The Master of Science in Nursing Health Care Leadership provides opportunities to the registered nurses in New Hampshire and across the nation to earn a meaningful degree that will provide a clear pathway to work collaboratively with other professionals to improve health outcomes across diverse populations. The program is designed specifically from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials Series and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Learning Outcomes 

Students will have the opportunity to:   

1. Integrate the practice of nursing with sciences and humanities to assess the unique needs of a diverse population and design, implement and evaluate a plan to impact the outcomes of nursing care within the population;
2. Apply leadership competencies in the provision of safe, high quality and cost effective care to individuals, populations, or communities within the health care system;
3. Analyze information from health care information systems related to quality initiatives that promote improved quality, cost, safety and health care outcomes;
4. Communicate research and practice outcomes to advance clinical practice;
5. Demonstrate competence in the analysis of current and emerging technologies that impact health care outcomes;
6. Advocate for policies that lead to improved population health outcomes or the improvement of the quality of the health care system;
7. Demonstrate caring, culturally responsive leadership communication both written and verbally, capable of effectively leading interprofessional teams;
8. Advocate for ethical health care practice through effective communication with interprofessional teams and stakeholders;
9. Demonstrate competence in the advanced practice as a nursing leader to promote improvement in health care outcomes for individuals, systems, or populations.

Nurse Leadership Concentration Expected Student Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate ability to lead initiatives that promote culturally competent and ethical care that promotes health and improvement of health among individuals, populations, or communities;
2. Implement and evaluate practice change based on innovative evidence-based nursing practice;
3. Demonstrate competency in financial management, human resource management, and strategic and operational planning within the health care setting.

Health, Character, and Technical Standards 

Technical standards have been established to inform the student of minimum standards needed to satisfactorily function in the program and ultimately succeed in the profession. Applicants who feel they may not be able to meet one or more of the technical standards listed should contact the Director to discuss individual cases. All academically qualified candidates will be considered for admission provided the technical standards for classroom and practice experiences can be met with reasonable accommodations. Subsequent evidence that a matriculated student is unable/unwilling to meet one or more of the standards, and thus unable to meet course objectives, may result in dismissal from the program.

The College must ensure that patients/clients of clinical affiliates are not placed in jeopardy by students during practice experiences. Therefore, students in practice experiences must demonstrate sufficient emotional stability to withstand the stresses, uncertainties, and rapidly-changing circumstances that characterize the responsibilities of patient/client care. Furthermore, the student is expected to have the emotional stability required to exercise sound judgment, accept direction and guidance from a supervisor, staff nurse, or faculty member, establish rapport, and maintain sensitive interpersonal relationships with patients, their families, agency staff, faculty, and ​classmates. Applicants must also be in good physical and mental health to meet program objectives. Participation in classes and clinical experiences is expected. Technical standards are listed below:

1. Sufficient hearing to assess patients’ health, understand instructions, identify emergency signals, and engage in telephone conversation;
2. Sufficient visual acuity to observe patients, interpret data, ensure a safe environment, and read fine print;
3. Sufficient speech and language ability to read, express, comprehend, and exchange information and ideas in English verbally, non-verbally, and in writing, and to interact clearly and logically with patients, health care professionals, family members, faculty, and peers;
4. Ability to work with frequent interruptions, to respond appropriately in emergencies or unexpected situations, and to cope with variations in workload and stress levels;
5. Sufficient emotional intelligence to exhibit empathy and compassion, to maintain productive relationships in online, classroom, and clinical settings, and to integrate direction, instruction, and criticism into behavior;
6. Sufficient strength, endurance, and motor coordination to participate in course requirements;
7. Sufficient information technology skills to complete assignments according to program standards;
8. Personal transportation to and from clinical experiences;
9. Compliance with health and immunization requirements and criminal background check verification process.

Admissions Criteria

• Completed Admissions Application
• Bachelor’s Degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a: 3.0 GPA minimum for the last 60 credit hours attempted, or 3.0 GPA minimum overall (undergraduate),
  or Graduate Degree completed from a regionally accredited college or university with a 3.0 GPA minimum overall.
• 500-1000 word statement which includes professional goals and aspirations, motivation for applying for the degree, and relevant formal or informal experiences.
• Two signed letters of professional or academic reference and/or two completed recommendation forms.
• Current resume.
• Official transcripts of all previous college work (with translation and evaluation if completed outside of the United States) sent directly to the Graduate Admissions Office, by the Registrar of the colleges or universities attended.

Additional requirements for Master of Science in Nursing Health Care Management:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
• Licensed as a registered nurse in the state of practice
• See the Health, Character, and Technical Standards in the Overview tab.

Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits
Minimum Residency Requirement: 30 credits must be taken at Granite State College
Minimum GPA Requirement: 3.0

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Major in Nursing Health Care Leadership 1
NUR 802	Translating and Integrating Research into Nursing Practice	3
LD 820	Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities	3
HLTC 802	Advocacy and Health Policy	3
HLTC 801	Health Care Financial Management	3
HLTC 810	Health Care Quality and Safety	3
HLTC 811	Health Care Technology and Informatics	3
NUR 812	Interprofessional Collaboration for Population Health	3
Elective Course
Select one of the following:		3
LD 804	Leading Teams
LD 832	Building Diverse and Inclusive Organizations
Integrative Capstone:
NUR 850	Integrative Clinical Capstone for Nursing Leaders	6
Total Credits		30

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A minimum grade of C is required in all coursework.