Entry Level Master of Science in Nursing (Pre-Licensure, Post-Baccalaureate)Program

The pre-licensure, post-baccalaureate entry level Master of Science in Nursing (ELMSN) Program embraces a nursing conceptual framework based on the person, health/illness, the environment and professional nursing and is grounded in the biological, psycho-social and nursing sciences. The philosophy of the Program further defines beliefs about the nursing process and teaching/learning and values students who bring their unique learning abilities, life experiences, goals, responsibilities and support systems to the educational experience.

The purpose of the ELMSN Program is to prepare students for registered nursing positions as a generalist who is able to work in a variety of multicultural health care settings.

Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements of the ELMSN Program, a certificate of completion will allow students to be eligibile to sit for the NCLEX-RN Examination in the State of California.

Requirements for Admission to the ELMSN Program:

Nursing Application (Written Statement, Nursing Application, Letter of Recommendation, TEAS) Deadlines:

January 22, 2010 for the March 2010 nursing cohort start date.

June 15, 2010 for the September 2010 nursing cohort start date


Meet the admission requirements of the College which includes successful completion of Chicano Studies (Hist224 - 3 Academic Credits) taken at IAC.

Possess a Bachelors Degree from an regionally accredited US College or University or equivalent to a US Bachelors degree as documented by an authorized Foreign Credentialing Service.

Applicants who do not possess the equivalent to a US Bachelor's degree may enroll in the IAC Bachelor of Science Degree Program if they have graduated from a medical school in a foreign country, OR The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies if they have studied in foreign universities but did not complete their program. Only students who completed three or four years of their education in foreign universities are eligible.

Have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 in the last 60 semester or 90 quarter credits of the Bachelors degree and a C or higher in all admission pre-requisite courses.

Achieve a TEAS® (Test of Essential Academic Skills™) score of 73% within the last year of application submission.

All students are required to have the following pre-nursing requirements met before the application deadlines no matter which program of study currently being pursued at IAC (MD-BS students enrolled before November 23, 2009 will have requirements met after successful completion of their their current program).

Meet the admission requirements of the College which includes successful completion of Chicano Studies (Hist224 - 3 Academic Credits) taken at IAC.

College Level English - 6 Academic Credits
   3 credits in reading and composition (equivalent to ENGL 130 at IAC)
   3 credits in speech or group communication (equivalent to COMM 104 at IAC)


Successfully complete the following courses within the last 7 years:

Human Anatomy and Lab	4 Academic Credits
Human Physiology and Lab	4 Academic Credits
Introduction to Microbiology and Lab	4 Academic Credits
College Level Math	3 Academic Credits

Applicants whose Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology and/or Math are more than seven years old may take designated IAC capstone review of science/math courses.

Successfully complete the following social science courses:

Introduction to Psychology (This course must be introductory; PSYC 485 will not be accepted)	3 Academic Credits
Introduction to Sociology (This course must be introductory; SOCI 305 will not be accepted)	3 Academic Credits

Successfully complete courses from the following categories- May be lower or upper division:

Ethics	3 Academic Credits
Humanities	3 Academic Credits
Computer Literacy	3 Academic Credits

Note:

• Some students were previously considered "pipeline" (in the works), this was only valid for the January 2010 nursing cohort start date and is no longer applicable.
• All pre-requisites must be met by the application deadline except Chicano Studies (HIST 224) as long as the course is successfully completed by the cohort start date.
• Microbiology does not have to be completed by the June 15th application deadline for the September 2010 cohort if you are a student completing this course at IAC in June 2010.

Submit, using the IAC form, one letter of Professional Recommendation attesting to character and potential success in the ELMSN Program.



Submit a Written Statement of Purpose (No more than 300-500 words, word-processed and signed) to include the following items:

Career goals and how the Nursing Program relates to these goals
Description of health-related experiences
Plans for managing the academic load of an accelerated program
Special skills and attributes possessed and how they contribute to a career in nursing (second language, leadership, community involvement, etc)

Successfully participate in an interview with the Nursing Admissions Committee.

While in the ELMSN Program, students are required to carry professional liability insurance, personal health insurance, CPR certification for Healthcare providers through the American Heart Association, and must also meet the health requirements of the College and assigned clinical agencies. Health clearance requirements include: a physical exam, Tuberculosis testing, MMR immunity, Varicella titer, and Hepatitis-B testing. Students must also meet assigned clinical agency requirements. A background check will also be required to be considered for the ELMSN program.

ELMSN Program Competencies:

Upon completion of the courses included in the pre-licensure portion of the program, the student will be able to:

1. Synthesize theoretical and empirical knowledge derived from the physical and behavioral sciences and humanities as a basis for professional nursing practice.
2. Use the nursing process to meet the health-promotion, illness prevention, restorative, and rehabilitative needs of individuals, families, and population groups.
3. Use effective communication in interacting with patients, families, and the interdisciplinary healthcare team.
4. Provide health teaching through the nursing process to ensure optimum health and wellness.
5. Demonstrate professionalism in accepting accountability and responsible for personal behavior and ethical practice.
6. Use current research findings and critical thinking skills in promoting the health and welfare of people.
7. Collaborate with and advocate for consumers and colleagues in the delivery of health care services.
8. Apply information technology to promote quality health care.
9. Identify and influence factors that affect health care delivery.
10. Act as a client advocate in promoting health, minimizing risk, and preventing adverse patient outcomes.
11. Assume responsibility for the delegation of nursing care to members of the health care team based on their scope of practice and ability.
12. Demonstrate competent practice as an entry-level registered nurse generalist in a variety of multicultural settings.

The ELMSN is a 36 academic credit hour Program which includes 816 hours in the laboratory (clinical practice). If students fulfill all pre-requisites and attend full-time, they can complete this Program in two years.

ELSM Program Curriculum:(Descriptions of these courses are located in the Course Description section of this Catalog)

Course Prefix and Title	Academic Credits	Lecture Hours	Laboratory/Clinical Hours
MSN 500 - Foundations of Professional Nursing	3	48
MSN 500L - Foundations of Professional Nursing Laboratory	3		144
MSN 501 - Nursing Pharmacology	3	48
MSN 502 - Mental Health Nursing	2	32
MSN 502L - Mental Health Nursing Laboratory	2		96
MSN 504 - Nursing Care of Adults & Older Adults	4	64
MSN 504L - Nursing Care of Adults & Older Adults Laboratory	4		192
MSN 505 - Reproductive Health Nursing	2	32
MSN 505L - Reproductive Health Nursing Laboratory	2		96
MSN 507 - Nursing Care of Critically Ill Adults & Older Adults	2	32
MSN 507L - Nursing Care of Critically Ill Adults & Older Adults Laboratory	2		96
MSN 508 - Child Health Nursing	2	32
MSN 508L - Child Health Nursing Laboratory	2		96
MSN 509L - Clinical Nursing Internship	3	16	96
TOTAL CREDITS/HOURS	36	304	816

Laboratory/Clinical Experiences:

The laboratory/clinical of the ELSM Program involves integration of basic nursing skills, performance of appropriate assessments on patients, use of critical thinking skills to understand client diagnoses, and implementation of appropriate plans of care. During these experiences, students are able to blend their nursing knowledge with their clinical expertise to bring about a more complete plan of care for the patient. Thus, learning to merge both caring and curing enables students to become effective providers of health care. As a result, clinical experiences are a key component of the ELMSN Program. For this reason, the selection of a variety of clinical sites is a very important part of the student's plan of study that requires careful preplanning by the nursing faculty and the ELMSN administration to ensure that students have experiences that result in successful achievement of their clinical objectives.