Department of Nursing
M.S. in Nursing
Options: Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Educator, Primary Care/Nurse PractitionerDr. Mike Russler, Department Chair
Dr. Robert Fire, Graduate Program Coordinator
- Advanced Practitioners in Nursing | Program Objectives | Role Specialization | Support | Faculty | Quick Facts
Advanced Practitioners in Nursing
Changes in the health care industry indicate that advanced practice nurses will be used to a greater extent in health care. Nurse Practitioners, working collaboratively with physicians, will now be more capable of addressing the health care needs of a greater percentage of the population.
Earning a Master of Science degree in Nursing provides multiple opportunities in the health care field. Nurse Practitioners see patients on their own, addressing the health care needs of the patient and family in primary care settings. With more advanced practitioners in the nursing field, there is more attention to health prevention and health maintenance which allows nurses the freedom to care for patients before they become ill. This also allows nurses to take a more holistic view of the patient, including their physical well-being, spirituality, family needs, and other psychosocial issues that contribute to a client's state of health.
The choice to move into a master's, and possibly doctoral study, ensures quality nursing care in the future and an advocacy by nurses for both the profession and their patients.
Program Objectives
The overall objectives of the program are to help students learn apply advanced theory and practice with advanced skills in complex client and community systems. Students may choose to pursue an education in advanced clinical nursing as a clinical specialist or nurse practitioner. Whatever pathway is chosen, the graduate degree program will be balanced around a framework of several key elements:
- Analysis of nursing phenomena through implementation of the research process and the application of conceptual models of nursing.
- Demonstration and application of advanced nursing concepts with individual family and community systems through implementation of Neuman's Health Care Systems Model.
- Contribution to the advancement of nursing practice and research through analysis, synthesis, application and extension of nursing conceptual models.
- Advancement of professional role performance by implementing concepts of collaboration, consultancy, teaching, leadership and research in nursing practice.
At California State University, Fresno, we are committed to the provision of this strong knowledge base and the skills needed to practice competently in the advanced nursing role.
Role Specialization
The graduate nursing program at our university offers two options for students desiring more intense area specialization.
Clinical Specialization
The purpose of the Clinical Specialization Option is to prepare nurses to prescribe and implement both direct and indirect nursing care and to articulate nursing therapies with other nursing personnel and health providers.
Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
The Primary Nurse Practitioner Option prepares the graduate to provide primary health care to children, adults, the elderly, and families. Our goal is to improve the availability, accessibility, and quality of primary care services in the San Joaquin Valley.
Support
A Certificate of Advanced Study for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) is being offered by the Department of Nursing at California State University Fresno, in cooperation with the Division of Continuing and Global Education. This formally constructed program meets the requirements for national certification by the American Nurse Credentialing Center as an Adult or Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. This program will enhance professional competence, provide access to specialized knowledge, and address the shortage of mental health providers.
To enhance access and provide flexibility, the program is largely distance delivered via videoconferencing, videostreaming, web-conferencing, and asynchronous computer based applications.
The Certificate of Advanced Study for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners is a one-year post-master's program designed to prepare primary care nurse practitioners to provide a full range of psychiatric services to patients throughout the life cycle. Students will be prepared to manage both psychiatric disorders and mental health problems. The program consists of four theory courses and includes 515 hours of precepted clinical experience for a total of 18 units at a cost of $400/unit. A candidate for admission must be a nurse practitioner, i.e. Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Adult Nurse Practitioner, or Geriatric Nurse Practitioner. The candidate must have a current valid California Nurse Practitioner license and furnishing number and Drug Enforcement Administration authorization for Schedule II medications.