MSN Related Links

"The online format allows for flexible learning, interaction with students from afar, the understanding of on-line learning and its benefits (as this is certainly the wave of the future), the knowledge and compassion of the teachers and the institution as a whole."

- Tamara C. Johnson, Student
Saint Xavier University
Online Masters in Curriculum and Instruction

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Master's in Nursing Curriculum: Clinical Nurse Leadership Program

Clinical Nurse Leader ProgramsCoursework in the MSN program is designed to give you the advanced clinical knowledge and leadership tools you will need to take a leading role in assessing, improving, implementing, and evaluating patient care and the processes that support care delivery and patient safety.

The curriculum includes a three-day on-campus experience at Saint Xavier at their beautiful Chicago area campus approximately midway through the program.


Core Courses
NURSG 500 Population-based Health Care 3 credits
NURSG 504 Philosophical & Theoretical Foundations of Advanced
Nursing Practice		 3 credits
NURSG 508 Epidemiology 3 credits
NURSG 509 Nursing Inquiry 3 credits
NURSG 517 Health Care Systems/Finance 3 credits

Core Course Descriptions

NURSG 500: Population-Based Health Care (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: NURSG 508 and NURSG 509
Course Description: This course emphasizes the use of theory and research as bases for advanced nursing. Community/needs assessment method is applied to assess health problems of an aggregate or a community. Students have opportunities to study community assessment as well as health program planning, implementation, and evaluation to improve the health of an aggregate or a community. Also included are the concepts of health disparity, equity, and culture diversity.

NURSG 504: Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice (3 Credits)
Course Description: This course focuses on philosophical and theoretical foundations of advanced practice nursing. The epistemological and ontological bases of practice are explored, including but not limited to nursing science, health care systems, aesthetic, cultural, legal and political matrices of professional practice. Ethical issues, including concerns of social justice, are introduced and discussed from a variety of perspectives, especially those of un-served and under-served populations. Foundations of clinical judgment are examined, and the concepts of professional autonomy, collegiality and consultation are studied. The importance of nursing in all its dimensions is highlighted, with particular emphasis on transformative learning and reflexive practice.

NURSG 508: Epidemiology (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: Basic statistics course or passing score on statistics competency exam
Course Description: An introduction to the analysis of the occurrence, distribution, determinants and consequences of health, infections, disease and mortality among population groups. A critical analysis of epidemiological models and methods in the understanding, prevention, and control of disease.

NURSG 509: Nursing Inquiry (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: NURSG 508
Course Description: This course focuses on methods of inquiry as a basis for the expansion of knowledge in nursing. Philosophical foundations of qualitative and quantitative methods are explored. Methodological approaches that use qualitative analysis are compared with those that require quantification and statistical analysis of data. Emphasis is placed on the congruence between the research problem and the research design. Analysis of research studies and the ability to develop a research proposal are expected outcomes of this course. Current issues in nursing research, including those of critique, collaboration, and publication are discussed.

NURSG 517: Health Care Systems Policy and Financing (3 Credits)
Course Description: This course focuses on trends, issues and policies related to the transformation of the American health care system. Health care policy will be addressed at the local, state and federal levels as it relates to finance, managed care and a variety of alternate mechanisms for the delivery of health care. Included are the basic concepts of policy analysis, ethics, outcome effectiveness, budgeting, cost-effectiveness analysis, economics and the use of financial information for decision making.

To learn more about our progressive online Masters in Nursing Clinical Nurse Leader curriculum, please request more information online or call us toll-free at (866) 319-8966.

About Saint Xavier University

Founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Xavier University is a private, Catholic, comprehensive university grounded in the tradition of the liberal arts.

Chicago's oldest Catholic University now adds its online, global Saint Xavier campus to the existing campuses in Chicago and Orland Park.

As one of 16 colleges and universities sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Xavier University educates approximately 5,100 students each year.

Saint Xavier’s Catholic tradition promotes ethical development, service to the community, and a search for truth via observation, analysis, and debate. We have a long history of educating students to prepare them for professional success and lay the foundation for personal fulfillment with values such as to explore and respect different viewpoints, work for the betterment of the community, and engage students in the pursuit of lifelong learning.

Saint Xavier continues this tradition throughout our online curriculum with support from experienced faculty, stimulating discussions among a diverse student body, and rigorous coursework.

SXU holds regional accreditation (the highest level of accreditation for institutions of higher education) from the Higher Learning Commission, which is recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In addition: