Academic Catalog

Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Administration and Management, (RN to MSN Bridge Program)

Program Description:

The mission of the Aspen University School of Nursing and Health Sciences is to enhance the health and quality of life for individuals, families, and communities at local, state, and national levels through excellence in teaching, scholarship and practice.

The Master of Science in Nursing (RN to MSN) program prepares nurses to assume leadership roles in management, education, forensics, public health, informatics and clinical practice within a diverse society and across a spectrum of healthcare settings. Theory courses combine the basic foundation of traditional education in a convenient distance-learning format, enabling practicing nurses to meet their academic, professional, and personal goals. Practicum courses are performed in a clinical setting, allowing students to apply learned concepts under the direct supervision of a Master-degreed RN preceptor.

The Nursing Administration specialization is designed to develop leaders and managers. Students learn how to solve complex problems through realistic case studies and mentoring practica with preceptors who are leaders in nursing. This program prepares the RN to move up the career ladder into roles in management and lead nursing organizations.

With the RN to MSN Bridge program, students do not receive a BSN degree but instead progress toward graduating with an MSN in a specialty area.

Degree Requirements: 57 Credits

Program Goals:

It is intended that Graduates of the Aspen University Registered Nurse to Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in Administration and Management program will learn or be able to do the following:

  1. Background for Practice from Sciences and Humanities (Bridge): Integrates scientific findings from nursing, biopsychosocial fields, genetics, public health, quality improvement, and organizational sciences for the continual improvement of nursing care across diverse settings.
  2. Organizational and Systems Leadership (Bridge): Demonstrates leadership skills that emphasize ethical and critical decision making, effective working relationships, and a systems-perspective because organizational and systems leadership are critical to the promotion of high quality and safe patient care.
  3. Quality Improvement and Safety (Bridge): Articulates methods, tools, performance measures, and standards related to quality, and applies quality principles within an organization.
  4. Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice (Bridge): Applies research outcomes within the practice setting, resolves complex practice problems, works as a change agent, and disseminates results.
  5. Informatics and Healthcare Technologies (Bridge): Using patient-care technologies, delivers and enhances care and using communication technologies, integrates and coordinates care.
  6. Health Policy and Advocacy (Bridge): Intervenes at the system level through the policy development process and employs advocacy strategies to influence health and health care.
  7. Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes (Bridge): As a member and leader of interprofessional teams, communicates, collaborates, and consults with other health professionals to manage and coordinate care.
  8. Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving Health (Bridge): Applies and integrates broad, organizational, client-centered, and culturally appropriate concepts in the planning, delivery, management, and evaluation of evidence-based clinical prevention and population care and services to individuals, families, and aggregates/identified populations.
  9. Master’s-Level Nursing Practice (Bridge): Integrates the advanced level of understanding of nursing and relevant sciences with nursing practice to create nursing practice interventions.
  10. Administration and Management (Bridge): Apply advanced-level theoretical, research-based, scientific, and clinical nursing administration and management knowledge through nursing care planning and practice through informatics, health care planning, finance, and economics.

Academic Schedule

Courses:

N490Issues and Trends in Professional Nursing

3

N491Concepts and Theories in Nursing

3

N492Community Health Nursing I

3

N494Essentials of Nursing Research

3

N493Community Health Nursing II

3

N495Health Assessment

3

N496Nursing Leadership and Management

3

Mid-Program Proctored Exam

N502Health Care Systems

3

N522Modern Organizations and Health Care

3

N512Diverse Populations & Health Care

3

N520Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care

3

N537Health Care Informatics

3

N538Advanced Health Care Informatics

3

N542Health Care Finance and Economics

3

N547Health Care Strategic Management and Planning

3

N508Theory and Research

3

N550Nursing Administration Practicum I

3

N552Nursing Administration Practicum II

3

N599Nursing Capstone

18

Final Proctored Exam