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RN to MSN, Educator

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Earn your RN to MSN Educator degree is just 36 months online from Nebraska Methodist College.

Become a Nurse Educator with our RN to MSN Program -- Online.

The critical shortage of nurses in healthcare today is due in part to the shortage of qualified nurse educators to teach tomorrow's nurses. If you are a Registered Nurse and interested in a career in teaching, consider earning your Master of Science in Nursing as an Educator (RN to MSN, Educator).

Nurse Educators are employed in many educational settings including colleges, universities, hospital-based nursing schools and other postsecondary institutions. As a nurse faculty member, you will impart valuable knowledge and skills to future nurses - based on your own education and experience. This program format caters to working nurses and allows them to balance educational goals with personal and professional responsibilities.

RN to MSN Program Info

This RN to MSN program is a CCNE-accredited program that can be completed online in 36 months.
The program is designed for busy Registered Nurses (RNs) who have a passion for the nursing profession as well as for learning, teaching and working with students.
The curriculum starts with a foundation of critical thinking, assessment, communication and math courses and moves into advanced nursing and education courses, finishing with a special interest project.
Students gain teaching experience through practicum and projects.
Courses are five weeks long, with one week off before the start of the next course.
Students can access courses at any time of the day and from anywhere with Internet access.

Nurse Educator Salary & Job Outlook

Nursing salaries vary across the U.S. by specialty and experience. O*Net indicates the U.S. median salary in 2011 for Health Specialties, Teachers, Postsecondary was $79,860 per year, with an average projected job growth until 2020 of 10% to 19%.

Professional Organizations

RN to MSN Program Accreditation

This master's degree degree in nursing at Nebraska Methodist College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530
Washington, DC 20036-1120
Phone: 202-887-6791

Technology Requirements

To be successful with your online courses, you should have a basic understanding of computers and the internet. Read more about the minimum knowledge and hardware requisites on our Online Technology Requirements page.

Admissions

Application Deadline: Rolling

Program Start Date:
August, January and May

Prospective students may apply anytime and are accepted from deadlines throughout the year. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and students will be notified of their admission by letter or phone.

RN to MSN Program Admissions Criteria

Applicants are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

Graduation from an associate degree or diploma RN state approved program of nursing or a program professionally accredited by NLNAC or CCNE.
GPA of 3.0 or above; GPA below 3.0 will be considered on an individual basis
Current unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse
Non- Nebraska Residents meet State Authorization

RN to MSN Program Application Process

To be considered for admission the following items must be submitted to the Admissions Office:

NMC online nursing application
Current unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse
Resume
Written statement
Official high school transcript
Official GED test scores, if applicable
Official college transcripts from graduating institutions
Professional consultation with an admissions representative

For More Information Contact:

Laurel Zentner
Recruitment & Admissions Coordinator
(402) 354-7170
laurel.zentner@methodistcollege.edu

Tuition & Fees

Attending Nebraska Methodist College represents a major investment in your future. For most students, attending college takes planning and sacrifice. NMC recognizes this and is committed to helping you find every avenue to finance your education. View the Tuition by Program & Degree page for a comprehensive list of all RN to MSN program fees.

Tuition per credit hour: $681

Financial Assistance

At Nebraska Methodist College we offer financial aid to our students, and help you understand what financial resources are available to you. View our Financial Assistance page to learn about the Financial Assistance process, policies and options.

All RN to MSN program students are required to complete specific coursework. This list should only be used as a curriculum guide. Course listings and required curriculum are subject to change.

