The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master's degree program in nursing at Colby-Sawyer College are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Philosophy: Nursing is the care of persons, families or populations who are experiencing or can be expected to experience variations in health; and the tending of the entire environment in which care occurs.
Colby‐Sawyer’s graduate nursing program leads to a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) degree. The program is designed for the baccalaureate‐prepared registered nurse and will prepare those who will practice in advanced nursing roles in a variety of settings. The program presumes knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences and professional nursing education acquired in undergraduate baccalaureate nursing programs. Offered in an on‐line format, the nursing courses are designed to respond to the unique needs of adult learners who have current nursing practice experience.
Admission for Students Interested in the Graduate Nursing Program
The Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) Program at Colby‐Sawyer College is extremely selective. To be successful in nursing, students who apply for admission to the college with the intention of pursuing the M.S.N. program should be a graduate of an accredited Bachelor of Science in nursing program; and have achieved a 2.50 cumulative grade point average in their undergraduate program which included an introductory statistics course.
Transfer Students
The ability to accept transfer students seeking entry into the graduate nursing program will be evaluated on an individual basis and will be considered only when space permits. Three courses (9-12 graduate credits) may be transferred from other programs after evaluation by the registrar. Further information is available from the Admissions Office.
Nursing Program Academic Policies
A minimum grade of B‐ is required in all nursing courses. Students may only repeat one nursing course one time if necessary. A graduate student is considered to be a full‐time student with 9 or more credits per semester.
Three courses (9-12 graduate credits) will be allowed for transfer to the Master of Science in Nursing program at Colby-Sawyer. The remaining credit hours must be Colby-Sawyer College sponsored whether taken on or off campus. MSN students will not be able to exceed 9 credits as a non-degree student.
The nursing faculty reserves the right to require withdrawal of any student whose health, conduct or academic standing makes it unsafe for the student to remain in a nursing course or in a clinical setting. Failure to comply with clinical agency policy is also cause for dismissal from the nursing major.
For program-specific complaints, all students are encouraged to work with their advisor to resolve issues directly with their professor. If resolution at the faculty/course level is not reached, students are encouraged to talk with the director and chair of nursing and then the dean of the SNHS and to follow the specified process in the Professional Learner Course Catalog.
Clinical Education
Colby‐Sawyer College is fortunate to offer its students clinical experiences in a variety of inpatient and community settings. The School of Nursing & Health Sciences has relationships with Dartmouth‐Hitchcock Medical Center, New London Hospital, Concord Hospital, Lake Sunapee Region Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice and New Hampshire area schools, in addition to other health and human services organizations. For students out of the area, Colby-Sawyer College will create an affiliation agreement with each student’s employer or another healthcare organization convenient to them.
Nursing students must have the following on record in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences at least four weeks prior to the start of their clinical experience: evidence of current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the Health Care Provider/Professional Rescuer level, issued by either the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association, proper documentation of all health and safety requirements and a criminal background check and a urine drug screening test (agency requirements). Students employed at their clinical site will provide a letter of attestation of the above noted health and safety requirements. Random urine drug screening may also be conducted at the discretion of the program. Regarding clinical education policies, the nursing program abides by the policies articulated by the clinical agencies in which it is engaged.
Students have seven years to complete a master’s degree.
Master of Science in Nursing Program Goals
- Prepare graduates with necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes for advanced nursing practice as an educator, executive leader or clinical nurse leader.
- Prepare graduates to make significant contributions to the improvement of healthcare and to the advancement of nursing knowledge and practice.
- Provide a foundation for doctoral study.
Master of Science in Nursing Program Outcomes:
Drawn from the American Association of Colleges and Nursing’s Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing
- Incorporate, integrate and apply a broad body of knowledge from the liberal arts and sciences to the acquisition of nursing knowledge as the foundation for safe quality patient care.
- Promote the delivery of compassionate, culturally competent patient centered care in various settings using the core competencies and knowledge that underlie state and national standards of practice.
- Deliver high-quality, cost-effective patient care through the application of organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement concepts and patient safety outcomes.
- Exercise clinical judgment and make ethical decisions using critical thinking to deliver and evaluate safe, evidence‐based nursing care across the lifespan and the continuum of care.
- Communicate effectively in writing, verbally and electronically with all members of the interdisciplinary health care team, including clients, families, communities and their support systems.
- Demonstrate professional attitudes and behaviors that incorporate clients’ rights and professional codes and standards.
- Understand the micro‐systems and macro‐systems that influence health care delivery in order to achieve quality patient outcomes that address health care disparities within economic boundaries.
- Use critical inquiry and information technology to participate in quality improvement processes.
- Assume responsibility for professional development and life‐long learning in an ever‐changing and challenging health care environment.
Program Outcomes Master of Science in Nursing: Nursing Education
- Synthesize concepts and theories of education and related sciences to the design of curricula and the evaluation of program outcomes for individuals or groups in a variety of settings.
- Apply leadership strategies to advance nursing practice and education and advocate for policies that improve nursing education at local and national levels.
- Utilize knowledge of continuous improvement methodology to improve the design, coordination and evaluation of patient-centered care and utilize research to analyze the outcomes of interventions to improve nursing practice and enhance pedagogy.
- Integrate clinical and population health concepts in the development of culturally responsive nursing education and practice.
- Incorporate the best available evidence from nursing and related sciences to build a foundation for practice as a nurse educator in an academic or healthcare delivery setting, integrating an evolving personal philosophy of nursing.