Integrative Nursing Leadership Master of Science in Nursing

INTEGRATIVE NURSING LEADERSHIP
ONLINE MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

Designed for BSN-educated nurses looking to enhance their leadership skills, Mercyhurst University’s new Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN program is a uniquely focused, convenient online program that can help you advance in your professional development.

Nurses face considerable stress in the workplace, and rates of nurse burnout are at near-record highs. Our MSN program’s Integrative Nursing Leadership (inLEAD) focus addresses these concerns directly, preparing future nursing supervisors and administrators to foster healing and well-being of patients, families and communities, as well as caregivers. Integrative health includes the engagement of patients as informed and empowered partners in health, leading to better health outcomes. With an emphasis on resiliency, patient safety and integrative health, this MSN program prepares nurse leaders to apply health and well-being strategies with patient populations as well as the health care team members that they lead.

Available 100 percent online, this innovative MSN program connects you with Mercyhurst’s dedicated, skilled faculty and wealth of educational resources. Demand for master’s-level nurses is growing, and this program prepares you to advance in a nursing leadership role. In addition, graduates of the program will be well prepared to sit for and earn the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) credential.

Course Requirements

The MSN program requires completion of 32 credits. All courses can be completed online.

NURS 500 Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Care (3 credits)
NURS 508 Fostering Resilience (3 credits)
OL 502 Leadership & Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
NURS 504 Health Concerns of Vulnerable Populations (3 credits)
NURS 573 Quality, Safety & Value in Health Care (4 credits)
NURS 600 Transforming Health Care: Information Systems and Technology (3 credits)
NURS 611 Health Care Finance & Economics (3 credits)
NURS 506 Nurse as Scholar: Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
NURS 604 Health Care Policy Analysis & Advocacy (3 credits)
NURS 677 Integrative Nursing Capstone (4 credits)

Admissions Requirements

Applicants for the Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN must have:

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree (must be conferred)
An unencumbered RN license (any state)
A completed Mercyhurst application, available for free at apply.mercyhurst.edu
All official transcripts from accredited higher education institutions
One recommendation from a supervisor or faculty member

Cost and Financial Aid

Tuition for the Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN is set at $650 per credit, for a total of $20,800 for the 32-credit program, plus low distance learning and registration fees. When you consider employer benefits and reimbursements, scholarships, grants and other sources of financial aid, many students can complete this program with little to no out-of-pocket cost.

Many employers, including hospitals and health care providers, offer tuition reimbursement for nurses seeking to advance their education. Mercyhurst offers tuition deferment for those receiving tuition reimbursement.

Financial aid is available for those who qualify. Our admissions and financial aid counselors will work with you to file your FAFSA and help you access all of the federal, state and institutional aid available to you.

Supportive Online Learning

Nurses have a lot of demands on their time, and when you consider family and other personal responsibilities, it might seem like there’s not much time for grad school. That’s why our Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN is offered fully online, with the support of dedicated full-time faculty and our experienced Office of Distance Learning to keep you on track with a schedule that works for you.

You’ll benefit from:

Guided learning. Courses are carefully planned to build sequentially on previous concepts, ensuring you make progress and stay on track to master the program material.
Classroom engagement. Your online experience includes opportunities to interact with classmates and professors in real time through applied projects, review sessions and presentations.
Student resources. You’ll be a full Mercyhurst student, with the same access to the university’s amenities, library system, writing center, career services, health center, etc., as an on-campus student.

Most importantly, students and professors in the program benefit from the close-knit community and sense of camaraderie in our department. As a student in the program, you will have the support of an experienced full-time Mercyhurst professor to advise and mentor you throughout your time in the program. We’ll get to know you as an individual—your strengths and challenges, and personal and professional goals—as we work together to make the most of your time at Mercyhurst.

Nursing in the Mercy Tradition

Mercyhurst University owes its existence to a remarkable group of determined, forward-thinking women: the Sisters of Mercy. Sensing the need for quality higher education for women in the early 20th century, the Sisters led the way in establishing Mercyhurst more than 90 years ago. Even before that, however, their selfless dedication to others manifested through their work in ministry to the poor, education, and nursing—even serving as nurses in Civil War.

More than 90 years later, the pioneering ideals of these remarkable women live on in the groundbreaking ideas and good works on our campuses. Through our nursing programs, we strive to live out the Mercy core values of compassion, service, respect and integrity—so wonderfully embodied by the Sisters and essential for those in the nursing fields.

Our MSN program embraces these Mercy ideals, with a unique focus on integrative nursing. We strive to educate intellectually creative, merciful, compassionate, mindful and resilient nurse leaders whose relationship-based practice is grounded in evidence with a focus on the health and well-being of caregivers as well as those they serve.

Course Descriptions

NURS 500 Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Care
During this course, the student will be introduced to a model of human caring that includes the arts and humanities as well as science. Watson’s Theory of Human Caring provides a philosophical and ethical foundation for an integrative nurse leader’s professional practice. An exploration of Complexity Science and Systems Theory will further the student’s ability to transform theory into safe, quality nursing practice that improves the health of the public and supports the profession of nursing.

