MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING (MSN)
Programs Objectives
The Master of Science in Nursing at Saint Monica University provides the opportunity to develop a profound imaginative understanding and appreciation of the theory and practice of nursing. Through this program, graduates are prepared to assume responsibilities as nurse specialists, consultants, educators, administrators in a wide variety of professional settings On Completion of the two year MS Nursing program, the graduate will be able to: Utilize/apply the concepts, theories and principles of nursing science; Demonstrate advance competence in practice of nursing; Practice as a nurse specialist; Demonstrate leadership qualities and function effectively as nurse educator and manager; Demonstrate skill in conducting nursing research, interpreting and utilizing the findings from health related research.
Career Prospects
Nurses who graduate with an MSN degree, with a focus on clinical care (Nurse Practitioner), are called Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN). APRN is an umbrella term which encompasses four distinct career paths: nurse practitioner, certified nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist, and certified nurse mid-wife. However, an MSN degree can also prepare students for jobs in nursing education, research, and healthcare business management. These careers often include such titles as Clinical Nurse Leader, Nurse Administrator, Nurse Educator, and Nurse Manager. These areas of specialization offer unique opportunities in healthcare and provide graduates with a wide range of employment possibilities. Below you will find information on each practice’s potential salary and job outlook
Program Structure
To earn the MSN, one has to take all the core and concentration courses and any earn at least a total of at least 48 credit hours.
Program Structure
Core courses
MPH 610: Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals
NUS 610: Advanced Nursing Practice Theory
NUS 620: Advanced Patho-pharmacology
NUS 630: Advanced Health Assessment, Health Maintenance and Health Promotion
NUS 640: Professional Advanced Practice Role Development & Health Care Issues
Concentration Courses for Nursing Education
NED 610: Teaching and Learning Theories
NED 620: Curriculum Development Assessment and Evaluation
NED 630: Teaching Learning Strategies: Integrating Technology and Nursing Education
NED 640: The Role of the Nurse Educator
NED 693: Internship (Teaching Practicum)
NED 698: Master’s Thesis in Nursing Education
Concentration Courses for Nurse Practitioner
NUS 650: Clinical Management of Selected Common Health Conditions in Children
NUS 660: Advanced Family Health Nursing
NUS 670: Advanced Mental Health Nursing
NUS 680: Clinical Management of Selected Common Health Conditions in Adults
NUS 693: Clinical Practice (Internship)
NUS 698: Master’s Thesis in Nurse Practitioner
Course Description
MPH 610: Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals
This course presents an overview of the legal issues facing the healthcare industry with some inferences on Cameroon. It provides students with a basic working knowledge of health law and Professional ethics. It is a comprehensive and inclusive review of a wide variety of health care legal issues. Students are provided with a realistic knowledge of health law and its application to the real world. At the end of this course, students are expected to validate the online institutional review board (IRB) training course on ethical issues in health research at the National Institute of Health (NIH)(https://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php).
NUS 610: Advanced Nursing Practice Theory
This course is design to help the student develop an understanding of the concepts of the theoretical basis of the nursing profession as well as the legal and ethical aspects. By the end of this course, the student must be able to: Describe and analyze the development of nursing as a profession; Discuss ethical, legal, political and economic aspects of health care delivery and nursing practice; analyze the laws and regulations in specific countries and their impact on nursing practice; Discuss concepts, theories, models and approaches relevant to nursing and their application; Describe the scope of nursing practice; Provide holistic and competent nursing care using the nursing process; Perform the extended roles of the nurse; Demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of clinical decision-making; Describe latest trends in nursing and the basis of current nursing practice; Identify the scope of nursing research; Use technology in patient care delivery system and nursing practice; Appreciate the importance of continuing professional development
NUS 620: Advance Patho-pharmacology
This course is aimed at enhancing students understanding of the concepts and principles of pathophysiology and drug therapy that will support clinical decision making about the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic presentations commonly managed by nurse practitioners. Emphasis is placed on pharmacologic and pathophysiologic principles and pathophysiology of body system with the pharmacologic agents used in the management of diseases of those body systems. Using a case-based approach students apply what they have learned to clinical scenarios depicting client presentations that students are likely to encounter in their clinical placements and in their practices as entry-level nurse practitioners.
