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Nursing-M.S.N., D.N.P. and Ph.D.

COLLEGE: College of Nursing
DEPARTMENT: 214 Henderson Hall
Tel: 330-672-8761
Web: www.kent.edu/nursing
 
DESCRIPTION: The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree consists of 14 concentrations. Graduates are eligible to sit for national certification examination in their respective concentrations.
  1. Acute Care Nurse Practitioners provide advanced nursing care to adults with complex, acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of acute care settings. The demand for acute care nurse practitioners corresponds with the rapid growth in complexity in the acute healthcare environment. Students are prepared to find positions in hospices, neurology, cardiology and other hospital services, and with physician groups.
  2. Family Nurse Practitioners are prepared to focus their care on health promotion, risk detection, illness prevention and management of acute and chronic illnesses of children and adults. Students learn clinical judgment and primary care skills through faculty mentorship and clinical preceptors in a variety of ambulatory care settings and specialty clinics. Family nurse practitioners are employed in primary care offices, including family practice, internal medicine, clinics, managed care offices, emergency rooms, free clinics, long-term care facilities, academic and occupational health settings.
  3. Geriatric Nurse Practitioners focus their care on health promotion, risk detection, illness prevention and management of acute and chronic illnesses of older adults. Students learn clinical primary care and palliative and rehabilitation skills through faculty mentorship and clinical preceptors in a variety of geriatric care settings such as specialty clinics, rehabilitation centers and long-term care facilities. Geriatric nurse practitioners are employed in geriatric clinics as well as in long-term care, rehabilitation and home health settings.
  4. Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialists are advanced practice nurses that address health care needs of older adults. Students are prepared to care for older adult patients with a broad and complex range of health care needs; collaborate with nurses and a variety of other healthcare professionals and health agencies in order to provide acute and long term restorative care and ongoing support to the oldest of clients; provide direct care, consultation, education, research, program planning and evaluation across a variety of settings and the continuum of care.
  5. Nurse Educators are prepared for teaching roles as faculty in academic settings, staff development and continuing education. Students acquire advanced nursing knowledge in curriculum design, instruction and evaluation, apply educational theories and principles, in curriculum development and evaluation and acquire skills in role development as an educator.
  6. Nursing of the Adult–Clinical Nurse Specialists are prepared as advanced practice nurses to design, provide, facilitate and evaluate care for adult patients and their families across a variety of health care settings and specialties. The adult clinical nurse specialist role incorporates direct care, consultation, education, research, program planning and evaluation. Students have the opportunity to apply and evaluate theory and research in pathophysiological processes, evidence-based interventions for disease management and principles of teaching across the continuum of adult healthcare settings. Students acquire advanced practice competencies in a specialty area of adult nursing.
  7. Nursing Healthcare Management prepares graduates for mid- and upper-level management positions in public and private health care organizations. Students integrate management and nursing knowledge and skills through courses and practicums in management, health care leadership and advanced nursing. Students who are in the dual degree with the Master of Public Administration are also in this concentration.
  8. Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialists promote health, prevent illness, identify illness risk and provide acute and chronic care of children from birth to age 21. Pediatric clinical nurse specialist students are prepared to plan and individualize care for children and groups of children within the context of their families and communities to improve the quality of their lives. The clinical nurse specialist advanced practice role differs from the nurse practitioner role in that the focus is on family management and education and nursing staff support rather than direct treatment. Pediatric clinical nurse specialists often provide education and support to staff nurses regarding implementation of evidence-based practice and new technology.
  9. Pediatric Nurse Practitioners are prepared to promote health, prevent illness, identify risk and provide advanced acute and chronic care of children from birth to age 21. Pediatric nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to serve children within the context of their families and provide individualized and culturally competent care. Pediatric nurse practitioners often work in doctors' offices, hospitals, outpatient clinics and specialty clinics, such as cardiology and gastroenterology, home healthcare settings and schools; students have supervised practicum in these settings.
  10. Primary Care Adult Nurse Practitioners give broad, comprehensive care to adults across the life span in ambulatory settings. Adult nurse practitioners focus their care on health promotion, risk detection, illness prevention and management of acute and chronic illnesses. Students are prepared to practice directly or in collaboration with other health professionals in order to maximize the effectiveness of community and health care system services. Nurse practitioners are employed in primary care offices, including internal medicine and family practice, clinics, managed care offices, emergency rooms, free clinics and occupational health settings.
  11. Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing–Child/Adolescent Nurse Specialists possess proficient skills in individual, family and group psychotherapy and consultation; as well as advanced knowledge of psychopharmacology, mental health assessment and diagnosis of children and adolescents. Students are prepared to assume the psychiatric mental health child and adolescent clinical nurse specialist role, which includes teaching, research, supervision, case management and practice directed toward the mental health needs of children and adolescents.
  12. Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing–Nurse Practitioners are prepared to administer advanced primary mental health care to adults. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner role includes comprehensive physical assessment, diagnosis and medication management, and psycho-therapeutic interventions. All successful graduates meet requirements for the American Nurses Credentialing Center exam for the Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Graduates are eligible to apply for a Certificate to Prescribe from the Ohio Board of Nursing.
  13. Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing–Adult Clinical Nurse Specialists possess psycho-therapeutic skills in individual, family and group psychotherapy and consultation, as well as advanced knowledge of psychopharmacology and assessment and diagnosis of adult mental health. Students are prepared to assume the psychiatric mental health nursing adult clinical nurse specialist role, which includes teaching, research, supervision, case management and practice directed toward the mental health needs of adults.
  14. Women's Health Nurse Practitioners focus on primary health care for women. Primary health care is first access to comprehensive care involving health promotion, disease prevention and nursing management of common acute and chronic conditions. Women's health nurse practitioners practice directly or in collaboration with other health professional to provide continuity of health care and to maximize the effectiveness of community and health care system services. Students learn clinical judgment and primary health care skills through faculty mentorship and clinical preceptors in a variety of ambulatory care settings and specialty clinics.

