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Nursing

Introduction

The College of Nursing and Health offers a graduate program leading to a Master of Science degree with a major in nursing and a dual degree program leading to a Master of Science and a Master of Business Administration in administration of nursing and health care systems. Students may complete the requirements for two concentrations while pursuing a nursing Master’s degree. A third program enables the registered nurse student with a bachelor’s degree in a traditional discipline outside of nursing to enroll in a bridge program leading to a master’s degree. The program prepares nurses for advanced leadership roles in practice and administration, as well as for doctoral study in nursing. The curriculum offers students the opportunity to individualize the nursing major by selecting from areas of clinical specialization and roles (clinical specialist, nurse practitioner, nurse administrator, or school nurse). Nurses already possessing a master’s degree with a major in nursing may earn a second M.S. degree in nursing. The programs accommodate both full-time and part-time students, with most classes offered in the late afternoon and evening. The sequence of course offerings is flexible. Full-time students may complete the program within one or two calendar years, depending on the major. Part-time students must complete all requirements for the degree within five years.

Admission

The College of Nursing and Health has several admission requirements in addition to the minimum requirements of the School of Graduate Studies. All prospective students must have:

• a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a school of nursing that is accredited by a nationally recognized body for nursing education accreditation. Alternately, the prospective student may be a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in a traditional discipline other than nursing, which will require selected support and professional nursing bridge courses in addition to regular graduate curriculum requirements.

• an overall grade point average in undergraduate work of 3.0, or 2.7 with 3.0 or better in the upper division course work in the major.

• submission of a goal statement with application to the program.

• within five years, complete a statistics course prior to enrollment in NUR 707.

• documented expertise in physical/health assessment or completed course.

• computer literacy.

• evidence of registered nurse licensure in Ohio.

• evidence of liability insurance, health insurance, CPR certification, and other necessary health information as required by clinical agencies, prior to clinical courses and practica.

All students are required to adhere to the policies and procedures set forth in the Wright State University Graduate Catalog and the College of Nursing and Health Graduate Student Handbook.
The college has a rolling admission policy to provide flexibility for students wishing to start in any quarter. Please note that some concentrations have specific deadlines. Please contact the college for details.

Degree Requirements

The program is divided into core and advanced practice options. The core includes courses in theoretical foundations, research, concepts of advanced practice and research sequence. To Complete the research sequence, the student has a choice of thesis, scholarly project, supervised research roject or research utilization courses.

Advanced practice specialty options include the choice of clinical or organizational systems. Students interested in administration of nursing and health care systems would select organizational systems. Students who select clinical systems choose a client focus with individuals or community. Current available clinical specialties include adult health, child/adolescent health, community health nursing, school nursing, the family nurse practitioner program, and the acute care nurse practitioner program.

Candidates for the master’s degree must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Completion of a minimum of 50 credit hours

2. Completion of the program within five years

3. Maintenance of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average with no more than nine hours of C grades applicable to the degree

4. Successful completion of a research sequence.

School Nurse Licensure
In addition to the Master of Science nursing major with a concentration in School Nursing, the College of Nursing and Health collaborates with the College of Education and Human Services to provide a postbaccalaureate program of study leading to Professional Pupil Services School Nurse Licensure though the Ohio Department of Education. Interested individuals must first complete a baccalaureate degree with course work in growth and development, psychology, sociology, and/or anthropology. Each candidate must also have course work in community health and a current license to practice as a registered nurse issued by the Ohio Board of Nursing.

Facilities

The College of Nursing and Health is located in Wright State’s newest building, University Hall—a state-of-the-art educational facility. Clinical instructional facilities are abundant and varied. Since June 1984, the school has had a collaborative agreement with the Division of Nursing at Miami Valley Hospital to form a Center for Excellence in Nursing. This agreement affords opportunities for research, clinical practice, and education for students and faculty. In addition, the school has contracts with over 200 agencies in the area including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, county health departments, nursing homes, school systems, senior citizen centers, and day care centers—all of which can be used for clinical experiences and/or research.

For research, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Library and the Fordham Health Sciences Library are available. The Dunbar Library provides media production services and facilities. The university’s Statistical Consulting Center provides support for data analysis.

Faculty

Professors
Barbara Fowler, community health, adolescent health, nursing education, health policy, cultural diversity, vulnerable populations
Margaret Clark Graham, community health, issues in advanced practice, primary care, prevention, nurse practitioner education, health policy, adolescent issues, families, outcome research, evidenced-based practice
Patricia Martin, maternal/child, community health, organizational behavior, research environments, evaluation
Susan G. Praeger, school nursing, adolescent health, nursing education, maternal-child nursing

Associate Professors
Janice Belcher, nursing administration, nursing informatics, psychiatric nursing
Donna Miles Curry, children and families, developmental screening, pain in children, pediatric critical care, separation anxiety, infancy
Virginia Nehring, clinical nursing practice, community/public health, spirituality, clinical instruction, psychiatric nursing practice
Kristine Scordo, adult cardiology, acute care, MVPS, health promotion, cardiac rehabilitation, informatics

Assistant Professors
Candace Cherrington, cardiac nursing, critical/intensive care, nursing research, research methods
Cynthia Gibbons, chemical dependency, community health, evaluation research, informatics and technology, mother/baby care, nursing research, parenting, pediatrics, research/utilization, research methods, teaching strategies, vulnerable populations
Bobbe Gray, cognitive models, design/methods, high-risk pregnancy, hope, maternal childbearing, mother/baby care, nursing research, teen pregnancy, parenting, stress and coping
Carol Holdcraft, stress and coping, subjective experience, cognitive models, recovery from MI, psychiatric nursing practice, hope, hardiness, informatics and technology
Mary Lynd, transitions for the aged, computerized teaching strategies
Gina Maiocco, adult health, nursing administration, critical care
Gail Moddeman, gerontology, adult health, pain management
Beth Sorensen, medical-sugical, gerontology, women's health
Patricia Vermeersch, clinical studies, dementia, gerontology, instrument development
Joyce Zurmehly, medical-surgical, obstetrics, psychiatric nursing

Clinical Assistant Professors
Lynne Kelley, pediatric health policy, injury prevention, advanced practice nursing issues, trans-cultural nursing
Martha Teter, diabetes
Alice Teall, adolescent health, genetics, menopause, informatics
Clinical Instructor
Latanya Davis, women’s health, adolescent primary care

Course of Study

Program of Study

Summary of Requirements	50*
Core Courses	21
Thesis, scholarly project, supervised research experience or research utilization	3
Advanced Practice Options	29-44
Electives	0-5

*Some concentrations require additional credit hours.