Program Purpose
The purpose of the Master of Science in Nursing program at Malone University is to provide registered nurses (RNs) who have a minimum of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree opportunity to pursue an advanced and specialized education leading to the MSN degree with an advanced practice role as a family nurse practitioner (FNP). Graduates may apply for a certification exam offered by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
The master’s degree program in nursing at Malone University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). Memberships are held with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).
NURS Handbook
Philosophy
The master’s degree program in nursing is an integral part of Malone University and aligns itself with the University mission statement, foundational principles, educational goals and community responsibilities. The programs and policies of Malone University are founded upon a commitment to the evangelical Christian faith, the Biblical principles of God’s love, and accountability to God for self and others.
It is this love and accountability to God and God’s call to care for the needs of all people that provide a natural foundation for the Malone nursing student to study and prepare to enter the profession of nursing in a diverse global society.
In line with many of the grand theorists of nursing, the philosophy of the nursing programs center on four foundational nursing concepts that include person, environment, health, and nursing. The faculty believe that situating the nursing paradigm within the conceptual framework of the nursing curriculum provides for the organization of content, skills, and expected professional behavior (Figure 1).
Figure 1. The Nursing Program Conceptual Framework
Person - Every person has been created in the image of God, and therefore is endowed with dignity, value, and worth, regardless of beliefs, cultural, mental, physical, or social characteristics.
Environment - Every environment includes elements that are natural and created, seen and unseen (spiritual and psychosocial-holistic) in a constant state of transition.
Health - Because we view the person as an integrated whole, “created to live in harmony with God, self, and others, and the environment”, we believe health is being able to function as God created us to be (Shelly et. al, 2021, p.186). This involves being reconciled to God and others, giving and accepting love and forgiveness, and having a sense of purpose and meaning in life that fosters joy and hope, and goes beyond the absence of disease or infirmity.
Nursing - Nursing is the integration of the arts, sciences, and caring into a professional practice that assists persons to attain, maintain or restore an optimal level of functioning. As reflected in the mission of Malone University, the nurse is one who strives to deliver “excellence in physical care, good psychosocial support and spiritual care” (Shelly et. al, 2021, p.303) in service to the church, community, and world.
Nursing education is an interactive teaching-learning process within an interdisciplinary curriculum. Nursing scholarship serves to sustain and advance the knowledge and values of a profession dedicated to both social relevance and scientific advancement.
In addition to introducing students to the knowledge and values of the discipline, faculty and staff must also guide them to practice from a disciplinary perspective. Through the education experience, students become self-accountable and competent in seeing patients through the lens of wholeness and interconnectedness with family and community; appreciating how the social, political, and economic environment influences health; attending to what is most important to well-being; developing a caring-healing-relationship; and honoring personal dignity, choice and meaning.
Knowledge of the discipline continues to grow through graduate education, as students apply and generate nursing knowledge in their advanced nursing roles or develop and test theories as researchers. Nursing practice should be guided by a nursing perspective while functioning within an interdisciplinary arena. To appropriately educate the next generation of nurses, disciplinary knowledge must be leveled to reflect the competencies or roles expected at each level.
Through nursing education, scholarship, and practice, grounded in love and accountability to God and God’s call to care for the needs of all people, Malone nursing students are prepared to enter the profession of nursing in a diverse global society.
Works cited:
Shelly, J.A., Miller, A.B., & Fenstermacher, K.H. (2021). Called to care: A Christian vision for nursing. InterVarsity Press.
Outcomes
The MSN graduate student will:
- Synthesize a body of knowledge whereby the inquiry skills are honed and used to conduct research, share research findings, and advance scholarly and professional goals.
- Integrate into one’s personal and professional life the attributes needed for successful practice, including the legal and ethical components required for holistic nursing.
- Exhibit competence in advanced practice with selected populations including an in-depth assimilation of a specialized role, content, and related skills.
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills that build upon the undergraduate learning and equip the practitioner and clinician for all of the responsibility and accountability practices required in these advanced nurse practitioner roles.
- Utilize advanced leadership skills to manage and diagnose acute and complex health conditions through professional communication and collaboration.
The Post-Masters Certificate student will:
- Integrate existing advanced nursing knowledge and inquiry skills to critically appraise information and relate to additional patient population.
- Integrate into one’s personal and professional life the attributes needed for expanded practice, including the legal and ethical components required for holistic nursing.
