Clarkson College
Located in Omaha, Nebraska, Clarkson College is a private college that offers post-graduate, graduate, and undergraduate degrees in the health sciences. Areas of study include nursing, health information management, healthcare services, imaging informatics, and more. Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, Clarkson College was founded in 1888 and is affiliated with Nebraska Medicine and the Episcopal Church.
Clarkson College Accreditation Details
Clarkson College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. In addition, its Master of Science in Nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, and the Master of Science in Nursing with a specialization in nurse anesthesia is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.
Clarkson College Application Requirements
In order to be admitted into the online Master of Science in Nursing degree program, applicants must complete the online graduate application and submit a $35 application fee. Required graduate admissions materials to be sent to the school include a resume, two professional recommendations, a scholarly essay summarizing the applicant's motivation for entering the program, and official academic transcripts from all previously attended institutions. In addition, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree in nursing from an institution accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, have two years of professional work experience as a registered nurse (RN), and hold a valid unencumbered RN license effective in the state in which the student intends to practice.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Graduate students pursuing the online Master's in Nursing Administration degree can expect to pay $575 per credit hour for graduate courses or $3,774 per six credit hours. In addition, there are a number of fees for lab courses as well as additional coursework and supplies. Clarkson College offers a number of forms of financial aid, including loans, scholarships, and grants. Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine eligibility. In order to be considered a full-time student and be eligible for financial aid, graduate students must take at least six credit hours per semester. However, they may transfer a maximum of nine graduate credit hours from within the past five years into the Master of Science in Nursing program.
Online Master's in Nursing Administration Degree Available
Ranked as one of the "Best Online Programs" for graduate nursing in 2017 by U.S. News & World Report, students pursuing an online Master of Science in Nursing degree from Clarkson College can choose from one of five options. Four of those five are offered completely online, including Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Education, and Nursing Health Care Administration.
Each program attracts RNs from across the country who are interested in experiencing greater advantages, opportunities, and challenges in their nursing careers. The degree is designed for those who already hold their RN licensure, and four out of the five tracks can be completed at a distance. This provides the opportunity for students to further their education while still maintaining employment and tending to family and other responsibilities at the same time. Students are able to choose their own clinical sites and preceptors within the guidelines established by Clarkson College. Students may fulfill the required clinical hours at the facility in which they currently work as long as the site is within the College's guidelines.
Specifically, those pursuing an online master's in nursing administration can expect to take 21 semester hours in core courses. Topics covered will include research and design methods, nursing law and ethics, application and evaluation of theory in nursing, health care delivery systems and managed care, theories and concepts of advanced practice roles, applied statistics, role transition, and essentials of scholarly writing.
For the nursing administration concentration, students are required to take additional coursework in human resources and organizational behavior, finance for health care leaders, health care project management, health care economics, health care leadership, and either health care strategic planning and marketing or informatics and analytics for health care professionals. Students must also complete a 135-hour nursing health care leadership practicum prior to earning their degree. The total degree program with this option consists of 42 total credit hours.
The patient-focused, rigorous Master of Science in Nursing program prepares graduates to function collaboratively and independently in designing, implementing, and evaluating difficult health care strategies in a number of advanced-practice nursing roles. Those pursuing the nursing health care administration track learn how to manage other nurses within their department or unit and to serve as a leader in a variety of health care delivery systems.
During the final semester of the Master of Science in Nursing program, all students, regardless of the track chosen, will complete an evidence-based, scholarly practice journal article and poster presentation based on the research they conducted in an approved clinical setting. This project allows students to investigate a practical, important issue or question by developing and testing a protocol, curriculum, or intervention for application within a specific health or clinical setting.
Full-time students can complete the online Master of Science in Nursing program in eight semesters, while part-time students should plan to devote a minimum of 12 semesters to earning this degree. After graduating with an Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Health Care Administration degree, students are prepared for careers in a number of settings, including insurance companies, nonprofit and government agencies, physicians' offices, clinics, and hospitals.
Graduates are also able to generate policies through collaboration and teamwork in the often-complex role of health care administrator, and they learn how to design educational strategies that strive to improve caring practices for populations, communities, families, and patients. The program aims to develop leadership skills that will appraise ethical-legal dilemmas, facilitate change in health care systems, and improve client health outcomes. The curriculum is also designed to allow students to construct health care strategies using evidence-based contemporary, scientific, and theoretical knowledge.
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Graduates will also be able to create and use systems to minimize risks of harm and promote safety to both providers and clients. Finally, graduates from the Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Health Care Administration program at Clarkson College will learn how to use information technology to interpret data and use it to make the best decisions possible, and they will have the knowledge and skills required to professionally advocate for behaviors and practices that advance the nursing profession while simultaneously improving health care.