History and Accreditation

History

At its founding in 1953, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing offered the first baccalaureate nursing program in public higher education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Four years later, the College launched the first Master of Science degree program, and, in 1994, the state's first publicly supported PhD program in Nursing in collaboration with The University of Massachusetts Medical College Graduate School of Nursing. In 2005, the College offered its first PhD program, sponsored uniquely by the College of Nursing, and, in 2006, the first Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the state.

Continuous accreditation, first by the National League for Nursing and currently by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), along with the success of graduates in passing both licensing and certification exams, testify to the enduring quality of the College's programs, faculty, and curriculum.

The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing is one of the twelve schools and colleges comprising the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which was founded in 1863. The University classified among the Carnegie "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity"  and it is the flagship campus of the five-campus Massachusetts public university system. Sponsored research now totals over $230 million a year, with increasing emphasis on the life sciences and biotechnology applications.

Embodying the University's commitment to high quality, accessible education, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing is committed to meeting the challenges faced by the nursing profession in the context of the changing dynamics of society and the delivery of health care.

In 2008 the College of Nursing moved to the renovated Skinner Hall. The move to our own building in the center of the campus sent a clear message that the Commonwealth and the University are committed to building a solid future for nursing education and scholarship that will benefit residents of the state and beyond.

On September 16, 2021, The University announced the College of Nursing to be renamed the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing in honor or Elaine Nicpon Marieb, a teacher, philanthropist, author and distinguished alumna of the University of Massachusetts, and the College of Nursing.

Accreditation

The  Elaine Marieb College of Nursing as part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is accredited by the  New England Commision  of Higher Education (NECHE) The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate program at the University of Massachusetts are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org) and prelicensure programs are approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. PhD programs are accredited by NECHE, the same agency that accredits the entire University.

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Values, Vision, Mission, and Goals

Vision

The College of Nursing is a force for innovation, learning, and discovery in preparing culturally proficient nurses for leadership in health for a global society.

Mission

To provide an affordable and accessible education to enhance health and healing through nursing leadership in teaching, scholarship, practice, and service.

Values

We, the faculty of the College of Nursing, are committed to:

Caring and Collaborative Relationships

• Caring and compassion as the heart of evidence-based nursing practice
• Collaboration with clients, nursing, and interdisciplinary peers as essential to enhancing health and healing
• Attending to the needs and input of vulnerable and underserved populations

Leadership

• Nursing's contribution to reducing health disparities and promoting health in a global society
• An environment that enhances the social conscience and professional development of all members of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
• The knowledge that environments are interrelated systems that affect and are affected by nursing practice, culture, and public policy, where students develop their identity as agents for innovation in the world

Excellence

• The reciprocal relationships among teaching, scholarship, and engagement
• Encouraging integrity and high moral character in all members of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
• Becoming reflective practitioners to increase the authenticity of our work (Boyer,1990)

Innovation

• Creative ways of acquiring, managing, and sharing knowledge

Diversity

• Striving to design and provide culturally sensitive nursing care in a global society
• Promoting diversity in our College and in the profession

Lifelong Learning

• Arts, humanities, and sciences as a foundation for nursing education
• Learning as a dynamic, collaborative process, that promotes mutual growth of students and teachers

Goals

Engagement Goal

Establish innovative scholarly engagement models that define and respond to the health of the public. Our objectives are to:

1. Contribute to the search for answers to the most pressing social, civic, economic, and moral problems facing our profession and world today (Boyer, 1990)
2. Facilitate and enhance an organizational culture of diversity that promotes the success of collaborative partnerships, relationships, and affiliations within a global community
3. Promote and expand faculty teaching, scholarship, service and practice, which reflects faculty expertise and needs of our communities of interest
4. Promote faculty development and systematic understanding through a variety of mechanisms that would include:
   1. Coordinating access to all existing internal university resources
   2. Securing external global resources
   3. Mentoring faculty in the ongoing development of their academic   careers
5. Contribute to systematic and structural improvement of the University and UMass systems
6. Promote service to the underserved and vulnerable populations in our region

Teaching Goal

We prepare professional nurses by creating an innovative environment for inquiry, discovery, and learning with diverse populations. Our objectives are to:

1. Ensure a flexible, learner-centered environment that uses information technology to its fullest potential to ensure collaboration and inclusivity
2. Foster the advancement of students through graduate education
3. Ensure a comprehensive, cohesive curriculum which prepares students for leadership in a changing and diverse sociopolitical world

Scholarship Goal

Enhance the art and science of nursing by creating, translating, and disseminating knowledge. Our objectives are to:

1. Facilitate the scholarship of discovery through integration, application, and teaching
2. Foster a creative environment that supports scholarship activities
3. Enhance mechanisms for interdisciplinary scholarship

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NetID and Student Email Account

Your NetID serves as the primary user name for your IT (Information Technology) account and gives you access to the campus network, SPIRE, email, and much more. Complete instructions on activating your student account and support are provided by UMass Amherst Information Technology: www.umass.edu/it/accounts/activate-your-account

Students in the College of Nursing are required to use their student email account. It is the only email that the College and the University use to provide communications to all students. This is especially critical in an online program, as all pertinent, time-sensitive information will come to that email address.

The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing is not responsible for negative outcomes that may occur if a student does not check or regularly use their student email account. Please make it a priority upon admission to open and use your UMass Amherst student email account. Please read the University Email Communication Policy Statement & Responsibilities: UMass Amherst IT Policy: Email Communications.

Before You Arrive: A Technology Checklist for New Students

The UMass Amherst Information Technology website provides a great checklist for new students to make sure you are all set and ready to compute once classes start. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the website and abundance of information there that can aid you with your computing needs: https://www.umass.edu/it/general/it-guide-students

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Academic Advising and Plan of Study

Academic advising services for graduate nursing students are provided by the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. Academic advising services include, but are not limited to, program planning, selection of courses, identification of scholarly research interests, changes in plan of study, leaves of absence or withdrawal from the program, career counseling, and referrals for academic support. Your academic advisor will work closely with you on any personal and/or professional concerns. This discussion can occur on an individual basis and may be augmented as needed by referrals to appropriate student services on campus. Your assigned academic advisor is listed in your SPIRE account. If you do not have an assigned advisor, please contact your graduate program specialist.

In most other instances, the graduate program specialists and directors will routinely offer guidance on course selections and plan of study updates/changes for Master’s Track, Certificate, DNP, and PhD students.

Although each student has an academic advisor, the student carries the responsibility for ensuring that they meet all the requirements for progression in the major and for graduation.

Plan of Study

Each student will receive a plan of study to guide their education upon admission to their program. The agreed-upon plan of study will be signed by the student and placed in the student’s academic file. A copy will be provided to the student. Changes in the plan of study can only be made in consultation with the student’s advisor or director. Students are responsible for following the plan of study exactly as it is agreed upon with the advisor/director to ensure a timely graduation.

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Registering for Courses

Information outlining available courses and the registration process will be emailed to students prior to the registration period each semester at the student’s University email account.

Early registration is recommended to assure enrollment and to process financial aid.

Many courses fill to capacity, so to be guaranteed a space in a required class, we urge you to register as soon as the registration period begins.

If you have any questions or issues concerning registration, contact the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing graduate program specialist associated with your program.

Registration for courses is found on the University's SPIRE student information system. Students should connect with their advisors each semester and register for the courses outlined in their plan of study to assure a timely graduation. 

The cost per course can vary depending on whether courses are offered through the UMass Amherst Graduate School on campus or through the Flexible Education Division, and by department. Program cost documents can be found on their respective websites. 

Note: All students must register each semester until the degree is awarded.

If you are not registering for any courses or credits in a fall or spring semester and you are not filing for your degree, you must enroll in the Continuous Enrollment course, also known as Program Fee. You can enroll in the Continuous Enrollment course in SPIRE prior to the end of add/drop period each fall and spring semester. The Class Number for Continuous Enrollment is found in the Schedule of Classes under GRADSCH999.

• An incomplete course from a previous semester does not maintain your enrollment. 
• First semester students and non-degree students are not eligible for Continuous Enrollment
• The cost for Continuous Enrollment/Program Fee is $285.00 which will be billed by the Bursar's Office.
• Students on Continuous Enrollment are also assessed half of the Graduate Student Senate Tax. 

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UMass Campus Resources

There are many resources and support services available to both on- and off-campus graduate students. Below is a list of the most frequently requested websites.

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Scholarly Writing Resources

Students admitted to The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Graduate Programs will be expected to produce many papers during their coursework in their graduate program. The College of Nursing uses American Psychological Association (7th ed.) formatting for all required papers. Students are encouraged to seek help with their writing early on, if needed, before the most critical writing times in their programs. The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers support with both scholarly writing and research. Some helpful links include:

1. The Writing Center Virtual and face-to-face appointments are offered, and students may be assigned a writing coach.
2. CTL (The Center for Teaching and Learning): Provides information on editors, writing coaches, writing retreats, and more!  
3. APA Style: The website for using American Psychological Assocation style formattting see Style and Grammar Guidelines for hepful information on how to format your paper. 

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UMass Amherst Libraries

The UMass Amherst Library system has holdings that include more than 6 million books, periodicals and government documents. The W.E.B. Du Bois Library is the largest site, and provides access to to many reference materials and collections. 

Electronic references are available with a UMass IT account, searchable on the library website(s).

Please Note: Firewalls may preclude your ability to access e-journals! Please take the necessary steps to ensure that you can access e-journals and other materials.

Library Resources for Nursing Programs

Nurse Librarian Liaison: Ellen Lutz (lutz [at] library [dot] umass [dot] edu (lutz[at]library[dot]umass[dot]edu))

The UMass Library System is a wealth of information and a place you will want to get to know quickly. The UMass Library has a guide specifically designed for students in Nursing. 

ScholarWorks

ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst is a digital repository for the research and scholarly output of members of the University of Massachusetts Amherst community. It is administered by the UMass Amherst Libraries. Students are highly encouraged to post their work after completion of DNP projects or PhD dissertations. Instructions are given in the DNP Capstone courses when you are ready to submit. 

View past DNP projects on ScholarWorks here. 

View past PhD dissertations on ScholarWorks here.  

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Ombuds Office

The Ombuds Office is a unique place where all current UMass Amherst students, faculty, and staff can talk confidentially and "off the record" about any campus concern, issue, or conflict. The Ombuds staff works with university community members in a variety of ways to help them understand their options and resolve their concerns. The office works to foster a culture in which differences can be resolved through respectful communication and fair processes. 

The office operates pursuant to its Charter Agreement with the University and the International Ombudsman Association Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. Ombuds services are confidential, neutral, informal, and independent. 

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Financial Aid

There are several offices on campus that provide information to students about resources for funding their education. Unlike financial aid for U.S. undergraduate students, aid to U.S. graduate students is limited to loans and work-study. To qualify for these programs, complete the Free Application for Financial Student Aid Form (FAFSA).

The office of Financial Aid Services provides information about various loans, employment, and scholarship programs to which students can apply. Many loan programs and all federal aid programs require that applicants be citizens or permanent residents, making international students ineligible to apply. Financial Aid Services may also be able to inform you about part-time job search programs and can provide debt management information.

In addition, certain nursing organizations such as Nurses’ Educational Funds, Inc. and Sigma Theta Tau International offer scholarships. For more information, stop by the Graduate Program Business Office in Skinner Hall. Several scholarships are offered to graduate students during the academic year and students are encouraged to apply.

To view a list of selected funding opportunities for PhD students, click here.

Scholarship information specifically for graduate students can be found here: https://www.umass.edu/graduate/funding

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Graduate Assistantships & Awards

The University awards a limited number of graduate assistantships and associateships in research and instructional programs in most graduate departments. Research assistants and associates assist in conducting research, usually under the supervision of a faculty member, while teaching assistants and associates assume responsibilities related to teaching in academic departments.

Graduate assistantships, associateships, non-working fellowships, and traineeships are awarded according to the contract negotiated by the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) and includes the benefits of a tuition and curriculum fee waiver for on-campus, face-to-face graduate students. Students holding these types of awards qualify for a partial waiver of the health fee. Students enrolled through Flexible Education (formerly UWW) such as DNP, some Masters, and certificate students, are not eligible for tuition and fees remission. Students with non-working fellowships do not qualify for some of these benefits and should check which benefits (if any) are associated with their fellowships.

Students holding assistantships or receiving University paychecks are paid bi-weekly via direct payroll deposit. If you are uncertain about the benefits associated with your award, contact the Graduate School, Bartlett Building 130 Hicks Way or click here to learn more about funding policies and procedures. 

Appointment and Reappointment Procedure for Graduate Assistants

The following information shall serve as procedure for appointment and reappointment of graduate students who serve as teaching or research assistants for the EMCON.

Posting of open positions
A posting of positions and application will be made available to current and incoming graduate students. Usually, applications for fall positions are circulated in March and applications for spring positions are circulated in October.

Decisions on who will receive funding
The PhD Program Director will make recommendations for assistantships and the Graduate Program Director will approve candidates who have met all of the following criteria:

• Student completes an application and submits a curriculum vitae (CV)
• Student is in good academic standing within the EMCON (no outstanding incompletes or failing grades)
• Student holds the desired experience in order to properly match that of the faculty and the course being taught
• Students can fulfill the commitment required by the course as determined by the faculty of record
• PhD students will be given preference

Application procedure
Interested students should complete the application and submit a CV within the timeframe indicated on the call for applications.

Appointment procedure

• Recommended students shall meet with the designated faculty member to discuss the details of the appointment.
• Specific details of the TA/TO/RA/PA appointment will be discussed and the guidelines outlined in the Graduate Appointments Policies and Procedures will be followed.
• Student signs the Appointment Form for Graduate Fellowship and Assistantships after understanding and agreeing to the responsibilities.
• If the student is new to the University system, they will be informed that they must attend the Graduate School’s TA orientation, known as the Teaching Academy, held in the fall of each year during new student orientation.

Reappointment procedure
A student who is hired for an assistantship should be able to commit to an entire academic year. If that is not the case, and positions become available during the academic year, students will be contacted in the form of an announcement, e-mail, or a mailing regarding the new positions. A new pool of applicants will be drawn upon each academic year. All applications will be considered, although PhD students who are in the first three years (post MS) or four years (post BS) will be given priority.

Policies and guidelines
The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing will follow all guidelines outlined in the Agreement between Graduate Employee Organization UAW Local 2322 and The University of Massachusetts Amherst. The College of Nursing will also follow all guidelines from the Graduate College Assistantship Office and policies and procedures outlined in the Graduate Handbook. The quality of student work and fulfillment of agreed upon responsibilities will be reviewed mid-semester and at the end of each semester in which the graduate assistant serves. Each student will be given a copy of this document and the Agreement between Graduate Employee Organization UAW Local 2322 and The University of Massachusetts Amherst. Any disciplinary action or termination of an appointment will be addressed by the graduate program director in Nursing, and policies and procedures for such action shall be done in accordance with GEO guidelines.

1. Assistantship
   Any student who receives an assistantship from the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing is required to attend the Graduate School TA orientation. International students who serve as TAs are also required to attend the International Student Orientation. If American English is not the student’s primary language, the student may be required to take the Spoken Language Test before being assigned an assistantship.

Policies for Teaching Assistants/Teaching Associates

Definitions

Teaching Assistant (TA): a graduate student employed on an hourly basis with one or more of the following responsibilities in courses for which they do not have primary responsibility: (1) coordinate, lead, or assist in the instructional process in preparation and direct interaction with students in lab, discussion, quiz, or problem sessions; (2) meet with students and teach during office hours; (3) grade papers; (4) grade and proctor exams; (5) supervise undergraduate interns; (6) counsel students; (7) administer colloquium programs. A TA may have additional, related duties as assigned.

Teaching Associate (TO): a graduate student employed on an hourly basis responsible for the teaching and grading of a course. A TO may have additional, related duties as assigned.

For more information see the GEO-UAW contract and other information .

Student Principles

TA/TO positions provide:

• Financial support for PhD education
• Teaching experience for PhD, DNP, and MS students
• Opportunities to be mentored by faculty and to experience faculty as colleagues
• Integral part of PhD education – meets an essential goal of the PhD curriculum
• TOs further advance teaching skills

* BS-PhD students (as well as post-master’s students) may not have had the opportunity to gain formal teaching experience aside from TA/TO positions.

Faculty Principles

TA/TO positions provide:

• Assistance for teaching large classes
• Assistance for teaching for faculty building a research agenda
• TOs may be assigned in clinical and classroom settings in place of a faculty person

Faculty of record must offer TA/TO

• Coaching to develop teaching skills
• Expectations at the beginning of the semester

TA/TO Process Principles

• The faculty of record are encouraged to discuss communication preferences with TAs/TOs, to orient new TAs/TOs to their courses, and to both provide and solicit coaching and feedback to/from their TAs/TOs on a regular basis.
• TAs are encouraged to lead at least one class and/or the co-creation of curricular materials/course projects during the term and receive formal feedback from the faculty of record.
• In the EMCON, while TAs generally serve 10 hours per week, spread over 19 weeks, for a total of 190 hours per semester per TA fellowship, they could serve as little as five hours per week and as much as 20 hours per week based on the needs of the program. Faculty are encouraged to communicate anticipated course burden to TAs and TOs, early and often, so TAs and TOs can plan and adjust their workloads accordingly.
• In the EMCON, TOs are generally ~10 to 12 hours per week for a 3-credit course.
• Duties are determined by University guidelines/GEO contract.
• TAs should work with expert teachers who have prior experience serving as TAs/TOs or as teaching interns and/or mentoring new nurse faculty/graduate TAs.
• Faculty are encouraged to schedule a formal evaluation/feedback and mutual mentoring sessions at midterm and end of semester
• Faculty will also complete the end of semester TA evaluation
• TA/TO positions can qualify as teaching internships for PhD students.
• International students who will be first-time TAs/TOs and who are subject to English language testing requirements for admission to the Graduate School must take the Spoken English Communication Skills test (International Teaching Assistant Communication Program) and score at least a 50.

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Graduate Student Scholarships, Awards & Recognition

The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing offers an array of scholarships. 

Scholarship information specifically for graduate students can be found at the Graduate School.

Eligible student groups will be notified in February/March that they may apply for certain scholarships with a deadline date in late April. Awardees will be notified in June with scholarships placed in their accounts by late August. Scholarship recipients will be required to attend the Scholarship Reception the first week of September. Nursing scholarship decisions are made by the College based upon the specific eligibility criteria of each award.

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Nurse Faculty Loan Program

Nurse Faculty Loan Program

The purpose of the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty to facilitate education of the nurses needed to address the nursing workforce shortage.  Find more information about NFLP here. 

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing makes loans from a fund made possible by a grant from the Federal Government to assist registered nurses in completing their graduate education to become qualified nurse faculty. The program offers partial loan forgiveness for borrowers who graduate and serve as full-time nursing faculty for the prescribed period of time. Loan recipients may cancel 85% of the loan over four years in return for serving full-time as faculty in any accredited school of nursing. Loans are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis with priority given to prior recipients and full-time students.

NFLP loans may be used for the cost of tuition, fees, books, lab expenses, and other reasonable education expenses. Courses taken at institutions other than UMass Amherst are not covered by NFLP.

An NFLP loan may not exceed $40,000 per student per year, for no more than 5 years per student.

Note: Amounts awarded with no corresponding tuition and fees will not be distributed. (For example, if your plan contains summer courses, but you are not enrolled for that summer, those funds will not be disbursed to your account.)

NFLP Eligibility

Students of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing who are enrolled in our DNP or PhD degree programs as well as our MS in Nursing Education are eligible to apply to the Nurse Faculty Loan Program if they meet the following criteria:

1. Must be willing to commit to a full-time teaching position with an accredited nursing program within an educational institution after graduation
2. Must be a U.S. citizen or national of the U.S., or a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. or its territories
3. Must be enrolled full-time or part-time in one of our PhD, DNP, or MS in Nursing Education programs as of July 1 of the award year (or application closing date, whichever is later)
4. Must maintain full-time or part-time enrollment status for a minimum of two terms/semesterds during an academic year while receiving the NFLP loan
5. Must be in good academic standing in an advanced nurse education program at the College
6. Must have no judgment liens entered against them due to defaulting on a federal debt, 28 U.S.C. 3201(e)
7. Must complete at least one of the following courses as part of their program of study:
   1. N603-Theoretical Components
   2. N642-Teaching in Nursing
   3. N641-Curriculum Development & Evaluation
   4. N698T-Teaching in Nursing Practicum
   5. EDUC692K-Foundations and Theories of Learning (elective)
   6. EDUC692R-Introduction to College Teaching (elective)

Loans are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Please apply early. Former NFLP recipients at the UMass Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing receive priority.

Applications are due by August 15. Pleasecontact NFLP [at] nursing [dot] umass [dot] edu with any questions.

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Organizations, Associations and Governance Opportunities

Sigma International Nursing Honor Society

Sigma International Nursing Honor Society was founded in 1922 and is now the second largest nursing organization in the United States, and among the five largest and most prestigious in the world.

Sigma was organized to encourage and recognize superior scholarship and leadership achievement at the undergraduate, graduate and practice levels in nursing. Membership is available by meeting eligibility requirements through active chapters, and assumes acceptance of the purposes of the society and responsibility to participate in achieving the goals consistent with the professional and scholastic character of Sigma Theta Tau.

The Beta Zeta At-Large Chapter at UMass Amherst was established in 1972 as the fifty-second chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. It amended its charter in 2002 to include affiliation with Elms College, Chicopee, MA. In 2006 the chapter again amended its charter to include American International College in Springfield, MA. In 2017, the charter was amended once again to include Westfield State University School of Nursing. Sigma Theta Tau is committed to serving its growing membership through the development of knowledge, encouragement of professional achievement, and advancement of nursing through research. Each year, the Beta Zeta At-Large Chapter as well as Sigma Theta Tau International offer research grant funding opportunities for which graduate students can apply.

Membership is conferred only upon students in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs and nursing leaders in the community who demonstrate exceptional achievement in the nursing profession. Membership invitations go out in the Fall semester to current students in our graduate and uncergraduate nursing programs. 

Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Alumni Association

Every graduate of EMCON nursing programs is automatically a member of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Alumni Association. The Association's board is a group of tremendously enthusiastic and loyal alumni, engaged in many different areas of nursing. Each year, the College of Nursing organizes several events to provide opportunities for alumni networking. One such event is our annual luncheon during Homecoming Weekend, which includes an educational program as well as the presentation of Outstanding Alumni Achievement awards.

The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Alumni Association is an important vehicle that creates and sustains alumni support, enthusiasm, and participation essential for promoting the College's mission: "To enhance health and healing through nursing leadership in teaching, scholarship, practice and service."

Student Participation in Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Governance

As stated in the faculty by-laws, there is student representation on various faculty governance committees. Although each committee has a specific number of students in voting positions, committees welcome any additional students who wish to attend the meetings. Student representatives are available to their classmates to answer questions and/or hear concerns to be presented at committee meetings. The students are representatives with voting privileges on the committees on which they serve including:

• Committee on Undergraduate Academic Matters
• Committee on DNP Academic Matters
• Committee on Master’s Academic Matters
• Committee on PhD Academic Matters
• Committee on Faculty and Student Matters
• Committee on Diversity and Social Justice

If you do not live in the area, it is possible for you to attend committee meetings by video chat or conference call. We would be thrilled to have our graduate students serve on the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing committees. At the beginning of the fall semester, we will be soliciting students to serve. Students can also serve on university committees and with the UMass Graduate Student Organization.

Student Evaluation of Courses

During the last two weeks of each course, students are asked to evaluate the course content and clinical and classroom performance of the faculty. A link to an online evaluation page will be forwarded to students.

The Forward Focus Evaluation presents questions about the course and instructor. All responses are anonymous. Instructors receive feedback via a computer-generated report with a statistical summary of multiple-choice responses and anonymous student comments. This is the opportunity for students to offer constructive suggestions and recommendations for the continued growth and development of the nursing program. Thoughtful evaluation is appreciated. Participation in the evaluation process is strongly encouraged.

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Academic Policies for Graduate Programs

EMCON Grading Policies

All graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. DNP students may receive no less than a B in clinical practicum courses. DNP and Certificate students may receive no less than a C in didactic courses. PhD students may receive no less than a B- in required courses.

University Grading System

As indicated in the Graduate Student Handbook Graduate School Grading Policies, seminar and course grades are assigned solely by the course instructor.

The following letter grades are given to graduate students in graduate-level courses:

*Graduate students enrolled in undergraduate courses may receive these grades. Grade of C or higher are required in all courses numbering 500 or above.

In Progress: An interim grade of In Progress (IP) is routinely recorded for thesis/dissertation credits until the candidate receives their graduate degree. At that time, grades of Satisfactory (SAT) are assigned for all thesis/dissertation credits. Should a student choose not to complete their thesis/dissertation after registering for the credit, a grade of Drop (DR) is recorded for each registration.

• Course Withdrawal: Grades of Drop (DR), Withdraw Passing (WP), or Withdraw Failing (WF) are recorded when the student formally drops the course prior to the end of the semester. The instructor must indicate "WP" or "WF" and date last attended when entering the withdrawal into Spire. A student may convert an otherwise passing course to an audit up to the last day of classes.
• Audited Courses: A grade of Audit (AUD) is recorded for students who register for and successfully complete the course requirements for auditing students. The instructor determines what constitutes successful completion. If an AUD grade is not reported, the course will not be included on the student's transcript. No required courses for a graduate degree can be taken as an Audit.
• Undergraduate Courses: A graduate student who enrolled in an undergraduate level course (100-499) may receive any grade that is valid for undergraduate students enrolled in the same course. Grades of C- and D+ and D are valid only for undergraduate-level courses.

Incomplete

A grade of INC (incomplete) can be given at the discretion of the faculty based on criteria outlined by the University Graduate School policy. Incompletes are not automatic. A contract between the faculty and student for remaining work must be submitted to the program director with current grades and a timeline for remaining work. A student can obtain credit for an incomplete only by completing the work of the course before the end of one calendar year from the time of enrollment in that course. At the end of that period, if a grade is not submitted, a grade of IF (incomplete failure) will be recorded. An INC that turns to an IF can negatively affect the GPA. No more than three incompletes may be present at any one time.

The responsibility for arranging the removal of an incomplete rests with the student. Students receiving a grade of incomplete may need to pay a continuous enrollment fee if they have no other courses to take in order to remain an active student while finishing the INC. Advisors should work closely with advisees who are not progressing in their course work and notify the graduate program director. NOTE: PhD students must resolve all incompletes before moving to the dissertation phase of their program. DNP students may not proceed to the next clinical course in their sequence until all incompletes have been resolved.

An INC grade is given at the discretion of the faculty member of record for the course if extraordinary circumstances occur such as:

• Personal/medical
• Clinical placement challenge or issue
• Academic challenge or issue
• If half or more of the course has been completed successfully

If a grade of INC is granted, it is recommended that the faculty and the student:

• Complete a Teaching/Learning contract indicating the expectation for completing the incomplete, including measurable outcomes and a timeframe for completion.
• Review plan of study: Students cannot proceed to courses for which the INC course is a pre-requisite until the INC grade is completed.
• Review plan of study to determine if there are other non-clinical courses to which the student can progress.

Failing a course

The minimum passing grade for graduate courses is a C (B- in PhD courses). If a student fails a required course in their plan of study, the student must apply in writing to the program director and graduate program director to be allowed to retake the course. The original grade remains on the transcript, and it will not be replaced by the new grade. However, a passing grade may help raise the cumulative GPA, which must be maintained above 3.0 in order to remain an active graduate student.

If a DNP or Master’s student receives a failing grade in a practicum course, the student may retake the practicum course. The companion didactic course may need to be repeated if the instructor feels that the student needs the content of the didactic course as a refresher in order to successfully pass the practicum. The didactic course may be audited. Please review the University Without Walls (UWW) website for information about how to register to audit a course.

Course Waivers and Course Challenges

In addition to adhering to the Graduate School grading policies, the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing internally provides both course waivers and course challenges in some instances. These waived courses do not go on a student’s official transcript but are counted towards his/her plan of study work as “completed.”

A course may be waived as a requirement for a degree program if the student documents that a previous course sufficiently meets the same course requirements. The course previously taken by the student must be equivalent to the required course at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing and be documented on the plan of study. This must be approved in writing by the student’s faculty advisor or program director. No credit is given for this, as the student does not register for the course that is being waived. Courses over five years old must be repeated.

A student may request to challenge a required course for academic credit. The challenge requirements are negotiated by the student’s advisor and the faculty of record teaching the course. University policy currently allows a maximum of 6 qualified credits to be applied towards course requirements in the plan of study.

Independent Study

Students interested in an independent study are required to discuss their proposed independent study with an EMCON graduate faculty member prior to engaging in an independent study course.  In order to register for an independent study the following requirements must be met:

1. Complete the Independent Study/Practicum Enrollment form. You must have the name and email of your Faculty Sponsor.
2. Upon submission, an email will be sent to your Faculty Sponsor, to the email you designate on the form, with instructions on how to approve your request.
3. You will receive a copy of the email to serve as confirmation that the request was sent to your Faculty Sponsor for approval.
4. Once we receive approval from Faculty Sponsor via email, you will be enrolled in the class and will be notified at your UMass email address. You may also check your schedule in SPIRE.
5. Requests received from students will not be accepted..

Online Courses and Posting Requirements

Students should read and understand the expectations of their online courses for each and every course that they take. Students are responsible for making themselves familiar with the posting requirements for all online courses and that they are following ALL requirements for their specific courses, including, but not limited to, how many postings they need to make and how often they need to post in order to fulfill the requirements of the class. If students have any questions they should ask their instructor BEFORE beginning the course, if the course syllabus is not clear.

Continuous Enrollment/Program Fee

Graduate students not enrolled for course/thesis/dissertation credits and who are candidates for a degree must pay the Program Fee and register for Continuous Enrollment every semester until that degree has been formally awarded, not simply filed for. An incomplete grade (INC/IP) from a previous semester does not maintain a graduate student's enrollment status. Newly admitted graduate students cannot register for Continuous Enrollment or pay the Program Fee to defer entrance into the University, nor is Continuous Enrollment applicable for Non-Degree graduate students. Before the end of the registration period, graduate students may register for Continuous Enrollment (GRADSCH 999) in SPIRE. The student will then receive a bill for the Program Fee from the Bursar's Office. If the student wishes to pay by credit card, the Graduate Records Office should be contacted by the registration deadline.

Leave of Absence

A student who takes a leave of absence may have conditions for returning set by the faculty advisor in consultation with the program director and dean of nursing. To maintain continuous enrollment, students must pay the continuous enrollment program fees during their leaves of absence.

Academic Probation

A student will be placed on probation if a cumulative GPA of 3.0 is not maintained. A student on probationary status is given one semester to raise the cumulative GPA to 3.0. If, in this semester, the cumulative GPA is not raised to 3.0, the student is subject to academic dismissal. Students placed on probation are notified in writing and a copy is sent to the student’s faculty research advisor. If a student is in jeopardy of failing a course by mid-semester, an email  will be sent to
students informing them of their most current grade and  reminding them of the GPA policy.

Statute of Limitations

The Statute of Limitations (SOL) is the period within which all degree requirements must be completed, and it is determined during the acceptance process. Because SOLs vary with degree, please see the Graduate School website for a complete description of the SOL guidelines.

A student may be granted additional time to complete his/her degree program by the dean of the Graduate School, provided the graduate program director makes such recommendation and provided satisfactory and reasonable progress is being made.

Posting of Grades

Grades are recorded on SPIRE approximately 1 week following the date they are due from the instructors. The actual date grades will be available is announced in SPIRE each semester. As incomplete or missing grades are received and posted, they are uploaded to SPIRE. If a printed copy of your grades is required, you can print an unofficial transcript from SPIRE, or an official transcript from the Graduate Records Office can be requested (see Transcripts).

Transfer Credit Policy

A limited number of course credits may be transferred toward a master's program provided the graduate program director recommends to the graduate dean that the credits be transferred, and that request is approved (See Sample Request for Transfer of Graduate Course Credit Form). No courses taken outside of the University of Massachusetts Amherst may be transferred toward doctoral or Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study programs. No credits can be transferred toward the completion of the PhD program. Any requests for exceptions to the regulations specified below must be made by the student's graduate program director and to the graduate dean, outlining the specific reason(s) for the request.

• Course Eligibility Requirements:
  Grades received for courses requested for transfer must be B (3.00) or better. Graduate level courses to be transferred must have been taken no more than five years prior to the student's acceptance into the EMCON and may not have been used previously to fulfill the requirements for any other degree, certificate or program. An official transcript of the course(s) to be transferred is required.
• Use of Courses to Fulfill Requirements:
  Non-University of Massachusetts Amherst transfer credits may be used to fulfill elective or departmental course requirements. These courses may not, however, be used to satisfy the 600-800-level requirements, nor can the grade received in a course taken at another institution be used to satisfy the University's requirement for letter-graded credits (see Master's Degree Requirements).
• Number of Credits:
  No more than a total of twelve (12) graduate credits may be transferred. Of these, a maximum of six (6) credits may be from any one of the following sources:
  • Course(s) taken at another regionally accredited college/university within the United States
  • Course(s) taken while enrolled as a non-degree graduate student at UMass Amherst
  • Course(s) taken as an undergraduate student over and above requirements for the baccalaureate degree
• Transfer Credits to Another Institution:
  Courses taken as a non-degree student are listed separately from the degree transcript. A course taken while enrolled in a degree program, but not applied toward a University of Massachusetts Amherst degree, may be transferrable. The Graduate School can, if necessary, certify that a course was not applied to any degree requirement at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was eligible for graduate credit, when appropriate.

Transferring Non-Degree Courses to UMass Amherst Transcript: Students are responsible for providing the graduate program director an official transcript for the courses they wish to transfer into their degree program. The graduate program director then sends an official form to the Graduate School, with that transcript, requesting the transfer.

Credentialing

Statement of the ANA Position

In the nursing profession, the use of credentials is an essential component to designate levels of attained education and licensure, certification, and professional achievement. The listing of credentials when identifying a nurse ensures credibility and competence to the consumers of nursing care. Standardized use strengthens a unified understanding of credentials among nurses, within the healthcare delivery system, and for healthcare consumers. In an effort to establish a recognizable and understandable credential usage process across all spectrums of nursing, the following order of credentials is recommended: Highest earned degree, mandated requirements (i.e. licensure), state designations or requirements, national certifications, awards and honors, other certifications.

The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing does NOT endorse the use of the credentials PhD(c) or DNP(c). These are not legitimate credentials and can be confusing to the public. Instead, we suggest using the following language regarding your status in any communication, publication, or conference proceedings:

During course work:

Michael Torres, BS (or MS, not both), RN
PhD Student
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Michael Torres, BS (or MS, not both), RN
DNP Student
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
University of Massachusetts Amherst

After passing the written comprehensive exam:

Michael Torres, MS, RN
PhD Candidate
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
University of Massachusetts Amherst

In the final year of your DNP program:

Michael Torres, MS, RN
DNP Candidate
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Guidelines for Conduct in Clinical Settings

It is expected that each student will understand and act in accordance with the mission, vision, and goals of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, The Code of Nursing Ethics as promulgated by the American Nurses Association, and the Academic Honesty Policy of the University. Failure to do so will constitute cause for dismissal regardless of academic standing. Please see previous section on professional conduct. Confidentiality (HIPPA) of information related to clinical experiences and anonymity of patients and families are to be preserved. Professional accountability and responsibility include timely attendance at all scheduled clinical experiences, being adequately prepared for the respective experiences, and always maintaining safety in clinical practice. It is imperative that each student communicates respectfully in collaboration with the health care team and patients.

Clothes and lab coats must be neat and clean. Students must wear their UMass Student Name tag and abide by the dress code at their assigned clinical agencies.   

Preparing For Your Clinical Practicum

Practicum Placement

All graduate students are required to work with our clinical placement staff to secure their practicum placements and preceptors in quality health care agencies or practices. The Psych/Certificate, MS and DNP programs are online programs with students located in communities throughout the United States. The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing clinical placement coordinator will be able to give assistance with placements. Program directors must approve all preceptors before a student can begin a practicum experience. Preceptors should hold advanced degrees in nursing, public health, medicine, or a related field. Preceptors and agencies should be selected based upon their suitability with the course objectives and practicum focus areas.

You should start negotiating for a preceptor at least 6 months before you begin a practicum. Negotiating several semesters ahead or an entire year in advance may be necessary to ensure placement in a busy medical practice that may provide spots to students from multiple institutions.

General Information Regarding Practicum and Assignment

Please note the start and stop dates for practicum courses as you register for courses each semester so that you know the dates you must have preceptors secured for and the dates they will be working with you. Also note that we may have more than one section for any one practicum course. You may need to enroll for a section under your name or you may be asked to “swap” to another section to even out the number of students per section.

Actions

Guidelines for Classroom Civility and Respect

An Environment of Academic Freedom

The University of Massachusetts Amherst strives to create an environment of academic freedom that fosters the personal and intellectual development of all community members. To do this, the University protects the rights of all students, faculty, and staff to explore new ideas and to express their views. A necessary condition for these pursuits is an acceptance of the spirit of inquiry and a respect for diverse ideas and viewpoints. For true academic freedom to exist, this acceptance and respect must exist in both the overall campus environment and in the classroom.

The University preserves a high standard for community members in terms of mutual respect and civility. While each member of the community holds several rights, privileges, and responsibilities, those individuals who disrespect the rights of others or who act in a way that discredits themselves or the University may forfeit privileges or receive sanctions. As members of an academic community, we are obligated to be exemplary, both in our behaviors and in our attitudes. This obligation is especially important within the classroom context since this is one of the primary ways that learning, and growth, are fostered.

Student Code of Conduct

Learning and the exchange of ideas may take place in many settings, including the formal classroom. When students and faculty come together, the expectation is always that mutual respect will prevail to ensure that every student has the optimum opportunity to learn and that each faculty member has the best opportunity to teach.

It is the expectation of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing that ALL students enrolled in graduate level courses be respectful of others when interacting with faculty, staff, and colleagues, in the classroom, online, and while representing the College of Nursing in clinical settings.

The College of Nursing follows the University code of conduct for students. The code of conduct may be found here: https://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct

Differences of opinions or concerns related to the class are welcomed if presented in a mutually respectful manner. The challenging of viewpoints is part of the academic experience but should occur in a manner that promotes dialogue and embodies anti-racist, gender-affirming, accessible, and emancipatory nursing praxis.

Guidelines for Classroom Civility and Respect: https://www.umass.edu/dean_students/campus-policies/classroom 

Academic Honesty Statement

Since the integrity of the academic enterprise of any institution of higher education requires honesty in scholarship and research, academic honesty is required of all students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed on any student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Instructors should take reasonable steps to address academic misconduct. Anyone who believes a student has committed academic dishonesty should bring such information to the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. Instances of academic dishonesty not related to a specific course should be brought to the attention of the appropriate department head or chair. Since students are expected to be familiar with this policy and the commonly accepted standards of academic integrity, ignorance of such standards is not normally sufficient evidence of lack of intent. (http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/codeofconduct/acadhonesty/)

University Academic Honesty Policy

It is the expressed policy of the University that every aspect of graduate academic life, related in whatever fashion to the University, shall be conducted in an absolutely and uncompromisingly honest manner by graduate students. The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing abides by the University Academic Honesty Policy (https://www.umass.edu/honesty/). A student identified by an instructor, or another student as having committed a breach of the academic honesty regulations has the right to appeal before any penalty can be imposed. Do not share papers or other work done in previous classes with other students in your program, as this is a violation of the academic honesty code. Students are required to follow the guidelines of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual 7th edition guidelines for citation of works in their assignments. Appeals must be filed within ten days of notification by the instructor who suspects dishonesty. Information on the appeal process can be found in the Academic Honesty Policy or requested from the Ombuds Office, where appeals are filed.

The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics

The College of Nursing abides by and adheres to the Code of Ethics for Nurses and the ANA Nursing Standards, which are set forth by the American Nurses Association as it relates to the professional conduct of nurses. The full code and interpretative statements can be viewed, read, and purchased at: http://www.nursingworld.org/codeofethics

The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (The Code) was developed as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession.

Provisions of the Code of Ethics

1.  The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person.
2. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.
3. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.
4. The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to provide optimal patient care.
5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth.
6. The nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work setting and conditions of employment that are conducive to safe, quality health care.
7. The nurse, in all roles and settings, advances the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health policy.
8. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities.
9. The profession of nursing, collectively through its professional organizations, must articulate nursing values, maintain the integrity of the profession, and integrate principles of social justice into nursing and health policy.

Source: American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretative statements. Silver Spring, MD: Author. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/

Actions

Health Clearance Requirements

Before beginning a graduate practicum, course students must have completed the submission of all required health records and certifications through CastleBranch at least 8 weeks prior to the clinical course start date. You will set up your student records account during orientation or via emailed instructions provided by your program.

Please note: Students will not be allowed to begin a practicum course until all required items have been submitted and the College has approved the practicum site and preceptor!

* Please be aware that state and local regulations have limited the states where you may participate in a clinical practicum associated with the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. If you are moving after having been admitted to the program, notify us immediately, so that we may advise you of your options.

You are not guaranteed to be able to complete a clinical practicum in non-covered states if you move after being accepted into the program or if regulations in your state change.

Students of the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing are required to adhere to certain health maintenance procedures to comply with standards prescribed by affiliating clinical agencies and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 76, Section 15C, entitled, "Immunization of college health science students." Students may use the services of their own family health care providers or the University Health Services. The policies are intended to protect the health and well-being of patients and the nursing student engaged in clinical practice.

Typhon

Typhon is the web-based application that you will be using with your preceptor to track your practicum experiences. After the College of Nursing receives your “Student Preceptor Form,” both you and your preceptor will each be assigned a unique login ID and password to access Typhon. (DO NOT SHARE YOUR ID AND PASSWORD)

There are tutorials within the system that will explain how to use Typhon. Like all computer programs, there may be issues at times. Please email Lynn Yovina lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (lyovina[at]umass[dot]edu)  with any questions or concerns.

Actions

Preparing for Graduate Clinical Practicum

Preparing for Your Clinical Practicum

Please read thoroughly to avoid delays or cancellations of your practicum.

Please familiarize yourself with the steps for preparing for your clinical practicum. You should start early, especially if your site requires an Affiliation Agreement.

You can start to prepare for your practicum at any time. Allow enough time to complete all the requirements before you start your practicum.

Check your UMass email address frequently, twice a week at least, since you will be sent important information through the UMass email.

If you have a name change, please inform the Clinical Coordinator lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (Lynn Yovina). You will also need to change it formally through SPIRE.

It is important that you maintain good communication with your practicum site to ensure all onboarding paperwork is complete. Some sites do not need anything from UMass. They may ask you to directly give them your health documents or other forms.

Important: You must be licensed as an RN in the state where you are planning to complete your clinical hours as an NP student.  You must have either an RN license in that state or a compact RN license and are completing your clinicals in a compact state.

If your clinical site requires paperwork from the college, it is up to you to find out what is required by your site, and let lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (Lynn Yovina) know. Some sites need verification or attestation letters, others do not have any requirements. Each practicum site is different, with different procedures and forms. You should ask your site when, or if, they need paperwork from the College of Nursing, and allow enough time for us to provide the documentation.

AJ Juno (ajuno [at] umass [dot] edu (ajuno[at]umass[dot]edu)) is the contact for all questions.

The first step is finding out if your site needs an affiliation agreement. You must ask the correct person or department. If an agreement is needed, this process can take many months. UMass Amherst DOES NOT need an agreement.

Do not confuse an affiliation agreement with the Student-Preceptor Form. Remember, an affiliation agreement may not be needed at all; check with your site.

An affiliation agreement is a contract between UMass Amherst and the corporation or owner that owns the site of your practicum. UMass does not need an affiliation agreement for you to do your practicum. But some sites do. For the many sites that do not, you can go there without the lengthy process it takes to complete an agreement. Once an agreement is finished, it will last for years. The typical expiration date is 3-5 yrs, but many never expire.

It is your responsibility to find out if an agreement is needed. The first thing you need to do is ask them. If you don’t know who to ask, start with the HR department or the administration. Your preceptor might not know. If you give AJ the wrong person who does not work with agreements, that can create delays. If your site has any questions, AJ would be happy to answer. You are free to give AJ’s contact information.

Allow enough time to execute an agreement. It can take 2 to 6 months to complete. Six months is rare, but it does happen. And sometimes, even rarer, UMass and the site cannot reconcile our disagreements, and the affiliation agreement is not completed. It is best to have a back-up site available in case this happens.

