***While we reimagine this program, we are not currently accepting applications. We encourage you to explore similar programs, including the MSN: Nursing Education, MS: Quality, Safety and Risk Management, MSN: Quality, Safety, and Risk Management and MSN: Undeclared.***

Program

The Drexel Online MSN Clinical Nurse Leader track prepares nurses for advanced clinical roles in a quickly changing, increasingly complex clinical care environment.  

Graduates of this program are prepared to take on advanced generalist roles which incorporate advanced knowledge and skill, clinical expertise in an evidence-and-quality-driven context, accountability for outcomes of care, integration of health care services, and clinical leadership for the care of clients, who may be individuals or clinical populations such as those found on a clinical unit or in other settings.

This online master’s program emphasizes the development of competencies related to the use of technology, evidence-based practice, customization of care, health team and interdisciplinary leadership, and outcome and risk assessment. To learn more about this exciting role, visit the International Clinical Nurse Leader Association's website.

What you’ll learn

Students have the opportunity to develop advanced competencies and depth of knowledge as clinical nurse leaders in adult health. The program emphasizes evidence-based approaches to the solution of clinical problems, assessment of nursing and health care outcomes, clinical decision-making and the design of nursing care for clinical populations at the clinical unit or similar small system level, lateral care integration, and clinically-based leadership.

Clinical practicum experiences provide opportunities for students to deepen clinical skills and develop additional competencies for the management of clients’ health care needs at the point-of-care. Clinical experiences will include activities such as modeling of care, assessment and evaluation of aggregate patient outcomes, case management and service integration, unit and interdisciplinary team leadership, teaching and mentoring of staff.

In this as well as other MSN tracks, students build upon the MSN core courses and then move into support courses and specialized coursework. The curriculum also permits students to enroll part-time by spreading the required clinical hours over three terms.

Program Level Outcomes: https://drexel.edu/provost/offices/assessment/outcomes/grad-program/CNHP/

State restrictions may apply to some programs.

What makes the MSN Clinical Nurse Leader program unique?

• Prepares students for leadership roles in clinical care.
• Full-time or part-time options for study.
• You are part of the Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions with access to clinical practice environments and simulated health care scenarios. 

Practicum

• 2-day OCI (on campus intensive)
• In addition, students are required to attend an immersive on-campus simulation residency when beginning their practicum. The residency hours will count as part of the required 400 total practicum hours (24 practicum hours earned). The residency is offered each Fall Quarter.

COMPLIANCE

The College of Nursing and Health Professions has a compliance process that may be required for every student. Some of these steps may take significant time to complete. Please plan accordingly.

Visit the Compliance pages for more information.

Admission Requirements

Technical Standards - Nursing

Degree:
BSN degrees must be from an institution accredited by CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education), ACEN (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing) or NLN CNEA (NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation).

A GPA of 3.0 or above on all previous coursework or last 60 credits completed. Applications from RNs with GPA < 3.0 may be considered on individual basis. *Individuals who have a bachelor's degree in a field other than nursing may apply to the RN-MSN Bridge program.

Standardized Tests:
N/A

Transcripts:
Official transcripts from all previous educational institutions required. Transcripts must be submitted in sealed envelope directly from colleges/universities.

• You must supply transcripts regardless of the number of credits earned or the type of school you attended.
• If you do not list all post-secondary institutions on your application and these appear on transcripts received from other institutions, your application will not be reviewed until you have submitted the remaining transcripts.
• Use our Transcript Lookup Tool to assist you in contacting your previous institutions

Prerequisites:
N/A

References:

Two professional references required from previous or current supervisors, managers, nursing faculty members or program directors who can attest to applicant's clinical knowledge, skill, and potential aptitude for graduate study. References will not be accepted from colleagues or family members.

• You may use our electronic letter of recommendation service 
• If a recommender prefers to submit an original, hard copy letter, please remind them that it must include an ink signature and be submitted in a sealed envelope.

Personal Statement/ Essay:
Personal statement describing interest in MSN degree and particular specialty.

Interview/Portfolio:
Admissions interview may be required

CV/Resume:
Required.

Licenses:
Copy of current U.S. Registered Nurse license required.

Clinical/Work/Volunteer Experience:
While specific experience not required, previous related work experience may make applicant more competitive.

