For Master’s in Nursing Degree Programs in Virginia, A-R, click here.
Attending one of the Master’s in Nursing Programs in Virginia is the first step towards moving from an entry-level generalist nurse to an advanced-practice nurse specialist. Nurses with master’s degrees can be qualified to act as nurse educators, nurse midwives, nurse anesthesiologists, community health specialists, gerontological nurses and psychiatric mental health nurses, in addition to clinic, hospital or community health agency leaders. Master’s-level nurses are also responsible for teaching the next generation of nurses, with a master’s degree in nursing being a requirement to teach at the college or university level. Master’s level nurse educators can also develop, lead and implement community health education programs in order to teach the general public how to maintain their health, manage chronic or long-term illnesses and conditions and prevent serious medical conditions. The following institutions offer accredited master’s in nursing programs in Virginia.
Shenandoah University
Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing
Shenandoah University’s Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing takes the call for decreasing the nursing shortage and increasing the number of highly qualified nurses seriously. In fact, the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing is one of the premiere nursing schools in the Virginia area, with the university’s nursing program hosting partnerships with several other universities in both Virginia and West Virginia. These partnerships help to increase the nursing program offerings available to students in both states, increasing the number of future nurses that are better prepared to handle the challenges of an advanced nursing practice career. Some of the academic partnerships include:
– George Washington University in Washington DC
– Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia
– Mount St. Mary’s University in Frederick, Maryland
– Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia
– West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, West Virginia
In addition to academic partnerships, Shenandoah University also has a long-standing partnership with Valley Health. This partnership provides grants, clinical education, occupational and physical therapy education programs and technology, making these programs accessible by a larger number of students, nurses, educators, faculty and healthcare workers. The university provides healthcare practitioners with increased opportunities for professional and continuing education development. In return, Valley Health supports over 300 Shenandoah University students each year through one-on-one preceptorships, group clinicals, internships and pharmacy residencies. In addition, Valley Health also offers 20-35 BSN students opportunities for clinical preceptorships each semester, along with summer nursing internship positions and paid, supervised clinical opportunities.
Master in Nursing Programs
The nursing program at Shenandoah University’s Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing offer four options for a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. These options include the following:
– Nurse Midwifery
– Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
– Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
– Health Systems Management
All four of these options can be completed as either a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), a post graduate certificate or as a RN to MSN degree completion option.
The nurse midwifery program is for nurses that wish to specialize in providing obstetric care, childbirth and delivery care and postpartum care to low-risk pregnant women, in addition to providing general gynecologic care, such as annual physicals and preventative care. This program is offered in collaboration with several partner schools, giving Shenandoah students the option to study at another local university, which can be helpful for nursing students that relocate prior to the completion of their degree program. Students in this program are required to take courses, including the primary care of women, comprehensive antepartal care, midwifery practicum and a midwifery internship.
The family nurse practitioner program is designed to prepare nurses to be competent when monitoring the physical, social and psychological health of individuals and families from infancy through old age. In addition, family nurse practitioners emphasize the importance of family and include families as an integral component in treatment and evaluation, focus on wellness and treating the whole person and not just the symptoms, diagnose and treat most common chronic and acute illnesses, order lab tests and x-rays, prescribe medications and listen and empathized with patients. Family nurse practitioners are expected to work in a variety of rural and urban settings.
A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in Shenandoah’s program is provided with biopsychopharmacotheraputic knowledge necessary to diagnose, treat and provide medication management to psychiatric mental health patients across the lifespan. Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners work in a variety of settings, including mental health hospitals and clinics. Students in this specialization are required to complete 180 clinical hours in individuals, group and family therapy, as well as 120 hours in primary care settings, including the emergency room, in addition to 400 additional clinical hours in a variety of settings. This is a highly intensive program due to the large quantity of required clinical hours.
Finally, the health systems management program is designed to meet the needs of today’s quickly changing healthcare system. Health systems managers work to improve the quality and efficiency of the heal tare system. Health care managers also manage, evaluate and improve healthcare delivery. Health systems managers work in both the public and private sectors, including hospitals, ambulatory care facilities and long-term health care facilities.
