Academic Policies

Policies and Procedures for Admission

A. Requirements for Admission to Graduate Program

To be considered for acceptance as a graduate student, the applicant must submit the following items and/or meet these requirements:

1. A completed application form.
2. The $50 application fee.
3. One official transcript indicating a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) from a nationally accredited degree-granting institution should be mailed directly to the Belmont University Office of Admissions from the originating institution.
4. One official transcript from all institutions attended should be sent directly to the Belmont University Office of Admissions from the originating institution.
5. A student may transfer up to 6 graduate hours with a grade of “B” (3.0) or above from another institution upon the recommendation of the Graduate Admissions Committee. No hours earned more than 5 years earlier will be accepted for transfer.
6. Proof of a current RN license from the student's state of residence and/or practice. A Tennessee RN license is required for clinical experiences in Tennessee.
7. Official scores for the Graduate Record Examination taken within the last five years should be sent to the Office of Admissions. GRE scores are not required for application to the Post MSN options.
8. The applicant must have at least a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate grade-point average on a 4.0 scale for full admission.
9. Two references are required. One should be from a faculty member who is familiar with the applicant's undergraduate nursing work, and one should be from a current nursing supervisor. Both letters should be on company letterhead and should be mailed directly to the Office of Admissions.
10. Applicant's interview with faculty.
11. Narrative statement of 1-2 pages in length describing the applicant's interest in Belmont’s graduate nursing program, education goals, and career goals. Additional writing samples may be requested.

B. Departmental Screening

After a student submits an application form and undergraduate transcripts and meets all requirements for admission as defined in the admission guidelines, the applicant's file is forwarded to the Graduate Admissions Committee for review. The committee can make one of the following recommendations:

1. Full admission when the applicant has a B.S.N. degree and meets GPA and GRE requirements.
2. Conditional admission with individually determined stipulations.
3. Denial of admission.

C. Admission to Courses for Non-Degree Seeking Students

Students currently enrolled in the Belmont RN-BSN program, and who are within six (6) hours of completing their degree, are eligible to take graduate courses as non-degree seeking students. These courses may not be used as hours toward the undergraduate degree. These students may take up to six (6) hours of graduate coursework prior to completion of the BSN degree. Students with a BSN degree are eligible to take 6 hours of graduate coursework as non-degree seeking students.

D. Post Master's Options

• FNP: Students who have an M.S.N. and desire specialty certification as a family nurse practitioner may take a 26 -credit hour post master's option. Coursework for this post-master's option includes NUR 5000, 5010, 5030, 5140, 5300, 5310, 5311, and 5320. Students are awarded a certificate upon completion of their course of study and are eligible to sit for a national Family Nurse Practitioner certification exam.

• Nursing Education: Students who have an M.S.N and desire preparation in nursing education may take a 12 credit hour post master’s option. Coursework for this post-master’s option includes NUR 5430, 5431, 5432, 5440, 5441, and 5442. Students are awarded a certificate upon completion of their course of study.
Post-master's students must make at least a "B" (3.0) in all courses to remain in the program.

E. Financial Aid

All students taking four (4) or more hours are eligible for graduate scholarships. In addition, students taking six (6) or more hours are eligible to apply for Professional Nurse Traineeship funding which is requested each year. Application forms for scholarship and traineeship financial aid may be obtained from the School of Nursing. Information on federal loan programs is listed under "Financing Your Education" in the catalog.

F. Limitation on Completion of Requirements

A graduate student in the master's program must complete all degree requirements within a six (6) year period. Time limits shall be computed from and will include the first semester of credit applied to the degree program.

G. Graduation Requirement – Comprehensive Exam for FNP track

All FNP students are required to take a comprehensive exam during the final clinical semester they are enrolled in the MSN program. The comprehensive exam includes questions on all content areas in the MSN program. Students who are not successful on the first attempt may take the exam one additional time. Students who are unsuccessful on the exam two times will have their file reviewed by the Admission Committee. The student must complete any remedial work or retake any courses required by the Admission Committee prior to being approved to retake the comprehensive exam. Passing the comprehensive exam is required for graduation from the FNP track or FNP post-master’s certificate.

Readmission

Students who fail to register for courses during a given semester are required to apply for readmission in the subsequent semester in which they expect to enroll for courses.

