Graduate Programs

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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 degree and a Master of Business Administration degree 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. All programs prepare nurses for advanced leadership roles in practice and administration, as well as for doctoral study in nursing. The curriculum offers students the opportunity to select a clinical specialization and role (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. Student successfully completing all concentration requirements are eligble to sit for a variety of national certification exams.

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 nursing 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 an unencumbered registered nurse licence 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, available online after admission.

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 project or evidence based practice course..

Current available concentrations include adult health clinical nurse specialist, clinical nurse leader, child/adolescent health clinical nurse specialist, community health nursing, school nursing, family nurse practitioner, acute care nurse practitioner and pediatric and acute care pediatric nurse practitioner.

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
Kristine Scordo, adult cardiology, acute care, MVPS, health promotion, cardiac rehabilitation, informatics

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
Patricia Vermeersch, clinical studies, dementia, gerontology, instrument development

Assistant Professors
Beth Cameron, adult health, community health, reproductive health care for men and women, diabetes
Candace Cherrington, cardiac nursing, critical/intensive care, nursing research, research methods
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
Yi-Hui lee, HIV/AIDS prevention is adolescents, statistical analysis in nursing research, culture and health, lung cancer symptoms and resources, health care in charter schools
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
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 evidence based practice proposal	3
Advanced Practice Options	29-44
Electives	0-5

*Some concentrations require additional credit hours.