Accreditations
The nursing program at Shenandoah University is accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education.
Contact
Shenandoah University
1460 University Drive
Winchester, VA 22601
(800) 432-2266
[email protected]
https://www.su.edu/nursing/master-of-science-in-nursing/
University of Virginia
School of Nursing
The University of Virginia has a very long and noble history, founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson. In 1901, the medical center and school of nursing were started, making the program one of the oldest nursing education programs in the country. The University of Virginia is currently ranked the nation’s #2 public university.
The University of Virginia’s School of Nursing is part of the larger University of Virginia Health System. Other components of the health system include the School of Medicine, the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, the Medical Center and the UVA Physicians Group. The UVA Medical Center has a 577 bed hospital, a state level 1 trauma center and the Emily Couric Cancer Center, which provides state-of-the-art oncological treatment to patients from around the world. In construction is the Battle Children’s Hospital and a long-term acute care facility. All of these resources are available to University of Virginia School of Nursing students, providing them with an extensive network of world-renowned experts in the field, supervised clinical experiences in many of the world’s most in-demand healthcare specializations, opportunities to participate in, conduct and learn from some of the newest and ground-breaking research in the world, and a wealth of supervisory and educational experiences that just are not available in smaller or more rural schools.
The School of Nursing at the University of Virginia builds all programs around four key values:
1) Respect and honor
2) Relationships and collaboration
3) Recognition and celebration
4) Excellence
These four values are brought together in the University of Virginia’s teaching and practice philosophy of protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, as well as the prevention of illness and injury, the alleviation of suffering and advocacy for all people. The university uses a humanistic approach that also fosters critical thinking skills, social and cultural awareness and diversity among individuals in terms of life experiences, culture and socioeconomic factors.
Master in Nursing Programs
The School of Nursing at the University of Virginia offers a wide variety of Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs, including the following areas:
– Adult Gerontology Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
– Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (NP)
– Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) – direct entry to nursing
– Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) for Registered Nurses (RN)
– Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
– Health Systems Management
– Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
– Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
– Public Health Nursing Leadership (PHNL)
– Public Health Nursing Leadership with Nurse Practitioner (PHNL-NP) specialization
In addition, all MSN students have the additional option of earning a master’s certificate in any of the following areas in order to specialize in several areas at once. This means that one specializing as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) can also earn certificates in Wound, Ostomy, Continence (WOC) Nursing and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in order to be highly qualified to work with the aging population, increase earning potential and be eligible for upper-level management positions.
– Adult Gerontology Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
– Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (NP)
– Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
– Health Systems Management
– Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
– Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
– Public Health Nursing Leadership
– Wound, Ostomy, Continence (WOC) Nursing
There is a wide range of program completion times, from 21 months for full-time and three years for part-time study in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) MSN program to several years for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program. Most of the programs average approximately two years for full-time study and three to four years for part-time study.
Students in the University of Virginia School of Nursing enjoy small, intimate classes. In addition, students from all of the Master of Science in Nursing degree programs have access to clinical assignments at the University of Virginia Medical Center, in addition to other clinical sites in the area.
Students in all of the University of Virginia programs have access to several of the university’s nursing education buildings. The Claude Moore Nursing Education building houses classrooms and offices and is designed to facilitate communication and relationships between students and staff. McLeod Hall houses a cafe, classrooms, conference rooms, a 475 seat auditorium, faculty offices, the Office for Nursing Research, the Bjoring Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry and the Clinical Simulation Learning Center.
The Mary Morton Parsons Clinical Simulation Learning Center (CSLC) provides both nursing students and healthcare professionals with a safe and supervised environment to learn and practice, receiving instant feedback without devastating consequences. The Clinical Simulation Learning Center offers students an intensive care simulation laboratory, a physical assessment laboratory, two clinical education suites, an isolation room, a women’s and children’s simulation unit, two A/V control rooms, two debriefing rooms and a virtual reality lab. All of the clinical simulations are realistic, providing nursing students with state-of-the-art clinical practice in a safe and reinforcing setting.
