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Our students are engaged in a wide range of academic pursuits that include degree programs in 160 undergraduate and graduate fields delivered by 6 different colleges.
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College: College of Nursing and Health Professions
Department: NursingThe MSN prepares nurses with the complex practice skills and theoretical knowledge necessary for roles in advanced nursing and leadership in the contemporary health care system. Graduate study in nursing is the basis for professional growth in advanced practice roles and the foundation for doctoral study in nursing.
The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Concentration prepares nurses with the complex practice skills and theoretical knowledge necessary for roles in advanced nursing and leadership in the contemporary health care system. Graduate study in nursing is the basis for professional growth in advanced practice roles and the foundation for doctoral study in nursing.
Students completing the Family Nurse Practitioner Program are eligible to sit for the national certificate examination through either the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Students that pass certification boards are eligible to apply for advanced practice nursing licensure. Once certified and licensed these graduates work primary care settings for the entire lifespan of patients.
The Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate is available to RNs who have recent clinical experience and have completed a MSN with advanced preparation in another specialty area from an accredited institution. Graduates of a MSN program with a FNP option that did not include the required certification eligibility requirements from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and/or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology; Advanced Health Assessment, including diagnostics and disease management; Advanced Pharmacology; and/or minimum of 500 faculty supervised clinical hours) are also eligible to apply. A request for a curriculum "Gap Analysis" to determine an individual Plan of Study will be requested from the Program Coordinator prior to admission
The Family Nurse Practitioner program post-master certificate at A-State prepares the MSN nurse with knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfill an advanced practice nursing role in primary healthcare settings. This certificate option prepares students to become primary health care providers for rural areas, with preventive, acute and chronic illness management experiences. Students completing this certificate option are eligible to sit for the national certificate examination through either the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Students that pass certification boards are eligible to apply for advanced practice nursing licensure. Once certified and licensed these graduates work primary care settings for the entire lifespan of patients.
The Nurse Administrator Concentration prepares graduates as Nurse Executives, Administrators and Managers. The courses include leadership and management, healthcare law and quality assurance, and budgeting/financial management in the health care setting.
Experience in management or administration is not required but beneficial.
The majority of core and support courses are offered online with periodic on-campus class meetings during each semester.
The program of study must be completed within six years. All students in the program are required to complete a professional paper in NURS 6763 Applied Clinical Research and Role Seminar with comprehensive examinations or may choose to complete a supervised research experience in NURS 6893 Thesis Option.
Students must meet all graduate school requirements including passing a comprehensive exam.
Students seeking a certificate as a Nurse Administrator may complete the required 15-18 credit hours without being admitted to the Master of Science in Nursing option or may complete as a Post Graduate Certificate with completion of the MSN degree in another option. This nurse Administrator Certificate will prepare nurses for Nursing Administration and eligibility for Certification by American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and/or American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE)
In the Nurse Educator Concentration students are prepared in curriculum development, teaching/learning strategies and measurement/evaluation in education.
The majority of core and support courses are offered online with periodic on-campus class meetings during each semester.
The program of study must be completed with six years. All students in the program are required to complete a professional paper in NURS 6763 Applied Clinical Research and Role Seminar with comprehensive examinations or may choose to complete a supervised research experience in NURS 6893 Thesis Option.
Students must meet all graduate school requirements including passing a comprehensive exam.
Students seeking a certificate as a Nurse Educator may complete the required 12 credit hours without being admitted to the Master of Science in Nursing program or may complete as a Post Graduate Certificate with completion of the MSN degree in another option. This Nurse Educator Certificate will prepare nurses for formal and informal teaching of nurses, patients, and students, in the healthcare or academic environment.
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner concentration will provide the student with a variety of didactic and clinical experiences. These experiences will prepare the graduate with complex practice skills and theoretical knowledge necessary for roles in advanced nursing and management of complex adult and geriatric clients with chronic, acute, and critical illnesses in a variety of health care settings. It would also prepare nurses for leadership roles in the contemporary health care system and provide a foundation for doctoral study in nursing.
Graduate Certificate in Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner is available to RNs who have recent clinical experience and have completed a MSN with advanced preparation in another specialty area from an accredited institution. Graduates of a MSN program with a AGACNP option that did not include the required certification eligibility requirements from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and/or the American Associated of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) (Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology; Advanced Health Assessment, including diagnostics and disease management; Advanced Pharmacology; and/or minimum of 500 faculty supervised clinical hours) are also eligible to apply. A request for a curriculum “Gap Analysis” to determine an individual Plan of Study will be requested from the Program Coordinator prior to admission.
Policies and other information are available in a guide for graduating nursing students, entitled "Graduate Information Guide (GIG))". Knowledge of the policies and information in the GIG, A-State Student Handbook and A-State Graduate Bulletin are required following admission.
In addition to the MSN Nursing program, there's an MSN Nurse Anesthesia program.
If you have questions, you may contact the School of Nursing at 870-972-3074.
The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the Master's/Post-Master's Certificate nursing programs is Continuing Accreditation with Conditions. View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, 3343 Peachtree Rd, NE, Suite #850, Atlanta, GA 30326, Telephone: (404) 975-5000. http://acenursing.org/.
The MSN program is also approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.
