• Contacts: Dr. Bobbie Taylor
• Location: 404 Corbly Hall
• Telephone: 304-696-2626
• Website: mailto:taylor394@marshall.edu

Program Description

The purpose of this program is to prepare graduates for advanced practice nursing, as family nurse practitioners, nurse educators, or nurse managers. In collaboration with Shenandoah University, the program offers students the opportunity to become nurse midwives (NM) or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP).

Coursework in the Master of Science in Nursing program incorporates the classroom, laboratory, and clinical modes of instruction. All nursing students have experiences with rural and/or underserved populations as part of the state initiatives for primary health care. The Master of Science in Nursing program requires the completion of a minimum of 45 credit hours and 500 clinical hours for the family nurse practitioner (MSN-FNP) area of emphasis, 36 credit hours for the nursing administration (MSN-NA) and nursing education (MSN-NE) areas of emphasis, 26 credits and 720 clinical hours for the nurse-midwifery (MSN-NM) area of emphasis, and 32 credits and  780 clinical hours for psychiatric mental health nurse (MSN-PMHNP) practitioners. Family Nurse Practitioner students admitted Spring 2024 and after will have a different plan of study and required, additional clinical hours.

Certifications

Upon successful completion of the MSN-FNP program, graduates are eligible to take the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) for Adult and Family Nurse Practitioners and/or the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC) Certification for Family Nurse Practitioners. Graduates of the MSN-NA program are eligible to take the ANCC Certification Examination for Nursing Administration or Nursing Administration Advanced, depending on their experience and stage of professional development. Graduates of the Nursing Education (MSN-NE) program are eligible to take the National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator Examination (CNE). Nurse-Midwifery (MSN-NM) graduates are eligible to take the American Midwife Certification Board Exam. MSN-PMHNP graduates are eligible to take the ANCC Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam.

The M.S.N. program's purpose is achieved through three program components.

1. The core component (12 credits) focuses on knowledge and skills related to nursing theory, advanced nursing research, leadership, and health care issues.
2. The area of emphasis component (18 to 33 credits) allows the student to specialize in a particular area. The family nurse practitioner area of emphasis (33 credits) provides students with the opportunity to develop competency as a family nurse practitioner. The nursing administration area of emphasis (18 credits) provides students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to administer/manage rural/underserved primary care agencies, home health care, and other health care agencies or units. The nursing education area of emphasis (21 credits) gives the student the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be a nurse educator. The nurse-midwifery area of emphasis (26 credits) provides knowledge and skills to practice as a nurse-midwife. The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner provides the student the opportunity to develop competency as psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (42 credits).
3. The elective component (3-6 credits) allows students to choose one of three options:
   1. thesis,
   2. role development courses in teaching, or
   3. elective courses related to the student’s area of interest.

The M.S.N. program must be completed in a period not to exceed 7 calendar years from the date of first class enrollment.

Accreditation

The Master of Science in Nursing program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc., 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326; phone, 404-975-5000; fax, 404-975-5020; Web, www.acenursing.org.

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* There is no PMC-PMHNP or PMC-MW through Marshall University with Shenandoah.

Program Requirements

The student and advisor will develop a Plan of Study or blueprint for graduation requirements. The Plan of Study must be on file in the Graduate Studies office before the student registers for the 12th semester hour.

Policies

Students in both the M.S.N. and Post Master’s Certificate programs are governed by policies stated in the Marshall University Graduate Catalog. Policies specific to the nursing programs are as follows:

M.S.N. General Academic Policies

1. All graduate academic policies apply to all M.S.N. and post master’s coursework. Students are required to review and download the current Graduate Catalog and M.S.N. Handbook upon admission to the M.S.N. program.
2. The School of Nursing reserves the right to administratively withdraw any nursing student whose health, academic record, clinical performance, or behavior is judged unsatisfactory.
3. A student is permitted to repeat only one nursing course in the process of completing the MSN program.
4. All grades of C or less are counted in computing averages, but no more than six hours of C and no grades below C may be applied toward a graduate degree or post-master’s certificate. (From Graduate Catalog.)
5. A student who earns 9 credits of a C in nursing courses will be dismissed from the program.
6. If a student earns a D or F in any course, he or she will be dismissed from the program.
7. Any student dismissed from the program may not reapply to the area of emphasis in which he or she was enrolled.
8. Students in the graduate program who fail to enroll for a semester without an approved leave of absence (LOA) are considered withdrawn from the program and are not eligible for future enrollment.
9. Students who do not follow the university procedure for withdrawal from a course will earn a grade of F for the course.
10. No more than twelve (12) credit hours may be accepted as transfer credit in the MSN tracks. For graduate certificate programs, transfer credits may not exceed 6 credit hours. The grades earned in the classes to be transferred must be a B or better. Graduate credits transferred from other institutions will not become a part of the Grade Point Average recorded on the student’s Marshall University transcript and will simply meet credit hour requirements toward graduation. (From Graduate Catalog.)
11. All students must have a 3.00 GPA in their major to graduate and receive the MSN or post master’s certificate.
12. A student must have an approved Plan of Study (POS) developed with his or her advisor prior to registering for any M.S.N. class. Any deviation from the student’s POS must be approved by his or her advisor. Failure to comply with this policy can result in an administrative withdrawal from a course.

Other Policies

1. Each student must submit a satisfactory health record prior to registering for his/her first nursing course with a clinical component.
2. Each student is required to have an annual PPD screening test for Tuberculosis.
3. Each student must show evidence of the following prior to registering for any nursing course with a clinical component:
   1. Current unencumbered professional nurse licensure in West Virginia and
   2. Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
4. Students are responsible for own transportation to and from all clinical assignments.
5. Students are required to be in professional attire for all clinical practicums and to wear a name pin. In addition, selected clinical agencies require a white lab coat.
6. Students are required to pass and submit a background check and drug screen.

