Master of Science in Nursing, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN)

The College of Nursing and Health Professions at USI strives to ensure our graduate students are successful in their professional, personal, and academic careers. Graduates of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program are able to integrate critical thinking, independent judgment, provide leadership, synthesize knowledge, and promote the essential values of caring in their professional and personal lives.

The Master of Science in Nursing program at the University of Southern Indiana is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).

MSN Curriculum

To achieve the Master of Science in Nursing degree, all students complete nursing core courses and clinical core courses. Students select one of the following specialty areas:

• Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP)
• Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AG-CNS)
• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
• Healthcare Systems Leadership (HSL)
• Nursing Education Leadership (NEL)
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

Graduate nursing clinical practice requirements may be completed in the student’s own geographic area. Each student is encouraged to identify preceptors and clinical sites with assistance from the university clinical liaison. Approval of each preceptor and clinical site must be obtained from the CNHP graduate nursing clinical liaison prior to beginning clinical hours. A written agreement with each agency is required prior to initiating clinical experiences. Students may be required to visit campus to demonstrate clinical competency. Faculty will validate clinical competency through virtual learning and education sessions, site visits and/or conference calls with preceptors and students.

To earn the MSN degree, students must complete all courses with a grade of B or better.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the Master of Science in Nursing program are to prepare nurses at an advanced practice level who demonstrate professional leadership and foster a research climate in the practice of nursing. The graduate of the master’s degree program is a clinician, administrator, or educator who can:

1. Synthesize knowledge and concepts from nursing, the sciences, and humanities as a foundation for advanced nursing practice.
2. Integrate critical thinking and independent judgment to manage and provide advanced nursing practice with diverse populations.
3. Participate in systematic inquiry and applied research to improve nursing care and enhance nursing as a profession.
4. Integrate knowledge of the legal, socioeconomic, political, cultural, and ethical forces that affect patient care and the healthcare environment into the role of the advanced practice nurse.
5. Function as an advocate, leader, and change agent to plan, implement, and evaluate healthcare in collaboration with other healthcare professionals, consumers, and policy makers.
6. Provide leadership in maintaining and promoting the professional values of caring, integrity, accountability, competence, collegiality, and lifelong learning.
7. Integrate data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
8. Integrate information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making.

Refer to the Admission section of the bulletin for information about Graduate Studies admission criteria and the online application process.

The MSN program offers admission for fall, spring, or summer. Refer to www.usi.edu/online-learning/online-programs/master-of-science-in-nursing for application deadlines. Applications are not reviewed until all materials have been received. Both full-time and part-time study options are available based upon course availability. MSN-specific admission requirements include:

• a baccalaureate degree in nursing from an accredited school;
• minimum baccalaureate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale;
• completion of an undergrduate course in statistics with a C or better;
• unencumbered RN license;
• One year of full-time employment or equivalent as a registered nurse is strongly recommended.

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) acquires knowledge and experience to provide direct healthcare services to late adolescents and adults across the lifespan for the purposes of health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and management of common acute and chronic illnesses. The AGACNP works in a variety of clinical settings that include, but are not limited to, acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, physician offices, urgent care centers, and ambulatory care centers. The population foci consists of late adolescents through elderly experiencing acute and episodic chronic health problems. The acute care nurse practitioner focuses on adults across the lifespan experiencing acute and episodic chronic health problems. There are a total of 42 hours in the specialty with 675 clinical hours.

The acute care nurse practitioner graduate is prepared to:

• Synthesize knowledge from nursing theories, the humanities, and evidence-based scientific clinical guidelines to guide assessment of health status of adults across the lifespan.
• Demonstrate advanced practice clinical decision making, integrating critical thinking, to interpret patient and diagnostic test data and formulate differential diagnoses and a plan of care for adults across the lifespan.
• Design and implement a mutually agreed upon management plan and therapeutic interventions with adult patients and families across the lifespan.
• Evaluate and revise the documented management plan based on patient/family findings, problems and expected outcomes of treatment. 
• Apply adult assessment methodologies and research findings to improve and evaluate the care of adult patients and families across the adult lifespan.
• Advocate for patients and families to provide cost-effective, culturally competent, ethical, quality care in and across health care settings.
• Model responsibility for continued professional development, integrity, accountability, competence, and credentialing as an acute care nurse practitioner.