Saint Joseph’s College’s RN-MSN curriculum includes preparatory courses that are designed to prepare students for the rigors of the MSN program. Topics in these preparatory courses include introductions to professional writing, leadership, clinical prevention, interprofessional teams, health policy, ethics, role transitions, healthcare quality and safety.

The MSN curriculum includes core courses in nursing informatics, organizational and systems leadership, policy, quality, and safety, and interprofessional collaboration which support the specialty tracks, where you will acquire in-depth knowledge and advanced skills.

Mastery of critical thinking skills will prepare you for leadership roles within a patient-centered health care delivery setting or educational setting. Upon completing this online graduate nursing program, you will have the knowledge and skills in leadership and management to influence nursing practice and health care policy, educate the next generation of RNs, and/or enter a fulfilling career as an advanced practice RN.

Program Outcomes:

• Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics, biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences into clinical reasoning and decision making.
• Uses advanced communication skills and leadership in quality, ethical, and safety healthcare initiatives that incorporate interprofessional collaboration for current and future needs of patient populations.
• Uses communication and leadership skills as a member of the interprofessional team to manage and coordinate patient care to achieve outcomes.
• Analyze biostatistical and environmental data in the development, implementation and evaluation of culturally humble care directed toward health promotion and disease prevention in individuals and communities.
• Demonstrate advanced levels of critical reasoning and decision making in designing, implementing, and evaluating evidence based care to improve patient outcomes in primary care environments.
• Analyze health care policy for application in regards to access, safety, quality, and efficacy in advanced level nursing practice.
• Analyze methods for critical appraisal of evidence and application of evidence in advanced level nursing practice.

Admission Requirements:

• Active unrestricted, unencumbered RN license in the US.
• A minimum of 1 year of experience working as a RN.
• Graduated with an associates degree in nursing (ADN) or hospital school of nursing diploma.
• Cumulative GPA 2.5. Students must attain a GPA of 3.0 in the preparatory courses to move forward to the MSN courses.
• Submission of all official transcripts.
• Submission of a current Resume or CV.
• Submission of a Career statement following the prompt provided in the application. The Career statement should reflect the desired MSN program track.
  • NP Applicants: Describe the NP role in the context of advanced practice. How does obtaining a graduate nursing degree fit into your professional development goals?
  • Administration / Education Applicants: In 750 words or less, please describe how a nurse with an advanced degree impacts practice and how you plan to use your advanced degree after graduation.
• 3 references- from a peer, a supervisor and prior faculty.
• TOEFL if needed.