MSN: Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management Concentration
Major: Nursing: Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management Concentration
Degree Awarded: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 45.0; 160 practicum hours
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.3801
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 29-1141
About the Program
The MSN in Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management program, designed for part-time attendance by working nurses, prepares students to become nursing leaders in today's rapidly changing health care environment. This online master's degree program will prepare students for a senior role in a dynamic and increasingly demanding health care environment.
The MSN program focuses on the development of a leadership style and the skillset essential for individuals in or seeking administrative roles, including:
- Fiscal and organizational management
- Strategic planning
- Integrated quality outcomes measurement
- Organizational structures
- Marketing
- Management of human resources within organizations
The program also provides the student with information and strategies to problem solve, make decisions, resolve conflict, address legal/ethical issues and operationalize the mission and goals of the health care delivery organization.
The MSN also requires 160 practicum hours over two quarters (20 weeks) that provide opportunities for students to further develop leadership skills for complex health care organizations.
The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Additional Information
For more information about this program, contact:
Graduate Nursing Division
CNHPGraduateDivision@drexel.edu
Additional information is available on the Drexel's College of Nursing and Health Professions Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management webpage and the Drexel University Online Nursing Leadership in Health Systems Management webpage.
Admission Requirements
- A Bachelor of Science in Nursing from a program fully accredited by the National League of Nursing (NLN/ACEN) or the American Association Colleges of Nursing (AACN/CCNE).
- RNs with a BS in a field other than nursing may wish to pursue the RN-MSN "bridge" program or the Dual RN-BSN-MSN Pathway.
- 3.0 or above on all previous coursework or the last 60.0 credits completed. Applications from RNs with a GPA of less than 3.0 may be considered on an individual basis.
- Official transcripts from all previous educational institutions are required.
- Two professional references are required from colleagues or supervisors who can attest to the applicant’s knowledge, skill and potential aptitude for graduate study.
- Letters of recommendation are waived for students who have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Personal statement (no more than two pages and no less than one page double-spaced) that will give the admissions committee a better understanding of the following:
- Why you are choosing this particular program of study.
- Your plans upon completion of the degree.
- How your current work experience will enhance your experience in this program.
- Curriculum vitae or resume.
- Copy of current U.S. RN license required.
- Copies of any advanced practice nursing licensure and certification documents.
- While specific experience is not required for applicants to the track, previous related work experience may make an applicant more competitive.
International applicants must possess a BSN (or its equivalent) and a current U.S. RN license.
TOEFL Requirement
International applicants, as well as immigrants to the United States and United States permanent residents whose native language is not English and who have not received a bachelor’s degree or higher in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom, must show proficiency in English speaking as well as listening, writing, and reading. U.S. citizens born on U.S. military bases abroad may be waived from the TOEFL requirement after providing documentation of this status; otherwise, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
If you take the TOEFLiBT exam, you are required to have a minimum combined score for the listening, writing and reading sections of 79 plus a speaking section score of 26 or higher.
If you take the TOEFL, you are required to have a minimum score of 550 or higher and a Test of Spoken English score (TSE) of 55 or higher.
Degree Requirements
The program content addresses the four key areas of organizations: leading the human side of the enterprise, managing resources, managing operations, and managing information. Two threads are incorporated throughout all courses: the importance of professional image in written and live presentations and the use of technology to support and enhance management and care delivery outcomes.
| MSN Core Courses | ||
| NURS 500 [WI] | Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments | 3.0 |
| NURS 502 | Advanced Ethical Decision Making in Health Care | 3.0 |
| NURS 544 | Quality and Safety in Healthcare | 3.0 |
| RSCH 503 | Research Methods and Biostatistics | 3.0 |
| RSCH 504 | Evaluation and Translation of Health Research | 3.0 |
| Major Courses | ||
| PROJ 501 | Introduction to Project Management | 3.0 |
| NUPR 663 | Communication and Self-Awareness for Leadership | 4.5 |
| NUPR 664 | The Economics and Business of Healthcare | 4.5 |
| NUPR 665 | Managing Operations and Human Resources for Quality Outcomes of Care Delivery | 4.5 |
| Practicum Courses | ||
| NURS 568 | Practicum and Symposium in Healthcare Operations Management | 3.0 |
| NURS 569 | Practicum and Symposium in Technology and Management of Information in Healthcare Organizations | 3.0 |
| Electives * | 7.5 | |
| Total Credits | 45.0 | |
- *
Nursing Electives can be any course with the prefix Nursing (NURS, NUPR), Interprofessional Studies (IPS), or Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH/CIT), with course number ranging from 500-699.
Writing-Intensive Course Requirement
A [WI], Writing Intensive, next to a graduate course in this catalog indicates that the graduate course is a writing intensive course. The graduate course is a required course in your curriculum.
Sample Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 500 | 3.0 | RSCH 503 | 3.0 | PROJ 501 | 3.0 | NURS 544 | 3.0 |
| NURS 502 | 3.0 | NUPR 663 | 4.5 | RSCH 504 | 3.0 | NUPR 665 | 4.5 |
| 6 | 7.5 | 6 | 7.5 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| NUPR 664 | 4.5 | NURS 568 | 3.0 | Elective | 3.0 | ||
| Elective | 4.5 | NURS 569 | 3.0 | ||||
| 4.5 | 7.5 | 6 | |||||
| Total Credits 45 | |||||||
Program Level Outcomes
- Practices within a legal and ethical framework of health care delivery.
- Advances the role of advanced nursing practice in the health care system through scholarship, clinical experience and political involvement.
- Demonstrates critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in clinical decision-making.
- Integrates multiple technologies and relevant theories into the organization and synthesis of health data required to develop plans of care for patients, families and communities.
- Integrates culturally sensitive health promotion activities that contribute to the health and wellness of the community into clinical practice.
- Demonstrates leadership in nursing and health care through involvement in the development of outcome-based standards of care and practice-based health policy issues.
- Evaluates and modify the quality and effectiveness of clinical practice based on current research findings, standards of care and patient outcomes.
- Contributes to the advancement of nursing, health care and humanity through communication, collaboration and education.