You need to be approved by your site to do your practicum before you ask for an affiliation agreement.

You can always write AJ to find out if we already have an agreement with a site.

If your site needs an affiliation agreement, find out the contact person that AJ will be working with and gather the following information:  

• Full Site Name
• Full Contact Name
• Title
• Email
• Phone Number
• Mailing Address
• Semester you will start

Then go to the online form and complete. AJ needs all the info the form asks for before she will start working on an agreement. Do not email her this information—submit it via the online form:

Affiliation Agreement Request Form

This online form will go directly to AJ Juno when you submit.

After you fill out the online request form, you are always free to email AJ directly with questions, updates, or changes. It is important that you get the correct person at the site, otherwise there can be long delays. Once AJ has all the info needed the process will begin and you will be notified when completed, or if there are problems.

2:  Clinical Sites, Preceptor Forms & Preceptor & Student Typhon Accounts

If you are new to Typhon and do not have a student login, email lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (Lynn Yovina) who will send you Typhon login information. There is a one-time fee of $100 for the NP and Psych Certification tracks, and a $70 for Nursing Education tracks that the student is responsible for.

Your Typhon account will last up to 5 years after you graduate so you can take advantage of your Typhon Portfolio.

Note: If you had a Typhon account from another school, it is NOT transferable.

There is a section within Typhon for “Video Tutorials”. Click on that. Choose “Student Tutorial” from the list of videos. There is a 71-minute long video that goes over everything you’ll need for your Typhon account. You can forward it to the spot on the video that speaks to filling in your case logs.

SAMPLE LETTER to Prospective Preceptor (see Graduate Handbook for more information):

Hello   _________,

I am a (Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Public Health Nurse Leader) DNP student or (Clinical Nurse Leader student) who is looking for a preceptor for my (list course name) practicum. I am impressed with your (list practice specialty such as family) practice and (list the strengths of the preceptor and any other reasons why you are interested in practicing there. An example of this would be (his/her) years of experience in a clinical area). I would be honored to be able to do my practicum with you.

I have had experience with (list your experience). My area of interest is (list your area of interest). Please see my CV that is attached to this email.

I would love to meet with you to discuss this further. Please let me know what day and time work best for you to meet by phone or in person and I will arrange it.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to learn from you in the clinical setting. Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Student Name:

Student email:

(Attached copy of your CV)

Once you have a site and a preceptor:

You must complete the STUDENT-PRECEPTOR FORM in DocuSign.

If the health care provider (NP, MD, RN) agrees to precept, you will need to guide them in the next steps. You will complete the Student-Preceptor Form online, the preceptor will receive the form to sign via Adobe E-Sign. The information from the form will be used to set up a Typhon preceptor account.

Also, send the preceptor the link to our Graduate Clinical Placement information:

http://www.umass.edu/nursing/student-resources/graduate-clinical-placements

The Graduate Preceptor Handbook is on the right-hand side near the bottom.

Notes:

• Even if you’ve had the same preceptor in a previous semester, you are required to fill out the Student-Preceptor from each semester.
• You may have more than one preceptor in a semester. For each preceptor you will need to complete a Student-Preceptor Form.
• Once your preceptor has a Typhon account, the account is theirs indefinitely, and they can use it for more than one student.

Click on this link to access the Student-Preceptor Form via DocuSign:

 https://tinyurl.com/Student-PreForm

The Student-Preceptor Form requires the following information:

• • Student’s Full Name & Email Address
  • Course # (The Course # starts with “N”. Please write in the Clinical course, not the Didactic course that accompanies it.)
  • EMCON Professor (if known)
  • Affiliation Dates, Semester/Year
  • The Preceptor’s Name & Business Email Address (their personal email is optional)
  • Is the preceptor Board Certified? If yes, please provide license number and expiration date if known.
  • Preceptor’s Credentials, Specialty, Practice/Group Name, Phone #, Address
  • Optional: Clinical Site Website Address, Administrative Contact information

VERY IMPORTANT—before you fill out the form, you’ll need to provide DocuSign the exact name that the preceptor will sign on the document and their email address. When the preceptor receives DocuSign, they just click the button, and the name is signed with whatever you previously entered on the first page. If this is not how the preceptor wants to sign, or it is misspelled, they might refuse to sign. Be sure to enter their name and email address accurately, or they will not receive the email asking them to sign the form. 

After you sign, it automatically goes to the preceptor. When they sign, all parties get the completed copy. Lynn gets copies at each stage.

Obtain a CV (resume) from your preceptor and email it to Lynn Yovina. The preceptor may send this directly to Lynn if they prefer.

Lynn Yovina will send your preceptor their Typhon login based on the Preceptor Form you fill out in DocuSign if they don’t already have an account from a previous semester. The preceptor’s account is theirs indefinitely and they can use it for more than one student.

Note: Please update Lynn Yovina if you have decided not to work with a preceptor or site that you had previously submitted forms for through DocuSign.

If the student or the preceptor forgets their password or if their email link has expired for the Typhon account, please contact Lynn Yovina.

3:  Preceptor Hours Letter

The College can send a formal letter verifying “hours precepted” to any preceptor who requests one. Please let your preceptor know they may ask for this letter. The student or preceptor should contact Lynn Yovina to request the letter. Provide Lynn with the preceptor’s name, the preceptor’s site, the student name they were a preceptor for, and exact date range or semester/year. Lynn will run the report matching that information in Typhon and create a Preceptor Hours Letter that will be sent directly to the preceptor.

4:  CCP (Centralized Clinical Placements)

CCP (Centralized Clinical Placements):  Applies to Specific Massachusetts Hospitals:

For students who are doing their practicums in a Massachusetts CCP facility, such as Boston Med, Mass General, Brigham and Women’s, Cooley Dickinson, etc., a request for clinical placement must be made using CCP.

Contact Katy Bobianski, kbobians [at] nursing [dot] umass [dot] edu (kbobians[at]nursing[dot]umass[dot]edu), who will enter your information into CCP.

Katy will need from you:

• a copy of your CV
• your course number,
• number of hours required,
• your start and end date,
• if you are an employee of the institution,
• and which area you are looking (Example: Primary Pediatric Care).
• You should include your preceptor if you have one who has agreed to work with you, and their unit/dept.

These MA sites will also require you to complete their “HCO facility-specific material” in CCP. You complete this by first completing the CCP’s 4 module orientation (see below), then you are directed to the specific facility’s orientation that is also required.

Avoid directly contacting the unit managers in these MA facilities when seeking approval. The nurse educators who approve the practicums require that you follow the procedures by having UMass staff be their only contact. These placements are highly competitive, especially in the Boston area, and making an end-run around the nurse educators can cause them to reject your application.

CCP Orientation for HIPAA & OSHA (to be uploaded to CastleBranch) FOR ALL STUDENTS:

• CCP, which is run by the MA Dept. of Health, has an orientation that ALL students need to complete, even if you do not reside in MA. Most of the facilities where students will do their clinicals require that we train students in HIPAA, OSHA, fire and safety, etc. You only need to do this once. You will complete 4 modules. You do NOT need to do the additional facility specific module (unless you are going to a MA site that requires this). Please download a completion ticket which is proof that you did the 4 modules and upload into CastleBranch.
• To download a completion ticket when you don’t know your Clinical Site (HCO), use: 1-Generic Site. If you need to give an instructor name, you can use, 1-GenericInstructor. By uploading this completion ticket into CastleBranch we know you have completed the CCP Modules required.
• Make sure you download a completion ticket before June 31, since each year CCP archives all records and starts anew on July 1. You are only required to complete the modules once.
• Instructions for completing CCP Orientation will be available in Blackboard/Canvas and are also in CastleBranch.

5:  CastleBranch Account for Students

Students are required to set up an account with CastleBranch, our third-party vendor, after admission into the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing.

• Please be aware that students need to have their pre-clinical requirements completed, all required documents must be uploaded into and accepted by CastleBranch before starting any clinical placements.

This account will take you some time to gather and upload all the documents required, so it would be best to start this far enough in advance of your planned clinical rotation. You will not be allowed into a clinical setting until your CastleBranch account is complete.

Do not send health or background information to the College of Nursing.

You will be responsible for uploading evidence of your immunizations and required documents into the self-service system about two months before your first clinical. Earlier is advised.

For any questions about CastleBranch, contact CastleBranch Customer Support.

The CastleBranch service desk is available to assist you via phone, chat, and email. 

Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M. EST. Their phone number is: (888) 723-4263.

Lynn Yovina, lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (lyovina[at]umass[dot]edu), is your UMass support person for CastleBranch.

• Go to:  www.castlebranch.com and choose: “Place Order”.
• Your PIN number is your SPIRE ID number.
• The email address you use when placing your order will become your username for your CastleBranch account and will be the primary form of communication for alerts and messages regarding your health and certification records requirements. You can respond to any active alerts or To-Do list items by logging into your CastleBranch account. You will receive alerts if information is needed to process your order, and as requirements approach their due dates.  Access your CastleBranch account anytime to view order stats and completed results. Please do not share your login or password.
• Enter your program “Package Code” (please see the package codes below) and click “Submit”.
• You need to place an order for two (2) package codes: one for the main account and the second for the separate background check. The background check is a national check. This separate background check is mandatory for all students – one time only. This is different from the CORI form that is in the regular account, which you will also complete. Some sites require a background check to be done within a certain time frame, such as no later than three (3) months or one (1) year from the start of their clinicals (this is rare). In that case you must follow the requirements of the site, even if you have already completed a background check earlier.
• The easiest way to upload documents to your CastleBranch account is to download the CastleBranch app from your app store on your iPhone/iPad or Android device. Search for “My CB” after setting up your account via web browser and you will be able to snap a picture of a document directly into your to-do list.
• Read or watch the CastleBranch tutorials. Do NOT upload your documents to “Medical Records”. You need to upload your documents individually to each of the items listed.
• If you have any questions or disagree with a rejection from CastleBranch, contact them directly. You can always reach out to Lynn Yovina if you have any concerns or questions.
• Your specific site may require information not listed. You will need to follow what your site requires. The University has no control over a site’s requirements.

The Package Codes Are:

DNP (FNP, PMHNP, AGNP, PHNL) Students and Post Masters Psych Certificate Students:

The code for the main account is UM28 – no fee.

Background Check = UP60bg. This is a one-time requirement – $43.00

If you live in Puerto Rico use this code: UP60PR

If your site requires a Drug Test, the code is UP60dt. Optional, as needed for site – $44.00.

For students in placements in the Baystate Medical System, a Drug Screen is required.

Masters: CNL & Nursing Education Students:

The code for the main account is UM29

Background Check = UP60bg – Required, one-time fee - $43.00

Drug Test = UP60dt – Optional, as needed for site - $44.00

Immunization and Health Requirements:

Note: These requirements are standard for the majority of the clinical sites, but some facilities have additional requirements. Please refer to your specific clinical site’s requirements.

• Tdap – Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis Vaccine (within last 10 years).
• 2 vaccines of MMR received after 1968 or positive antibody titers required for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, if antibody test is negative, your medical professional will determine boosters or repeat vaccinations.
• Hepatitis B Series — 3 vaccines and positive antibody titer
• Varicella (Chicken pox) — One of the following is required: 2 vaccines or a positive antibody titer or history of disease (provider verification required). If titer is negative or equivocal you will be required to confer with your provider and choose to receive a booster and repeat titer or repeat vaccination series.
• TB- 2-Step PPD followed by yearly PPD or a negative T-spot within the past 12 months. If positive submit clear chest X-ray and TB questionnaire on school form both dated within past 12 months.
• Seasonal Flu Vaccine Required
• COVID vaccines and booster Required
• Current Physical with date and comments (within one year of entry into first clinical).
• CPR Certification (Must be from the American Heart Association Healthcare Provider Course (BLS) or ACLS. American Red Cross or online courses are not acceptable.)
• Medical Release Authorization

Follow the link to electronically complete your Medical Release Authorization: https://tinyurl.com/GradMedRelease

After you sign and submit your form, DocuSign will email you the signed form. Please upload the signed form into CastleBranch.

• Professional Liability Insurance. NSO, www.nso.com, is one company many students use. If you use another company they must have the following coverage:
  • • Professional Liability: $1M per claim and $6M aggregate
    • Information Privacy (HIPAA) Fines & Penalties: $25K per incident and $25K aggregate.

6. Contacts

Katy Bobianski: kbobians [at] nursing [dot] umass [dot] edu (kbobians[at]nursing[dot]umass[dot]edu)

Katy is our Graduate Clinical Placement Coordinator. Katy will work with you to find a clinical site if you are having trouble finding one on your own. Katy can also answer questions about the appropriateness of a site or preceptor. If you would like assistance to find a clinical site, please email Katy. Be sure to include your specialty track, the name and number of the clinical course, and the State you will be living in during the clinical semester. 

Katy will also help with entries into the Centralized Clinical Placement (CCP) system that may be required by specific sites in Massachusetts.

Lynn Yovina: lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (lyovina[at]umass[dot]edu)

Lynn can help you after you have been accepted for placement at a site. She will help you with Typhon Accounts for students and preceptors, (Typhon is the database where you will record preceptor hours), Preceptor Hours Letters, CastleBranch, onboarding requirements the site might need such as verification letters, and paperwork on immunizations, background checks, computer access, etc. Please note: Each site is different, and some sites do not require any paperwork.

AJ Juno: ajuno [at] umass [dot] edu (ajuno[at]umass[dot]edu)

AJ can answer any questions about affiliation agreements.

Karen Ayotte: kayotte [at] umass [dot] edu (kayotte[at]umass[dot]edu) and Lynn Yovina: lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (lyovina[at]umass[dot]edu)

Karen & Lynn are graduate academic staff who can help you with SPIRE, Registration, and Plans of Study.

For all academic questions about your course: Please ask your instructor, including questions about what type of preceptor or site is acceptable, hours required, or anything to do with the class work or grading.

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Graduate Certificates

Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education (GCNE)

The Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education is designed to provide education in teaching and curriculum for registered nurses. To earn the GCNE, students with at least a bachelor’s degree take four courses from the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing.

The GCNE is designed for four student populations:

First, students in our Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and PhD programs may elect to complete the GCNE in addition to the requirements of their programs.

A second overlapping group is teaching assistants who may want to enhance their teaching skills.

A third group of potential students is faculty who teach nursing in programs across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts who have advanced degrees but no formal education in teaching strategies.

Finally, a fourth group of potential students is nurses who work as educators in clinical settings. Many of these nurses have bachelor’s degrees and lack training in educational strategies.

Individuals who complete the GCNE program and have a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing qualify to take the National League of Nursing (NLN) Certification for Nurse Educators.

Program Goals

• Develop a grounding in pedagogical theories
• Evaluate nursing curriculum using accreditation guidelines
• Consider quality measures in nursing education in developing and evaluating nursing curriculum
• Use creative teaching methods to enhance pedagogy
• Reflect on own teaching style as a means of incorporating new teaching strategies
• Prepare nurses for education roles in colleges, universities, and clinical settings

The GCNE consists of a flexible four-course (12-credit) program of study focused on teaching curricular knowledge and pedagogical skills needed to teach nursing. In order to make these courses available, they will be offered in asynchronous online classes and a final practicum in staff development and education, which may be in a clinical setting, face-to-face class, online class, clinical lab, or in a health care setting. School of Education electives may be online, face-to-face, or blended classes.

