Graduate Programs
School of Nursing
Belmont admitted its first graduate nursing students in 1994. Since then, our faculty, students, and graduates have built a reputation for clinical, academic and professional excellence. The graduate program offers a challenging curriculum leading to the degree of Master of Science in Nursing, offering two areas of specialization: the advanced practice clinical specialization as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and a track offering preparation in nursing education with a concentration in adult health.
Nursing education at the master's level builds upon baccalaureate nursing preparation. Program courses and content are organized to facilitate the progression of student learning from that of a baccalaureate generalist to that of a specialist. The curriculum has two dimensions: core and specialization. Core courses are taken by all students and include theory, research, economics, statistics and issues. Specialty courses are based upon the area of specialization.
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) graduates enjoy significant professional flexibility and marketability. Prepared to practice in a variety of settings, FNP's provide primary health care to families and individuals of all ages. Graduates of the FNP track are eligible to take the national FNP certification exams offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Commission (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). A post-MSN option is also available for those master's-prepared nurses who wish to take a national FNP certification exam. Our overall pass rate for national FNP certification is 95 percent.
The Nurse Education track prepares graduates for positions as entry-level faculty in schools of nursing as well as positions in staff development in various health care settings. Graduates of the nursing education track are eligible to take the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) examination offered by the National League for Nursing (NLN). A post-MSN option is available for those master's-prepared nurses who wish to become nationally certified in nursing education. Graduates of the nursing education track will be eligible to take the ANCC Advanced Nursing Administration certification exam after completed the required post-MSN activities.
School of Occupational Therapy
The School of Occupational Therapy offers two degree programs: the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) and the Weekend Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT). Belmont University is only one of four universities that grants an entry level occupational therapy doctorate with advanced practice skills. The MSOT program is only one of ten weekend programs in the United States that allows students to do a distance and combined live classroom experience while still working in the health field.
The OTD program has an extensive network of fieldwork sites that provide the student with clinical experience each semester. Clinical sites range from hospitals, out-patient clinics, rehabilitation centers, long term care facilities, homeless shelters, community agencies, public and private schools, and other settings as deemed appropriate. Students typically spend a minimum of 80 hours per semester in their Fieldwork I settings and 12 weeks fulltime at their Fieldwork II placements. Starting Fall 2008, the OTD curriculum will add a residency requirement for advance practice that will be a 16 week rotation or 640 hours. The OTD program will admit between 24 and 32 students each year based on eligible candidates for the program.
The MSOT program admits 32 students each year and has an extensive waiting list. MSOT students travel to Belmont University for classes from all over the United States. These students typically complete their fieldworks closer to home but have the option of staying in the Nashville for both Fieldwork I and II classes.
The School of Occupational Therapy has a total of five specialty labs which include Hendersonville Neuroscience Lab, Activities of Daily Living Lab, Stonecrest Musculoskeletal Lab, Southern Hills Media Technology lab, and Horizon Pediatrics Lab. In the Neuroscience lab, there are computers, low vision technologies, Doron 400 Driving Simulator with Plasma television and computer analyzer, anatomical models and skeletons, power wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, patient lift systems, and positioning devices. The Activities of Daily Living Lab has two kitchens and bathrooms– standard and the other with universal design features, audiovisual equipment, bedroom, living room and dining areas for research and student learning activities. The Musculoskeletal Lab contains patient plinths, thermal and electrical modalities, OT treatment intervention assessment and intervention equipment, ergonomic and return to work equipment, Baltimore Therapeutic Equipment, and The Media Technology lab has power woodworking power and hand tools, splinting and casting tools, sewing machines, electronic switches for adaptive toys and augmentative communication devices, and craft supplies. Finally in the Pediatrics lab, we have pediatric assessments and treatment interventions, Sensory Integrative equipment, pediatric wheelchairs and positioners, ball pit, Sportwall and Makoto Arenas, balls, pediatric seating systems, and toys. All of these 5 labs contain audiovisual equipment including Smart Boards, DVD, CD, Computers, and PowerPoint projections.
School of Pharmacy
Belmont University’s School of Pharmacy offers the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. There are no other degree options at this time. The School of Pharmacy’s first class will begin in Fall 2008, and the expected class size will be 75 students.
Students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program will be trained in numerous pharmacy locations throughout Nashville and the middle Tennessee region. Over 25% of our curriculum is provided in a variety of pharmacy arenas, including state government, hospitals, clinics, retail pharmacies, industry, insurance facilities, and other facilities.
Lab equipment used in the Doctor of Pharmacy program is dedicated to training student pharmacists the technique of preparing custom products for patient use. These products include sterile eye and IV preparations, ointments, creams, lotions, tablets, capsules, solutions, etc. Specialized equipment is used to accurately prepare these items.
School of Physical Therapy
The School of Physical Therapy offers the Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT), which is a postbaccaluareate degree conferred upon successful completion of a doctoral level professional (entry-level) program. The specific nomenclature "DPT" is not a substitute or alternative for the physical therapist clinical designator "PT." Graduates of the Belmont University Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree program, in a cooperative agreement with Belmont University Massey Graduate School of Business, have the opportunity to transfer credit for some of their DPT coursework into the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.
For the past three years, 90% of all graduates passed the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) on the first attempt with an ultimate pass rate of 100%. An ideal class size of thirty-two students is admitted each year. The School of Physical Therapy utilizes regional, national, and international clinical sites. Collectively, the School of Physical Therapy has approximately 400 clinical affiliation site agreements worldwide, including international sites in Great Britain, Mexico, Australia, and the Grand Caymans.The Belmont University School of Physical Therapy program has its own state-of-the-art building. The facility includes three classrooms, four laboratories, a resource room, computer lab, lounge, and office space for the faculty and administrative staff. Housed within the Physical Therapy Building is one of the most comprehensive balance and fall-risk reduction laboratories in the United States, one of few fully equipped motion analysis laboratories in the Southeast, computer enhanced and virtual reality based equipment to test and train various musculoskeletal disorders, as well as research and development participation of new products for musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Belmont University has additional classrooms and laboratory spaces in the Gordon E. Inman Center and Jack E. Massey Business Center on campus that are utilized as needed. A Letter of Agreement between Belmont University and the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine allows the physical therapy students to use the Gross Anatomy laboratory for all lab/dissection activities, and access the Annette and Irwin Eskind Biomedical Library.
Of the nine full-time teaching faculty, eight have terminal degrees and seven are engaged in clinical practice. The School of Physical Therapy has an exceptional adjunct faculty, nine of the fifteen have terminal degrees and six are associated with the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. Dr. John Halle, Professor and Associate Dean, holds an appointment with the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. The School of Physical Therapy faculty and adjunct faculty hold ten specialty certifications recognized by the APTA, including: clinical electrophysiologic, geriatric, neurologic, orthopaedic, and sports specializations. Full-time faculty are currently engaged in physical therapy research and have numerous publication credits.