NUS 630: Advanced Health Assessment, Health Maintenance and Health Promotion
The aim of this course is to enhance the student’s skills in comprehensive history taking techniques, physical assessment and recognition of pathological changes in a client so as to guide decision making in planning appropriate care of the client. This course includes the comprehensive history, physical and psychological assessment of signs and symptoms, pathophysiologic changes, and psychosocial variations of the client: the individual, family, or community. The purpose of this comprehensive assessment is to develop a thorough understanding of the client in order to determine appropriate and effective health care including health promotion strategies effective health care including health promotion strategies.
NUS 640: Professional Advanced Practice Role Development & Health Care Issues
This course aims to assist students to deal with legal, ethical and professional issues in relation to their role as advanced nurse practitioners. This course shall equip them with the ability to: Describe the relevant legal, ethical and other codes of practice impinging on nursing; Analyze the laws and regulations in Cameroon and their impact on nursing practice; Criticize professional issues in nursing practice; Practice responsibility and accountability in nursing; Critically analyze the issues of power and professionalism in nursing practice; Review the role of the newly qualified nurse practitioner in the context of management skills; Differentiate between different ways of knowing; Demonstrate ability to critically appraise reports; Explore issues of reflective practice and evidence based practice; Critically examine the use of evidence in daily practice; Undertake an advanced and sophisticated search of the literature; Critically analyze the literature in light of its contribution to clinical practice; Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of policies and legislation which impact on nursing practice and of their implications for nursing practice; Ensure that the rights of patients, and of their families and/or careers are protected; Demonstrate a willingness to explore proposed changes in nursing practice in a positive manner and an awareness of barriers to change
NURSING EDUCATION CONCENTRATION COURSES
NED 610: Teaching and Learning Theories
This course will apply key concepts, models, and strategies related to different theories of learning, including behaviorist, cognitive and socio-cultural perspectives. Students will examine epistemological frameworks, issues of transfer, social and cultural influences, as well as motivation and engagement to design powerful learning experiences. Additionally, students will learn key concepts, models, and strategies related to language acquisition and to cognitive, social, and emotional development.
NED 620: Curriculum Development Assessment and Evaluation
This course introduces nursing students to concepts in curriculum development. They explore the philosophical foundations of curriculum development; curriculum components; societal, professional, and educational trends; frameworks, competencies, and outcomes; organizational constraints; and selection of learning activities. Students also define the processes of curriculum assessment and evaluation in the context of program, course, and student outcomes. They apply course concepts and theory to the development of a syllabus or course outline. Through this course, students work toward attaining the skills required to develop curricula that address the nursing needs of society, support standards of practice, and prepare graduates for practice in diverse settings.
NED 630: Teaching Learning Strategies: Integrating Technology and Nursing Education
This course gives the opportunity of students to explore ways to use technology successfully and design effective teaching strategies to meet diverse learning needs. Students engage in producing innovative teaching approaches that use a variety of teaching methods, including adapting technology for multiples learning styles. Students write learning objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy that meet unique needs of nontraditional, international, educationally disadvantaged, and physically challenged learners.
NED 640: The Role of the Nurse Educator
This course is an exploration of the Nurse educator role in structuring teaching strategies that assure effective individual and group learning, safe clinical practice, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Nurse educator practicum placements are arranged within pre-licensure nursing education programs.
NED 693: Nursing Education Practicum
This practicum provides the student with the opportunity to conduct all aspects of the nurse-educator role for academic and/or health care agency settings. Emphasis is placed on to apply teaching and evaluation methods in a variety of practice settings including academic programs and various other learning environments. Traditional and nontraditional methods of teaching will be utilized by students as they meet the demands of various settings.
NED 698: Master’s Thesis in Nursing Education
Students must complete a satisfactory thesis to be awarded a Master’s degree. This piece of work, undertaken in the last semester gives the student the opportunity to apply the techniques and theories you have learned during the didactic and practical phases. Thesis topics reflect the expertise of your lecturers and you may be asked to choose from a list of options. Supervision often starts with small groups of students studying similar topics meeting with their supervisors, who then guide students in deciding on the focus for their individual dissertations. The dissertation itself normally consists of a literature review followed by a piece of empirical work, involving either qualitative or quantitative research.