The GCNE consists of four total coreses, with three core nursing courses and a final teaching practicum. In the practicum, students will apply their nursing and pedagogical skills to working with nursing students in the classroom, online, and in clinical settings or in health care facilities in education and staff development.

Students in the PhD or the DNP programs may choose to add on this concentration. Students interested in this adding this optio should speak to their program advisor and complete the Track Change Request Form. 

Required courses

N560 Simulation for Healthcare Education

Critique theories associated with simulation, communication, and evaluation of student outcomes. Reviews care of simulation equipment and software and how to create and facilitate simulations culminating with a developed simulation.

N641 Curriculum Development and Evaluation Process in Nursing

Focuses on developing the knowledge and skills of nurse educators in applying principles of curriculum development, evaluation, and related processes in nursing education.

N642 Teaching in Nursing

Focuses on the dynamic, creative process of teaching and learning clinical nursing in preparation for competent, reflective nursing practice. Philosophies, theories, methodologies, and trends relevant to nursing education are included.

N698T Teaching Practicum in Nursing (Pre-requisites: N642 and N641)

This course provides the framework, mentorship, and coaching for graduate students to develop skills in teaching in the classroom, in clinical settings, and in an online environment.

Clinical and Teaching Practicum Information 

N698T is a practicum course. Three credits are allocated to this course for supervised teaching (which translates into 168 contact hours). This course consists of practicum experiences that include precepted education of nursing students in the classroom, online, clinical, and/or simulation/lab environment. There is also a direct care component that consists of approximately 35 hours of client education in the direct care patient environment. Students will participate in about twelve hours of supervised teaching activities in a selected teaching/learning situation each week plus direct care education experience over the course of the semester in addition to online discussion of cases and progress. Some of this time will be spent in preparation for the teaching/learning activities, some will be spent observing faculty teaching, and some will be spent teaching. Students will document their practicum hours and activities in Typhon (See above).

Students will spend 6 or more weeks in one of the following teaching/learning environments:

Nursing Student Education Setting

• classroom (live and/or simulation)
• clinical (live and/or videoconferencing)
• simulation/skills lab
• online (synchronous and/or asynchronous)

Direct Care Learning Environment: Patient or Patient Population Setting

• health care facility
• community health setting
• community health outreach

Time in the learning environment may vary somewhat, but, generally, classroom time also equates to preparation time. Students should prepare for the class whether actively teaching or observing by making sure they review the material prior to class and make notes about important points. For every hour in the learning environment, there are three hours of preparation. For example, a three-credit course equals three hours of class time plus nine hours of prep time, for a total of 12 hours per week.

Students will be assisted in identifying potential preceptors and sites for completing teaching practicum hours. The preceptor must have at least a master’s degree in nursing and at least two years of experience. The preceptor must agree to work with the student to complete all of the required hours for the practicum and submit a mid-term and final evaluation to the course faculty The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing requires a signed preceptor/faculty/student agreement and the preceptor’s résumé/CV and contact information before contact hours can begin. Students who have clinical practicums will need to upload required health and other records into Castle Branch. The course faculty will maintain regular contact with the preceptor and solicit feedback in order to evaluate the student’s attainment of course objectives. The course faculty will assign the final grade for the course.

Registration

• Matriculated students do not need to fill out a non-degree application, but they do need to complete an application for the Certificate in Nursing Education.
• Non-matriculated students will need to complete a non-degree application (Graduate School) in addition to the application for the Certificate in Nursing Education. Their student file will be housed at EMCON.

While the College will monitor students’ progress, students are responsible for keeping track of their completion of required coursework. Students may submit a Graduate Certificate Eligibility Form at any time during their graduate career.

For non-degree students, the College will monitor progress and inform the Graduate School when students have completed the sequence of courses. Non-matriculated students will be acknowledged in the Commencement Program under “Certificate Programs.”

Nursing Education Certificate Program Office:

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (Lynn Yovina), Program Assistant

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Post-Master’s Certificate

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Post-Master's  Certificate prepares nurses to obtain psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner certification. This accelerated online program is designed for nurses who have completed a master's degree and who wish to expand their scope of practice to include the care of individuals, families, and groups with psychiatric and mental health needs. Preference is given to nurses with experience in psychiatric mental health nursing.

This certificate will prepare students to:

• Address the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual elements of mental health care
• Apply for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner board certification examination
• Work in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings

Objectives of the PMHNP Post-Master’s Certificate

1. Provide the instructional foundation for students to obtain professional certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
2. Develop appropriate clinical inferences based on a solid background in the sciences for the prevention of illness and the promotion of physical and mental health.
3. Effectively evaluate the efficacy of drug therapies on the physical and mental health of patients and consider non-drug integrative therapies to promote health.
4. Assess, diagnose and treat common psychiatric and mental health disorders across the lifespan.
5. Engage in inter- and intra-disciplinary collaboration and consultation in care of individuals, groups, and families.
6. Synthesize and translate evidence-based practices from nursing and other disciplines to manage complex psychiatric and mental health conditions.
7. Analyze social problems, health care policies and practices which affect the delivery of psychiatric mental health care.

Required courses

Applicants to the certificate program will have a full review of prior coursework to determine credits and hours needed to qualify for the ANCC board certification examination and fulfill EMCON requirements. Individual plans of study will reflect students’ completed coursework in the College’s PMHNP DNP program. Students must follow the same procedure for clinical placements as the DNP students. See DNP-PHNP course descriptions. 

This program requires that the 3P’s (Patho, Pharm, Physical Assessment) be completed in the last 10 years.  Applicants will need to provide official transcripts and possibly course descriptions indicating this.  If you need to complete them again, you can do so with us as part of your program.

A GAP Analysis will be completed by the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing as part of the admission process and will document what you need for certification.

The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing does not provide clinical placements for you; however, we do have support in place should you need assistance. It is highly recommended that you have clinical placements sought out before applying to the program. 

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Courses

Applicants who hold master’s degrees and are NOT practicing NP’s will be reviewed and in addition to the above course requirements will need to take:

N725 Leadership in Public Health Systems – 3 cr.

N670 Family Systems and Interventions – 3 cr.

N703 Pharmacotherapy Management – 3 cr

N898D Final Residency – 2 cr.

Completion of Certificate:

Once all course work is completed (or you are in your final semester) students will be expected to apply for the Certificate with the Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and follow the deadline provided to receive the Certificate.  Deadlines are April 1st to receive a May Certificate, and December 15th for a February Certificate.  The Certificate application form can be found at the Graduate School’s website at:

https://www.umass.edu/graduate/form/certificate-eligibility-form

Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program Office:

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
Karen Ayotte, Program Specialist
kayotte [at] umass [dot] edu (kayotte[at]umass[dot]edu)

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Master of Science Program

The Master of Science program at UMass Amherst Elaine Marieb College of Nursing is a distance-accessible program offered through predominantly asynchronous delivery methods. All coursework is offered through University Without Walls (UWW))/Online Education: www.umass.edu/uww/.

I. Nursing Studies Concentration (MSNS): 30 credits

Objectives of the Master of Nursing Science Degree

1. Apply advanced knowledge and core competencies to the development and evaluation nursing care for diverse individuals or populations.
2. Integrate and understand how nursing theory impacts nursing practice and the delivery of healthcare.
3. Interpret and critically analyze research and its application to nursing practice and evidence-based practice.

Course Requirements

The Nursing Studies Concentration in the master’s program consists of 30 credits, including the seven core courses in our Master of Science curriculum listed below:

MSNS Course Descriptions

N603: Theoretical Components of Nursing Practice - 3 credits
Students will examine and evaluate the components and functions of theory by exploring the role of different types of theory in a practice discipline.

N604: Introduction to Statistics for Health Research-3 credits
This course focuses on introductory statistical techniques frequently used in health sciences research, use of analytic software and database creation and management.

N615: Advanced Pathophysiology-3 credits
Concepts and theories related to disorders of physiological processes which result in health alterations in the child and the adult. Alterations in normal body functions leading to disease and discomfort of the individual presented within an organizing framework. Clinical inferences from concepts and theories of pathophysiology and pharmacology presented in relation to clinical nursing practice in primary care.

N614: Advanced Health Assessment-3 credits
Classroom and laboratory practice and case-based approaches to health assessment and differential diagnosis of common health problems for diverse groups provide the context for advanced health assessment and clinical reasoning.

N619: Advanced Pharmacology-3 credits
This course reviews in depth the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices.  The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.

N630: Research Methodology in Nursing- 3 credits
Relationship between research and theory development and clinical practice in nursing. Includes research design, methods of data collection, and a variety of analytical procedures for interpreting results.

Electives

In addition to the core courses, the following electives courses are needed:

12 additional credits, at least three of which must be from the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. The remaining nine credits must meet the conditions for graduate credit as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin.

Eligibility

Students enrolled in the PhD or DNP programs will be eligible to apply for this concentration. The goal of the MSNS concentration is to recognize students who have completed the necessary credits for a master’s degree in nursing and to provide competent MS-prepared nurses for generalist roles in nursing. This flexible program of study is intended for candidates in our doctoral or master’s programs who have fulfilled the requirements of the MSNS but are unable to complete their full plan of study or for those PhD or DNP students who were admitted as post-bachelor’s students and wish to complete the MSNS en route to completing the doctorate.

II. Nursing Education Concentration (MSNE): 32 credits

The Master of Science in Nursing Education prepares students to educate nursing students and health care professionals in the classroom, clinical, and online learning environment for the overall enhancement of nursing practice and health care delivery. The program fulfills the knowledge and competencies specified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for master’s education and for the specific master’s in nursing education role and readies graduates to take the National League for Nursing certification examinations.

At the completion of this program, the graduate will be prepared to:

1. Develop a grounding in pedagogical theories
2. Evaluate nursing curriculum using accreditation guidelines
3. Consider quality measures in nursing education in developing and evaluating nursing curriculum
4. Use creative teaching methods to enhance pedagogy
5. Reflect on their own teaching style as a means of incorporating new teaching strategies
6. Train nurses for education roles in colleges, universities, and clinical settings
7. Develop an area of advanced clinical expertise for further development of the nurse educator role

Course Requirements

The Nursing Education concentration in the master’s program consists of 32 credits, including the six core courses in our Master of Science curriculum listed below and N621, a direct care clinical practicum in which the student will develop an area of advanced expertise in nursing practice.

MSNE Required Courses, and Course Sequence

MSNE Course Descriptions

N560 Simulation for Healthcare Education- 3 credits
Critique theories associated with simulation, communication, and evaluation of student outcomes. Reviews care of simulation equipment and software and how to create and facilitate simulations culminating with a developed simulation.

N621 Clinical Practicum for Advanced Direct Care and Clinical Reasoning for Nurse Educators- 2 credit
This supervised clinical practicum affords graduate students the opportunity to practice direct nursing care of diverse clients with varied needs in an identified area of nursing
practice at an advanced level while collaborating with an interprofessional team.

N641 Curriculum Development and Evaluation Process in Nursing- 3 credits
This course focuses on developing the knowledge and skills of nurse educators in applying principles of curriculum development, evaluation, and related processes in nursing education.

N642 Teaching in Nursing- 3 credits
Focuses on the dynamic, creative process of teaching and learning clinical nursing in preparation for competent, reflective nursing practice. Philosophies, theories, methodologies, and trends relevant to nursing education included.

N698T Teaching Practicum in Nursing (Pre-requisites: N642 and N641)
This course provides the framework, mentorship, and coaching for graduate students to develop skills in teaching in the classroom, in clinical settings, and in an online environment.

Clinical and Teaching Practicum Information

Students have two practicums as part of their plan of study in the MSNE program. The first, N621 Clinical Practicum for Advanced Direct Care and Clinical Reasoning for Nurse Educators, is a direct care practicum in which students will develop an area of nursing expertise in a direct patient care setting. This is a two-credit clinical practicum course, which translates to 112 contact hours (at a one-credit-hour to four-clinical-hour ratio). These direct care clinical contact hours are allocated for supervised practice in selected clinical facilities or community agencies. Placement will be arranged through negotiation with clinical preceptors, agencies, and the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing.

Direct Care Learning Environment: Patient or Patient Population Setting

Examples:

• Health care facility/primary care setting
• Community/public health setting or outreach site
• Psychiatric-mental health setting
• OB/GYN or other specialty site
• Acute or chronic medical-surgical or long-term care/rehabilitation setting

The student will be assigned to a qualified preceptor who will guide the student in meeting course objectives. The course faculty will collaborate with the preceptor throughout the clinical practicum and will be responsible for evaluating the student’s performance and progress. Students will record their clinical hours in Typhon.

Practicum Focus

The AACN/CCNE master’s in nursing education Essentials emphasize practicum experience at the master’s degree level in the direct care role as a critical component in nursing educator training to advance the knowledge and expertise of students in a clinical area of practice. “Direct care” is defined as “nursing care provided to individuals or families that is intended to achieve specific health goals or achieve selected health outcomes.”

In N621, students will master clinical reasoning and nursing at the advanced graduate level. Depending on the plan of study, the practicum will run concurrently or sequentially with N614 Advanced Health Assessment, aligning with the didactic and theoretical material covered in the latter course. Students will hone baccalaureate level skills in health and physical assessment while advancing to higher level clinical reasoning skills and applying those skills within an identified clinical area of practice to build graduate level expertise in that area. Focus will be on analysis of patients/clients within the practice setting and application of evidence for best practice outcomes in developing and actualizing a treatment plan and patient education in collaboration with a preceptor and healthcare team.

Student Requirements for Nursing Education Practicum Sites and Preceptor Selection:

This practicum N621 will provide the opportunity for students to develop graduate level expertise in a specific area of nursing practice. All students must complete all pre-practicum requirements, including uploading documentation to the online credentialing platform (Castle Branch) before beginning clinical contact hours. See current graduate student handbook for specifics of requirements for entry to a clinical practicum site.

Students will engage in a search for their preceptors with the help of faculty. Acceptable qualified preceptors include master’s prepared nurses working directly with patients, Clinical Nurse Leaders (CNL), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives (CNMs), or MDs. Students may follow preceptors in hospitals, clinics, private practice settings and/or community settings. Students may choose settings such as acute or chronic care, long term care or rehabilitation, palliative care, psychiatric-mental health, public health primary care that match our faculty members’ areas of expertise and practice.

A student may choose to have two preceptors, if having two preceptors’ aids in achieving course requirements. Preceptors must have at least one year or greater experience in their field of expertise. Pre-approval by the practicum faculty or MS Director of all preceptors is required. Site visits for some local/regional students and online virtual or phone conference calls for all local/regional students and online virtual or phone conference calls for all local, regional, and distance preceptors will be completed during the practicum. The clinical practicum faculty of record for the course has responsibility for overall evaluation of all students and will rely, in part, on preceptors’ evaluations of students and students’ self-evaluations.

