Sep 24, 2023

2021-2022 Graduate Catalog

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2021-2022 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Nursing (BSN to MSN), M.S.N.

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College of Nursing

Department: Dean’s Office

Major Contacts, Deadlines, and Delivery Information

Concentrations:

Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with Occupational Health Nursing Sub-Speciality
Family Health Nurse Practitioner
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

Also offered as a Concurrent Degrees

The Major in Nursing leading to a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree prepares its graduates for careers as nurse practitioners. Students choose from a variety of nursing specialty options in advanced practice roles and enroll in a prescribed set of core courses central to all specialty options as well as courses specific to their concentration. Successful completion of the M.S.N. program and comprehensive exam qualifies students to take appropriate national certification examinations as shown below and apply for licensure as an APRN in Florida and other states.

Comprehensive Exam	Qualifies NP Graduates to Sit for Certification Exam
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Comprehensive Exam	AACN & ANCC
Adult Gerontology Primary Care Comprehensive Exam	AANPCB & ANCC
Family Health Comprehensive Exam	AANPCB & ANCC
Pediatric Health Comprehensive Exam	PNCB

Master’s Program Goals

The Master’s Program prepares graduates:

for advanced practice with diverse populations at the individual, family and community level
to use patient-care and communication technologies to enhance and coordinate the delivery of high quality, culturally appropriate care
to translate research outcomes, resolve problems, and disseminate results in the educational and clinical practice settings
to utilize organizational and systems leadership skills in the promotion of culturally responsive, high quality and safe patient care
to analyze and intervene at the system level through the policy development process
to understand health professions’ scope of practice employing collaborative strategies to design, coordinate and evaluate care
to develop a more extensive and in-depth understanding of current and evolving practice issues, interprofessional and collaborative practice models, innovative health care strategies, nursing, and the related sciences; and in turn how to integrate this knowledge into education and practice.
to critique, advocate, and integrate the knowledge created by researchers, translationalists, and theoretical scholars
to use data from technology systems to evaluate and enhance health care delivery.

Major Research Areas

Nursing, Health, Healthcare, Practice, Clinical Prevention, Health Assessment, Health Management, Acute Care, Nursing Education

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements, as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below. Certain concentrations are highly competitive. Admission criteria include:

Bachelor’s in Nursing or the equivalent bachelors and/or graduate degrees in nursing from a foreign institution.
Current unencumbered license as a registered nurse and/or an advanced practice nurse in the United States upon matriculation. Current license as a registered nurse and/or an advanced practice nurse in the State of Florida before the first clinical course.
Three letters of recommendation, indicating potential for graduate study, from persons who can attest to the applicant’s academic ability, clinical competence, and commitment. Optimally, these letters will be from a nursing faculty, clinical supervisor, and healthcare provider (APRN, PA, or MD).
Current resume or curriculum vita.
Official transcripts
A personal interview with a designated faculty member may be required
Applicants to the M.S.N. program are required to complete both a NursingCAS application and a USF Graduate Studies Application.
It is recommended, but not required, to submit competitive GRE scores.
Applicants interested in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration must have at least one year of ICU /acute care work experience prior to matriculation to meet professional practice requirement for clinical placements.

Please note before starting the application process, international students may have additional restrictions stipulating course delivery format for their program of choice. Please refer to USF World for further information on these requirements.

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum Credit Hours - 45

Core - 27 credit hours minimum
Concentration - 18 credit hours minimum

Students must complete the Major core requirements and then the requirements as specified for the Concentration. Concentration hours vary, so in some instances students will graduate with more than the 45 hour minimum for the Major. Minimum hours required for the major and selected concentration must be satisfied for degree completion.

Sequencing of courses is particularly important and core requirement courses below must be successfully completed prior to beginning clinical coursework. All foundational level clinical courses in the advanced practice nursing tracks must be completed in sequence per an approved program plan unless otherwise approved by faculty.

The program follows a standard plan and course sequence for part-time or full-time enrollment. The specific sequence of courses for each admission cycle is determined upon admission to the program and students will be provided their specific program plan upon accepting their offer of admission.

