Online Nursing Degree - Nursing Education

Online Nursing Degree : Master's in Nursing: Nursing Education Specialization

Online University : Indiana State University

The master of science in nursing (with a nursing education specialization) includes 35-38 credit hours (listed below).

REQUIRED COURSES -- 35-38 CREDIT HOURS

Core Courses
NURS 601 Health Care Perspectives (3 credit hours)
NURS 605 Nursing Theory Development (3 credit hours)
EPSY 612 Statistical Methods (3 credit hours) - or -
HLTH 604 Research Design and Data Analysis in Health and Human Performance (3 credit hours)

Research
NURS 633 Nursing Research (3 credit hours)
Classroom Course Work and Practica
NURS 653 Curriculum Process in Nursing (3 credit hours)
NURS 662 Measurement and Assessment in Nursing Education (3 credit hours)
NURS 673 Education Practices in Nursing (4 credit hours)
NURS 683 Advanced Clinical Concepts in Nursing Education (4 credit hours)

Guided Electives (6 credit hours)
Culminating Experience
Select one of the following:
NURS 697 Evidence Based Practice for Advanced Practice Nurses (3 credit hours)
NURS 698 Culminating Project (3 credit hours)
NURS 699 Master's Thesis (6 credit hours)

Course Descriptions
All courses are delivered via the Internet. Clinicals can be arranged in the student's community.

Note: High-speed Internet access is required. For details see Computer Requirements

EPSY 612 Statistical Methods-3 hours.
A basic course in statistics. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, selected sampling distributions, correlation and simple linear regression, and elementary hypothesis testing (e.g., t-tests, chi-square). Students learn to use computer software appropriately to analyze their data, and to interpret computer output.

HLTH 604 Research Design and Data Analysis in Health and Human Performance-3 hours.
Designed to familiarize graduate students with research design and data analysis including scientific methodology, data collection, and statistical analyses. Includes an introduction to computerized data manipulation, analyses, interpretation, and presentation.

NURS 601 Health Care Perspectives-3 hours.
The course focuses on an analysis of policies, ethics, and finance in health care delivery and the role of advanced practice nursing in health care delivery systems.

NURS 605 Nursing Theory Development-3 hours.
The student will analyze and synthesize nursing, behavioral, natural and applied sciences theories, frameworks, and models and apply them to advanced nursing practice.

NURS 633 Nursing Research-3 hours.
The course provides an in-depth analysis of research processes used in advanced practice nursing. Emphasis is placed on methods for validating, refining, and extending nursing research. Prerequisite or concurrent: enrollment in statistics.

NURS 653 Curriculum Process in Nursing-3 hours.
Historical foundations, processes of curriculum development and new paradigms in nursing education are examined. Theories and conceptual frameworks for curriculum development are explored. Educational needs of practical, associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and continuing nursing education programs are differentiated. Three classroom hours per week. Pre-requisite 605 or consent of instructor.

NURS 662 Measurement and Assessment in Nursing Education-3 hours.
This course focuses on methods of assessment/measurement of theory and clinical learning for undergraduates and graduates, in campus and distance education environments. Assessment methods for adult learners in community healthcare settings will also be identified. Three classroom hours per week. Prerequisites: 601 and 605 or consent of instructor.

NURS 673 Educational Practices in Nursing-4 hours.
Teaching methods, evaluation tools, and the complexities of the educator role are explored. Guided teaching experiences with a selected mentor/preceptor provide opportunities to plan, implement and evaluate classroom and clinical instruction in various settings. Two classroom hours and an average of six clinical hours per week. Prerequisites: 653 and 663.

NURS 683 Advanced Clinical Concepts for Nurse Educators-3 hours.
Advanced concepts of health promotion, acute interdisciplinary intervention, and restorative health are explored in theory and clinical practice. Knowledge and skills are developed in a specialty area of nursing practice. Three classroom hours and an average of 6 clinical hours per week. Prerequisites: 601 and 605 or consent of the instructor.

