Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship

Project trainees are registered nurses pursuing a graduate degree in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and the Graduate School. The College of Nursing offers two graduate degree programs (master's or MSN and doctoral or PhD), a Post-Masters certificate program, and an RN-MSN track for registered nurses with Associate Degrees in Nursing, all through the Graduate School. The College offers a professional doctoral degree program, the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), through the College of Nursing. The MSN program prepares clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. The Post-Masters program likewise prepares students in the same specialty areas as are available within the Masters program. The RN-MSN program provides a more streamlined route for registered nurses to earn a BSN and progress into the MSN program than would be available separately. The programs of study within the MSN and Post-MSN programs meet all applicable Federal guidelines as well as guidelines from relevant professional nursing organizations. The PhD program prepares nurse scientists to conduct clinically relevant nursing research as nurse educators, nurse researchers, and nurse administrators. Most PhD graduates assume faculty positions. The DNP program prepares nurses as top clinical leaders for direct care clinical organizations, managed care organizations, health care systems, or clinical teaching positions. Classes are conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and three outreach sites in rural Kentucky; one in Morehead, one in Madisonville, and the third in Somerset. Within the College are classrooms with compressed video for interactive teaching! learning with the outreach sites. Technical assistance is available and faculty are trained in teaching techniques for distributed learning. Graduate students have access to computers, technical assistance, and training in the College and on campus. Many graduate courses include Web-enhanced and technology-enriched learning strategies. In addition to the University Hospital, numerous hospitals (federal, state, and community), health departments, school-based clinics, nursing homes, primary care facilities, and physician offices in Lexington and throughout the Commonwealth are utilized for clinical practica. The College has over 500 clinical affiliation agreements in place with a wide range of agencies. These include a large number of clinical agencies located in medically underserved areas. Many of these are in community health centers, primary care clinics, and rural health facilities. Clinical affiliation agreements are updated every five years. Faculty evaluate clinical agencies prior to the initiation of affiliation agreements for the appropriateness of the site to meeting students' learning objectives. Faculty, agency preceptors, and students jointly evaluate clinical experiences following the conclusion of the semester. The College has a large and active faculty practice program, providing students with opportunities to work directly with faculty at their clinical sites and providing care to underserved populations. The College's faculty practice program includes a nurse-managed clinic for the homeless, four nurse-managed school health clinics, an interdisciplinary family health program, a rural outreach clinic, several free clinics for underserved populations, and interdisciplinary practices within the Medical Center in acute care, women's health, student health, and psychiatry. RN-MSN, MSN, and Post-MSN students have clinical rotations in these sites. Doctoral students may collect clinical data in these faculty sites. MSN students specialize in one of six tracks. Subspecialization is made possible as faculty help students tailor course assignments and clinical placements. The specialty tracks and subspecialties are: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult Nursing Clinical Specialist, Adult Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Parent-Child Nursing (Neonatal/Perinatal Clinical Specialist, Pediatric Clinical Specialist, and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner), Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Nurse Practitioner, and Geriatric Nurse Practitioner), and Public Health Nursing (Public Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, Public Health Nurse Manager, and Nurse Case Manager). Required courses contain content consistent with the Statement of Functions in the ANCC Certification Guidelines for Educational Preparation of the various specialties. The Public Health track prepares students for core public health competencies with populations. The three specialty courses for this track are organized around the core functions of public health. They also take an interdisciplinary public health science course. The curricula prepare students for the competencies required by relevant professional nursing organizations. Graduates are eligible to take certification exams as noted below. All MSN students take 21 credit hours of required core courses and a minimum of 19 hours of specialty courses. Nurse practitioner students take a minimum of 23 hours of specialty courses. Two years of full time study are required to complete the curriculum, with a total of 23- 27 credits in classroom instruction and 600-780 clinical hours (for clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner students, respectively). Part-time study plans are available as well. Graduates of the Ph.D. program are prepared as scholars who conduct research, develop nursing science, and promote the application of knowledge to nursing practice. A total of 45 credit hours of course work are required: 22 credit hours of core nursing courses; 11 credit hours of statistics; 9 credit hours of cognate courses; and 3 credit hours of philosophy of science. A research experience is required prior to the dissertation and 18 credit hours of residency are required for the dissertation research. To date, there have been 37 graduates, the majority of whom have assumed faculty positions in schools of nursing. The DNP program aims to develop clinical nurse leaders who are experts in research utilization. A total of 53:.54 credit hours is required, which includes 29 credits in core courses, 6 credits of clinical residency, and 21-22 credits in specialty coursework. Students will complete a research utilization project rather than a dissertation. The first graduates are expected in 2004. To be admitted to the Master's program, a student must have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75, be a graduate of an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing, obtain satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and be licensed to practice as an RN prior to the first clinical course. Applicants are required to submit three letters of reference, complete an interview with a faculty member and submit a written goal statement. RN-MSN students apply for admission to the graduate program after earning a minimum of 95 credit hours in the BSN program (thereby achieving senior status) and meeting the other MSN admission requirements. They are admitted in graduate student status and follow the requirements for the MSN degree program. RN-MSN students are awarded the BSN degree once they have completed all BSN course requirements, including the graduate level courses that are accepted as meeting BSN program requirements. Students in the Post-Masters Clinical Scholars program must have an MSN from an accredited program in nursing, be licensed to practice nursing, complete a goal statement, provide two references, and complete an interview with a faculty member. Matriculation in the Master's Degree Program requires evidence of clinical experience and State licensure prior to the first MSN clinical practicum. Admission to either of the two doctoral programs (PhD and DNP) requires a graduate GPA of3.2, a master's degree from an accredited nursing program, satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination, three references, two faculty interviews, and a written goal statement. In addition, applicants to the DNP program must provide a portfolio documenting their experience. Faculty and clinical mentors evaluate portfolios in order to guide students admitted to the program to appropriate cognates and clinical experiences. Application materials are reviewed by Graduate Faculty to assure that all admission requirements are met, prior to an admission recommendation to the Graduate School of the University or to the Directors of the DNP program (as appropriate). The College has 52 full time, 19 part time, and 4 adjunct faculty (10/15/02). All graduate faculty hold a terminal degree (doctorate). The practitioner tracks of the MSN program are directed by faculty who are fully qualified for graduate education. Faculty in the nurse practitioner tracks include individuals certified in their respective clinical specialties. The ratio of students to faculty in these tracks is approximately 1:6. Under the guidance of faculty, advanced practice nurses and physicians serve as preceptors for students. All preceptorships are under the direction and supervision of the faculty. Graduate faculty in the College of Nursing actively participate in recruitment activities for the RN-MSN, MSN, Post-MSN, PhD, and DNP programs, attending nursing conventions, career fairs, and clinical agency visits.