Bridge Curriculum

NRS 402

NURSING ASSESSMENT FOR RN'S

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This course discusses theory and concepts of holistic health assessment across the lifespan. Advancement of skills in history taking, health assessment, and health promotion using concepts of evidence-based practice, critical thinking, genetics/genomics, quality and safety to provide caring, culturally-competent professional nursing care are emphasized. Students will collaborate with a preceptor to perform health assessments in a clinical setting.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: Placement: Admission to the RN to BSN Program or RN to MSN Program

SSC 360

INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS

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This course is designed to introduce students to the methods used in organizing, summarizing, analyzing and interpreting quantitative information. Emphasis is placed on the application of statistical methods and on the interpretation of statistically significant data. Specific techniques for measuring the degree of relationship between variables encountered in research are presented. The course is limited to research designs involving no more than two variables.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: Determined by major

SSC 370

PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH

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This course is designed to assist the student in developing an understanding of the research process in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods designs. The student learns to selectively apply the steps of research and to critically analyze research studies culminating in formal, oral and written projects.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: Determined by major

NRS 476/476C

COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING

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The course synthesizes concepts and principles of community health nursing and public health science that promote population centered health care in the community. Course theory incorporates the history of community health nursing, community health nursing standards, roles and functions of the community health nurse, Healthy People 2010 goals, case management, community assessment and diagnosis, program planning and evaluation, and evidenced-based practice in the community. Students evaluate strategies to improve the health status and eliminate health disparities of diverse vulnerable populations using ethical, advocacy, and social justice philosophies. The function and status of the US health care system and public health care system are analyzed as well as ethical and future challenges facing the respective systems. Public health content focuses on the application of the core functions and epidemiology, biostatistics, environment, global health, determinants of health, infectious disease, health surveillance, health behavior, disasters, and healthcare systems, policy, and delivery concepts. Current and changing community and public health issues are critically analyzed in relation to local, state, national, and global population health concerns and policies.

Credits: 6.0
Prerequisites: Placement: Admission to the RN to BSN Program or RN to MSN Program

NRS 446

COLLABORATIVE NURSING LEADERSHIP IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY

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This course analyzes leadership and management theories in relation to trends in nursing and healthcare. The concepts of change, power, collaboration, gender dynamics, and advocacy will be examined and applied to the practice of nursing. Health care policy, legal aspects, and economic factors are explored as they relate to client care and professional nursing practice. Using a global perspective, students will analyze, evaluate and create possible solutions to nursing and healthcare issues.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: Placement: Accelerated BSN students or Admission to the RN to BSN Program or RN to MSN Program

MSN Curriculum

NRS 509

ADVANCED NURSING ROLES & PHENOMENA

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This course facilitates the transition of the nurse into the advanced nursing role. The contributions of five ways of knowing to nursing praxis are examined, and students reflect on the use of these ways in their own practice. To broaden understanding of the concerns of nursing, students explore concept analysis scholarly papers. Students compare and contrast qualitative research traditions/methods as means to describe phenomena. Students begin to develop their professional portfolio based on program outcomes.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: To be taken first semester or by permission

NRS 513

MEASUREMENT & STATISTICAL CONCEPTS FOR DATA INTERPRETATION

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In this course, students apply nursing knowledge with theory and statistical methods to broaden understanding of nursing concepts and nursing outcomes. Measurement principles, descriptive statistics and relationships between variables are explored to better comprehend nursing and nursing phenomena. Using the framework of disparity and risk in a specific population, students apply content on variable association. Reports using statistics to compare groups and measure patient improvement over time are analyzed for implications for patient populations.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: NRS 509 or by permission

NRS 508

ISSUES IN ADVANCED NURSING ROLES

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This course explores the health care delivery system with specific consideration of economic, political, social, cultural, global, and professional influences. Legal, ethical, and economic issues for current and projected health care needs are addressed. The skills necessary for application and synthesis of biophysical sciences, psychosocial sciences, the humanities, and the science of caring are enhanced. Skills in critical thinking, decision making, and organizational leadership are included.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: NRS 509 & NRS 513, or by permission.

NRS 517

CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF KNOWLEDGE FOR PRACTICE

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The purpose of this course is the understanding of research processes and interpretation of statistics to make accurate critical appraisals. Students apply the process of drawing conclusions, finding implications, and making recommendations based on an appraised study. The relative merits of studies are judged for answering a particular research question. Questions of the fit of evidence or theory within an identified agency or institutional setting are explored.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: NRS 509 & NRS 513, or by permission.

