Today's health care system requires new skills of nursing leaders, clinicians, and educators to transform the delivery of nursing and health care. The advanced courses of study in Health Care Systems are designed for nurses who have earned a master's degree in nursing, and facilitate their development of the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in three key areas:
Students in each area take courses to strengthen their selected focus area and support their personal career goals, as described below.
Health Care Systems - Administration
The 18-credit hour Post-Master's in the Health Care Systems-Administration sequence includes content in nursing management and leadership, informatics, finance, human resource management, and outcomes and quality management. This content is aimed at preparing nurses to develop, implement, and measure the impact of innovations in care delivery at all levels within health care organizations.
This part-time course of study can be completed in 4 academic semesters (generally 2 years). Successful completion of the Post-Master's certificate in Health Care Systems-Administration provides the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a variety of leadership positions in evolving health care organizations. In addition, with the requisite management/administrative experience, students will be eligible to sit for the certification examination of the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Nursing Administration.
Course requirements for the Health Care Systems-Administration Post-Master's area include the following:
A sample plan of study for Health Care Systems-Administration is listed below.
Fall Admission |
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|
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Year One |
Year Two |
Fall |
NURS 870 |
NURS 871* |
Spring |
NURS 872** |
NURS 873** |
*N874 offered in odd-numbered
fall semesters; alternates with N871 in even-numbered years. |
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Health Care Systems - Clinical Nurse Leader
The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program of study prepares advanced practice nurses to be clinical nurse leaders in complex healthcare systems by deriving advanced knowledge and skills from both clinical and health care systems practice. The CNL is part of a national movement to improve healthcare delivery by preparing nurses to provide and manage care for individuals and groups of patients, monitor patient and healthcare outcomes, assess risk for groups of patients, utilize evidence-based practice, and demonstrate nursing leadership to bring innovations that transform the way health care is delivered. Students in this program of study will apply knowledge they are learning in real-world situations to gain first-hand knowledge of the provision of high quality and safe care to patients in today’s complex care environments.
The program of study for the CNL certificate program is individualized for those students who already have a graduate degree in advanced nursing, based upon their prior education and clinical experiences. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national certifying exam for Clinical Nurse Leaders.
Health Care Systems - Nursing Education
The 15-credit hour Post-Master's Program in Health Care Systems-Nursing Education course sequence is designed to prepare nurses for roles in patient education, staff development or academic settings. Nurse Educators have advanced understanding of the theoretical foundations and issues related to education of various patient populations, and adult nurse learners. They utilize comprehensive knowledge of learning theories, styles, and assessment methods in planning educational strategies based on the intended levels of learning. Nurse Educators design and implement effective evaluation methods in all health care arenas. Their educational practice will be research based and reflective of best practices.
This course of study can be completed in two full-time semesters (generally 1 year) or three or more part-time semesters. Successful completion of the Post-Master's certificate in Nursing Education provides advanced preparation for the Nurse Educator role in patient education, staff development, and academic education. Because of the growing shortage of qualified Nurse Educators, many schools of nursing are actively searching for new faculty. The preparation provided through the Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing Education will serve to increase career opportunities and to enhance current teaching skills.
Course requirements for the Nursing Education Post-Master's area include the following:
NURS 870: Health Care Informatics (3 credits).
OR
NURS 871: Leadership in Advanced Practice Roles in Health Care Organizations (3 credits)
NURS 875: Principles of Teaching Applied to Nursing (3 credits)
NURS 876: Innovations in Nursing and Health Care Educational Curricula (3 credits)
AND
NURS 878: Health Care Systems Residency and Integrative Seminar (3 credits)
NURS 882: Clinical Teaching in Nursing (3 credits)
EDUC 683: Educational Measurement and Evaluation (3 credits)
EDUC 609: Tests and Measurements (3 credits)
Health Care Systems - Informatics
The Post-Master’s Certificate in Health Care Systems - Informatics is designed for nurses who have earned an advanced graduate degree in nursing. The purpose of this program is to prepare nurses for clinical leadership roles in the design, selection, implementation and utilization of information technology (IT) systems in support of improved quality, safety and outcomes of care. Students will also apply knowledge in real-world situations during a practicum (residency) in a clinical informatics setting.