Students will arrange to complete hours as per preceptor/student schedules but should plan for about 8 hours per week so that contact hours can be completed by the end of the course. Each student will download the course syllabi (Both N614 and N621), the preceptor/faculty/student agreement, the preceptor handbook including preceptor orientation materials and all evaluation forms available in the Graduate Preceptor Handbook and Graduate Student Handbook and deliver to the preceptor on/before the initial contract meeting. The College of Nursing needs a signed preceptor/faculty/student agreement, preceptor’s resume/CV and contact information sent to the College of Nursing before contact hours can begin to be included in your student file and our preceptor directory.

Students will enroll in Typhon at the beginning of the program and document their clinical hours for N621 in the Typhon Software. They will continue to document their teaching hours in Typhon when they take their teaching practicum course, N698T and will develop a teaching portfolio.

Master’s Degree Program Office                                                                                          

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (Lynn Yovina,) Program Specialist

III. Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Concentration: 32 credits 

The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) concentration strengthens health care delivery by teaching the advanced knowledge and skills needed to provide comprehensive, across-the-life-span nursing services to individuals, families and groups. Teaching, inquiry and outreach prepare professional nurses to think critically and reflectively, prepare to serve a culturally diverse population, and manage care autonomously while holistically assessing and treating both health care needs and human responses to illness. The concentration also promotes social accountability; students are educated and encouraged to work for reform in the healthcare system at the community, regional and national levels. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a national nursing education accrediting body, accredits this concentration.

The CNL is accountable for the application of research-based information and the efficient and cost-effective use of resources to improve clinical and environmental care outcomes and effect change in health care organizations.

The graduate is prepared to lead both intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary health care teams, and to function across all clinical settings in order to meet the demands of a complex care delivery system.

This program addresses the knowledge and competencies specified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) for Master’s Education and for the specific Clinical Nurse Leader role focus. The graduate is prepared to take the CNL certification examination prepared by the Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC) through AACN.

Objectives of the Master of Science Clinical Nurse Leader Program

This program will prepare students to:

• Implement the CNL role in a variety of clinical settings
• Apply advanced knowledge (pharmacology, pathophysiology, health assessment) and core competencies (critical thinking, communication, nursing technology/resources) to the development and evaluation of a plan of care for individuals or populations at the point of care
• Assume accountability for the efficient and cost-effective use of human, environmental and national resources by applying principles of healthcare policy, finance, economics and ethics to improve quality of care delivery
• Integrate knowledge of informatics, human diversity and ethics to address and manage variation in population outcomes and ensure culturally relevant care
• Implement evidence-based practices and professional standards of care to affect change in health care organizations and improve outcomes of care
• Apply principles of leadership and collaboration to improve the health outcomes of individuals and clinical populations
• Improve clinical practice and optimize healthcare outcomes through use of information systems and technologies
• Advocate for the client, interdisciplinary care team and profession in legislative and regulatory arenas

Course Requirements

The Master’s CNL concentration requires completion of 32 credit hours of coursework and selected courses include practicum/project hours. The curriculum consists of: 24 didactic credit hours and 8 practicum credit hours.

CNL Courses

*N698N & N798N Clinical contact hours are devoted to the design, implementation, and evaluation of the CNL Capstone Project.

Sequence of Coursework through the Master’s CNL Concentration

Students enrolled in the Master’s CNL concentration must progress through coursework as specified in their individualized Plans of Study. Students need to take informatics, theory, research, and epidemiology before or concurrent with the launch of care core courses. In terms of the sequence of the care core courses: students must take N615 Advanced Pathophysiology and N619 Advanced Pharmacology before they progress to N614 Advanced Health Assessment. Students are expected to apply learned content from the previous two courses throughout the didactic course N614. 

All courses in the MS CNL concentration must be successfully completed before the student is allowed to enter their final clinical year of the program. The final clinical courses, N698N (2 cr.-112 contact hours) and N798N (6 cr. – 336 contact hours) for a total of 448 hours for students to be able to design and then implement a microsystem level Capstone Project.

CNL Capstone project

Students will identify a practice-focused quality improvement project (all N698N) and will actualize and evaluate the project (spring N798N) either on their units or within a setting of their choice once negotiated. These will be negotiated and designed by the faculty of record for the courses and the students individually.

Both fall (N698N) and spring (N798N) clinical experiences are completed in the same setting. The setting requirement is that there be a patient population cared for by nurses. The setting will depend on the subject of the Capstone proposal. CNL students need a preceptor from the setting to oversee the project, and the student may work with one preceptor or a team.

Note: The primary requirement for the main preceptor is a master’s degree in nursing. If there is a certified CNL in the setting, that person would be an ideal preceptor. Many students work with master’s prepared nursing educators, or even a nurse manager who has a MS in nursing. Students will log practicum hours completed for the two final clinical courses in a diary or journal format. If you have any questions about suitable preceptors, you may contact the CNL Program Director.

In the N698N and N798N CNL Practicum courses, the capstone project is designed (in N698N) and then actualized at the micro-system level in N798N.

Goals and objectives for N698N and N798N:

1. Identify and collect appropriate evidence and data supporting a previously identified clinical issue important to your setting.
2. Conduct a trend analysis of the data, appropriate for this issue.
3. Analyze sentinel events related to the identified clinical issue.

Key areas for success 

1. Find a topic for which you have a passion!
2. Find a knowledgeable person who wants to share that passion and guide you.
3. Engage your support people in your efforts.
4. Be flexible, plan well ahead, and be persistent!

Clinical Requirements

CNL students are to follow the guidelines for College of Nursing students as outlined in this book. All students must complete the requirements of CastleBranch as a pre-requisite to beginning a clinical practicum.

Faculty Advisors

All College of Nursing faculty members who have graduate faculty status are potential advisors for master’s students. Students will be assigned an advisor upon admission. Graduate students are expected to meet at least once per semester with their advisor to outline their plan of study and discuss academic progress.

Clinical Nurse Leader Program Office

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
Lynn Yovina, Program Specialist

IV  Public Health Concentration (36 credits)

Objective of the Master of Science Public Health degree (MS-PH)

This master’s degree will enable students to apply clinical nursing expertise and population health skills in state and local Public Health and Community Health agencies, Visiting Nurse and Homecare Associations, Federal Agencies and teach population health nursing. Population based practice in nursing focuses on improving the health of the whole community whether locally, nationally, or globally, including individuals, families, and communities, with particular emphasis on underserved and marginalized populations.  It involves a process of assessment, policy planning and development of holistic plans of care as well as critical thinking and interprofessional collaboration at the systems level.

Course Requirements

The Public Health concentration in the master’s program consists of 36 credits including two practicum experiences (N698G & N798LL).

The final two semesters will involve specialty courses and clinical practicums in public and population health practice.  These courses emphasize community engagement and collaboration including community needs assessments, practice in grant writing and the application and evaluation of evidence based nursing practice at the public health and population level.

Course Descriptions

N540 Epidemiology for Clinicians (3cr)
This course provides in-depth theoretical knowledge on concepts and principles of epidemiology and its application in health promotion and disease prevention. Its focus will be on key areas of epidemiology.

N640 Advanced Public Health Nursing I is a course that is designed to provide advanced practice nurses specializing in the role of the Public Health Nurse Leader with the knowledge and skills required to identify and analyze population-based public health problems as they occur in the local, national, and global community. Analysis and evaluation of health problems at the community and population level will occur with evidenced based strategies designed to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention, research, practice, education, and policy.

N750 Advanced Public Health Nursing II course is an examination of the theories, models and process of public health program planning, with a focus on designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating population-based public health programs, including financial program management and effective grant writing strategies.

Master of Science – Public Health Office

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
032 Skinner Hall
Amherst, MA 01003-9304
lyovina [at] umass [dot] edu (Lynn Yovina), Program Specialist

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Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program

General Information

The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers the Doctor in Nursing Practice (DNP) degree to prepare advanced practice nurses at the highest level. This professional nursing preparation will include advanced coursework in leadership, research translation, and clinical knowledge and skills. This degree emphasizes the evolving nursing roles in an increasingly complex health care system, new scientific knowledge, and ongoing concerns about the quality and outcomes of patient care. Applicants to the DNP program will choose from among the following specialization areas:

• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Public Health Nurse Leader
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Applicants who are already Advanced Practice Nurses (APRNs) will complete the core courses of the DNP program (DNP Completion).

Objectives of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program 

This program will prepare students to:

• Engage in nursing practice using the advanced knowledge from nursing and related disciplines to improve health outcomes.
• Provide leadership and collaborate with leaders in other professions for change in systems of care.
• Synthesize and translate evidence from nursing and other disciplines to manage complex health problems.
• Supply culturally proficient care to respond to health disparities and societal needs.

Core competencies essential for those preparing for direct care and population-based roles build on eight essential content areas:

• scientific underpinnings for practice
• organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement, and systems thinking
• clinical scholarship and analytic methods for evidence-based practice
• technology and information for the improvement and transformation of healthcare
• health care policy for advocacy in health care
• interprofessional collaboration for improving patient and population healthcare outcomes
• clinical prevention and population health for improving the nation’s health
• advanced nursing practice for improving the delivery of patient care

Course Requirements

The DNP Program requires completion of core foundation and upper-level core courses, as well as courses in either the FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP, or PHNL role concentration (see sample plans of study). If a student already holds a master’s APN degree, an individually tailored Plan of Study will be created based on transcript review. A post-master’s student must complete a minimum of 30 semester credits to complete the DNP degree. The final scholarly requirement of the DNP program is the DNP project, which is a requirement for graduation.

Faculty Advisors

All Elaine Marieb College of Nursing faculty members who have graduate faculty status are potential advisors for DNP students. Students will be assigned an advisor who is congruent with their area of interest wheneer possible. DNP students are expected to meet regularly with their advisors to outline their plan of study, discuss academic coursework, and to prepare for the comprehensive exame and capstone scholarly project. 

DNP Role Course Sequencing and Preceptor Selection

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program is focused on advanced nursing practice and requires a core of theoretical knowledge and a significant number of practice hours. The Elaine Marieb College of Nursing DNP curriculum adheres to the requirements of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), “Essentials of DNP Education", the guidelines established by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), and The American Association of Community Health Educators. The UMass Amherst DNP program stipulates that all students engage in practicum experiences to fulfill the hours required of a practice doctorate. Post-master’s DNP students are required to document the number of practicum hours they obtained in their previous master’s degree program.

How to Select Preceptors

Preceptors should hold advanced degrees (a graduate degree) in nursing or medicine. Nurse Practitioners (MS prepared NP experts or DNP graduates) or physicians are preferred preceptors, but Physician Assistants (PAs) may be approved on a case-by-case basis. College of Nursing faculty instructors must approve all preceptors before a student can begin a practicum experience.

Preceptors and agencies are selected based upon their best fit with the course objectives and practicum focus for each course. Students must submit all required practicum documents well in advance of any experiences with an agency or community preceptor. Practicum guidelines are found in both the Preceptor Handbook and the University’s Graduate Student Handbook.

Please plan well in advance with the Graduate Clinical Placements. It often works best if a student plans for and secures an approved preceptor(s) for courses up to a year in advance. The College supports students who are looking for clinical placements. The College Clinical Placement Coordinator is available to assist with identifying sites and DNP staff can assist with establishing affiliation agreements and other clinical site requirements.  Up-to-date comprehensive information about clinical sites and preceptors is available in the DNP program folder.

If a student has not been successful in securing an approved preceptor prior to the beginning of any practicum experience, the student may be required to withdraw from the course. Withdrawal from a course will affect progression through the specialty courses and a new Plan of Study will be required.

Practicum Preceptor Selection

Preceptors should hold avanced (graduate) degrees in nursing or medicine. Nurse Practitioners (MS-prepared NP experts or DNP graduates) or physicians are preferred preceptors, but Physician Assistants (PAs) may be approved on a case-by-case basis. College of Nursing faculty instructors must approve all preceptors before a student can begin a practicum experience. 

 Preceptors and agencies are selected based upon their best fit with the course objectives and practicum focus for each course. Students must submit all required practicum documents well in advance of any experiences with an agency or community preceptor. Practicum guidelines are in the Graduate Student Handbook (https://www.umass.edu/graduate/policies/handbook).

Please plan well in advance with the Graduate Clinical Placements. It often works best if a student plans for and secures an approved preceptor(s) for courses up to a year in advance. The College supports students who are looking for clinical placements. The College Clinical Placement Coordinator is available to assist with identifying sites and DNP staff can assist with establishing affiliation agreements and other clinical site requirements.

If a student has not been successful in securing an approved preceptor prior to the beginning of any practicum experience, the student may be required to withdraw from the course. Withdrawal from a course will affect progression through the specialty courses and a new Plan of Study will be required. 

DNP Core Courses

All DNP students take the core courses in addition to their specialty courses (except for Post Master’s DNP Completion students who do not need specialty courses).

DNP Concentration Courses

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Adult Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP) Courses

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Adulty Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) Course Descriptions and Sequencing

Prior to beginning any specialty courses in the FNP/AGPCNP program, students must successfully complete N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning, N615 Advanced Pathophysiology, and N619 Advanced Pharmacology. Students must also have completed (or take concurrently) N703 Pharmacotherapeutics and both FNPs/AGPCNPs N670 Family Systems and Interventions when enrolled in the first specialty courses in the sequence, N614 and N698A.

In the FNP/AGPCNP program curriculum, there is a series of five theory courses with five concurrent practicum courses that provide content and experience in the specialty area of advanced primary care/family nurse practitioner. After completing these specialty courses, students will engage in the Final Immersion Practicum taken during their final semester in the DNP program. All FNP/AGPCNP students are required to take these courses unless they have a master’s degree in a nurse practitioner specialty and have received some course waivers at the time of admission. These courses build upon each other and must be taken in the sequence outlined in the plan of study.

FNP and ACPCNP Course Descriptions:

N615 Advanced Pathophysiology - 3 credits 
This course examines the conceptual basis and specific knowledge of pathophysiology and disease recognition for children and adults as observed in the primary care setting.

N619 Advanced Pharmacology - 3 credits 
This course reviews in-depth the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.

N703 Pharmacotherapy Management - 3 credits 
Integration of principles of pharmacology and therapeutic patient care management to construct, implement and evaluate optimal pharmacotherapeutic regimens for patients in various healthcare settings. This course includes an assignment with a local pharmacist.

N670 Family Systems and Interventions - 3 credits 
Selected concepts, theories and research related to family dynamics and family coping, with an emphasis on practice strategies to support family well-being and mental health.

N643 Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychiatric and Mental Health Disorders - 3 credits
This course introduces the diagnostic processes in mental health/mental disorders using DSM 5 diagnostic criteria, ICD coding, and other mental assessment tools while considering family, community, and cultural influences.

N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning - 3 credits & N698A Practicum - 1 credit (must be taken concurrently)
N698A is the first practicum course in the FNP/DNP specialty concentration sequence. Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive health assessments and develop enhanced capacity for clinical reasoning and laboratory test interpretation.  Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698A, the first clinical practicum experience in the FNP specialty that affords students the opportunity to develop+ competence and confidence in a precepted clinical experience while applying knowledge obtained in a concurrent theory course.

Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 56 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698A UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. This first practicum experience, which starts mid-way through the semester, concentrates on the “Art” of Clinical Reasoning and, therefore, most any qualified provider from a variety of healthcare settings can be appropriate.

The concentration of the practicum is for students to learn the techniques and practices of the “Focused Case Visit” and the “Complete History and Exam Visit” to acquire a sound knowledge base in diagnostic reasoning and differential diagnosis prior to launching into the individual patient population courses. NPs and MDs who see patients of all ages in a primary care setting are preferred.

N610 Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults - 3 credits & N698E Practicum: Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults- 3 credits (must be taken concurrently)
Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse children, adolescents, and young adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698E. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 168 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698E UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who services infants through young adults either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of children and young adults. Primary care and family practice NPs and MDs or pediatric NPs or pediatricians are appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.

N620 Primary Health Care of Adults and Older Adults - 3 credits & N698X Practicum: Primary Health Care of Adults - 3 credits (must be taken concurrently)
Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse adults and older adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698X. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 168 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698X UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who adult patients either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of adults and older adults. Primary care NPs and MDs and ANPs are preferred choices for preceptors. Internal Medicine Specialists, GNPs, or Geriatricians can be appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester as approved by the faculty. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.

N723 Complex Health Problems in Primary Care I - 2 credits & N798K Practicum: Complex Health Problems in Primary Care - 2 credits (must be taken concurrently)
Content and practicum focus is on building knowledge and skills beyond the provision of primary care for singular simple acute or stable chronic conditions of separate populations of patients to a focus on health care of patients of all ages with complex health problems. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N798K. Students will select an agency and a preceptor(s) in their community and engage in 112 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N798K UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a family provider or a pediatric and an adult provider to assure that complex patients of all ages will be seen; providers can be NPs or MDs or a combination of both.

N733 Complex Health Problems in Primary Care II - 2 credits & N798KA Practicum: Complex Health Problems in Primary Care II - 2 credits (must be taken concurrently)
This course provides students specializing in the advanced practice role of the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner the opportunity to build their knowledge and skills beyond that of the singular simple acute or stable chronic conditions of separate populations of patients that has been the focus of previous courses in the specialty. This course affords the opportunity to focus on health care of patients of all ages with complex health problems. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N798KA and completing 112 clinical practicum hours.

N706 Complex Health Problems with Multiple Chronic Conditions II - 2 credits & N798S Practicum: Complex Health Problems with Multiple Chronic Conditions II - 2 credits (must be taken concurrently)
This course provides students specializing in the advanced practice role of the Adult Gerontological Primary Care or FNP (DNP) Nurse Practitioner student the opportunity to build knowledge and skills beyond that of the singular simple acute or stable chronic conditions. This course affords the opportunity to focus on health care of adult and older adult patients (including frail elders) with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and complex health problems. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N798S. The N798S UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a MD or NP geriatric/gerontology and adult provider to assure that complex patients will be seen; providers can be NPs or MDs or a combination of both for a total of 112 hours (52 hours needs to be in sub-acute rehabilitation and long-term care practice environments).

DNP Concentration Courses
Psych/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Course Sequence and Course Descriptions and Sequencing

The DNP Post-Baccalaureate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) role concentration prepares clinical experts in the delivery of care to the psychiatric-mental health population.  They work with individuals, families, groups, and communities, assessing, diagnosing and treating individuals and families with psychiatric disorders or the potential for such disorders using their full scope of therapeutic skills.

More information the PMHNP role may be found at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association website.

In addition to the DNP core courses, the PMHNP students take:

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Courses

PMHNP Course Descriptions

N615 Advanced Pathophysiology - 3 credits
This course examines the conceptual basis and specific knowledge of pathophysiology and disease recognition for children and adults as observed in the primary care setting. 

N619 Advanced Pharmacology- 3 credits
This course reviews in depth the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course. 

N703 Pharmacotherapy Management - 3 credits
Integration of principles of pharmacology and therapeutic patient care management to construct, implement and evaluate optimal pharmacotherapeutic regimens for patients in various health care settings. this course includes and assignment with a local pharmacist. 

N670 Family Systems and Interventions - 3 credits
Selected concepts, theories and research related to family dynamics and family coping with an emphasis on practice strategies to support family well-being and mental health.

N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (3 credits) and N698A Practicum: Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (1 credit) (must be taken concurrently)
Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive health assessments and develop enhanced capacity for clinical reasoning and laboratory test interpretation. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698A, the first clinical practicum experience in the FNP specialty that affords students the opportunity to develop competence and confidence in a precepted clinical experience while applying knowledge obtained in a concurrent theory course.

Students will select and agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 56 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698A UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. This first practicum experience, which starts mid-way through the semester, concentrates on the “Art” of Clinical Reasoning and, therefore, most any qualified provider from a variety of healthcare settings can be appropriate. The concentration of the practicum is for students to learn the techniques and practices of the “Focused Case Visit” and the “Complete History and Exam Visit” to acquire a sound knowledge base in diagnostic reasoning and differential diagnosis prior to launching into the individual patient population courses. NPs and MDs who see patients of all ages in a primary care setting are preferred.

Specialty Courses:

N643 Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychiatric and Mental Health Disorders – 3 cr.

This course introduces the diagnostic processes in mental health/mental disorders using DSM 5 diagnostic criteria, ICD coding, and other mental assessment tools while considering family, community, and cultural influences.

N580 Integrative Therapies in Health Care

This course will examine integrative health therapies including the cultural contexts of health and health care, telehealth, dynamics of systems and individual change, and evidence-based analysis of therapeutic effectiveness.

N707 Neuropsychopharmacology- 3 credits

This course examines the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric mental health disorders and is structured to develop the student with a logical approach and treatment strategy to use when prescribing.

N612 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Children and Adolescents- 3 credits

Content in the psychopathology, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders affecting children and adolescents are presented.

N698CA Practicum: Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Children and Adolescents- 3 credits

This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community-based health care agency providing advanced practice psychiatric mental health nursing care to children, adolescents, and their families, 168 clinical practicum hours.

N622 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Adults and Older Adults- 3 credits

This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community- based health care agency/facility providing psychiatric mental health care to children, adolescents, and their families.

N698AD Practicum: Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Adults and Older Adults- 3 credits

This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum in a community- based health agency or facility providing advanced practice psychiatric mental health care to adults and older adults, 168 clinical practicum hours.

N721 Advanced Psychotherapy Modalities with Individuals, Groups and Families- 2 credits

This course continues preparing students in developing advanced skills to deliver individual, group and family psychosocial therapeutics using evidence based psychosocial treatment models across the lifespan.

N798GF Practicum: Advanced Psychotherapy Modalities with Individuals, Groups and Families- 2 credits

This course consists of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community-based inpatient or outpatient mental health care agency providing psychotherapeutic mental health care to individuals, groups, and families, 112 clinical practicum hours.

N722 Psychiatric Mental Health- Complex Health Problems- 3 credits

A refinement of advanced knowledge and skills required to deliver psychiatric mental health care to culturally diverse individuals of all ages with complex mental health and psychiatric issues.

N798X Practicum: Psychiatric Mental Health- Complex Health Problems- 3 credits

This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a health care agency/facility providing psychiatric mental health care to individuals, 112 clinical practicum hours.

N898D Practicum: Final Direct Care residency- 2 credits

This final practicum is an essential component of the DNP program that affords students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their area of specialty practice as they complete 12 hours of practicum experiences in one semester. This practicum provides an intensive immersion opportunity for students to further enhance and integrate their prior learning and to gain experience with designated DNP essentials and specialty competencies.

DNP Concentration Courses - Public Health Nurse Leader (PHNL) - Role Course Descriptions and Sequencing

The Public Health Nurse Leader (DNP- PHNL) specialization prepares nurses to assume leadership positions in a variety of settings. 

Critical Need for Public Health Nurse Leaders

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for nurse leaders who are trained in population-level health assessment and intervention. The need for public health nurse leaders is expected to grow significantly in the coming decade as our society confronts the impacts of infectious diseases, natural disasters, climate change, growing concerns about health disparities and social justice issues, and an aging population with a growing number of patients with chronic and acute conditions.

In addition to the DNP core courses, PHNL students take:

Public Health Nurse Leader (PHNL) Courses

Public Health Nurse Leader (PHNL) - Role Courses and Sequencing

In the DNP/PHNL program curriculum, there is a series of 3 theory courses with 3 concurrent practicum courses that provide content and experience in the specialty area of advanced public health nursing. After completing these specialty courses, students will engage in the Final Immersion Practicum N898A, taken during their final semester in the DNP program. All PHNL students are required to take these courses unless they have a master’s degree in Community or Public Health Nursing and have received some course waivers at the time of admission.

The PHNL program includes 4 practicum courses, three of these courses are 3 credit practicum courses that require 168 hours of supervised practice, for a total of 504 hours. In the final semester of the DNP program, students will take the Final Immersion Practicum N898A for 6 credits (336 hours – of which 150 hours may be used to implement the required DNP Scholarly Project).

The three (3) theory courses in the PHNL sequence are designed to provide instruction in Advanced Public Health Nursing. In the 3 concurrent practicum courses, students implement the knowledge they acquire in the companion theory courses. These courses must be taken in sequential order, as they build upon each other. The Final Immersion Practicum course, N898A, is not taken until the last semester of the student’s coursework in the DNP program.                                        

PHNL Course Descriptions

EHS565 Environmental Health Practices (3 cr)
Concepts of control methods used by environmental health and engineering practitioners. Topics include water, wastewater, solid wastes, food sanitation, vector control, housing, and accident control measures.

HPP601 Application of Social and Behavioral Theories in Public Health Interventions (3 cr)
Methods and approaches to community health. Family, school, and community dimensions and potentials. Types and use of various methods leading to community action. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

HPP620 Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System (3 cr)
The organization, finance, and delivery of health care in the U.S. Examines the role of government in financing care, maintaining quality, the relationship between health policy and politics, historical forces that have shaped our health care system, and contemporary issues and controversies.

HPP628 Financial Management of Health Institutions (3cr)
The fundamental tools for management control and decision making in health care organizations. The budgeting and financial management process. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 620.

N540 Epidemiology for Clinicians (3cr) This course provides in-depth theoretical knowledge on concepts and principles of epidemiology and its application in health promotion and disease prevention. Its focus will be on key areas of epidemiology.

N640 Advanced Public Health Nursing I (3 cr) This course is designed to provide advanced practice nurses specializing in the role of the Public Health Nurse Leader with the knowledge and skills required to identify and analyze population-based public health problems as they occur in the local, national, and global community. Analysis and evaluation of health problems at the community and population level will occur with evidenced based strategies designed to strengthen health promotion and disease prevention, research, practice, education, and policy. Application of this knowledge also occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698G. Specific course objectives include:

N750 Advanced Public Health Nursing II course (3cr) This course is an examination of the theories, models and process of public health program planning, with a focus on designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating population-based public health programs, including financial program management and effective grant writing strategies.

N760 Contemporary Issues in Public Health Practice III (3 cr)

As the final course in the DNP Public Health Nurse Leader specialty sequence this course provides students with the opportunity to examine the complexity of current global problems in public health and explore political, cultural, ethical, and environmental considerations affecting the development and implementation of targeted public health interventions. 

DNP Post-Masters Completion Courses (For currently certified APNs)

The online Post-MS DNP Completion program prepares established Advanced Practice Nurses to reach the highest level of the nursing profession and to deliver expert care, innovative practice, and translate evidence-based care to the clinical setting.

Students who enter this DNP Program option must be Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) who are currently certified as FNP, AGPCNP, AGACNP, ANP, PNP, GNP, ACNP, Nurse Midwife, Nurse Anesthetist, or CNS.

All DNP students - DNP Final Project Description

The DNP Project begins with the student selecting a problem arising from clinical or public health practice. Graduates of the DNP program are uniquely prepared to help bridge the research-practice gap by appropriately developing, tailoring, implementing, and evaluating theoretically and evidence- based projects and programs and disseminating the results. Graduates are then able to deliver the intended benefit of the research evidence to the group, population, or community. The DNP project gives students a supervised opportunity to independently undertake this research translation process.

The problem under study in the DNP project must represent an identified need, as evidenced by a review of current literature, a community assessment, or other method of needs identification. For the project to be most effective, the stakeholders present at the site must agree that there is a need for the project and must be consulted and involved throughout the project. Indeed, the project may be done in partnership with the clinical agency, health department, College, church, government or community agency, voluntary organization, or community group.

The project literature review must support the need for the project and suggest an evidence base for the project. The literature review should include research studies on innovations that can be synthesized and developed into a program to address the practice problem. Further, the student must be seen as a credible authority on both the problem and the research-based innovation/program by stakeholders in the setting, thus, the focus of the problem and innovation/program must be on advanced nursing practice in the student’s specialty area. Finally, the student must be sufficiently familiar with the specific site in which the program will be implemented to tailor the program to the site’s organization, resources, and constraints.

DNP Project Completion Process

In preparation for the DNP project, students are assigned one College of Nursing faculty member and will identify an appropriate project site mentor. Students are expected to work closely with their capstone course,  faculty project chair, and project site mentor   throughout the process of completing the DNP project. Students should anticipate the need for multiple drafts before final approval of the proposal and final DNP project report.

The project site mentor should have substantive expertise in terms of the topic of the DNP work. A project site mentor with a Master or Doctoral degree is preferred, but the project site mentor may have no academic credential yet be predominant EXPERT in a certain field. As the expert in the field of the student's programmatic intervention, they may have the background necessary to help guide the DNP project, providing detailed advice regarding the progress of the work from proposal development through actualization of the project, analysis of the results, and the conclusions.

The project site mentor must approve the proposal, the work, and final write-up along with the faculty members. A project site mentor can be a nurse practitioner, physician, and/or a public health leader within the facility or community where the project will be actualized. The designated project site mentor may be from anywhere in the world, so long as they have consented to the position on the committee and expressed a willingness to guide from a distance. The DNP Project Chair has final approval authority on the Project.

A student must receive a grade of C or above to pass the DNP Project requirement. Upon final completion and approval, the student should submit the DNP FORM, “Approval of DNP Scholarly Project” to the DNP office and their course instructor once the final approval is given.

The final requirement also includes posting your DNP Project on ScholarWorks on the UMass Amherst Library site (signatures are not required, names may be typed on the DNP Project Title Page). Instructions are provided to the student on how to do this within the course shell. All DNP projects should be presented to a professional audience either at Scholarship Day or at clinical site or a professional conference.

Protection of Human Subjects

Students must complete the “Human Subjects Determination” form through the Kuali website. This occurs once the proposal is written and considered “ready” for this step in the project process by the course faculty. The UMass Amherst Institutional Review Board (IRB) will determine whether the project needs additional IRB review and notify the student with a memorandum of determination via email. More Information is available at: https://www.umass.edu/research/compliance/human-subjects-irb 

NOTE: Students may NOT begin data collection prior to receiving IRB determination.

