Purpose

The purpose of the Master of Nursing curriculum is to prepare a nurse with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to function in a specialty area. The program prepares advanced clinical practitioners including clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, and nurse practitioners as well as nurses with expertise in the areas of community and public health, nursing administration or nursing education. The Master of Nursing degree also prepares graduates to function in interprofessional roles as providers and organizers serving patient-specific and population-based care across the continuum in various health care settings. Central to the curriculum are LSUHSC–School of Nursing core values, theoretical concepts and complex decision-making and problem-solving skills necessary for the advanced practice registered nurse to impact health care delivery and patient outcomes. Knowledge of core content includes nursing theory, research, policy, organization, health care financing, ethics, leadership, professional role development, and health promotion and disease prevention. Knowledge of advanced practice nursing core content includes advanced health assessment, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology. Specialty content identified and described by the specialty nursing organizations will be included in the specialty curricula.