Accreditations
The nursing program at University of Virginia is accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education.
Contact
University of Virginia
School of Nursing
225 Jeanette Lancaster Way
Charlottesville, VA 22903-3388
(434) 924-2743
http://www.nursing.virginia.edu/programs/msn/
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Nursing
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing was established in 1893, contributing to Virginia’s longstanding history of training and educating nurses. Today, the school has an average annual enrollment of 1000 students in the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. The School of Nursing’s programs include the following:
– Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program
– Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program for individuals who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field
– RN to BSN completion program for current licensed nurses
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP)
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PCNP)
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Nursing Administration and Leadership
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
– PhD in Nursing
Students in the School of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University are offered a wealth of state-of-the-art clinical and educational experiences. The university is partnered with the Virginia Commonwealth Medical Center, which is a level 1 trauma center with magnet status. Together with the VCU Medical Center, Virginia Commonwealth University is among the top 25 schools of nursing in the nation, based on research funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Master in Nursing Programs
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing offers the following Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs:
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP)
This program is designed to prepare nurses to provide care to adults with complex health problems, including acutely ill patients. Nurses in this field work with adults and the elderly from administration to post-hospitalization. Practitioners in this program learn to diagnose, treat and manage short-term acute illnesses, such as influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis, broken bones and infections.
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
The AG-CNS program is designed for nurses that focus on the diagnosis and treatment of a verity of health issues, in addition to the promotion of health and wellness. AG-CNS practitioners also consult with patients, nurses and health care providers in order to deliver safe and quality health care.
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PCNP)
AG-PCNP program participants learn to provide care for adults and the elderly for long-term and chronic conditions, as well as acute, mild and short-term illnesses and conditions. AG-PCNPs also provide wellness maintenance and disease prevention education.
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
The PNP program is designed to prepare nurses to work in a clinical healthcare setting with infants, children and adolescents, providing basic healthcare for acute and chronic illnesses, as well as well-child preventative care.
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program is designed to prepare nurses to work in a variety of mental health settings, providing medication management and mental healthcare diagnoses and treatment.
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
The family nurse practitioner program trains nurses to work with patients of all ages, from neonates through the elderly in a clinical healthcare setting.
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Nursing Administration and Leadership
The nursing administration and leadership program prepares nurses for advanced leadership, administrative and managerial roles.
– Master of Science in Nursing program with a specialization in Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
Women’s Health Nurse Practitioners provide care to women from adolescence through adulthood, assisting with gynecological and reproductive healthcare issues.
Students in all of the nursing programs at Virginia Commonwealth University have access to the brand new state-of-the-art 9000 square foot facility, Clinical Learning Center. The Clinical Learning Center is one of the most scientifically and technologically advanced clinical simulation labs on the east coast. Students have access to bench laboratories to support the biobehavioral research conducted by both students an faculty, in addition to access to some of the most advanced simulators and mannequins in the world. Simulators include two intensive care simulation suites, an adult human patient simulator, infant simulators and a delivery room for birth simulation. The Clinical Learning Center also provides nursing students with an autoclave room, bulk storage for research projects, a cryogenics laboratory, a tissue lab, an interview room, a research group room with attached one-way mirror observation room and a scanning station room. This large space devoted to clinical research demonstrates Virginia Commonwealth University’s dedication to advancing clinical healthcare knowledge.
Accreditations
The nursing program at Virginia Commonwealth University is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
Contact
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Nursing
P.O. Box 980567
Richmond, VA 23298
804-828-0724
[email protected]
http://www.nursing.vcu.edu
While many nurses will agree that nursing can be both a challenging and rewarding career choice, nurses holding master’s degrees are eligible for leadership, education or specialist roles that can increase both the challenges and the rewards. Advanced-practice nurses help to shape the nursing and healthcare fields by educating the next generation of nurses, as well as taking on leadership roles in hospitals, clinics and community health agencies. The above Master’s in Nursing Programs in Virginia all offer accredited and well-respected master’s degree programs in several specializations.
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