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| Table of Contents > Capstone College of Nursing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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14. CAPSTONE COLLEGE OF NURSING Professor Marietta P. Stanton, Director, Graduate Program 14.1 MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM NURSING CASE MANAGEMENTAdmission Requirements For admission to the master's program, an applicant must possess a functional level of capability to perform the duties required of an advanced practice nurse. These abilities include but are not limited to (a) adequate vision such as that required to observe changes in physical conditions, to read small print on labels and laboratory reports, and to discern subtle changes in color; (b) adequate hearing such as that required to distinguish muted sounds through a stethoscope; (c) fine motor skills and manual dexterity such as that required to turn and assist with lifting adults and to lift and carry children; (d) the mobility to respond quickly to emergency situations; (e) the ability to engage in two-way conversation and interact effectively with others orally and in writing; (f) the ability to detect odors; (g) the ability to implement the advanced practice role in delivering health care service in one or more delivery systems, including acute, ambulatory, managed, and integrated systems; and (h) the ability to consistently and dependably engage in critical thinking to make safe and ethical clinical judgments. The graduate faculty of the Capstone College of Nursing has identified the skills and professional behaviors that are essential to pursue a course of study and to practice in an advanced practice role in nursing. These skills include but are not limited to the skills presented in The Essentials of Master's Education for Advanced Practice Nursing, a publication of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. If these skills and professional behaviors cannot be developed by the individual, either unassisted or with the dependable use of assistive devices, the faculty reserves the right to not admit the individual or to disenroll the student from clinical courses. A copy of The Essentials of Master's Education for Advanced Practice Nursing is available upon request from the College's Office of Nursing Student Services. Admission Requirements
for Nursing Case Management
Thesis option. A thesis is original research conducted by one student and directed by a graduate committee. The student is awarded three semester hours of thesis research credit for a successfully completed thesis. An oral public defense of the thesis is required. The thesis must conform to the guidelines of the Nonthesis option. Students who choose the nonthesis option participate in courses, seminars, or other faculty-directed experiences that will give them an acquaintance with the methods of research and an appreciation of the place and function of original investigation in the field. Curriculum
SAMPLE PROGRAM OF STUDY (PART-TIME)
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM: CLINICAL NURSE LEADER FOCUS. The Capstone College of Nursing offers the distance-based master of science in nursing (M.S.N.) with all courses offered online. Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is one focus within the M.S.N. program. The CNL focus prepares nurses to assume the role of clinical nurse leader (CNL) for rural populations. The CNL is a master’s prepared generalist, accountable for clinical and health care environmental outcomes. The CNL functions at the microsystem level; oversees care coordination of a distinct group of patients; serves as a resource for clinical decision making; and serves as a lateral integrator of care. The CNL puts evidence-based practice into action, collects and evaluates patient outcomes, assesses cohort risk, and has the decision-making authority to change care plans when necessary. This clinician functions as part of an interdisciplinary team by communicating, planning, and implementing care directly with other health care professionals. The CNL is a leader in the health care delivery system across all settings in which health care in delivered. Graduates of this focus within the M.S.N. program will be eligible to take the CNL certification examination offered by AACN and will assume the role of Clinical Nurse Leader in a variety of health care settings. Admission Requirements for the Clinical Nurse Leader Focus Admission requirements are consistent with those of the Graduate School. Applicants for the M.S.N. degree program will be considered for the CNL focus on a competitive basis. The following are minimum requirements for admission to the CNL focus of the M.S.N. program.
Degree Requirements The curriculum for the CNL students is currently the same as that for those following the focus for case managers; however, beginning in 2009, two courses for those in the CNL focus will differ as follows: 1) NUR 520 Evidence Based Practice will be replaced with NUR 525 Evidence Based Practice Role and Processes for the CNL in spring 2009, and, 2) NUR 530 Case Management Practicum will be replaced with NUR 535 Clinical Immersion Experience (summer 2009). These two courses are designed to prepare CNL graduates for the role they will assume in the clinical agencies after graduation. All other courses in the M.S.N. program of studies will remain the same. The degree of master of science in nursing with the CNL focus will be awarded to the student who has met the following requirements:
To fulfill the research requirements of the CNL focus within the M.S.N. program, students may choose either the thesis or non-thesis option, as described below. Thesis option. A thesis is original research conducted by one student and directed by a graduate committee. The student is awarded three semester hours of thesis research credit for a successfully completed thesis. An oral public defense of the thesis is required. The thesis must conform to the guidelines of the Graduate School. Nonthesis option. Students who choose the nonthesis option participate in courses, seminars, or other faculty-directed experiences that will give them an acquaintance with the methods of research and an appreciation of the place and function of original investigation in the field. Curriculum. The CNL focus of the M.S.N. program can be completed in one year of full-time study or two or more years of part-time study. Students in the nursing program at The University of Alabama who take specified core courses at UAB or UAH [institutions cooperating in UA's M.S.N. program] may transfer the courses to UA even if the overall GPA at the cooperating institution is below 3.0. Students must still have overall GPAs of 3.0 at UA in order to graduate. The GPA must be at least 3.0 at institutions other than UAB or UAH to transfer courses to UA. SAMPLE PROGRAM OF STUDY (FULL-TIME)
SAMPLE PROGRAM OF STUDY (PART-TIME)
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