Watch the Purdue University Calumet website for specific dates for
registration and withdrawal.
Early Registration
Early registration is held at announced times during the semester preceding the desired classes. Early registration enables currently enrolled students to pre-register for the forthcoming semester or summer session.
Students can schedule an appointment with an advisor by calling the School of
Nursing office at (219) 989-2815 beginning approximately two weeks before the
registration period. If students have discussed their plan of study with
an advisor and know what classes they need to take, they are encouraged to
self-register on-line using PC-Star.
Open Registration
Open registration occurs during the week prior to the beginning of classes each semester.
Those students who were unable to register early should use open registration.
This time period can also be used by students who have already registered and
need to make schedule adjustments (add/drops).
Late Registration
It is possible to register for classes during the first week or two of the
semester. Registration during this period is subject to the availability
of classes, approval of the advisor and the faculty teaching the class, and
payment of a late fee.
Financial Assistance and Scholarship
Students can arrange financial assistance through the Office of Financial Aid
and Student Accounts. The office is located in Lawshe O-130 and the
telephone number is (219) 989-2301. Further information is also available on the
Office of Financial Aid and Student Accounts website:
http://www.calumet.purdue.edu/finaid/
Purpose
The primary purpose of the graduate program in nursing is to prepare students for advanced practice
in nursing. The program aims to prepare a graduate capable of assuming diverse leadership roles in clinical practice, thereby contributing to the advancement of the nursing profession
while enhancing the quality of life for those that we serve.
The program has a strong clinical emphasis and provides an opportunity for
continuing career development. An educational environment is created in which
scientific inquiry, role development and leadership behavior are synthesized to
facilitate the implementation and advancement of nursing theory and to
contribute to the scientific knowledge base needed for advanced clinical
practice.
The graduate program builds on the foundation established by undergraduate nursing education by providing experiences designed to increase the knowledge base necessary for advanced practice
in nursing. This increased knowledge base includes developing expertise in scientific inquiry, specialized practice, and leadership skills.
The faculty believes that all students begin graduate study with a basic
understanding of the metaparadigm concepts of Person, Environment, Health and
Nursing. These are conceptual areas commonly addressed in baccalaureate
nursing education programs. Graduate study enables students to better
understand and operationalize these concepts. The faculty respects the
uniqueness of students' basic preparation for professional nursing practice.
Further, the faculty encourages them to build upon this foundation and to
reflect, refine and evolve a professional philosophy and evidence-based
framework for advanced practice in nursing.
Universe. The synthesis of the major concepts of Person,
Environment, Health, and Nursing. Together, these concepts provide the
main focus for advanced practice of nursing, and define the contextual arena in
which all professional activity occurs.
Person: Persons are viewed as developing across the life span
and are dynamic, complex and autonomous. As citizens of the world and
members of a larger network of families, groups and communities, individuals
strive to meet their basic human needs.
Individuals are in constant interaction with other open systems and interpret
the world according to their own contextual reality. In doing so, persons
create their own subjective meanings about health, illness and well-being.
As a result they have the right to fully participate in health care decisions
which affect their quality of life.
Environment: Environment in the arena for human development and
provides the conditions of persons to grow, change and meet (or not meet) their
basic human needs. Additionally, the environment exerts social, cultural,
political and religious norms that influence the behavior of individuals,
families, groups and communities. Reciprocally, individuals, families,
groups and communities influence the nature of the environment.
Nursing: Nursing is a profession rooted in a humanistic
philosophy and encompasses ethical standards resulting in a commitment to
advocacy and social justice. Central to the practice of professional
nursing is respect for the autonomy and dignity of all individuals without
regard to gender, ethnicity, religion or class.
Advanced practice in nursing is based on the synthesis of scientific,
experiential, aesthetic and interpersonal knowledge. It is through the
application of this synthesis that the profession advances for the purpose of
meeting the healthcare needs of those served.
Health: Health is a subjective state, rooted in experiences,
values, and beliefs and is culturally defined and practiced. Health is
influenced by life events that are biological, psychological, sociological and
spiritual. Health is reflected in a person's ability to pursue their goals
and desires and achieve a quality of life that produces satisfaction and
happiness.
Teaching-Learning Process: The primary mission of the Purdue
University Calumet graduate program in nursing is to engage students in the
teaching-learning process relevant to advanced practice in nursing. The
faculty believes that this dynamic process is mutual, constantly evolving and
provides the opportunity to both inspire and empower students. Through
faculty and preceptor interactions and role modeling, students are challenged to
implement critical thinking skills relevant to advanced practice decision making
in the provision of evidence-based therapeutic intervention, to communicate
effectively and to provide leadership that supports positive change.
Furthermore, students are encouraged to value and assume responsibility for
life-long learning.
Return to Table of Contents
Concepts are ordered and related within the curriculum systematically. The
core knowledge of nursing theory, sociocultural theory, evidence-based nursing
practice, health promotion, ethics, and health policy form the basis of the
curriculum. Grounding in the core concepts prepares students to move
through the program to the advanced practice core and specialty courses.
The faculty believes that this sequencing of curricular content best enables
students to acquire the knowledge, attitudes and abilities necessary for
advanced practice in nursing in an increasingly complex health care environment.
Conceptual Model: Description of Advanced Practice in Nursing:
The elements of the metaparadigm (person, environment, health and nursing)
provide the universe in which the organizing concepts of advanced knowledge
base, leadership, and advanced decision making are expressed and culminate in
advance practice in nursing. The core concepts/threads of the curriculum
flow from the organizing framework and are viewed as fluid and dynamic.
The order of concepts among the concentric circles reflects the developmental
process leading toward advanced practice in nursing. The dashed lines of
the concentric circles reflect the fluidity and dynamic nature of the
relationships among the concepts. The threading of the core
concepts/threads throughout the course work creates an educational environment
in which advance practice in nursing evolves.
Organizing Concepts
Advanced Knowledge Base: Graduate education knowledge that
builds upon the foundational nursing education and is informed by theory,
evidence-based nursing practice, critical thinking, and humanistic values.
Leadership: The ability to influence, guide and instill
vision in people in order to effect practice change in professional, social,
political and ethical situations that affect clients and the nursing
universe.
Decision Making for Practice: Selecting interventions and
actions from alternatives that move patients/clients from a specified or
desired outcome state in a clinical context of uncertainty.
Core Concepts/Threads
The program at the graduate level is built upon and includes the following
major conceptual areas:
Theory: Systematically organized information from nursing
and related disciplines. Theory enables the individual to understand
conceptual relationships, to rationally view and critically analyze
predictable as well as unpredictable nursing practice situations, and to
effectively act upon the nursing universe at an advanced level.
Evidence-Based Nursing Practice: The process by which nurses
make practice decisions using the best available evidence, their clinical
expertise, and patient preferences in the context of available resources.
Best available evidence: Findings from the highest
quality research and/or other sources of evidence that are appropriately
designed to answer a question relevant to nursing practice and forms the
basis of therapeutic intervention. The type of evidence, and
therefore what is "best", depends on the nature of the question,
activity and the purpose.
Clinical expertise: Knowledge that forms professional craft
know-how that arises from formal as well as informal experiences and
reflection upon those experiences, externalized to others, analyzed and
critiqued.
Patient preferences: The relative value and meaning that
patients place on varying health states that influence their autonomous
choices regarding their healthcare.
Available resources: Sociocultural, economic and human
resources coupled with the political will within the context that nurses
deliver care.
Critical Thinking: The integration of a disposition toward
inquiry with the processes of analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing
relevant knowledge for the purpose of problem solving and developing
creative approaches to nursing.
Humanistic Values: A belief in the worth and dignity of
every person in our universe. A commitment to humanistic values in
nursing encourages compassion, reasoning and a striving to address issues of
social injustice in order to make the world a better place to live for all
humans regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status.
Therapeutic Intervention: A rational and deliberate nursing
action based on theory, best available evidence, clinical expertise, patient
preferences and available resources performed to enhance or support health.
Communication: Dynamic process whereby participants transact
ideas, information, and/or feelings through verbal, nonverbal, written or
technological methods.
Role development: The process of attaining advanced practice
in nursing role competencies/standards as defined by national organizations
related to specific areas of specialization.
The School of Nursing offers three areas of specialization within the Mast of
Science program. The three areas of specialization are Clinical Nurse
Specialist (CNS) in Adult Health or Critical Care, Family Nurse Practitioner
(FNP), and Nursing Administration. The lists of required courses for each
option are shown in tabular form in Tables 1 (CNS), 2 (FNP) and
3 (Nursing Administration).
CNS Area of Specialization
Students who choose the CNS area of specialization may opt for a
concentration in Adult Health Nursing or Critical Care Nursing. The
CNS specialty coursework for both areas of concentration consists of 6
credits of didactic courses and 6 credits of clinical practica courses.
The combination of specialty clinical practica and the health promotion
course practicum equals 500 clock hours. In addition to the specialty
courses, CNS students are required to take a total of 2 hours of electives.
The total number of credits in the CNS area of specialization equals 45.
Upon completion of the program, student are eligible to take national
certification exams for clinical nurse specialists in the areas of adult
health or critical care nursing, depending on their specialty focus.
FNP Area of Specialization
The FNP specialty course work consists of 6 credits of didactic courses
and 8 credits of clinical practica courses. The combination of
specialty clinical practica and the health promotion course practicum equals
555 clock hours. The total number of credits in the FNP option equals
45. Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to take
national certification exams for family nurse practitioners.
Nursing Administration
The Nursing Administration specialty coursework consists of 15 credits of
didactic courses and 4 credits of clinical practica courses. There are
180 clock hours associated with the clinical practica courses. Upon
completion of the program, students are eligible to take the national
certification exam for nursing administrators.
Students may elect to complete NUR 698 Master's Thesis in addition to their
required courses. Students interested in pursing the thesis option should
discuss this with their advisor. The thesis work will consist of assigned
research, which will be recorded as "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory".
The student must have three members of the graduate faculty serve on an
examining committee, one of whom serves as chair of the committee.
The chair of the examining committee is responsible for guiding the student
through the thesis process including proposal development and implementation of
the research study. After the research is completed and the thesis
written, the candidate will be given an oral examination in which he or she
defends the thesis.
