Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are the providers of choice for millions of Americans due to their track record of providing quality care to persons of all ages and walks of life. NPs bring a unique perspective to health care with an emphasis on both caring and curing. NPs diagnose and manage acute, episodic, and chronic illness. NPs also focus on health promotion, disease prevention and health education and counseling, helping guide patients and their families to make smarter health and lifestyle choices.

Nurse practitioners are needed to meet the growing demand for primary health care.  As a nurse practitioner you will blend your nursing and communication skills with advanced practice skills in taking patient histories, performing physical exams, ordering labs, interpreting lab results, prescribing medications and educating patients and families about health care issues.

The MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Program can be completed in 2 years with full time study or 3 years with part-time study.  The program is offered in a hybrid format.  Online courses are combined with web-enhanced on campus courses. Students work with faculty and preceptors who have extensive nurse practitioner experience.  Applications are submitted to the Graduate School through the APPLY TEXAS website https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/c_start.WBX

PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program assumes an undergraduate base in nursing, physiology, pharmacology, and health assessment. The curriculum is designed to prepare graduates at a high level of competency to function in leadership positions in diverse health care settings promoting, restoring, and maintaining health. The MSN philosophy builds on the BSN nursing program philosophy, advancing the concepts of critical thinking, life-long learning, and professionalism.

Nurses in advanced practice use theory and research based nursing process to deliver and/or manage client care. Graduate nursing education promotes the development of advanced critical thinking skills through its focus on creative and intellectual processes and facilitates change as evidenced by intellectual and professional growth.  The graduate learning environment incorporates the principles of adult learning to promote critical thinking and inter-collaborative skills which may be used in conceptualizing, synthesizing, and evaluating management of nursing and health care problems. Nurses in advanced practice embrace the scholarly and systematic paradigm of evidence-based practice as necessary for the delivery of high-quality cost-efficient health care. They recognize the dynamic nature of health care and health care delivery, committing them to be life-long learners. As members of the profession, nurses in advanced practice respond to the changing needs of society while practicing within the established ethical, legal, and competency standards of practice frameworks.

MSN STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the MSN program, students have been provided the opportunity to enable themselves to:

1. Function as a scholar clinician with critical thinking skills to promote, restore, and maintain health.
2. Synthesize the theories from natural, behavioral, and social sciences to support advanced clinical nursing and role development.
3. Use patient-care and communication technologies to deliver, enhance, integrate and coordinate high quality health care.
4. Collaboratively plan for the delivery of culturally consistent health care within the context of client social structure and world views.
5. Participate in, evaluate, and use research to promote the body of nursing knowledge.
6. Develop competence and accountability in an advanced practice nursing role, recognizing established standards and principles for quality improvement and safety.
7. Develop the knowledge and skills to function as a nursing leader in professional association activities, health policy formation, and legislative and regulatory issues to foster change and improvement in health care.
8. Demonstrate a commitment to continuing education in formal and informal programs of study.

For more information, please see:

Graduate School Website

MSN Program FAQ