MSN: Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Emphasis

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Overview

Work Toward Potential Career Advancement in Health Care Quality and Patient

Enhance your nursing education and position yourself to potentially take your career to the next level in health care quality and patient safety. Grand Canyon University’s College of Nursing and Health Care Professions is proud to offer this MSN degree for nurses who want to work to improve quality and patient safety within nursing. 

In this program, you’ll have the opportunity to gain advanced knowledge and skills to take on a wide range of roles within the health care field. From a clinician to a community advocate to a systems manager, you’ll wear many hats as you learn how to incorporate diverse concepts into cohesive solutions. 

MSN nurse helping patient
Why GCU

Earn Your MSN Degree From GCU 

Our MSN: Health Care Quality and Patient Safety emphasis program covers research, collaboration, communication, data analysis, project management and much more

Along with honing important nursing leadership skills — such as clinical and organizational decision-making — you will focus on critical thinking, evidence-based research. You will examine how to improve health care systems and patient outcomes from all aspects. 

Earn Your Master’s in Nursing Online1

GCU offers you the opportunity to complete this MSN degree online.1 Online learning may be a more practical choice for busy professionals with many obligations. 

As you complete your courses, you will have access to online learning resources and support that GCU provides. 


This Degree Is Offered Online

Coursework

Study Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Courses

Designed for nurses seeking to improve their knowledge and skills in the area of healthcare quality and patient safety, this master’s in nursing degree covers a variety of valuable coursework. You’ll focus on nationally recognized expectations and metrics for quality, examine different approaches to support quality improvement measures and learn about technologies that support clinical decision-making for patient safety. 

Throughout this master’s program, you will focus on these key areas: 

Quality Improvement

Explore the quality improvement process and the most commonly used models and tools for improving healthcare

Patient Safety

Evaluate methods to track, assess, analyze and review data relating to patient safety issues

Change Management

Learn about the elements of change management, how to identify criteria for success in change areas and how to plan phases and goals for implementation

Stakeholder Engagement

Gain skills to identify various stakeholders and roles, set goals and expectations, plan stakeholder engagement and identify ways to mitigate obstacles in healthcare project management

Project Management

Examine project management models and approaches in healthcare settings

Safety Initiatives

Learn how to implement healthcare quality and safety initiatives

Careers

Career Paths for MSN Graduates With a Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Focus 

With this degree, you may become equipped to make a difference in the healthcare field.

Specializing in quality and safety in nursing can prepare you for roles such as: 

Quality and patient safety coordinator

Director of risk and quality

Director of nursing 

Patient safety officer

Regional director of quality management

Vice president of care coordination 

Chief nursing officer 

Accreditation

Graduate With an MSN From an Accredited University

GCU has been institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1968. Our accreditation status reflects the quality of our instruction and our ability in reaching established educational standards.

For more information on the accreditation of nursing programs and other university approvals, please visit our University Accreditation and Regulations page. 

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

If you desire to advance your education and have the opportunity to become knowledgeable in healthcare quality and patient safety, read through some frequently asked questions and answers below to learn more about pursuing this career.

MSN nurse helping elderly patient

Start Your Journey Today  

To learn more about enrolling in GCU’s health care quality and patient safety emphasis MSN program, fill out the form on this page.

Apply Now
  1. Clinical, practicum and immersion hours completed locally.

  2. Mitchell, P. M. (n.d.). National Library of Medicine, Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Retrieved Oct. 27, 2023. 

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