Course Descriptions

NUR 5000. Theoretical Foundations of Family Nursing (2). Theories of family development and family systems are presented from the perspective of promoting family health and well-being. Application of family theories to nursing care of primary care clients is emphasized. Students use two models of family assessment to investigate family responses to health and illness.

NUR 5010. Advanced Pathophysiology (3). The course is designed to provide the post-baccalaureate nurse with the opportunity to utilize undergraduate science background and clinical experiences in the examination of pathophysiologic mechanisms of certain disease processes. Selected client case studies will be utilized.

NUR 5020. Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice (3). This course builds on the basic concepts of critical thinking. Students use this information to provide a critical analysis of selected nursing theories/models and to begin the process of differential diagnosis. Students examine the theoretical basis of nursing by formulating an individualized model to use in their own advanced nursing practice.

NUR 5030. Issues in Nursing and Health Care (3). The course provides an exploration of the influence of current ethical, legal, economic, professional, and political factors on the practice of nursing.

NUR 5040. Advanced Nursing Research (3). Prerequisite: NUR 5050. Methodology including design, sampling, data collection, and data analysis is explored in depth. Quantitative and qualitative methods are studied. Application of knowledge is evidenced by synthesis of the current nursing and health-related literature into a written state-of-the-science review.

NUR 5050. Statistics in Health Care Research (3). This course provides an overview of descriptive and inferential statistics used in health care research. Emphasis is placed on how and when to use statistical techniques as well as interpretation of statistics. Computer applications also are explored.

NUR 5140. Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3). Pharmacokinetics, dynamics and therapeutics of major drug classifications in current therapeutic use are discussed. Principles and prescribing practices for advanced practice nurses are emphasized.

NUR 5300. Advanced Health Assessment (3). This course provides an opportunity for students to explore and practice advance health assessment techniques utilized by nurse practitioners. Students participate in class laboratory and clinical activities to enhance assessment skills. Health promotion and maintenance activities throughout the lifespan are discussed.

NUR 5310. Primary Health Care I (4). Prerequisites: NUR 5300. This course encompasses both didactic and clinical content. Health promotion and disease prevention throughout the lifespan are discussed. Students explore the management of acute and chronic illnesses throughout the lifespan. Emphasis is on diagnosis and management of clinical problems. Clinical situations are provided for students to begin integration and synthesis of the didactic component of the course.

NUR 5311. Primary Health Care II (4). Prerequisites: NUR 5300, NUR 5140, NUR 5310. This course is a continuation of the concepts of health promotion, disease prevention, and disease management begun in NUR 5310 (PHCI). In addition to didactic content and clinical experiences, students will participate in a clinical conference designed to encourage peer feedback. Emphasis is placed on continuing synthesis and integration of content in the classroom and in the clinical setting.

NUR 5320. Family Nurse Practitioner Intensive Practicum (4). Prerequisite: NUR 5311. This course integrates the knowledge and skills acquired in NUR 5310 and NUR 5311 in an intensive clinical semester. Students are expected to demonstrate significant synthesis of diagnostic, management, and evaluation skills in the clinical setting, as well as in clinical conferences.

NUR 5410. Advanced Nursing Management of Adults I (3). This course focuses on evidence-based practice for the advanced nursing management of adults with acute and chronic health problems.

NUR 5411. Advanced Nursing Management of Adults II (3). This course focuses on evidence-base nursing practice for the prevention of disease and maintenance and restoration of health in culturally diverse adult patients with acute and chronic health problems.

NUR 5420. Adult Health Care Practicum (2). This course provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate advanced knowledge and clinical decision-making skills in the care of adult patients with acute and chronic health problems in various clinical and community settings. Emphasis is placed on teaching of patients and staff.

NUR 5430. Perspectives in Nursing Education (2). This course provides an overview of nursing education including hallmarks of nursing education, education in clinical settings, educational philosophy, learning theories, roles of nurse educators, and recent trends in nursing education.

NUR 5431. Instructional Strategies for the Educator (3). This course provides an introduction to adult learning theory, educational theory, methods, and strategies for nursing instruction in classroom, clinical, and on-line education.

NUR 5432. Curriculum Processes in Nursing Education (4). This course examines the process and issues of curriculum development, revision, and evaluation in healthcare education settings. It examines the nursing faculty role in a variety of settings, including schools of nursing, clinical settings, and the community.

