Bridge to Master of Science in Nursing with an Emphasis in Nursing Leadership in Health Care Systems

Degree Overview
Course List
Program Location

This Bridge to Master of Science in Nursing: Nursing Leadership in Health Care Systems program is designed for seasoned registered nurses who have bachelor‛s degrees in a field outside of nursing who want to earn their MSN and advance their career to move into a management role. Instead of requiring these students to earn a BSN degree, they take six courses from our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and then launch into the MSN Nursing Leadership in Health Care Systems track.

The Bridge to Master of Science in Nursing with an Emphasis in Nursing Leadership in Health Care Systems prepares nurses for leadership roles in today's rapidly changing health care delivery systems. Graduates of the nurse leadership master‛s degree program may seek positions such as a charge nurse, director of nursing, chief nursing officer, or a vice president of nursing services.

With a focus on nursing leadership in health care systems, this program prepares students to lead and manage a team of health care providers, specifically including areas of managing a budget, staffing challenges and constraints, conflict resolution and change management.

The nurse leadership master‛s program consists of graduate nursing core courses and leadership courses taken with the Master of Science Leadership (M.S.L.) program. From the graduate nursing core courses, students gain the knowledge, values, and skills needed for advanced generalist practice in an evolving health care system. The nursing portion of the program focuses on the critical analysis of nursing and health care research as well as ethics, policy and finance in health care. The leadership portion of the program provides an overview of leadership styles and the functioning of organizations with an emphasis on communication skills required to establish and maintain effective relationships. Leadership topics include servant leadership, business leadership models and theories, and the exploration of the behavioral forces and relationships that influence organizational effectiveness and change.

This program includes both a capstone class and a practicum. The nurse leadership capstone class provides an opportunity for students to develop an evidence-based practice project proposal that addresses a problem, issue, or concern in professional practice. Students identify a problem amenable to research-based intervention; search literature; propose a solution; and develop a plan to implement the solution, evaluate its outcome(s), and disseminate the findings. The practicum promotes the synthesis and application of knowledge and skills from the nursing core course and the leadership courses. Students identify a mentor and develop a relationship through which they examine the connection between theory and practice.

Course List

Course #	Course Title	Course Description	Credits
NRS-430V	Professional Dynamics	This course is a bridge course for the RN who is returning to formal education for the baccalaureate degree in nursing. The course focuses on differentiated nursing practice competencies, nursing conceptual models, professional accountability, integrating spirituality into practice, group dynamics, and critical thinking. Emphasis is also placed on writing and oral presentation skills.	3
NRS-434V	Health Assessment	This course focuses on methods of health history taking, physical examination skills, documentation, and health screening. The course emphasizes the individual as the client, functional health patterns, community resources, and the teaching learning process.	3
HLT-362V	Applied Statistics for Health Care Professionals	This introductory course on statistical concepts emphasizes applications to health care professions. The course is designed to prepare students to interpret and evaluate statistics and statistical methods used in published research papers and to make decisions about the appropriateness of specific statistical methods in a variety of settings. Areas of emphasis include introduction to analysis of variance, regression, and graphical presentation; experimental design; descriptive statistics; sampling methods; and z, t, and chi-square.	3
NRS-433V	Introduction to Nursing Research	This writing-intensive course promotes the use of research findings as a basis for improving clinical practice. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies are presented. Emphasis is on the critical review of research studies and their applications to clinical practice. An overview of evidence-based practice is provided. Prerequisite: PSY 363, BIO 363, or HLT 362V.	3
NRS-427V	Concepts in Community and Public Health	This course focuses on the community as a large system of people of varying cultures, spiritual values, geographic norms, and economic conditions, all influenced by social-legal-political variables that impact individual and community health. Particular attention is paid to vulnerable subgroups in the community. Emphasis is placed on critical analysis, using epidemiological data and functional health pattern assessments to plan and intervene in areas of health promotion and disease prevention.	3
NRS-410V	Pathophysiology and Nursing Management of Clients' Health	This course is designed to enhance the working RN‛s existing understanding of the pathophysiological processes of disease as they affect clients across the lifespan. The interrelationship of structural and functional reactions of cells and tissues to genetic alterations and injurious agents provide the foundation for comprehending clinical manifestations and treatment protocols. Critical thinking and nursing management are enhanced through the use of case studies that integrate nutritional and pharmacological concepts. The understanding of environmental and biological risk factors provides the nurse with the knowledge to provide health promotion and prevention education.	3
NUR-502	Theoretical Foundations for Nursing Roles And Practice	This course examines nursing as a profession and a discipline and the individual nurse‛s role as a member of the profession. The theoretical foundations for nursing practice and roles are explored and applied. Emphasis is placed on developing scholarly writing and presentation skills. Critical thinking skills are refined as students discuss and synthesize the literature that guides nursing practice with a special emphasis on caring, diversity, and spirituality.	4
NUR-504	Health Care Research Analysis and Utilization	This course focuses on the critical analysis of nursing and health care research and its application to nursing education, nursing practice, and the delivery of health care services. Emphasis is placed on strategies to access current and relevant data, synthesize the information, and translate new knowledge to practice. Ethical issues in the design and conduct of research are addressed. Prerequisite: NUR 502.	4
NUR-508	Ethics, Policy, and Finance in the Health Care System	This course utilizes health care policy as a framework to analyze how health is defined and health care is designed and delivered in the United States and around the world. Emphasis is placed on issues of cost, quality, access, disparities, and finance. The various roles of the master‛s prepared nurse in the health care system are explored. Prerequisite: NUR 504.	4
LDR-600	Leadership Styles and Development	This course explores the nature of business leadership models and theories, examines these models through a broad variety of insights and viewpoints, and provides a description and analysis of these approaches to leadership, giving special attention to how the models can improve leadership in real-world organizations.	4
LDR-615	Organizational Development and Change	This course is an exploration of the behavioral forces and relationships that influence organizational effectiveness and change. Topics include the study of intervention strategy and application skills.	4
LDR-620	Leading as a General Manager	This course is designed to prepare leaders for the cross-functional complexities inherent in organizational life. Students develop an advanced skill set enabling effective leadership in each of the major organizational functions (marketing, finance, human resource management, information systems, and operations management). The course explores methods of evaluating alternatives to make effective decisions.	4
LDR-625	Organizational Culture and Team Leadership	This course equips students to fully understand the complexities of organizational systems and cultures, the ways in which these forces manifest themselves, and the means by which leaders intentionally impact the shape that these forces take in their organizations. Additionally, this course covers team dynamics, group processes, and strategies for designing and supporting teams in the workplace.	4
NUR-670	Leadership in Health Care Organizations Practicum	This course promotes the synthesis and application of knowledge and skills from the nursing core course and the leadership courses. Students identify a mentor and develop a relationship through which they examine the connection between theory and practice. Students engage in leadership activities (e.g., committees, projects, staff education, and quality improvement) and, through reflection and writing, analyze and evaluate leadership behaviors and processes. Prerequisites: LDR 600, LDR 615, LDR 620, and LDR 625.	4
NUR-699	Evidence-Based Practice Project	This capstone course provides an opportunity for students to develop an evidence-based practice project proposal that addresses a problem, issue, or concern in professional practice. Students identify a problem amenable to research-based intervention; search literature; propose a solution; and develop a plan to implement the solution, evaluate its outcome(s), and disseminate the findings. Problems identified are those that are appropriate to students‛ specialty tracks: nursing leadership, nursing education, clinical nurse specialist, and family nurse practitioner. This course must be taken after completion of specialty courses. Prerequisite: One of the following: 1) NUR 508 or 2) NUR 508 and NUR 649E.	4
Required Course Total Credit:			54

