Nursing Major- MSN-FNP

Nursing Mission:

The mission is to advance the art and science of nursing through innovative teaching, research, and clinical practice. To educate and train diverse groups of nursing professionals to interact with interdisciplinary teams thus promoting optimal health outcomes in individuals, families, and global communities while promoting a culture of lifelong learning.

Nursing Philosophy:

The foundation for professional nursing education is embedded in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities which enhance critical thinking and reasoning, while promoting high ethical standards in providing holistic care for individuals, families, global communities, and societies. The baccalaureate of science in nursing prepares a nurse generalist and lays the foundation for graduate education to promote personal, professional and intellectual growth. The graduate of the School of Nursing will be able to assimilate theory, concepts, research, and leadership to help reshape the future of nursing practice while meeting the demands of an ever changing healthcare environment.

MSN Student Learning Outcomes:

• Complete a solid base in liberal education which provides the cornerstone for the practice and education of nurses while using knowledge from other disciplines emphasizing clinical judgment and best practices in transforming nursing practice.
• Provide compassionate, holistic, competent person-centered care to the individual patient with complex/complicated needs including ones’ identified family and “ important others”, using best practices and is “developmentally appropriate” regardless of expertise, skills, or area of interest.
• Collaborate with other disciplines and stakeholders to form partnerships focusing on disease prevention and health promotion across the lifespan and to improve population health outcomes for diverse groups and those facing disparities in healthcare.
• Integrate current nursing knowledge gained through theory, science, research, and best practices to enhance healthcare and effect positive changes in healthcare.
• Select credible bodies of knowledge that focus on approaches to improve quality and safety, minimize risk to patients/providers while facilitating best practices in treatment outcomes.
• Use purposeful collaboration with interprofessional teams, “patients, families, communities and other stakeholders” to promote high quality patient care, optimize the patients’ healthcare experience, and to achieve positive health outcomes.
• Coordinate appropriate resources within a complex healthcare system necessary to provide high quality, safe, ethical, and equitable care to diverse populations.
• Analyze data from information technologies to increase knowledge, promote decision making, and use best practices to deliver high quality, accessible, and cost effective healthcare while adhering to professional and regulatory standards/guidelines.
• Demonstrate professionalism and role model the inherent values of accountability, social responsibility, autonomy, compassion, integrity, empathy, cultural humility, and promote professional collaboration within all disciplines.
• Appraise personal and professional growth by acquiring and using leadership skills accomplished through nursing education and experience and lifelong learning, and using self-reflection and awareness to implement improvement plans that promote and strengthen personal health and well- being.

Nursing Program Goals:

• Advance the education for the baccalaureate prepared nurse to serve in leadership roles in practice setting, advanced nursing practice, nursing education, and/or administrative roles.
• Prepare graduates for advanced practice nursing to meet the healthcare needs of diverse populations (individuals, families, groups and communities) in multiple health care settings such as primary care, hospital inpatient/outpatient, managed care organizations, and governmental organizations.
• Prepare nurse practitioners qualified and dedicated to provide culturally sensitive and competent primary health care to diverse people.
• Use research-based/ best practices from nursing and other disciplines to advocate for policy changes that will improve the health outcomes of individuals, families, communities, and aggregate populations.
• Promote a systems perspective to deliver high quality, cost effective, and safe care by working collaboratively with organizational leadership.

APPLICATION AND ADMISSION

Requirements for admittance to the MSN-FNP Program, include the following:

• Application and admission to Missouri Valley College.
• Application and admission to the Missouri Valley College School of Nursing.
• Current unencumbered license to practice as a registered nurse (R.N.) in the United States and its territories.
• Submission of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended and on file with the MVC Admissions and/or Registrar’s Office.
• Completion of transcript review (to be on file in the Registrar’s office) with an academic plan of study completed by nursing and/or nursing-approved faculty.
• BSN with a minimum grade of B in all nursing courses/clinicals.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• Can transfer 12 credit hours of the following courses if taken within the las three years and earned a grade of B or higher.  Courses include:  Pathophysiology for Advanced Nursing Practice, Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice, and Advanced Health Assessment.
• Submission of three professional references.
• Satisfactory criminal background check prior to the first semester of nursing coursework.
• The Graduate Faculty Forum Committee will review all applicants for meeting admission criteria.
• Applicants not meeting criteria will be sent a letter by the Program Director/Dean.