Table of Contents
- Home
- Letter from the Dean
- About the School
- Academic Support
- General Information for All Nursing Students
- Vanderbilt University Resources
- VUSN Academic Policies/Regulations
- Honor Code
- Honor Council
- Other Guidelines, Policies, and Procedures
- VUSN: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program
- VUSN: Master of Nursing (MN) Program, MN to PMC, and MN to DNP+PMC
- VUSN: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Post-Masters Certificate (PMC) Program
Entry Into MSN Program
Students enter the VUSN Master’s Degree program in one of the following categories:
MSN PreSpecialty
Students with an undergraduate or graduate degree in a field other than nursing may complete the MSN program in six semesters of full-time study: three semesters of upper division generalist PreSpecialty nursing courses to meet the AACN Baccalaureate Essentials (that do not end in a BSN-equivalent degree but move to the specialist level of the MSN program) and three semesters of the specialty master's component to meet the AACN Master’s Essentials.*
BSN to MSN
Students with a BSN degree can complete the MSN degree in three semesters of full-time study. *They enter directly into the specialty master’s component of the MSN program. The MSN degree is granted based on completion of a minimum of 36 credit hours.
*Some master’s specialties are longer than three semesters
Transitional Objectives
On completion of the MSN PreSpecialty generalist courses, students will be able to:
- Synthesize knowledge from nursing, the humanities, biophysical and social sciences, and current evidence to engage in professional nursing practice.
- Promote health and prevent illness in diverse patient populations through targeted education in multiple settings across transitions of care.
- Provide safe, culturally responsive health care to individuals, families, communities, and populations in diverse settings, through use of critical thinking, clinical reasoning, ethical decision-making, and information management, both independently and in collaboration with health care teams.
- Demonstrate leadership in professional nursing practice through commitment to reflective practice, accountability for nursing actions, patient advocacy, and evidence-based practice.
- Engage in improvement of the health care delivery system through inquiry and action into socioeconomic, political, legal, and ethical issues affecting professional nursing practice.
MSN Program Goals
MSN Specialty Level program prepares students:
- For advanced practice roles including nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, nurse informaticists, and nurse leaders who have expertise and advanced knowledge in a specialty area and can function in complex situations either independently and/or collaboratively with health care teams;
- To evaluate and apply advanced knowledge by means of critical thinking, clinical reasoning, ethical principles, and the use of current and emerging technologies in relation to advanced nursing practice;
- To engage in quality improvement initiatives and the delivery of safe, culturally responsive, high quality nursing care of individuals and populations using leadership skills;
- To evaluate and/or advocate for policies that improve the health of the public and the profession of nursing incorporating ethical principles.
All students are expected to meet the above program goals whether they enter the MSN program with a BSN, an ASN, or a bachelor’s degree other than nursing. Students who must complete a PreSpecialty component of the program must also meet transitional objectives upon completion of the PreSpecialty nursing courses.
Area of Specialty
Specialties | Specialty Director |
---|---|
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner | Dr. Sharon Bryant |
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner | Dr. Leslie Hopkins |
Emergency Nurse Practitioner | Dr. Jennifer Wilbeck |
Family Nurse Practitioner | Dr. Julia Steed |
Family/Emergency Practitioner | Dr. Jennifer Wilbeck & Dr. Julia Steed |
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner | Dr. Colleen Moss |
Nurse-Midwifery | Dr. Kendra Faucett |
Nurse-Midwifery/Family Nurse Practitioner – Dual Focus | Dr. Kendra Faucett & Dr. Julia Steed |
Nursing and Health Care Leadership | Dr. Debbie Arnow |
Nursing Education | Dr. Betsy Kennedy |
Nursing Informatics | Dr. Kelly Malapanes-Aldrich |
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care | Dr. Kim Steanson |
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care | Dr. Brittany Nelson |
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Lifespan) | Dr. Megan Simmons |
Women’s Health/Gender-Related Nurse Practitioner | Ms. Shaunna Parker |
Women’s Health/Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner – Dual Focus | Ms. Shaunna Parker & Dr. Leslie Hopkins |