MS in Nursing Executive Leadership Courses

The online MSN in Executive Leadership track at Saint Xavier University was designed to reflect the fact that nurse administrators work in a variety of settings and must have the skills to lead a diverse workforce in an ever-changing health care environment. Students may select clinical experiences that match their particular area of focus; however, all students in this track take courses that blend the concepts of administrative nursing, health disparities, and leadership. The program requires 38 semester hours to complete.

NURSG 553: Communication, Culture, Collaboration, and Conflict (2 Credits)
Course Description: This course addresses expressions of health, illness, caring, and healing from trans-cultural and communication-focused perspectives. Understanding and developing professional competence in caring for and working with individuals, families, groups, and communities with diverse cultural backgrounds is emphasized. Patterns of human communication and interaction with health care clients and professional colleagues are considered in terms of theories and practical skills of communication, conflict resolution and professional collaboration. The impact of negative patterns of interaction (e.g., stereotyping, discrimination, and marginalization) on health care disparities is considered. (Three-day on-campus residency in Chicago occurs in conjunction with this course).

NURSG 555: Administrative Leadership in Nursing I (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: Core courses and NURSG 558
Course Description: This course emphasizes leadership and managerial skills as well as organizational assessment as the foundation for advanced nursing practices in complex or integrated health care systems. Theoretical content includes theories of leadership, management, and motivation; and principles of quality management, continuous quality improvement, risk management, and patient and employee safety. Frameworks for organizational assessment, program planning, and program evaluation are explored. Students acquire leadership and managerial skills that will be applied in subsequent practicum courses to enhance advanced practice in nursing administration. Learning experiences derived from this course serve as the basis for organizational assessment, and development of interventions to promote the functions of the organization.

NURSG 556: Administrative Leadership in Nursing Practicum I (2 Credits)
Pre- or Co-requisite: NURSG 555
Course Description: This is the first practicum course for the administrative leadership in nursing sequence at the advanced level. Practicum experiences provide opportunities for students to apply content from the theory course (NURSG 555) to an advanced nursing practice setting. Working with the preceptor and the clinical faculty, the student conducts an organizational assessment and develops a project focusing on a specific population or an aggregate served by the clinical agency.

NURSG 557: Information Technology and Health Care Outcome Evaluation (3 Credits)
Course Description: This course provides an overview of the various ways in which information technology is used in health care and education. Following an introduction to the principles of information science and information systems, students explore the practical applications and strengths and limitations of various information technologies. Applications of technology in the care of individuals, populations and communities are addressed, including aspects of tele-health. Students gain experience using and interpreting data from administrative and clinical health information databases in order to develop plans for quality assurance and outcomes evaluation. Students will interact with information management applications related to administration, clinical practice, education, and research.

NURSG 558: Advanced Health Care Finance (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: NURSG 517
Course Description: Exploration of the financial, marketing, and economic concepts and techniques of managing a health care agency or organization in a variety of settings. Focuses on financial knowledge and information as applied to health care agencies/integrated health care delivery systems, including budget concepts, financial analysis, the integration of strategic goals and objectives with financial planning and relation negotiation skills. Current issues related to the economics of health care, including the political and ethical issues involved in containing health care costs are explored.

NURSG 562: Administrative Leadership in Nursing II (3 Credits)
Pre-requisite: NURSG 555
Course Description: This is the second theory course in the administrative leadership in nursing sequence at the advanced level. Course content focuses on the leadership role of advanced nursing administrative practice in developing, implementing, and evaluating initiatives to manage and improve organizational practices and outcomes. Students acquire skills in program planning and evaluation for health improvement and outcomes research, especially quality improvement, change management, and human resources management.

NURSG 567: Administrative Leadership in Nursing Practicum II (2 Credits)
Prerequisite: NURSG 555 and 556. Pre or co-requisite: NURSG 562
Course Description: This is the second sequential practicum course for the administrative leadership in nursing track. Practicum experiences provide opportunities for students to apply content from the theory courses (NURSG 555 and NURSG 556) in an advanced nursing practice setting. Working with the preceptor and clinical faculty, the student conducts a leadership project focusing on an issue related to health care delivery to fulfill the course objectives.

NURSG 568: Advanced Health and Social Policy (3 Credits)
Course Description: This course examines health and social policy development process from multiple perspectives to promote critical understanding of factors influencing such policies. Course activities promote skill development in influencing policy development and change on local, state, national and international levels in both government and non-governmental contexts.

NURSG 578: Administrative Leadership in Nursing Capstone (2 Credits)
Pre-requisite: NURSG 562 and 567
Course Description: This is the final sequential clinical course in the executive leadership track. This course is an applied capstone experience at the end of each student's program of study and provides an opportunity for the student to gain experience in a particular area of administrative leadership interest. The clinical practicum component of the course is designed to be a project conducted independently by the student at a setting of the student's choice. The student works with a preceptor and the instructor to develop specific goals and objectives, and submits a summary of the project at the completion of the course.

For detailed course descriptions, please request more information or call us today at (866) 319-8966 to speak with a Program Manager.