Core Requirement (27 Credit Hours)

NGR 6803 Research and Evidence-Based Practice Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6638 Health Promotion, Clinical Prevention, and Population Health for Advanced Practice Nurses Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6733 Organizational and Systems Leadership and Quality Improvement for Advanced Practice Nurses Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6893 Systems and Populations in Healthcare Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6002C Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan Credit Hours: 4
NGR 6152 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Credit Hours: 4
NGR 6172 Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Nursing Credit Hours: 4
NGR 6064C Advanced Diagnostics & Procedures Credit Hours: 3
**M.S.N. students must have between 540 to 720 post-baccalaureate supervised clinical hours at the time of graduation, depending on the Concentration. All clinical placements will be in Florida and may be anywhere in the State.

Concentrations:

Students can select from the following Concentrations:

Acute Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration (21 credit hours)

NGR 6210 Clinical Management of the Acutely Ill Adult Credit Hours: 4
NGR 6210L Clinical Management of the Acutely Ill Adult Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6232 Clinical Management of Acute and Critically Ill Adults and Older Adults Credit Hours: 4
NGR 6232L Clinical Management of Acute and Critically Ill Adults and Older Adults Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6211 Acute Care of Adults and Older Adults: Special Topics Credit Hours: 4
NGR 6211L Acute Care of Adults and Older Adults: Special Topics Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)

Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with Occupational Health Nursing Sub-Specialty Concentration (35 credit hours)

NGR 6207 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults I Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6207L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults I Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6244 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults II Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6244L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults II Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6291 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults: Special Topics Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6291L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults: Special Topics Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6650 Occupational Health Nursing I Credit Hours: 2
NGR 6651 Occupational Health Nursing II Credit Hours: 2
PHC 6355 Principles of Occupational Safety Credit Hours: 3
PHC 6364 Industrial Hygiene Aspects of Plant Operations Credit Hours: 2
PHC 6934 Selected Topics in Public Health Credit Hours: 1-6
taken as Foundations of Occupational Health and Safety (3 credit hours)
PHC 6356 Industrial Hygiene Credit Hours: 2
PHC 6351 Occupational Medicine for Health Professionals Credit Hours: 3

Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration (18 credit hours)

NGR 6207 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults I Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6207L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults I Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6244 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults II Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6244L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults II Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6291 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults: Special Topics Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6291L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults: Special Topics Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)

Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration (25 credit hours)

NGR 6207 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults I Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6207L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults I Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6244 Health Management of Adults and Older Adults II Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6244L Health Management of Adults and Older Adults II Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6301 Primary Care of Children and Adolescents I Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6301L Primary Care of Children and Adolescents I Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6342 Reproductive Health for the Young to Middle Aged Adult Credit Hours: 1
NGR 6234 Reproductive Health for the Middle Aged to Older Adult Credit Hours: 1
NGR 6613 Health Management of Families: Special Topics Credit Hours: 2
NGR 6613L Health Management of Families: Special Topics Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)

Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Concentration (18 credit hours)

NGR 6301 Primary Care of Children and Adolescents I Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6301L Primary Care of Children and Adolescents I Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6302 Primary Care of Children and Adolescents II Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6302L Primary Care of Children and Adolescents II Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)
NGR 6339 Primary Care of Children and Adolescents: Special Topics Credit Hours: 3
NGR 6339L Primary Care of Children and Adolescents: Special Topics Clinical Credit Hours: 3 (180 Clinical Hours)

Comprehensive Exam

Prior to clearance for the degree, candidates must perform satisfactorily on a comprehensive examination. Students must be enrolled for a minimum of two (2) hours of graduate credit during the semester when the comprehensive examination is taken. If the exam is taken between semesters, the student must be enrolled for a minimum of two (2) hours of graduate credit in the semester before or following the exam.

Comprehensive Exam for Nurse Practitioner Concentrations
Comprehensive exams are specific to each concentration and all students must pass their comprehensive exam in no more than three attempts to fulfil the MS degree requirements. For students who do not meet the three-attempt threshold, an additional comprehensive evaluation to determine student competency in the discipline will be applied.

Clinical Site Placements

Clinical and/or site placements are based on preceptor and/or site availability. While every effort is made to assign students to preceptor/clinical sites near their residence, it is not always possible, and thus, students will need to be flexible. Students may find it useful to meet with the concentration director to understand speciality course focus and/or clinical course demands and plan accordingly.

Concurrent Degree

Also available as a Concurrent Degree

University of South Florida

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