The School of Nursing graduate nursing program embraces the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (2011), National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) Core Competencies (2012), NONPF Population–Focused Core Competencies (2013), NONPF Adult-Gerontology NP Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies (2010), National League for Nursing (NLN) Core Competencies of Nurse Educators (2005) and AACN Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006).

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Program Outcomes

By the end of the advanced practice registered nurse program, the graduate will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate advanced practice clinical decision making, utilizing critical thinking grounded in the sciences and humanities, to interpret patient and diagnostic test data and formulate differential diagnoses and a plan of care for patients in their population foci. (Competency:* 1; Essential:** 1, 9)
  2. Implement effective strategies for engaging individuals from selected client populations in health promotion and maintenance. (Competency: 9; Essential: 8, 9)
  3. Advocate for patients and families to provide cost-effective, culturally evidence-based, ethical, quality care in and across health care settings. (Competency: 2, 3, 6,7, 8, 9; Essential: 2, 6, 7)
  4. Analyze socio-cultural, spiritual, economic, legal, and political issues that influence and lead to the highest level of nursing practice. (Competency: 4,6,7; Essential: 1, 4, 8 )
  5. Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, and engage in collaborative intra and inter-professional relationships efforts, to develop and implement policies to improve health care delivery and outcomes. (Competency 2, 7; Essential: 6, 7)
  6. Demonstrate leadership and effective management strategies for advanced practice, including proficiency in the use of information technology/technology resources to support practice and ensure continuity of patient care. (Competency 2, 5; Essential: 2, 5)
  7. Translate research into practice through activities that reflect critical appraisal of existing evidence, development of evidence-based practice, and evaluation of outcomes. (Competency 1, 3, 4; Essential: 1, 3, 4, 9)

*Competency refers to:

National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). (2012). Nurse practitioner core competencies. Washington, DC: NONPH
https://cdn.ymaws.com/nonpf.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/competencies/20170516_NPCoreCompsContentF.pdf

**Essentials refer to: 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2011). The essentials of master’s education in nursing. Washington, DC: AACN http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MastersEssentials11.pdf

4.9.2015

Master’s in Administration Program Outcomes

By the end of the Master’s in Administration program, the graduate will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an advanced level of understanding of nursing, other sciences, humanities, and theory, and integrates this knowledge to manage and improve nursing care across diverse settings. (Essentials*: 1, 9) (Competencies**: 2,3,5)
  2. Effectively communicate and use leadership skills to foster intra and inter-professional relationships to shape and implement system change; and promote teamwork, a positive work environment, and delivery of high quality, safe, and cost effective care.(Essentials: 2 & 7) (Competencies: 1,3,4)
  3. Promote and improve quality in organizations through quality improvement practices. (Essential 3) (Competencies: 3,5)
  4. Translate research into practice through critical appraisal of existing evidence to: address problems, improve practice, and disseminate results.  (Essentials: 1,4) (Competencies: 2,3,5)
  5. Utilize technology and information systems to enhance communication, decision making, integration, improvement, and coordination of care. (Essentials: 3, 5) (Competencies: 1,5)
  6. Intervene at the system level through the policy process and use advocacy strategies to influence health, health care, and outcomes.  (Essential 6) (Competencies: 2,3,4)
  7. Synthesize broad organizational, financial, economic, client-centered, culturally appropriate concepts to address prevention and population health. (Essential 8) (Competencies: 2,3)* Essentials refer to:

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2011). The essentials of master’s education in nursing. Washington, DC: AACN http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MastersEssentials11.pdf 

** Competencies refer to: 

American Organization of Nurse Executives. (2015). AONE Nurse Executive Competencies. Chicago, IL: AONE http://www.aone.org/resources/nec.pdf

Approved By GCAAC 3.28.2019

Approved by SON Faculty 4.4.2019

Master’s in Education Program Outcomes

By the end of the Master’s in Education program, the graduate will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an advanced level of understanding of nursing, other sciences, humanities, and education theory, and integrates this knowledge to facilitate learning and improve nursing care across diverse settings (Essentials*: 1, 9; NLN Core Competency**: 1). 
  2. Demonstrate teaching effectiveness in the application of quality principles, in health care and nursing education, to improve patient outcomes. (Essential 3: NLN Core Competency: 6)
  3. Demonstrate leadership skills to shape and implement change in practice and education systems. (Essential: 2; NLN Competency: 2).
  4. Create learning experiences which support cognitive, psychomotor, and affective development. (Essential: 9; NLN Competency: 2).
  5. Demonstrate the ability to formally and informally assess and evaluate cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning. (Essential: 9; NLN Competency: 3).
  6. Utilize technology in the teaching-learning process to support delivery of high quality and safe patient care. (Essentials: 3, 5; NLN Competency: 1). 
  7. Synthesize broad ecological, global, epidemiological, cultural, and social determinants of health in order to integrate evidence-based population principles into the nursing curricula (Essentials: 1, 4, 8; NLN Core Competency: 4). 
  8. Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate and engage in collaborative intra and inter-professional relationships at the systems level to develop and implement policies to influence health, health care outcomes, and innovative education practices. (Essentials: 6, 7; NLN Core Competencies: 5, 8)
  9. Translate research into practice through critical appraisal of existing evidence to: resolve education and practice problems; develop evidence-based teaching, assessment and evaluation practices; and disseminate results.  (Essentials: 1,4; NLN Core Competencies: 1, 3, 7)

* Essentials refer to:

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2011). The essentials of master’s education in nursing. Washington, DC: AACN http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MastersEssentials11.pdf 

**NLN Core Competencies refer to

National League for Nursing (NLN). (2005). Core competencies of nurse educators. Washington, DC: NLN.

4.9.2015