Dual Degree with the Master of Business Administration is for experienced nurses whose career goals include assuming middle or executive management positions in health services agencies or in health-related companies, or who are interested in starting their own business. It combines the strengths of advanced nursing preparation with the practical management knowledge needed to develop significant leadership capabilities.

Dual Degree with the Master of Public Administration is for experienced nurses whose career goals include assuming middle or executive management positions in public agencies or health policy development. It combines the strengths of advanced nursing preparation with the practical management knowledge needed to develop significant leadership capabilities. Students in this dual degree program are declared in the Nursing Healthcare Management concentration.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) degree prepares advanced practice nurse (APN) clinical scholars who will posses leadership skills to effect health outcomes of individuals and populations by translating scientific evidence into clinical interventions, managing healthcare systems and collaborating other health care providers. The curriculum incorporates new core courses covering genomics, epidemiology, program evaluation, statistics, translating evidence into practice and advanced leadership into the nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist advanced practice nursing concentrations of the Master Science in Nursing degree; and includes 540 clinical practicum hours in addition to the 500-700 hours already required in the APN clinical specialty courses.

The Ph.D. degree in Nursing is offered jointly between Kent State University and the University of Akron. The program is built on the Boyer model of scholarship and through a single, unified doctoral nursing faculty and doctoral student body, prepares nurses for scholarship in discovery and integration.
ADMISSION
REQUIREMENTS:
 Admission into the M.S.N.: official transcript(s); current Ohio RN license; BSN and/or graduate degree (an RN with a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field may be considered); 3.0 GPA (if GPA is below 3.0, GRE or MAT and/or other evidence of ability to complete graduate coursework may be required); successful completion of a statistics course, recommended to have been taken within five years before admission; three letters of recommendation; pre-admission interview, by telephone or in person, with the program director; and 300-word essay of professional goals and reasons for seeking graduate nursing education. Admission into the Dual Degree with the MBA or the MPA concentrations also requires the GRE. International students must have achieved a TOEFL score of 550 (PBT); applicants with scores greater than 525 but less than 550 will be considered for conditional admission.

Admission into the D.N.P.: current Ohio licensure as a registered nurse and current national APRN certification; an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must have earned master's degrees from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited Advanced Practice M.S.N. program with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; three letters of reference from individuals who can address the applicant's potential to succeed in the D.N.P. program; current resume; a pre-admission interview, by telephone or in person, with the D.N.P. director; and a 300-word essay describing professional goals and reasons for seeking the professional practice doctorate.International students must have achieved a TOEFL score of 550 (PBT); applicants with scores greater than 525 but less than 550 will be considered for conditional admission.

Admission into the Ph.D.: official transcript(s); BSN and MSN or master's in a closely related health field (a bachelor's degree in a closely related health field and MSN also will be considered); 3.0 GPA; GRE; current resume or curriculum vitae; three letters of recommendation; statement of career goals; statement of research interests; sample of written work; current Ohio RN license or legally able to practice nursing in country of origin; and 550 TOEFL (PBT) for international students (applicants with scores greater than 525 but less than 550 will be considered for conditional admission).
GRADUATION
REQUIREMENTS:

 		M.S.N.: The program requirements vary by concentration and by the dual-degree programs; however, concentrations typically require between 33-56 semester credit hours and 500-700 clinical hours. In most of the curriculum designs, 12-24 semester credits of courses are related to the area of clinical concentration, 9 semester credit hours to advanced nursing practice courses, and 12 credits to core courses related to theory development, research, ethics and culture, and health policy. All concentrations are four to five semesters (two full-time academic years) except for the dual-degree programs (see dual-degree programs). Part-time students typically take three to four years of study to complete their program; the university mandates a six year time limit in obtaining a master’s degree. Under selected circumstances and upon the consent of the advisor, petitions for extensions of an additional one year to completion may be submitted to the Director of Graduate Programs. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required for graduation.

D.N.P.: In addition to completion of the appropriate program plan with a grade point average of at least 3.0, the student must complete and successfully defend an evidence-based project to a committee that is composed of the academic advisor and a preceptor member of the healthcare community. Preferably, the preceptor will hold a doctoral degree. The project must result in a manuscript suitable for publication.

Ph.D.: The joint program in nursing is a post-master’s degree requiring 72 semester credit hours including the dissertation. It consists of five components: (1) Nursing Knowledge Component (9 credit hours), (2) Research Methods, Designs and Statistics (24 credit hours), (3) Cognates (6 credit hours), (4) Health Care Policy (3 credit hours), and (5) Dissertation (30 credit hours). Students must demonstrate successful retention, application and integration of seven foundational courses by completion of a preliminary examination to progress to the seven advanced courses. At the conclusion of coursework, students sit for the candidacy examination. The examination provides the basis for evaluation of the student’s readiness for completing the dissertation. Successful defense of the dissertation is required for graduation.
THESIS/
DISSERTATION:
 		M.S.N.: The thesis is optional.

D.N.P.: Dissertation not required; however, students must complete an evidence-based project, see graduation requirements above.

Ph.D.: A dissertation is required.
LANGUAGE
REQUIREMENT:		 None
PROGRAM FEE: None
ACCREDITATION: The College of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.