Nursing Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Master of Science

Application Requirements

1. Application form with non-refundable application fee
2. Personal/professional goals statement
3. A letter of recommendation from those who can attest to your potential to be successful at graduate-level work
4. Official transcripts from all institutions previously attended
5. Copy of current nursing registration/license number
6. Current resume
7. Health forms
8. Personal interview and on-site writing sample, if needed
9. Upon acceptance, an enrollment deposit of $200 is required
10. International students are also required to provide English proficiency results for TOEFL or IELTS, a Passport, and a Declaration of Finance

The Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program prepares the RN student with a Bachelors Degree in Nursing for entry into Advanced Practice as an Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. The program of study prepares the student to be employed as an advanced practice registered nurse in a variety of primary care settings serving adults age 18 years and older. Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be prepared to take the American Nurse Credentialing Center or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners national certification examination for Advanced Practice – Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner.

The classroom sessions of the program will meet weekly. Courses will be completed one at a time. During the clinical courses in year two, the course time is lengthened in the schedule in order to complete the required total clinical hours. The Division of Nursing program manager and clinical coordinator will facilitate placement in clinical sites often close to your home.

The faculty designed classroom, digital, and clinical learning experiences prepare the student to address the health needs of the adult and geriatric populations. A holistic approach to promote health and manage health deviations of adult clients in the primary care setting is the basis of the program plan of instruction. Students will complete the foundational core Master’s in Nursing course work which prepare them for interesting and meaningful clinical experiences. The concept of health will be examined through several lenses in order for students to fully realize the impact of health deviations on the patient within the family and community. Students will be immersed in interdisciplinary collaboration as they use evidence-based practice in the clinical setting to gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for excellence in advanced nursing practice.

The program is offered in the evening. Classes are taught in a manner that is conducive to learning for adults. Cohorts create an atmosphere of shared family, career and age interest and develops camaraderie among adult students. Adult students who succeed are self-directed and goal-oriented individuals.

The nursing curriculum is based primarily on The Essentials of Master’s Education (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2011). This document highlights the core knowledge and skills necessary to address the needs of professional nursing practice in the 21st century. This core knowledge and the accompanying skill sets are incorporated into both the didactic and clinical coursework. Aligned with this AACN document are the criteria elaborated by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Curriculum development is also guided by Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs [National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education (NTF), 2012].

Philosophy of Keuka College Division of Nursing

Master’s in Nursing Program

An Integral Philosophy of Nursing

The Keuka College Division of Nursing is committed to providing an education in nursing that will culminate in practitioners who are strong in conviction, deep in knowledge, excellent in skill, appreciative of the collective nature of the universe, and well poised to lead in a world organized by multiple complex systems. The Division philosophy is based in a holistic paradigm that recognizes four areas of experience which together, make up the whole. These four areas encompass the experience of the self as an individual, the self as it relates to another, the self as a part of a group, and the self in relation to social and organizational systems. By recognizing these four separate yet overlapping perspectives, the whole is understood as more than the sum of the individual parts. We believe that this integrated nursing perspective based in holism leads to greater awareness of self and others, along with an appreciation of the interconnection of the individual or population within the environment. The integration of these perspectives provides the basis for the nurse to fully develop the self, to relate fully and deeply with others, to practice appreciation across all cultures, and to emerge as a leader of systems change. We believe these characteristics are the hallmark of an integral nursing theory of nursing practice.

Mission

To prepare the exemplary nurses of the future by expanding their concept of self and others and their understanding of the interconnectedness of professional nursing and the world.

Vision

To be renowned as a global leader in nursing education.

With this vision in mind, the program is designed to produce future Advanced practice nurses in order to address the ongoing shortage. Advanced practice nurses are in high demand across clinical and academic settings.

Values

1. Clinical Excellence: Highly competent and compassionate clinicians delivering safe and effective care that is evidence based and holistic.
2. Self Awareness and Resilience: Self appraisal and introspection involving honest evaluation of one’s own thoughts, emotions, perceptions and actions in the interconnected universe, along with considered action aimed at nurturing and sustaining one’s physical, mental, spiritual and social well being.
3. Transformational Leadership: A dynamic and creative organizational systems approach to nursing initiatives in the global healthcare arena, encompassing a coordinated and inspired power of influence in policy-making and regulation, delegation, diplomacy, ethics, and intercultural/interdisciplinary team work.
4. Scholarship: Exemplifies the character and qualities of a scholar through demonstration and application of deep and relevant knowledge, skilled inquiry, and clear and authoritative discourse. Nursing scholarship is attained through focused study, clinical experience and academic achievement.
5. Personal, Professional, and Social Responsibility: Commitment to holding one’s self to the highest standards of behavior with a strong focus on application of personal morals, professional knowledge, and social ethics to benefit the individual and society as a whole.
6. Holism and an Integrated World View: The ability to consistently see the world in its totality without reducing it to the level of individual systems, along with understanding that the totality is generally greater than the sum of its parts.
7. Compassionate Caring: Intentional, meaningful and coherent action of caring for individuals, communities and populations with the deliberate intent to consciously acknowledge others’ distress along with a desire to alleviate that distress.

At the completion of the Master’s in Nursing Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program or the Post Master’s Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program, the graduate will:

• Actively engage in collaborative relationships for the purpose of advancing healthcare by promoting high-quality, cost-effective, holistic advanced nursing practice in diverse settings within health systems and the communities.
• Use evidence-based interventions, informatics, and educational strategies to promote, restore, maintain, and provide safe delivery of health care that is comprehensive and holistic.
• Demonstrate exemplary clinical reasoning skills as well as practical and theoretical knowledge in clinical practice.
• Synthesize knowledge to design, implement, and evaluate patient care and education as well as guide research.
• Integrate theory and practice through reflection, research translation, implementation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and leadership.
• Promote practice and education strategies that are respectful of diversity and are based on knowledge of the policies and political issues that influence the outcomes of care.
• Acquire advanced knowledge and skills in a specialized area of nursing in order to plan and initiate change in the delivery of population focused healthcare.
• Incorporate a commitment to life-long learning and competency in a specific advanced practice level functional role in nursing.

The M.S. in Nursing / Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner prepares graduates for positions in: Primary care outpatient settings serving adults age 18 years and older in health system and community settings.

Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited nursing program, a minimum GPA of 3.3, evidence of “jurisdiction acceptable” unrestricted New York state licensure as a registered professional nurse and be currently working full- or part-time as a nurse. Writing skills and computer literacy will also be considered for admission.

MS in Nursing Progression Policy

In keeping with the graduate curriculum graduation policy requirement of a GPA of 3.0, the Keuka College Division of Nursing set the following guideline to assure student information needs are met as well as plans for improvement developed for students at risk for failing to meet this GPA. 

Policy:

1. Due to the nature of graduate programs, students are expected to maintain high academic standards in the their course of study. To earn their degree, students must have a 3.0 GPA after completing all degree requirements. Degrees with distinction are not awarded in graduate program.s
2. Students achieving a grade of less than a B for any course will be counseled by their academic advisor and a plan for improvement will be jointly developed. This plan will include notice by academic warning.
3. Students with a GPA below 3.0 at any point in the program may be dismissed from the program or placed on probationary status.
4. Due to the need for the successful completion of core and practicum courses, students must pass each course in sequence in order to progress in the program. Extenuating circumstances may be considered on an individual basis by the nursing division faculty.

The baccalaureate and masters nursing programs at Keuka College Division of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The CCNE address is:

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530

Washington, DC 20036

Telephone: (202) 887-6791

For more information, contact the Adult and Online Education division.

The student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all degree requirements are met satisfactorily.