Courses:

54 credits

This program is offered in the following formats or locations:

Online

An online education allows you the flexibility to fulfill your educational goals without distracting you from your career. Full-time faculty members support our online students while our dynamic tools allow for engaging and challenging discussions with classmates. Classes start every month.

Program Disclosure

Category	Non-Traditional	Traditional
Books & Supplies (Per Program)	$935	N/A
Tuition & Fees (Per Program)	$26,740	N/A
Room & Board (Per Semester, If Applicable)	$3,434
On Time Graduation Rate	N/A	N/A
Median Private Loan Debt	N/A	N/A
Median TIV Loan Debt	N/A	N/A
Median Institutional Financing Plan Debt	N/A	N/A

Program SOC

Occupations

Registered Nurses

Acute Care Nurse

Critical Care Nurse

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Medical and Health Services Managers

Administrative Service Managers

It is the policy of the University to collect and remit sales, use, excise and/or gross receipts taxes in compliance with state and local taxing jurisdiction regulations which require the University to remit tax where applicable. These regulations vary by location. Please note: It is also the policy of the University to require payment of sales, use, excise, and/or gross receipts tax. Payment of tax is ultimately the student's financial responsibility to the University regardless of financing arrangements. Per Hawaii requirements: It is hereby stated that students residing in the State of Hawaii will be charged Hawaii General Excise Tax on all transactions. Students living in the District of Oahu will be charged 4.5%. Students residing in other Hawaii districts will be charged 4.0%.
Book costs are based on an average. Costs may increase or decrease depending on electronic availability or publisher's book costs.
Room and board costs may be higher or lower depending on housing and meal plan choice. This number is based on an average for students on campus.
Some Non-Traditional programs may be offered on the ground campus or on-line.
N/A identifies that a program is not offered in that modality or that fewer than 10 students graduated within the reported timeframe.
Tuition and Fees for each program are based on current rates. Future Tuition and Fee Rates may vary. Tuition was calculated using the number of credit hours in the program times the current tuition rate and includes the Graduation Fee. Full time students enrolled at a program taken at the main campus include a Student Activity Fee, charged every semester. Online programs include a one time Learning Management Fee. Some programs may also include additional fees based on course materials.
On-time graduation rates and median loan debt are based on students who graduated in the 2011-2012 award year.
Not all GCU programs are available in all states and in all learning modalities.
Program availability is contingent on student enrollment.

Disclosure Information

* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.