For additional information, contact the School of Nursing.

For additional policies, see the Graduate Nursing Student Handbook.

Nurse-Midwifery (Offered in Cooperation with Shenandoah University)

Once the student has successfully completed his or her 25 credit hours at Marshall University, the student will transfer to Shenandoah University to obtain an additional 32 credit hours of classroom and clinical midwifery courses. The student will spend one week at the beginning of each semester at Shenandoah and then return to rural WV to be placed with a preceptor to obtain the clinical portion of the program. The student will continue to receive didactic material from Shenandoah midwifery faculty.

Upon successful completion of the 26 credit hours at Shenandoah, the student transfers these 26 hours to Marshall University. The student will receive an M.S.N. from Marshall University and a certificate in Nurse-Midwifery from Shenandoah University. The student is then eligible to take the Certified Nurse Midwifery Exam from the American Midwives Certification.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Offered in Cooperation with Shenadoah University)

Students will meet all Marshall University School of Nursing and Shenandoah University admissions requirements; including an interview by SU psychiatric mental health nurse faculty. Students will take the above courses at Marshall University and the PMHNP courses at Shenandoah University.

SU will offer 32 hours of courses, all offered through SU psychiatric mental health nurse faculty. Students enrolled in the PMHNP will attend PMHNP classes at Shenandoah University after attending the core graduate courses at Marshall University.

The PMHNP curriculum allows students to attend classes during concentrated times (2 weekends a semester). The remaining weeks of the semester, students are placed with clinical preceptors to apply what they have learned in the didactic portion of the course(s). Students then return to campus for examinations or arrange for a proctored examination. 

Upon successful completion of the 32 credit hours at Shenandoah, the student transfers these 32 hours to Marshall University. The student will receive an M.S.N. from Marshall University and a certificate from Shenandoah University.

Shenandoah Graduate Academic Progression Policies for the Nurse Midwifery and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Cooperative Students

Shenandoah Graduate Grading Scale 

Percent Range                            Letter Grade                     Notes
90%-100%                                          A                                Successful grade
80%-89%                                            B                                Successful grade
70%-79%                                            C                                Failing grade
69% and below                                   F                                Dismissal from the program track

Shenandoah Grading Criteria

Grading Criteria at the graduate level are according to the following guidelines: 

• Pluses and minuses are not applied to the grades. 
• Students must achieve a minimum average of 80% on tests, quizzes (NON-OPEN BOOK QUIZZES) in a course before any other assignments are factored into the final course grade. For example, if a student has a weighted average grade of a 78% on the objective assessments (tests, quizzes, and final exams - not including open book quizzes) and then has a 94% on each SOAP note, the student will not pass the course, as SOAP note or presentation is NOT considered an objective assessment. 
• Any grade involving a numerical fraction is rounded automatically by Canvas in standard rounding format. Please note, however, the FINAL grade will not ever be rounded IF a minimum grade of 80% is not achieved in the objective assessments. For example: A final Grade of 91.6 could get a 92%. A final grade of 89.8 could receive a 90%. BUT a final grade of 79.7 will receive a 79% and will not pass the course. 

Shenandoah Graduate Progression Policy

• Graduate students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA, meaning that all courses must be completed with a minimum grade of "B" or better.
• If the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the student will be given one semester to bring the GPA up to a 3.0 or be dismissed from the program.
• Students must earn a final grade of "B" or better in all courses to graduate.
• A "C" in a course must be repeated for a "B" or better.
• Only one repeated course can be applied toward the degree. A second course with a grade of less than "B" will result in dismissal.
• Graduate students who do not earn a "B" or better in a specialty course (those courses that start with the prefix NP, PMH, and NM) may not progress to the next specialty course, be it didactic or clinical.

Shenandoah Clinical Site Experience Guidelines for All Nursing Students

Facilities Used for Clinical Experiences

The School of Nursing uses a wide range of health care facilities for clinical experiences to provide students with opportunities to observe and function in a variety of settings. Clinical sites are selected to best meet the objectives of a particular course. A student may suggest a possible site for clinical experience to their course coordinator, but the faculty member responsible for the course makes the final arrangements in collaboration with the SON Clinical Coordinator. Under no circumstances may a student directly arrange with a health care facility for their clinical experiences. 

Students can expect to have possible clinical experiences in a variety of sites and in locations not necessarily close to their assigned campuses over the course of their program. Students may need to travel some distance to their clinical sites during their programs;  travel up to 100 miles from your home address my be needed (Nurse Midwifery students may travel even further). Students are required to provide a minimum of three (3) preceptors/sites that are willing to precept the student during their program. The preceptor/site referral should be given to the appropriate program director no later than one semester PRIOR to starting clinical courses. These referrals should not be for established SON graduate sites. These sites can be found in EXXAT. Students are expected to accept their clinical assignments. Clinical experiences may be scheduled on varying shifts during the week, including nights and weekends. 

Except for DNP students, students may not be assigned clinical experiences in units where they are currently employed. Students may, however, be assigned a clinical experience in another unit within the same facility. Additionally, students may be asked not to be assigned to clinical experiences in an office setting of a primary care provider where they or their immediate family receive personal health care. This may be negotiated with approval of the course faculty. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from clinical sites. 

All health records including immunizations and health insurance must be current and recorded in the Wilkins Wellness Center in order to attend clinical and preceptor experiences. Students must also have current CPR certification, completion of site orientation, bloodborne pathogens and HIP AA prior to starting any clinical experience/rotation. Failure to maintain up-to-date health records and CPR can result in an unexcused absence for the assigned clinical/preceptor experience.