NUR 5440. Practicum I for the Nurse Educator (1). This course provides the student with the opportunity to apply theory, methods, and strategies for nursing education in classroom, clinical, or other settings. Students will become active participants by engaging in a practicum experience supervised by faculty and precepted by nurse educators.

NUR 5441. Practicum II for the Nurse Educator (1). This course provides the student with the opportunity to apply theory, methods, and strategies for nursing education in classroom, clinical, or other settings. Students will become active participants by engaging in a practicum experience supervised by faculty and precepted by nurse educators.

NUR 5442. Practicum III for the Nurse Educator (1). This course provides the student with the opportunity to apply theory, methods, and strategies for nursing education in classroom, clinical, or other settings. Students will become active participants by engaging in a practicum experience supervised by faculty and precepted by nurse educators.

NUR 5510. Nursing Administration I (3). Concepts and theories related to nursing, organizational structure, leadership, and management are used to examine the domains, roles, and responsibilities, of the nursing manager in the context of health care settings. The Scope of Practice and Standards for the Nurse Administrator will direct the content.

NUR 5511. Nursing Administration II (3). This course will enable the student to explore leadership skills necessary to manage change in complex healthcare delivery systems. Students will examine a problem from multiple perspectives (financial, policy, legal, ethical, etc.) and provide in-depth analysis with specific recommendations for change or improvement.

NUR 5520. Financial Management for Nurse Administrators (3). This course focuses on financial management in healthcare organizations. Students will learn how to prepare budgets as well as interpret and use financial data to improve performance, operational efficiency, and patient safety.

NUR 5530. Healthcare Informatics for Nursing Administrators (3). This course focuses on information system concepts and technologies used in the processing of nursing information to arrive at clinical decision-making. Analysis of healthcare information systems in clinical management, nursing administration, education, and research will be explored.

NUR 5540. Practicum in Nursing Administration (3). This course offers students the opportunity to apply theories and management strategies in leadership/administrative roles in selected healthcare settings. Students will be active participants by engaging in a practicum experience supervised by faculty and precepted by a nurse administrator.

NUR 5600. Management in Advanced Practice Nursing (3). This course focuses on management issues and concepts related to those who will be practicing as advanced practitioners. An examination of intervening variables which affect organizations including structure, dynamics, and processes of change will be conducted. Seminars will focus on integrating organizational theory, nursing, clinical practice and research.

NUR 5620. Economics and Management of Healthcare Systems (3). Graduate prepared nurses assume leadership roles that require an ability to effectively deal with healthcare business issues. This course will provide financial, economic, operational, and strategic planning as they relate to economics of the healthcare delivery system.

NUR 5800. Research Application I (2). Prerequisite: NUR 5050. This course links the research process to clinical practice by emphasizing the need for evidence-based practice. Students work with faculty in a research team format to explore both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Active learning exercises are used to introduce the research tools needed to assess and manage their clinical practice. Emphasis is placed on scholarship in clinical practice and community service.

NUR 5810. Research Application II (1). Prerequisite: NUR 5800. This course is a continuation of NUR 5800. Emphasis is placed on the oral and written dissemination of research findings using the data collected in NUR 5800. Students prepare and submit both a manuscript for publication and abstracts for paper and poster presentations.

NUR 5910. Independent Study (1-3). This course provides opportunity to pursue study to meet individual student needs.

NUR 5920. International Health Care Delivery Systems (3). This course examines the health care delivery system of a selected country, its philosophy, and technology of the country (countries) visited. The system of the selected country is compared to the health care delivery system of the United States. Learning activities include immersion into the selected country, lecture, small group discussion, pertinent readings, and clinical practice.

NUR 5930. Independent Study: Clinical Practice (1-3). This course provides the opportunity to pursue additional mentored clinical study to meet individual student needs.

NUR 5980. Spirituality in Nursing (3). The concept of spirituality/religiosity will be explored in a three-hour didactic and seminar format. The role of the nurse as a provider of spiritual care and as distinguished from religious care will be addressed. The course incorporates the School of Nursing's belief that all individuals are viewed holistically, an approach that takes into consideration the bio-pscho-social-spiritual needs of the client. Another outcome of the course will be a greater understanding of one's own spiritual nature.
*Not included in the MSN or post-MSN required curriculum.