NURS 697 Evidence Based Practice for Advanced Practice Nurses-3 hrs.
This course is designed to prepare advanced practice nurses to base clinical decision making on current research. Problem based learning will be used to examine clinical research, develop evidence based guidelines based on that research, and design an evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of the guidelines. Prerequisite courses: 633. As this course is a substitution for a culminating project or thesis, this course must be taken during the final semester of the graduate nursing program.

NURS 698 Culminating Project-1-3 hours.
The student will complete the non-thesis option, culminating project. A student must complete at least 3 credits during the master’s program of study. Prerequisite: 633.

NURS 699 Master’s Thesis-6 hours.
Prerequisite: By permission of chair of thesis committee.

Source: For more information on Online Nursing Degree at Indiana State University, please visit http://www.indstate.edu/distance/nursing_education.html

Nursing Educators Needed Stat!

Nursing Educators Needed Stat! by Sara Ellis RN, BSN

Nursing is the nation's largest health care profession, with more than 2.7 million registered nurses nationwide, and nursing students account for more than half of all health professions students in the United States. Applications to attend nursing schools continue to increase nicely but did you know that thousands of students are being turned away because of an acute shortage of Nursing Educators?

A study done by the U.S. Bureau of Health Professions indicates that by 2020, the U.S. nursing shortage will grow to more than 800,000 registered nurses. How can we put a serious dent in stemming this dangerous tide unless nurses take an active role in educating the nurses of tomorrow?

Becoming a Nurse Educator is a wonderful career choice

Registered nurses ARE teachers! RNs teach patients and their families how to manage their illness or injury, including post-treatment home care needs, diet and exercise programs, and self-administration of medication and physical therapy. RNs mentor and precept new graduates and new hire staff as well as develop and implement ongoing continuing education activities within clinical settings. RNs combine their clinical expertise and passion for teaching others in thousands of ways every time they work.

Nurse Educators make use of that same clinical expertise and passion for teaching to guide and shape the future of the nursing profession- one student at a time!

Do you want to be doing direct patient care when you're 63 and still waiting to be old enough to retire? I say leave bedside nursing to the younger nurses, give your sore back a rest, and turn your talents towards building the next generation of nurses instead!

Some RNs choose to advance their nursing career by moving into hospital administration or nursing management positions, but the responsibilities and stress of management isn't for everyone. For those RNs who would enjoy keeping in touch with direct patient care and in shaping the future of nursing the best career path to think about is becoming a nurse educator!

Given the growing shortage of nurse educators, the career outlook is strong for nurses interested in teaching careers. Nursing schools nationwide are struggling to find new faculty to accommodate the rising interest in nursing among new students.

Career Flexibility

Most nurse educators work in colleges and universities that offer associate and baccalaureate programs in nursing, and some work as instructors for LPN courses while educators involved in clinical education also work at collaborating health care facilities. A Master's degree in nursing is typically required to become a faculty member at a university but RNs with a Bachelors degree in nursing and clinical experience are the minimum basic requirements for clinical instructors.

Nurse educators can work as full time faculty with all the benefits including tenure and retirement, or may choose to work as part time faculty while still continuing clinical employment and direct patient care. Nurse educators play a vital role in preparing and shaping future generations of nurses!

Earn an accredited Master's in Nursing Education Degree While You Work

You can earn an accredited Master's Degree in Nursing with a specialization in education or in health education online while maintaining your current job by investing just a few hours of study time per week through programs offered by the University of Phoenix Online and Walden University.

Don't have a BSN Degree?

The Regis University (AACN-CCNE) accredited RN to MS in Nursing program via The College Network allows busy nurses to take the fast track to earning their Masters in Nursing. Earn both degrees in a fraction of the time at 1/2 the cost of traditional programs. Local clinicals and No Clinical Testing.

Make a difference today that will impact the entire profession for years to come. Become a Nurse Educator!

For Additional Information about NLN Accredited Online Nursing Degrees and programs including LPN to RN/BSN, RN - BSN Degrees, Specialty Nursing Certification in Forensic Nursing, Legal Nurse Consulting, and Advanced Practice Nursing visit our Online Nursing School Directory. Explore the schools and degree programs they offer and request free no-obligation information from as many as you like. It's best to request information from several so you can compare requirements, time involved and costs to find the one that meets your needs the best.