- Exhibit competence in advanced practice with selected populations including an in-depth assimilation of a specialized role, content, and related skills.
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills that build upon the undergraduate learning and equip the practitioner and clinician for all of the responsibility and accountability practices required in these advanced nurse practitioner roles.
- Utilize advanced leadership skills to manage and diagnose acute and complex health conditions through professional communication and collaboration.
Assessment
The Nursing program employs a systematic evaluation plan that includes methods whereby student learning is assessed and courses, faculty, and program are evaluated. Benchmarks embedded in the evaluation plan allow leadership and faculty to determine the extent to which the program is meeting the needs and expectations of each constituency within our identified community of interest, including: students, cooperating health care organizations, faculty and staff, alumni, and professional-regulatory and accrediting agencies. The evaluation plan is accessible in the nursing student handbook.
Admission and Progression Requirements
Regular Admission
Including but not limited to the following:
- Hold a current Ohio RN License.
- Hold a Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution and accredited nursing program that includes a basic statistics course.
- Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher.
- Report current and relevant nursing employment.
- Application to the FNP track requires one year of full-time RN experience in a medical surgical unit preferred.
- Provide verifications for licensure, certifications, professional insurance, health requirements, criminal background check, and other requirements that relate to a safe and legal practice of nursing. BLS for all applicants.
- Two letters of recommendation from professional and supervisory individuals.
- Satisfactorily complete the interview process.
- Receive recommendation for admission by the post-licensure admission and progression committee members.
Conditional Admission
- Meet all admission standards except a CGPA between 2.5 and 3.0.
- Successfully earn a 3.00 GPA or higher by the end of semester two of the program.
Non-Degree (Post MSN and Professional)
Non-Degree
Professional
- Registered Nurses who hold the MSN degree or are enrolled and in good standing in an accredited MSN program may seek admission to one or more MSN courses through the non-degree admission process.
- Approval is based on current enrollment and decision by the MSN Program Director.
Post MSN Certificate
- Hold a MSN degree from an accredited MSN program.
- Approval is based on decision by the MSN Program Director and the Admission and Progression Committee.
- Individualized plan of study will be determined based on applicant’s previously completed course work, current certification and nursing practice history.
Student progress will be reviewed by the admission and progression committee at the end of each semester. In addition to GPA and CGPA requirements, no student may receive more than one grade of C or below in a clinical course. Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCII) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks are required to enroll and maintain enrollment in clinical nursing courses. In addition, students are required to submit documentation of health exam, immunizations, drug screenings, and CPR certification. Students are referred to the Nursing Student Handbook for additional criteria regarding admission and progression through the program, core performance and professionalism standards, and clinical requirements.
Research Requirement
The Master of Science in Nursing degree requires each student to complete a research or evidence-based practice project. Topics are explored in MSN 560 and continued through the MSN 694 and MSN 695 courses.
Academic Probation
- Any student having a GPA below a 3.0 for any semester will be placed on probation.
- Any student with probation status will be reviewed on a regular basis by the Post-Licensure Admission and Progression Committee. The committee holds full responsibility as to the decision for continued probation status or academic dismissal.
- All students must meet the graduation requirement of a 3.0 GPA.
Graduation Checklist
Students admitted to the master’s program may use the following checklist as a guide:
- Application for admission to the Graduate Program in Nursing
- An interview with MSN Program Director in the Division of Natural and Health Sciences
- Written notification of acceptance for admission
- Completion of all course work and requirements for MSN
- Application for Graduation
Sequential-Cohort Online Delivery System
Malone University has organized its delivery system for the Master of Science in Nursing Program using a sequential cohort approach. Depending on preferred pace for program completion, students take six consecutive semesters (24 months) or 9 consecutive semesters (36 months) of graduate study to earn the MSN degree. Classes in the M.S.N. degree program are delivered online and taken as a cohort. The two (2) Project courses are done independently under the guidance of a faculty adviser. Tuition charge remains the same throughout the length of this sequential-cohort class. Withdrawal and reentry with a later class requires the tuition charge per credit hour in effect for the later class. The student is admitted to an assigned class that is scheduled to begin and end on specified dates. Students who know of previous commitments that will prevent them from regular attendance in the assigned class should register for a subsequent class in which attendance on a regular basis is possible. A cohort is admitted annually starting with the Fall semester.
Programs
Master of Science in Nursing, M.S.N.
• Family Nurse Practitioner
Post-Master’s Certificate
• FNP Post-Master’s Certificate