NURS 508 Fostering Resilience
In this course, the student studies various mind-body techniques such as biofeedback and mindfulness and applies them in a program of self-care to foster resilience. An exploration of an individual’s strengths, accomplishments, and what matters most in their life can lead to growth and flourishing. Students will cultivate self-awareness and compassion for oneself allowing for compassion and mercy to be extended to others.

OL 502 Leadership & Organizational Behavior
Successful leadership is a process that takes time, experience, learning and a behavioral disposition toward working with others. This course examines the field of organizational behavior and leadership by studying theoretical models, practical examples, and experiential exercises.

NURS 504 Health Concerns of Vulnerable Populations

This course addresses the healthcare needs of vulnerable populations as they currently exist and as they will evolve in the future. Care for those who are injured, suffering, powerless, and/or dependent, such as the very young and the very old, the chronically ill, racial/ethnic/sexual minority groups, and the disabled, will be the focus of this course. This course lays the groundwork to collaborate successfully with communities and stakeholders in the provision of quality population health and in the promotion and protection of human dignity.

NURS 573 Quality, Safety & Value in Health Care
This course engages the student in the assessment of a health care organization’s culture of safety with the goal of decreasing and preventing inadvertent harm to patients as a result of their care. The student will analyze and interpret patient safety data and present this evidence to support a specific patient safety initiative. A critical appraisal of the evidence and compliance with regulatory and accreditation requirements will be conducted during the design of a process improvement initiative. The student completes 30 hours working with a preceptor, under guidance of faculty, on this assessment.

NURS 600 Transforming Health Care: Information Systems and Technology
This course enables students to develop the leadership skills needed to effectively interface between the emerging field of data science technology and interdisciplinary clinical users. During this course, the student will learn to use meaningful data analytics to perform impact evaluations that improve patient outcomes. Advancing patient information security and confidentiality to promote ethical health care decisions will be a central focus.

NURS 611 Health Care Finance & Economics
This course examines economic and financial factors associated with the health care industry. Health care leaders will explore concepts vital to the management of financial resources within the health care industry, such as economics, budgeting, staffing, and various forms of analysis in the ever-evolving landscape of the health care system. Policies that influence the structure and financing of health care, practice, and health outcomes will be examined.

NURS 506 Nurse as Scholar: Evidence-Based Practice

Graduate nursing students build upon previous learning of nursing research and evidence-based practice to develop mastery in critiquing and translating research evidence into practice. With an inquiring attitude toward their practice and care environment, students work with faculty to identify a research question, analyze research findings for evidence-based practice, and disseminate results to advance nursing knowledge.

NURS 604 Health Care Policy Analysis and Advocacy
This course prepares the integrative nurse leader to advance the agenda of the rapidly changing care environment by examination of health policy. Students will focus on policy process and develop and implement policy agendas. They will participate in collective decision-making, identifying roles and key stakeholders. The course will address how to identify gaps in policy knowledge. Nurse leaders will have an opportunity to engage in processes that influence population health. The course will prepare the integrative nurse leader to analyze the policy process and engage in politically competent care.

NURS 677 Integrative Nursing Capstone
In the Integrative Nursing Leadership Capstone immersion, the student spends 60 hours working with a preceptor, under the guidance of faculty, as they further enhance their leadership skills. The student will implement their process improvement safety initiative, started in Quality, Safety & Value in Health Care, and prepare to sit for their Patient Safety Certification Exam. The student also completes, and submits for publication, a faculty-approved manuscript on their chosen patient safety topic.

Degree Completion Plan

The 32-credit Integrative Nursing Leadership MSN curriculum is designed with working professionals in mind. All courses are offered online and you’ll complete one course per eight-week Mini (half-semester) term, never taking more than one course at a time—and you’ll earn your MSN in two years!

Fall Semester (Year 1)
Mini 1: NURS 500 Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations of Care (3 credits)
Mini 2: NURS 504 Health Concerns of Vulnerable Populations (3 credits)

Spring Semester (Year 1)
Mini 3: NURS 506 Nurse as Scholar: Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
Mini 4: NURS 508 Fostering Resilience (3 credits)

Summer Semester (Year 1)
Mini 5: NURS 573 Quality, Safety & Value in Health Care (4 credits)

Fall Semester (Year 2)
Mini 1: NURS 600 Transforming Health Care: Information Systems and Technology (3 credits)
Mini 2: NURS 611 Health Care Finance & Economics (3 credits)

Spring Semester (Year 2)
Mini 3: OL 502 Leadership & Organizational Behavior (3 credits)
Mini 4: NURS 604 Health Care Policy Analysis & Advocacy (3 credits)

Summer Semester (Year 2)
Mini 6: NURS 677 Integrative Nursing Capstone (4 credits)