Nursing
Francesca A. Armmer,
Chair, Department of Nursing
Accredited by National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, 61 Broadway, New York, New York 10006, 800-669-1656 ext. 153 or (212) 363-5555 ext. 153, www.nlnac.org; and Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, 222 S. Prospect Ave., Suite 304, Park Ridge, Illinois, 60068.
The purpose of the graduate program is to educate the professional nurse for advanced nursing practice in hospitals, community health settings, nursing homes, and other health-related agencies. The curriculum provides a foundation for doctoral study.
Bradley University offers a Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.). Students may choose one of three majors: nursing administration, nurse administered anesthesia, or MSN-General. The nurse administered anesthesia major is offered in cooperation with Decatur Memorial Hospital.
Degree requirements can be met on a full-time or part-time basis. Enrollment in the nurse administered anesthesia internship must be on a full-time basis. Graduation requirements must be fulfilled within five years of enrollment.
Graduates with a major in nursing administration are prepared for first line management as executives in a variety of health care settings. Graduates with a major in nurse administered anesthesia will be eligible to write the certification examination. The MSN-General major addresses the needs of advanced practice nurses who hold certificates/diplomas of advanced practice, but who do not have a master’s degree.
The student must maintain an academic average of 3.0 (4.0 scale), achieve a “B” or better in each required nursing course, and earn a “C” or better in each course applied to graduation requirements.
The curriculum is subject to continuous review and evaluation which may necessitate revision of courses and requirements.
Nursing Administration
The 36-semester-hour curriculum has three components: core, research, and nursing administration.
Nurse Administered Anesthesia
The 48-semester-hour curriculum has three components: core, research, and nurse administered anesthesia.
Admission
Admission to the M.S.N. program with a major in Nursing Administration or Nurse Administered Anesthesia is based on a thorough review of each applicant’s documents. Requirements include:
- B.S.N. from an NLNAC or CCNE accredited program.
- licensed or license-eligible as a registered nurse in Illinois.
- three letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to comment on the applicant’s ability to successfully complete graduate study (employers, supervisors, and former instructional faculty members are suitable references).
- an undergraduate last-60-hour grade point average of 3.0 based on a 4.0 scale and a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade point average in nursing courses based on a 4.0 scale.
- completion of at least one year of work as a professional nurse; nurse administered anesthesia applicants must have worked at least one year in an adult critical care setting.
- completion of a statistics course with a grade of “C” or better.
- completion of a course in health assessment or its equivalent.
- completion of an undergraduate nursing research course.
- completion of undergraduate organic and inorganic chemistry courses (nurse administered anesthesia major applicants only).
- completion of the Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) within five years prior to admission.
- a. for unconditional admission: a GRE combined score (verbal & quantitative) of 1000 or a minimum MAT score of 391.
- b. for conditional admission: a GRE combined score (verbal & quantitative) of 850 or a minimum MAT score of 374.
- completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 550 (foreign applicants only).
- evidence of a satisfactory interview with a graduate faculty member in the relevant major; applicants for the nurse administered anesthesia major will also have an additional interview with anesthesia faculty members.
Applicants with deficiencies in the requirements will be evaluated on an individual basis. A flexible entry option is available for graduates of non-BSN programs.
Thesis/Directed Research
Students may meet program requirements by completing either a thesis (4 semester hours) or directed research (2 semester hours).
Comprehensive Assessment
Nursing Administration Major: A written comprehensive examination is administered during the last semester of administration theory.
Nurse Administered Anesthesia Major: Written comprehensive examinations are administered at the end of the second and third year of the course of study.
MSN-General Major: A comprehensive assessment, as determined by the department must be completed by all students in this major.
- >Master of Science in Nursing
- Nursing Administration Major
- Nurse Administered Anesthesia Major
- MSN-General
- Certificate Program in Nurse Administered Anesthesia
Master of Science in Nursing
Core Component 8 hrs.
- NUR 501 Nursing Theories: Analysis and Development 3 hrs.
- NUR 505 Leadership in the Health Care System 3 hrs.
- NUR 510 Legal Issues in Nursing 2 hrs.
Research Component 7-9 hrs.
- NUR 520 Research Methods in Nursing 3 hrs.
- NUR 525 Nursing Research Seminar 2 hrs.
- NUR 699 Thesis 4 hrs. or
NUR 698 Directed Research in Nursing 2 hrs.
Nursing Administration Major 19-21 hrs.
- NUR 630 Nursing Administration I, Theory 3 hrs.
- NUR 631 Nursing Administration I, Practicum 4 hrs.
- NUR 632 Nursing Administration II, Theory 3 hrs.
- NUR 633 Nursing Administration II, Practicum 4 hrs.
Electives 5-7 hrs.
Total Program Semester Hours: 36
Nurse Administered Anesthesia Major 31-33 hrs.
- PHY 541 Physics Basics 2 hrs.
- CHM 522 Clinical Chemistry 2 hrs.
- BIO 525 Advanced Physiology 3 hrs.
- BIO 526 Advanced Pathophysiology 3 hrs.
- NUR 500 Health Assessment 4 hrs.
- Electives 3-5 hrs.
- NUR 670 Nurse Administered Anesthesia Principles I 3 hrs
- NUR 671 Nurse Administered Anesthesia Principles II 3 hrs.
- NUR 672 Pharmacology I 4 hrs.
- NUR 673 Pharmacology II 4 hrs.
- NUR 675 Nurse Administered Anesthesia Internship 0 hrs.
Total Program Semester Hours: 48
MSN-General 13-15 hrs.
- NUR 683 Advance Practice Nurse Internship 6 hrs.
Electives 7-9 hrs.
(Nine hours required if NUR 698 is taken; seven are required if NUR 699 is taken.)
Total Program Semester Hours: 30
Certificate Program in Nurse Administered Anesthesia
The certificate program in Nurse Administered Anesthesia (NRAN) is a 2-year program that has developed to respond to the need for certified registered nurse anesthetists. Registered nurses who currently have a master's degree or higher will be given an opportunity to earn a certificate in nurse-administered anesthesia. By earning the certificate, the individual will be eligible to take the certification examination that would result in the designation of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Because certificate students and NRAN majors will take the same selected courses, enrollment in the certificate program will be very limited.
Required Courses
- BIO 525 Advanced Physiology 3 hrs.
- BIO 526 Advanced Pathophysiology 3 hrs.
- NUR 670 Nurse Administered Anesthesia Principles I 3 hrs.
- NUR 671 Nurse Administered Anesthesia Principles II 3 hrs.
- NUR 672 Pharmacology I 4 hrs.
- NUR 673 Pharmacology II 4 hrs.
- NUR 675 Nurse Administered Anesthesia Internship 0 hrs.
Total Semester Hours: 20