DNP Final Project Course Descriptions

N742: Defining Evidence for Problems and Solutions- 3 credits

This course focuses on discussions and assignments regarding health intervention planning, implementation, and evaluation for the refinement and approval of the DNP Project proposal. Evaluating the evidence (literature review) and completing a gap analysis are fundamental aspects of this course.

N798U: Evidence Based Proposal Development- 2 credits

This course is the second course in the sequence of five courses for the DNP, and the first of two courses designed to concentrate students’ efforts on a community of interest (COI) / organizational assessment and analysis to refine and solidify key concepts from the literature review completed in Capstone I. There are 112  project hours required for this course. Data collection and project implementation (i.e., project timeline) should not begin until after IRB approval (end of summer semester / Capstone III or beginning of Fall semester / Capstone IV).

N798W: DNP Project Proposal Finalization and Approval- 1 credit

This course focuses on finalizing the proposal for the planned scholarly project. Two drafts of the proposal are read by course faculty and feedback given. If your adviser is available over the summer, you may work on early approval and then application to IRB. All students are required to at least draft the Human Subjects form in this course. There are 56 hours of project  hours required for this course for the refinement and approval of the DNP Project proposal.

N840: DNP Project Implementation and Monitoring- 3 credits

This course involves the actual implementation of the planned proposal. This includes seeking and obtaining advisor and IRB approval and a letter of support from the clinical site of project if you have not obtained one already. You will implement and work on your project at the designated site with your preceptor or mentor. There are 168 hours of project  hours required for this course.

N898A: DNP Project Completion, Evaluation and Dissemination- 3 credits

This course is the fifth and final course in the DNP Project sequence and culminates with an evaluation of the completed project. You will complete and evaluate your DNP project at the designated site with your preceptor / mentor. There are 168 hours of project  hours required for this course.

The DNP Project focuses on the implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and dissemination of a theoretically based research translation project designed as a programmatic intervention to address a practice problem.

Successful progression depends upon completing required course work, according to the student’s plan of study, maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and working closely with advisor. The advisor and student should be mindful of incomplete grades and students whose CGPA falls below 3.0 who will be in jeopardy of dismissal by the College of Nursing and the University.

Final Spring Semester of Study in the DNP Program

• N898D: Final Immersion Practicum- 2 credits

This final practicum is an essential component of the DNP program that affords students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their area of specialty practice as they complete 112 hours of practicum experiences in one semester. This practicum provides an intensive immersion opportunity for students to further enhance and integrate their prior learning and to gain experience with designated DNP essentials and specialty competencies.

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Concentrations in the DNP Program

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) & Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) - Role Courses and Sequencing

Prior to beginning any specialty courses in the FNP/AGPCNP program, students must successfully complete N615 Advanced Pathophysiology, and N619 Advanced Pharmacology. Students must also have completed (or take concurrently) N703 Pharmacotherapeutics and both FNPs/AGPCNPs N670 Family Systems and Interventions when enrolled in the first specialty courses in the sequence, N614 and N698A.

In the FNP/AGPCNP program curriculum, there is a series of five theory courses with five concurrent practicum courses that provide content and experience in the specialty area of advanced primary care/family nurse practitioner. After completing these specialty courses, students will engage in the Final Immersion Practicum taken during their final semester in the DNP program. All FNP/AGPCNP students are required to take these courses, unless they have a Master’s degree in a nurse practitioner specialty, and have received some course waivers at the time of admission. These courses build upon each other and must be taken in the sequence outlined in the Plan of Study.

Course Descriptions:

N615 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 cr.) - This course examines the conceptual basis and specific knowledge of pathophysiology and disease recognition for children and adults as observed in the primary care setting.

N619 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr.) - This course reviews in-depth the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.

N703 Pharmacotherapy Management (3 cr.) - Integration of principles of pharmacology and therapeutic patient care management to construct, implement and evaluate optimal pharmacotherapeutic regimens for patients in various healthcare settings. This course includes an assignment with a local pharmacist.

N670 Family Systems and Interventions (3 cr.) - Selected concepts, theories and research related to family dynamics and family coping, with an emphasis on practice strategies to support family well-being and mental health.

N643 Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychiatric and Mental Health Disorders (3 cr.) - This course introduces the diagnostic processes in mental health/mental disorders using DSM 5 diagnostic criteria, ICD coding, and other mental assessment tools while considering family, community, and cultural influences.

N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (3 cr.) and N698A Practicum (1 cr.) - must be taken concurrently. N698A is the first practicum course in the FNP/DNP specialty concentration sequence.

Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive health assessments and develop enhanced capacity for clinical reasoning and laboratory test interpretation. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698A, the first clinical practicum experience in the FNP specialty that affords students the opportunity to develop+ competence and confidence in a precepted clinical experience while applying knowledge obtained in a concurrent theory course.

Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 56 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698A UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. This first practicum experience, which starts mid-way through the semester, concentrates on the “Art” of Clinical Reasoning and, therefore, most any qualified provider from a variety of healthcare settings can be appropriate.

The concentration of the practicum is for students to learn the techniques and practices of the “Focused Case Visit” and the “Complete History and Exam Visit” to acquire a sound knowledge base in diagnostic reasoning and differential diagnosis prior to launching into the individual patient population courses. NPs and MDs who see patients of all ages in a primary care setting are preferred.

N610 Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (3 cr.) and N698E Practicum: Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults (3 cr.) – must be taken concurrently.

Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse children, adolescents, and young adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698E. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 168 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698E UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who services infants through young adults either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of children and young adults. Primary care and family practice NPs and MDs or pediatric NPs or pediatricians are appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.

N620 Primary Health Care of Adults and Older Adults (3 cr.) and N698X Practicum: Primary Health Care of Adults (3 cr.) – must be taken concurrently.

Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse adults and older adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698X. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 168 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698X UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who adult patients either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of adults and older adults. Primary care NPs and MDs and ANPs are preferred choices for preceptors. Internal Medicine Specialists, GNPs, or Geriatricians can be appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester as approved by the faculty. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.

N723 Complex Health Problems in Primary Care I (2 cr.) and N798K Practicum: Complex Health Problems in Primary Care (2 cr.) – must be taken concurrently.

Content and practicum focus is on building knowledge and skills beyond the provision of primary care for singular simple acute or stable chronic conditions of separate populations of patients to a focus on health care of patients of all ages with complex health problems. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N798K. Students will select an agency and a preceptor(s) in their community and engage in 112 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N798K UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a family provider or a pediatric and an adult provider in order to assure that complex patients of all ages will be seen–providers can be NPs or MDs or a combination of both. 69

N733 Complex Health Problems in Primary Care II and N798KA Practicum Complex Health Problems in Primary Care II (2 cr.) – must be taken concurrently.

This course provides students specializing in the advanced practice role of the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner the opportunity to build their knowledge and skills beyond that of the singular simple acute or stable chronic conditions of separate populations of patients that has been the focus of previous courses in the specialty. This course affords the opportunity to focus on health care of patients of all ages with complex health problems. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N798KA and completing 112 clinical practicum hours.

N706 Complex Health Problems with Multiple Chronic Conditions 2 (2 cr.) and N798S Practicum: Complex Health Problems with Multiple Chronic Conditions 2 (2 cr.) – must be taken concurrently.

This course provides students specializing in the advanced practice role of the Adult Gerontological Primary Care or FNP (DNP) Nurse Practitioner student the opportunity to build knowledge and skills beyond that of the singular simple acute or stable chronic conditions. This course affords the opportunity to focus on health care of adult and older adult patients (including frail elders) with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and complex health problems. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N798S. The N798S UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a MD or NP geriatric/gerontology and adult provider in order to assure that complex patients will be seen–providers can be NPs or MDs or a combination of both for a total of 112 hours (52 hours needs to be in sub-acute rehabilitation and long-term care practice environments).

Final Spring Semester of Study in the DNP Program

N898D Final Immersion Practicum (2 cr.) -

This final practicum is an essential component of the DNP program that affords students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their area of specialty practice as they complete 112 hours of practicum experiences in one semester. This practicum provides an intensive immersion opportunity for students to further enhance and integrate their prior learning and to gain experience with designated DNP essentials and specialty competencies.

Public Health Nurse Leader (PHNL) - Role Course Sequence

In the DNP/PHNL program curriculum, there is a series of 3 theory courses with 3 concurrent practicum courses that provide content and experience in the specialty area of advanced public health nursing. After completing these specialty courses, students will engage in the Final Immersion Practicum N898A, taken during their final semester in the DNP program. All PHNL students are required to take these courses, unless they have a Master’s degree in Community or Public Health Nursing, and have received some course waivers at the time of admission.

The PHNL program includes 4 practicum courses, three of these courses are 3 credit practicum courses that require 168 hours of supervised practice, for a total of 504 hours. In the final semester of the DNP program, students will take the Final Immersion Practicum N898A for 6 credits (336 hours – of which 150 hours may be used to implement the required DNP Scholarly Project).

The three (3) theory courses in the PHNL sequence are designed to provide instruction in Advanced Public Health Nursing. In the 3 concurrent practicum courses, students implement the knowledge they acquire in the companion theory courses. These courses must be taken in sequential order, as they build upon each other. The Final Immersion Practicum course, N898A, is not taken until the last semester of the student’s coursework in the DNP program

Public Health Nurse Leader Specialty Role Courses

N640 Advanced Public Health Nursing I (3 cr.) (Fall) and N698G Practicum: Advanced Public Health Nursing I (3 cr.) Content and practicum focus is on conducting a Comprehensive Community Assessment and a targeted Needs Assessment. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698L. Students will engage in 168 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. This practicum is conducted in a community that the student chooses. Students will need an outside community preceptor for this course. In order to plan ahead by mid-semester students should be identifying a preceptor and an agency that they will affiliate with for the next practicum course, N798P, offered in the spring semester.

N750 Advanced Public Health Nursing II (3 cr.) (Spring) and N798LL Practicum: Advanced Public Health Nursing II (3 cr.) Content and practicum focus is on program development and evaluation in the field of public health. Application of this knowledge occurs in the clinical practicum N798P. This practicum should be conducted in the same community as the previous practicum course, N698L. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in the community and engage in 168 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N798P UMass faculty member will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s community preceptor.

N760 Advanced Public Health Nursing III Contemporary Issues in Public Health Practice (3 cr.) and N798M Practicum: Contemporary Issues in Public Health Practice (3 cr.) Content and practicum focus is on current issues in public health nursing practice. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in the community and engage in 168 hours of selected practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N798M UMass faculty member will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s community preceptor.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) - Role Courses

Course Descriptions:

N615 Advanced Pathophysiology (3 cr.) - This course examines the conceptual basis and specific knowledge of pathophysiology and disease recognition for children and adults as observed in the primary care setting.

N619 Advanced Pharmacology (3 cr.) - This course reviews in-depth the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.

N703 Pharmacotherapy Management (3 cr.) - Integration of principles of pharmacology and

therapeutic patient care management to construct, implement and evaluate optimal pharmacotherapeutic regimens for patients in various healthcare settings. This course includes an assignment with a local pharmacist.

N670 Family Systems and Interventions (3 cr.) - Selected concepts, theories and research related to family dynamics and family coping, with an emphasis on practice strategies to support family well-being and mental health.

N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (3 cr.) and N698A Practicum (1 cr.) - must be taken concurrently. N698A is the first practicum course in the PMHNP/DNP specialty concentration sequence.

Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive health assessments and develop enhanced capacity for clinical reasoning and laboratory test interpretation. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698A, the first clinical practicum experience in the FNP specialty that affords students the opportunity to develop competence and confidence in a precepted clinical experience while applying knowledge obtained in a concurrent theory course.

Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 56 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698A UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. This first practicum experience, which starts mid-way through the semester, concentrates on the “Art” of Clinical Reasoning and, therefore, most any qualified provider from a variety of healthcare settings can be appropriate. The concentration of the practicum is for students to learn the techniques and practices of the “Focused Case Visit” and the “Complete History and Exam Visit” to acquire a sound knowledge base in diagnostic reasoning and differential diagnosis prior to launching into the individual patient population courses. NPs and MDs who see patients of all ages in a primary care setting are preferred.

Specialty courses include:

N643 Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychiatric and Mental Health Disorders - This course introduces the diagnostic processes in mental health/mental disorders using DSM 5 diagnostic criteria, ICD coding, and other mental assessment tools while considering family, community, and cultural influences.

N580 Integrative Therapies in Health Care - This course will examine integrative health therapies including the cultural contexts of health and health care, telehealth, dynamics of systems and individual change, and evidence-based analysis of therapeutic effectiveness.

N697NP Neuropsychopharmacology (3 cr.) - This course examines the pharmacological treatment of psychiatric mental health disorders and is structured to develop the student with a logical approach and treatment strategy to use when prescribing.

N612 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Children and Adolescents (3 cr.) - Content in the psychopathology, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders affecting children and adolescents are presented.

N698CA Practicum Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Children and Adolescents (3 cr.) - This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community-based health care agency providing advanced practice psychiatric mental health nursing care to children, adolescents and their families, 168 clinical practicum hours.

N622 Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Adults and Older Adults (3 cr.) - This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community- based health care agency/facility providing psychiatric mental health care to children, adolescents and their families.

N698AD Practicum Advanced Practice Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing with Adults and Older Adults (3 cr.) - This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum in a community- based health agency or facility providing advanced practice psychiatric mental health care to adults and older adults, 168 clinical practicum hours.

N721 Advanced Psychotherapy Modalities with Individuals, Groups and Families (2 cr.) - This course continues preparing students in developing advanced skills to deliver individual, group and family psychosocial therapeutics using evidence based psychosocial treatment models across the lifespan.

N798GF Practicum Advanced Psychotherapy Modalities with Individuals, Groups and Families (2 cr.) - This course consists of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a community-based inpatient or outpatient mental health care agency providing psychotherapeutic mental health care to individuals, groups and families, 112 clinical practicum hours.

N722 Psychiatric Mental Health- Complex Health Problems (3 cr.) - A refinement of advanced knowledge and skills required to deliver psychiatric mental health care to culturally diverse individuals of all ages with complex mental health and psychiatric issues.

N798X Practicum Psychiatric Mental Health- Complex Health Problems (3 cr.) - This course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience in a health care agency/facility providing psychiatric mental health care to individuals, 112 clinical practicum hours.

N898D Final Direct Care residency (2 cr.) - This final practicum is an essential component of the DNP program that affords students the opportunity to immerse themselves in their area of specialty practice as they complete 112 hours of practicum experiences in one semester. This practicum provides an intensive immersion opportunity for students to further enhance and integrate their prior learning and to gain experience with designated DNP essentials and specialty competencies.

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Ph.D. in Nursing Program

Information, announcements and other resources relevant to the PhD Program are maintained on the Nursing PhD Program intranet website.

Learn more about the Ph.D. in Nursing Program including:

• PhD Curriculum, Vision and Mission
• Mentored Research Residency
• Authorship
• Comprehensive Exam Policy and Application
• Doctoral Dissertation Process and Steps

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