About the Program
The rapidly changing health care environment requires increased numbers of master’s-prepared nurses who are equipped to creatively participate in multidisciplinary planning for productive practice environments that achieve high-quality measurable outcomes. Master’s degree prepared nurses also formulate patient care models that promote professional nurse autonomy and clinical decision-making.
The graduate nursing programs are based on the values of St. John Fisher College, the Wegmans School of Nursing philosophy, and the American Nurses Association Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. The curriculum is also guided by educational recommendations from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS), the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), and the National League of Nursing (NLN). The curriculum reflects a commitment to the fundamental nature of nursing, which is professional caring for people by providing compassionate, holistic, evidence-based nursing care to diverse populations.
The faculty of the Wegmans School of Nursing is committed to working with the individual needs of the adult learner in planning a program of study that promotes personal balance while successfully completing requirements for the Master of Science in Advanced Practice Nursing degree. Nursing faculty values students’ diversity in perspectives, experiences, and learning styles and anticipates that students will engage in self-directed, interactive learning that is characterized by integrity, initiative, and interpersonal growth. The Master of Science in Advanced Practice Nursing programs build on the students’ undergraduate education in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the discipline of nursing. The curriculum affords students the opportunity to broaden their commitment to nursing excellence through the integration of professional and personal values in their new role development.
Graduates of the Advanced Practice Nursing programs are employed in roles consistent with their area of study and are highly respected for their leadership in health care. Students are well prepared for new, expanded roles through dynamic, interactive classroom experiences, as well as through precepted experiences with highly qualified nurses who are certified and practicing in specialties congruent with coursework.
In addition to core course requirements, students in the Family Nurse Practitioner program engage in a total of 600 clinical-precepted hours; students in the Clinical Nurse Specialist program engage in a total of 500 clinical-precepted hours of practice. Students in the Nurse Educator program engage in 300 clinical-precepted hours of practice. The undergraduate and graduate nursing programs are currently accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), an affiliate of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530
Washington, D.C. 20036-1120
Phone: (202) 887-8476
Website: www.aacn.nche.edu
B.S. to M.S. Fast Track Program
Petition for Graduate Study
Current St. John Fisher nursing students may petition to complete graduate-level coursework during their senior year of undergraduate study. This offers an accelerated approach for qualified traditional baccalaureate students who wish to pursue the Master of Science in Advanced Practice Nursing degree. The accelerated program allows specific graduate-level courses to be taken and for one course to fulfill a designated undergraduate requirement. This shortens graduate degree requirements without compromising didactic and clinical learning experiences.
Note: Approval to take graduate courses does not guarantee admission to the M.S. program in Advanced Practice Nursing. Students who wish to continue their graduate studies at Fisher must complete the application process for graduate admissions. Please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions for more information.
Students beginning their study of Nursing at St. John Fisher follow the curriculum of the Traditional Nursing B.S. Program. They may petition to take courses in the graduate program after all 300-level undergraduate courses have been completed with a GPA in Nursing of 3.30 or higher, by submitting the Petition for Graduate Courses form. Application deadline for graduate courses is July 1 for fall admission and January 1 for spring admission. Students interested in an accelerated program should consult with their advisors and the Graduate Program Director during their junior year at St. John Fisher College. Approved traditional baccalaureate students take:
- GNUR 512 Health Care, Economics, and Policy (4) –OR–
GNUR 518 Advanced Practice in the Care of Families (3)
-AND-
- GNUR 529 Advanced Practice Nursing Roles and Leadership (2) in place of
NURS 446 Nursing Leadership & Patient-Centered Care III (3)
Enrollment Status
Either GNUR 512 Health Care, Economics, and Policy (4) –OR– GNUR 518 Advanced Practice in the Care of Families (3) is taken along with other required undergraduate nursing courses during the senior year. This course is posted as graduate credit, and there is no additional charge for this course as long as the student is full-time in the undergraduate B.S. Nursing program.
GNUR 529 Advanced Practice Nursing Roles and Leadership (2) is taken during the senior year. Students who successfully complete GNUR 529 will not take NURS 446 Nursing Leadership and Patient-Centered Care III (3). The graduate course is posted as undergraduate credit, and there is no additional charge for this course as long as the student is full-time in the undergraduate B.S. Nursing program. The graduate course is added to the student’s graduate transcript at the end of the first semester of graduate study at the Wegmans School of Nursing.
R.N./B.S. to M.S. Fast Track Program
Current St. John Fisher R.N. to B.S. nursing students may petition to complete graduate-level coursework during their undergraduate study. This offers an accelerated approach to R.N. baccalaureate students who wish to pursue the Master of Science degree in Advanced Practice Nursing. The program allows specific graduate-level courses to fulfill designated undergraduate requirements. This shortens graduate degree requirements without compromising didactic and clinical learning experiences.
Note: Approval to take graduate courses does not guarantee admission to the M.S. program in Advanced Practice Nursing. Students who wish to pursue their graduate studies at Fisher must complete the application process for graduate admissions. Please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions for more information.
Students follow the curriculum of the R.N./B.S. program and substitute two graduate courses for undergraduate nursing courses. Students may petition to take graduate courses after completing four undergraduate R.N./B.S. courses, by submitting the Petition for Graduate Courses form. Students interested in an accelerated program should consult with their academic advisor and the Graduate Program Director as early as possible during their studies at St. John Fisher College. Approved students take:
- GNUR 512 Health Care, Economics, and Policy (4)
in place of NURS 458 Contemporary Professional Issues
–AND–
- GNUR 543 Advanced Pathophysiology(3)
in place of NURS 459 Capstone Professional Portfolio
Enrollment Status
Both GNUR 512 Health Care, Economics and Policy (4) and GNUR 543 Advanced Pathophysiology (3) are posted as undergraduate credit on the student’s academic record, and there is no additional charge for these courses for students in the undergraduate R.N./B.S. nursing program. The graduate courses are added to the student’s graduate transcript at the end of the first semester of graduate study at the Wegmans School of Nursing.
Progression Policy
Students matriculating in to the WSON graduate program beginning in Fall 2012 must achieve a grade of B (84-86) or higher in GNUR 543, 566, 567, 570, 571, 576 and 577 in order to progress to the next course. If a student does not achieve a grade of B on the first attempt, the student may re-take the course once. If the student does not achieve a grade of B on the next attempt, the student will not be allowed to progress.
Note: Students matriculated into the WSON graduate program prior to fall 2012, will have four semesters to complete these courses with an average of B or higher, or be held to this policy.
Clinical Learning Experiences
The graduate student completes all clinical courses as precepted practicum experiences. The FNP program has a total of 600 clinical hours; the CNS program has a total of 500 clinical hours; the Nurse Educator program has a total of 300 clinical hours. Due to the scarcity of preceptors, the WSON cannot permit students to take more than one clinical course/semester. It is the policy of the graduate nursing program that the student’s clinical learning experiences are separate and apart from his or her position of employment. Precepted clinical experiences are in a wide variety of health care agencies. Students will be required to sign a formal attestation form which communicates their understanding of the clinical placement process.
In each clinical course, students must be rated as “competent” by the clinical preceptor and faculty site visitor in order to successfully complete the course. Failure to be rated “competent” at the final clinical evaluation will result in a grade of “F” for the course. Clinical failure can be due to unsatisfactory professional behavior or lack of clinical competence. Earning a grade of “F” in more than one graduate course will result in dismissal of the student from the graduate program.
Note: At least 50 percent of the clinical hours for Family Nurse Practitioner students must be in primary care settings.