International Students:
International applicants, as well as immigrants to the United States and U.S. permanent residents whose native language is not English and who have not received a bachelor's degree or higher in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom, must show proficiency in English speaking as well as listening, writing and reading. American citizens born on U.S. military bases abroad may be waived from the TOEFL requirement after providing documentation of this status. Otherwise, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

If you take the TOEFLiBT exam, you must have:

• a minimum combined score for listening, writing, and reading sections of 79 plus a speaking section score of 26 or higher.
• a minimum score of 550 or higher and a Test of Spoken English score (TSE) of 55 or higher.

Additional requirements can be found here

Tuition and Fee Rates: 
Please visit the Drexel Online MSN in Clinical Nurse Leader tuition page.

Application Link (if outside organization):
N/A

This program is organized into four 10-week quarters per year (as opposed to the traditional two-semester system) which means you can take more courses in a shorter time period. One semester credit is equivalent to 1.5 quarter credits.

Graduate students who utilize student loans (FAFSA) must maintain a minimum enrollment of 4.5 credits per term.

For Full List of courses, please visit Drexel Online.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Drexel University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, 202.887-6791.

Program Outcomes

• Practices within a legal and ethical framework of health care delivery.
• Advances the role of advanced nursing practice in the health care system through scholarship, clinical experience and political involvement.
• Demonstrates critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in clinical decision-making.
• Integrates multiple technologies and relevant theories into the organization and synthesis of health data required to develop plans of care for patients, families and communities.
• Integrates culturally sensitive health promotion activities that contribute to the health and wellness of the community into clinical practice.
• Demonstrates leadership in nursing and health care through involvement in the development of outcome-based standards of care and practice-based health policy issues.
• Evaluates and modify the quality and effectiveness of clinical practice based on current research findings, standards of care and patient outcomes.
• Contributes to the advancement of nursing, health care and humanity through communication, collaboration and education.

Nursing Program Mission and Values

The Nursing program faculty and staff are committed to educating nurses to embrace both the art and science of nursing, to integrate caring into practice, to think critically and practice competently, compassionately and safely in complex rapidly changing practice environments. The Nursing program supports administrators, faculty, staff and students in developing holistic evidence-based programs, which create healing and caring environments at all levels that reflect innovative education, interdisciplinary practice and research.

The highest goals of the program include demonstrating efficacy, quality and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based nursing interventions in promoting health, preventing disease, preserving human dignity, reducing health disparities and caring for the sick and injured.

All efforts in the Nursing program are designed to build nursing knowledge, enhance nursing practice, foster professional integrity, promote innovation, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients and families from diverse communities across the continuum of care.

The Nursing program is committed to excellence in nursing education through educational programs that are:

• Authentic: We value a deep connection to others, appreciation of diverse opinions and respect for the other’s frame of reference. We value going beyond objective assessment to understand the context of the other, creative use of self and engagement in the artistry of the caring-healing process—the essence of Nursing.
• Complex: We value complexity science by recognizing that our Nursing program is a complex, dynamic, unpredictable, emerging, self-organizing and adaptive system that cannot be reduced to the sum of its members. As such, we seek that administrators, faculty, staff and students develop skills to improvise, build on the innovations of others, develop positive interpersonal interactions, appreciate the reciprocity that our actions have on the larger system and ourselves and embrace surprise as an opportunity to learn, make sense of our dynamic reality and make a positive impact on the health of our clients.
• Rigorous: We continuously review and redesign programs, courses, technology-infused learning systems and educational products for depth and quality with the learner's experience and background in mind.
• Relevant: We continuously examine changing market forces, the progression of nursing knowledge and the best practices in health care and education to redesign educational programs. There is a strong commitment to population-focused care practice in diverse communities; therefore, we strive to ensure clinically relevant education and simulation experiences. Our faculty serves as excellent role models for developing clinicians.
• State of the Art: We value the use of technological innovation and patient simulation scenarios which foster advanced and evidence-based interdisciplinary communication and teamwork, multiple patient management and crisis resource management skills, provision of culturally relevant care, decreased prevalence of errors and adverse events and a higher intellectual standard in both undergraduate and graduate nursing education.
• Learner-Friendly: In consideration of the demanding, fast-paced lives of our students and nurse consumers, we offer high-quality educational programs in convenient and contemporary formats, including access to academic online courses with attention to user-friendly interfaces as well as resources to enhance academic success. In addition, the College of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to being a challenging and rewarding work environment for faculty, staff and administrators. Information and data on all aspects of the college’s operations are widely shared with faculty, staff and students and all are encouraged to participate in its decisions and activities.