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Master of Science in Nursing

Introduction

The graduate program, established in 1977, offers eight different concentrations: Clinical Nurse Specialist, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse-Midwifery, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Education, Nursing Leadership, and Nurse Anesthesia. The Nurse-Midwifery concentration, begun in 1991, has been fully accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives since 1993. The Nurse Anesthesia concentration received accreditation in fall 2002, from the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) and admitted the first students in spring 2003. There is a RN/MSN option for registered nurses without the BSN to "bridge" into the graduate program. An Alternate Entry (AE) MSN option began in Fall 2004. This is an accelerated program of study leading to the MSN degree for individuals who have earned a baccalaureate degree in another field. There are post-master's certificate options for: Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Anesthesia, Nurse-Midwifery, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Education, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Adult Nurse Practitioner.

The School has been approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing since 1961 and accredited by the National League for Nursing (NLN) (now the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission - NLNAC) since 1964. Currently the School is a member of the National League for Nursing, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the Southern Council of Collegiate Education for Nursing (SREB).

The East Carolina University College of Nursing educates professional nurses, capable of caring for the diverse needs of our patients. We are dedicated to creating a diverse faculty, staff, and student body that reflect our community, as well as to enhancing their cultural competence as it relates to healthcare.

Purpose

Building on the undergraduate program, the master's program in nursing operationalizes the CON Philosophy Statement, which states in part "Master's education in nursing prepares the graduate for advanced roles in nursing. It fosters the ability to direct care to culturally relevant diverse populations within an interdisciplinary framework. Graduates are clinical scholars who can integrate the science and art of nursing, articulate the unique contributions of nursing and apply knowledge in dynamic environments." The purpose of the Master of Science in Nursing program is to prepare graduates for advanced practice as Clinical Nurse Specialists; as Family Nurse Practitioners, Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, Nurse-Midwives or Nurse Anesthetists; as Nurse Administrators; and as Nurse Educators.

Objectives

Graduates of this program are prepared to do the following:

• Integrate theories and research from nursing and related disciplines to guide advanced clinical practice; to administer nursing systems; and to influence health policy decisions.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the ability to critically test theory-based interventions in practice and to participate in studies that advance professional practice and expand knowledge.
• Function independently within an interdisciplinary framework to provide or direct expert care that is ethical and sensitive to the needs of a culturally diverse population.
• Exercise nursing leadership in collaboration with professional colleagues to maintain, reformulate or refine systems of health care that are effective, efficient, and responsive to the needs of all people.
• Demonstrate a strong professional identity characterized by a commitment to continued learning, ethical decision making, scholarly work, and the capacity to affect desirable changes.
• Acquire a sufficient knowledge of nursing theory and research on which to base doctoral study in the discipline.
• Integrate a global health perspective in the development of visionary solutions to health care problems for all citizens but particularly for those in rural underserved areas.