evaluation to revise and enhance nursing education (NLN Domain 4)