NRS 519

SYNTHESIS AND USE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

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Students will collaborate in groups to search for and synthesize evidence to answer an educational, administrative, or practice PICO question. Major sources of research and best practice guidelines are identified. Students use practice sites to examine theory and strategies to promote change and improve outcomes during the implementation of a recommendation. Elements of evaluation of a) the adoption of innovation and b) the improvement in practice outcomes are discussed.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: NRS 509, NRS 513 & NRS 517, or by permission.

MSN Nurse Educator Track

NRS 516

TEACHING-LEARNING PRINCIPLES FOR NURSING EDUCATION

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Teaching-learning principles and holistic adult education theories appropriate for college level students are examined. Learning theory that emphasizes andragogy and its related concepts such as transformational learning, reflective learning and self-directed learning is included. Motivational and personality characteristics for the broader social system are discussed and evaluated as are specific considerations with regard to ethnic, cultural, and other diversity issues.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: NRS 509 & NRS 513, or by permission

NRS 518

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

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This course analyzes teaching strategies and modalities relevant to classroom and clinical teaching in nursing education. Fundamental concepts and principles in educational and psychological measurement of learning are explored.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: NRS 509, NRS 513 & NRS 516, or by permission.

NRS 546

ADVANCED HEALTH ASSESSMENT/PATHOPHYSIOLOGY/PHARMACOLOGY

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This course provides the theoretical foundation to obtain a complete and accurate health database, including history and holistic assessment, across the lifespan. Physiologic changes and clinical manifestations that occur as a result of disease, as well as drug therapy used to treat or effect health status is integrated to facilitate critical analysis of collected assessment data and support clinical decision-making. Precepted clinical experience allows for practical application of course theory.

Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: Admission to the MSN Program or by permission.

NRS 523

CURRICULUM/PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & EVALUATION

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This course concentrates on curriculum/program development for nursing education. The purposes, functions, design, and implementation of curriculum/program development are examined. Students will be expected to apply previous classroom/ experiential learning and research to the exploration of various basic curricula/program designs.

Credits: 4.0
Prerequisites: All program course work except NRS 524. Pre/Co requisites: NRS 592

NRS 592

CAPSTONE I

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In this first course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education and leadership content as well as experiences learned throughout the master's program of study. Groups of students will collaboratively begin a group-selected evidence-based project. Emphasis is placed on the process of identifying a nursing problem (PICO [T]), searching and critically appraising the literature with development of a summary matrix table.

Credits: 2.0
Prerequisites: Pre- or Corequisites: NRS 523 & NRS 558 or by permission.

NRS 524

PRACTICUM IN NURSING EDUCATION

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Working with a preceptor during 126 contact hours, students have the opportunity to synthesize learning and experiences into strategies and designs for nursing education. Multiple teaching-learning theories, designs and strategies are employed. Included in this practicum is direct contact with undergraduate students in the classroom and clinical environment.

Credits: 4.0
Prerequisites: All program course work is prerequisite or by permission. Pre/Co requisites: NRS 594

NRS 594

CAPSTONE II

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In this second course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education and leadership content and experiences learned throughout the master‘s program of study. Groups of students will collaboratively complete a group-selected evidence-based project begun in NRS 592. Emphasis will be on the process of completing an evidence-based manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or a podium or poster presentation suitable for delivery at a national or regional conference.

Credits: 2.0
Prerequisites: NRS 592 Co requisites: NRS 524 & NRS 559 or by permission.

Faculty

Our RN to MSN program faculty is highly experienced and credentialed in their own fields, giving you constant real-world insight you can use. While any instructor can recite from a textbook, ours go a step further and draw from vast personal experience. Instructors here care as deeply about their students as they do the subject matter and it shows.