MSN Purposes, Goals and Outcomes
PURPOSE AND GOALS

The purpose of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program is to prepare nurses for advanced practice and entry into specialization.   The advanced practice nurse works in interdisciplinary relationships and collaborative partnerships to meet population-based needs and provide high quality, cost-effective client care.   The advanced practice nurse is accountable for influencing health policy, improving health care delivery, contributing to nursing science, and promoting the advancement of the nursing profession.  

The focus of the graduate program is on the delivery of nursing care to rural and underserved clients across the life span.   Curricula are available to prepare students as Nurse Administrators, or Family, Adult, Gerontological, or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners.   Students who complete course requirements for the nurse practitioner specialties are qualified to take a national certification examination.   The program is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).  

Specifically, the goals of the MSN degree program are to prepare graduates to:  
       

  • provide advanced nursing care to rural, urban, and underserved populations in a variety of settings

  •   practice in collaborative and interdisciplinary relationships

  • assume positions of leadership in the health care delivery system

  • contribute to the current and evolving body of nursing science

  • continue study at the doctoral level.

Outcomes

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

  • synthesize specialized knowledge and theories from nursing and related disciplines into advanced nursing practice

  •   practice advanced nursing in collaborative relationships across disciplines and in partnership with communities

  • manage the health care of clients within legal, ethical, and professional standards

  • design health promotion strategies across the life span and among diverse cultures to improve the health of a community

  • use the research process to validate and refine knowledge relevant to advanced practice nursing

  • use leadership skills to effect health policy and promote change