NURSE PRACTITIONER CONCENTRATION COURSES
NUS 650: Clinical Management of Selected Common Health Conditions in Children
This course aims at enhancing student’s knowledge on diagnosis and management of pediatric problems. Students should be able to: Appreciate the history and developments in the field of child health and child health nursing as a specialty; Apply the concepts of growth and development in the management of the child clients and their families; Appreciate the child as a holistic individual; Perform physical, developmental, and nutritional assessment of child clients; Apply nursing process in the management of neonates & children; Integrate the concept of family centered pediatric nursing care with related areas such as genetic disorders, congenital malformations and long term illness; Recognize and manage emergencies in neonates and children; Describe and use various recent technologies and treatment modalities in the management of high risk neonates; Appreciate the legal and ethical issues pertaining to child health nursing; Recognize the role of pediatric nurse practitioner and as a member of the pediatric and neonatal health team; Teach child health nursing to undergraduate students & in-service nurses.
NUS 660: Advanced Family Health Nursing
This course aims to develop the student’s skills in the management of the family client. Students will gain skills that will permit them: Educate families on family planning methods; Describe the sub cultural influences on child development in the areas of socialization, education and inspiration.; Describe how health and religious beliefs affect health practices of families; Describe and assist clients manage the role transition experienced by new parents; Explain various parenting behaviors such as parenting styles, disciplinary patterns, and communication skills.; Use communication strategies when communicating with family members of different age-groups; Perform structural and functional assessment of the family; Assess the nutritional status of a family; Promote the family’s optimal adjustment to the child’s chronic disorder; Outline nursing interventions that support parents and siblings during a child’s illness and hospitalization; Manage the terminally ill and the dying client and his family; Care for the dead and the bereaved.
NUS 670: Advanced Mental Health Nursing
Advanced Mental Health Nursing is designed to assist students in developing expertise and in depth knowledge in the field of mental health nursing. It will also help students to appreciate the patient as a holistic individual and develop skill in the management of mentally ill clients. Students should be able to: Appreciate the trends and issues in the field of psychiatry and mental health nursing; Explain the dynamics of personality development and human behavior; Describe the concepts of psychobiology in mental disorders and its implications for mental health nursing; Demonstrate therapeutic communications skills in all interactions; Demonstrate the role of psychiatric nurse practitioner in various therapeutic modalities; Establish and maintain therapeutic relationship with individual and groups; Uses assertive techniques in personal and professional actions; Promotes self-esteem of clients, others and self; Apply the nursing process approach in managing patients with mental disorders; Describe the psychopharmacological agents, their effects and nurses role; Describe various types of alternative system of medicines used in psychiatric settings; Ménage clients with some mental health disorders at the end of the course.
NUS 680: Clinical Management of Selected Common Health Conditions in Adults
This course is designed to assist students in developing expertise and in depth knowledge in the field of adult health nursing. It will also help students to appreciate the patient as a holistic individual and develop skill in the management of adult clients. By the end of this course, students should be able to: Appreciate the trends & issues in the field of adult health nursing as a specialty; Apply concepts & theories related to health promotion; Appreciate the client as a holistic individual; Perform physical, psychosocial assessment of adult patients; Apply Nursing process in providing care to patients; Integrate the concept of family centered nursing care with associated disorder such as genetic, congenital and long-term illness; Recognize and manage emergencies with adult patients; Describe various recent technologies & treatment modalities in the management of critically ill adult patients; Appreciate the legal & ethical issues relevant to adult health Nursing.
NUS 693: Clinical Practice (Internship)
Clinical exposures are a vital part of the curriculum providing part of the learning experience. Attachments will be arranged for clinical practice according to the demands of each course. Students on attachment will be provided with specific learning outcomes and skills booklets that direct teaching and learning processes. Attachments may be at the teaching, regional and district hospitals, urban and rural community health centers including village health posts.
NUS 698: Master’s Thesis in Nurse Practitioner
The aim of this course is to further develop the student’s knowledge of the principles of research and to apply this to midwifery practice. By the end of this course, the student will be able to: Critically discuss a research paper; Analyze different sources of information and apply as appropriate to practice; Seek out and interpret relevant statistical data and research of relevance to advanced nursing practice; Set measurable outcomes for advanced practice; Maintain accurate, clear and timely records; Maintain confidentiality of data; Utilize knowledge and information gained through the practice of nursing in an ethical manner; Demonstrate competence in conducting health related research; Write, present, interpret and utilize health related research; Examine and suggest strategies that may enhance the utilization of research in practice.
