Master of Science in Nursing
Nursing Administration Track

Point of Contact

Dr. Joyce Hahn
Coordinator
703-993-2335
jhahn2@gmu.edu

An Invitation to Consider Graduate Education

Graduate education is one of many options to consider when deciding how best to use one's time, talents and energy. Its priority in each individual's life plan will vary, based on personal and professional goals. However, regardless of discipline, graduate education has intrinsic value as a life enhancing and goal supporting experience. For professional nursing, this is true regardless of whether one's preferred venue of practice is as a clinician, educator, researcher, or administrator. In all these areas, individuals with strong competencies in critical thinking, problem solving, team building and decision making are vitally needed.

The Nursing Administration Track in the Master of Science program at George Mason University is characterized by a personalized, one-on-one approach to program of study planning which seeks to facilitate achievement of each student's unique professional career goals. Consistent with current leadership and management paradigms in health care, the program is desiged to effect two distinct but congruent outcomes:

1. To prepare nurses who wish to be effective and proficient in managerial and/or administrative roles in organizations across the continuum of health care delivery
2. To prepare nurses who wish to be effective and proficient in clinical, educational and/or research roles to influence and participate in policy and operational discussions and decisions in their organizations.

The spirit and energy of the Nursing Administration Track is directed at nurturing the creation and growth of Learning Communities - groups of individuals who create, acquire, and share new knowledge, and use this knowledge to effect positive changes in personal and organizational behavior. Learning Community members facilitate this process by continuously seeking to engage individuals of diverse backgrounds and experience in dialogue on today's critical professional issues.

Using the Learning Communities model, the Nursing Administration Track seeks to embrace a large and diverse cadre of learners and to serve as a premier platform from which to launch each one's career to the next level of success.

Program Description

The Nursing Administration Track in the MSN graduate program prepares nurses for administrative leadership and management roles in acute care, managed care, home health care, long term care, professional and other health-related organizations. Program content focuses on management and organizational theory, ethical and legal issues, and health care delivery systems, as well as health policy, information systems, and the management of human, material, and fiscal resources.

The Nursing Administration Track consists of 13 credit hours of MSN graduate program Core courses and 24 credit hours in the Nursing Track. The 24 credit hours that comprise the Track are organized as follows:

1. Four 3 credit hour administration/management courses
2. Two 3 credit hour administrative practicum courses
3. Two 3 credit hour nursing/related discipline elective courses

Student programs of study are tailored according to career goals and professional backgrounds through actions such as judicious recommendations on electives and detailed analysis and synthesis of information for Practicum courses' site selection. NURS 763 and 766, the Track's administrative/management theory and strategies courses, contain approximately 30 distinct areas of content appropriate for present day nursing and health care administrations. Learning activities in NURS 763 include development of an original paper based on a Problem Statement dealing with a current issue in health care delivery systems. The task promotes investigation of descriptive and theoretical literatures in a search for clues to potential options for problem resolution. Similarly, in NURS 766, students work in small groups focused on re-engineering an aspect of the health care delivery system. This learning activity is specifically designed to enhance competencies in areas such as teamwork and systems thinking.

NURS 765 and 768, the Track's Practicum courses, involve placement in a practicum setting identified as the best match with the student's career goals, past experience, present employer, and desire for exposure to new practice venues. Students spend 6-8 hours per week for each of two semesters at the Practicum site and work with masters-prepared administration experts who serve as preceptors. Preceptors support student achievement of course objectives by facilitating access to significant organizational information and key staff. Practicum sites include a wide range of diverse settings where nurses are in significant and challenging leadership roles. Both Practicum courses also include a weekly seminar guided by Administration Track faculty. Students share knowledge on 12 distinct topic areas by integrating content from pre-seminar topical readings and Practicum site information and experiences in the discussion of each topic's focus questions.

Successful completion of the Track's Administrative Theory, Strategies, and Practicum courses result in the aquisition of 21st century leadership and managerial knowledge and competencies. Graduates are champions of change and key influencers of systems design, policy/process formulation, and organizational operations that promote efficient, effective, and quality-driven patient and organizational outcomes.

Students in the Advanced Clinical and Nurse Practitioner Tracks should consider enhancing the scope and depth of their graduate education program by enrolling in the Certificate in Nursing Administration program. This 15 credit Certificate Program's course content and practicum components will provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary to successsully perform the varied managerial role functions which today's organizations require of Advanced Clinical Nurses and Nurse Practitioners and will enpower them to serve as influential leaders in the design and operation of 21st century clinical care delivery systems.

Program of Study

Please refer to the GMU Catalog for Course Descriptions.

• MSN Core (13)
  • NURS 660 (3:3:0)
    Seminar in the Ethics of Health Care
  • NURS 680 (2:2:0)
    Theoretical Foundations Related to Nursing
  • NURS 685 (3:3:0)
    Advanced Nursing Research Methods
  • NURS 686 (2:2:0)
    Projects in Nursing Research
  • NURS 688 (3:3:0)
    Organization of Nursing and Health Care Delivery Systems
• Administration Track (12)
  • NURS 763 (3:3:0)
    Administrative Theory in Nursing
  • NURS 766 (3:3:0)
    Administrative Strategies in Nursing
  • NURS 765 (3:1:8)
    Practicum in Nursing Administration I
  • NURS 768 (3:1:8)
    Practicum in Nursing Administration II
• Electives/Support Courses (12)
  Choose one of the following two courses
  • NURS 654 (3:3:0)
    Nursing Administration Financial Management
    ~OR~
    HAP 703 (3:3:0)
    Financial Management of Health Systems
  • Organizational Theory
    Recommended courses include HAP 620, LRNG 601, PUAD 620
  • Related Discipline Elective
• Total = 37 Credits

Explanation of Credit Hours
Course titles are followed by numbers in parentheses (0:0:0), separated by colons. The numbers have the following significance:

• First Number: credits for the course
• Second Number: hours of lecture or seminar per week for the course
• Third Number: hours of laboratory for the course

For independent study, readings, topics, or similar courses, individual instructors set hours.