The program is 15-18 credits in length and can be completed in 2-4 academic semesters (1-2 years). The curriculum combines content in health care informatics, systems analysis, database management and outcomes. Students take courses from the School of Nursing and the School of Information and Library Science. The plan of studyfor the Informatics certificate is individualized, based upon a student’s prior education and work experiences.
Courses for the Health Care Systems – Informatics include:
Core Courses (total of 12-15 credits)
N870 Health Care Informatics (3 cr.) Fall
INLS 523 Database Concepts and Applications (3 cr.) Fall or Spring
INLS 582 Systems Analysis (3 cr.) Fall or Spring
N874 Outcomes Management/Quality/Patient Safety (3 cr.) Fall, odd years
N878 Residency (3 cr.) Spring
Elective Courses (select 3-6 credits)
INLS 461* Information Tools (3 cr.) Fall or Spring
N871 Leadership in Organizations (3 cr.) Spring
INLS 718 User Interface Design (3 cr.) Spring
INLS 890 Electronic Health Records (3 cr.) Spring
*INLS 461 may be required as a prerequisite for INLS 523 and INLS 582, depending on students’ prior academic coursework and professional experiences
An individualized program of study will be designed, based on an applicant's prior academic coursework, and professional experiences. The Health Care Systems advanced practice coordinator or designated faculty advisor will review submitted materials to determine an applicant's specific plan of study.
Limited scholarship support is available.
Individuals who have earned a master's degree in nursing from accredited programs, are currently licensed as RNs, and have at least one year's clinical experience are eligible to apply.
You will be asked to submit the following documents with your application:
Applicants must complete a Health Assessment course, approved by the School of Nursing, within two years prior to enrollment in the clinical courses (unless the applicant is currently practicing as a nurse practitioner). Please refer to the Post-Master's application instructions (Health Assessment Skills Evaluation Form) for detailed information on this requirement.
Students in both of these post-master's program areas take courses with Health Care Systems graduate students in the Master of Science in Nursing program. Transcripts of post-master's candidates are reviewed by the Advanced Practice Coordinator in the selected area of study. Additional or alternative coursework may be recommended based on this evaluation.
Students are expected to complete the program as planned. Students who drop out are generally not eligible to return in the following year and must reapply. (you can see how it is on the other areas if needed.
Health Care Systems faculty members are sensitive to students' learning needs by employing a variety of instructional modalities including seminar or classroom settings, on-line and/or Web-enhanced instruction. As a result, the courses may be offered in traditional classroom settings and/or via distance technologies.
The final residency course (NURS 878) has a preceptored practicum requirement. There are many excellent clinical sites and residency preceptors in the Triangle area including hospital, home health, long-term care and ambulatory care settings. Learners may also suggest sites and preceptors in their local area, which will be evaluated by the faculty to assure that course objectives can be met. The classes you will attend are courses offered in the Health Care Systems Advanced Practice Area of our Master's program.
For students who begin during the Fall semester, the Post-Master's FNP Program takes up to two academic years plus one intervening semester to complete. There is an option to extend the program for an additional semester to meet the student's needs.
As a non-degree program, the Post-Master’s Certificate Program is “housed” within the Department of Part-Time Classroom Studies, part of the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education at UNC-Chapel Hill. Upon acceptance into the program, you will be sent registration instructions for the first semester. Tuition must be submitted at the time of registration. Tuition is subject to annual increases by the University’s Board of Governors. The Post-MSN Program is a part-time program; however, a matriculated student may enroll full-time for one semester over the course of the program.
You may consult the University Cashier’s Office costs of attendance for specific information about tuition for the Post-Master’s Program (Refer to the figures for Part-Time Classroom Studies-Graduate). Additionally, all clinical courses are subject to a $150 practicum fee (a listing of these courses can be found on last page of the cost of attendance document).
Note: Students are fully responsible for all expenses for clinical-related travel.
Admission to the Post Master's Program is offered only once per year (Fall). The deadline for applying for fall admission is January 15th.
Upon satisfactory completion of this program, students are eligible to sit for national certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner and apply for approval by the joint committee of the North Carolina Board of Nursing and North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners to practice as a nurse practitioner in North Carolina
Additional Information:
School of Nursing
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Carrington Hall, CB #7460
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460
For general information on the School of Nursing and application materials, contact:
Office of Admissions and Student Services
(919) 966-4260
nursing@unc.edu
