Information on marketable skills is drawn from a broad range of sources, including School of Nursing faculty and administration, alumni, preceptors and hospital administrators, and professional organizations, e.g., the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The Websites www.onetonline.org and www.bls.gov are other important sources of information on these skills. In compiling the Marketable Skills list, we acknowledge that no one skill set predominates; all are equally important to nursing care and our students’ success in the profession.
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be able to (select list):
- Develop and evaluate care delivery approaches that meet current and future needs of patient populations based on scientific findings
- Design and implement processes to evaluate outcomes of practice, practice patterns, and systems of care within a practice setting, healthcare organization, or community
- Design, direct, and evaluate quality improvement methodologies to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care
- Lead in the development and implementation of institutional, local, state, federal, and/or international health policy
- Lead interprofessional teams in the analysis of complex practice and organizational issues
- Evaluate care delivery models and/or strategies using concepts related to community, environmental and occupational health, and cultural and socioeconomic dimensions of health
- Guide, mentor, and support other nurses to achieve excellence in nursing practice
Ph.D. in Nursing
Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be able to (select list):
- Plan and direct studies to investigate human disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease
- conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, analyzing data and presenting
- findings to a scientific audience and the general public
- write and publish articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals
- teach undergraduate and graduate nursing students, including but not limited to advising, supervising, evaluating, grading, participating in curriculum development, preparing course materials, and providing course content
- write grant proposals to procure external research funding
- mentor students and faculty
Post-Graduate Certificate Program
- Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Among general skills the successful student is expected to develop/heighten through the program:
Critical thinking * Complex problem-solving * Judgment and decision-making * Active listening * Active learning * Clear, effective oral and written expression * Reasoning * Learning strategies * Ethical responsibility
Among the manifold Practice-Based Skills the successful student will acquire through these programs (select list):
- Perform care procedures within scope
- Analyze and interpret histories, symptoms, physical findings, and/or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses for patients across the lifespan
- Assess patients’ mental and physical status based on the presenting symptoms and complaints
- Diagnose psychiatric disorders and mental-health conditions
- Prescribe medication dosages, routes, and frequencies based on patient characteristics, such as age and gender. Monitor patients’ medication usage and results
- Educate patients/parents/family members/caregivers about management of acute or chronic illnesses and/or mental health conditions, tailoring instructions to patients’ individual circumstances
- Order, perform, or interpret the results of diagnostic tests
- Maintain complete and detailed records of patients’ healthcare plans and prognoses
- Conduct individual, group, or family psychotherapy for those with chronic or acute mental disorders and/or collaborate with interdisciplinary team members, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and/or nursing staff, to develop, implement, and/or evaluate treatment plans
- Consult with and/or refer patients to appropriate specialists when conditions exceed scope of practice or expertise
- Schedule follow-up visits to monitor patients or evaluate health or illness care
- Maintain current knowledge of state legal regulations for nurse-practitioner practice, including reimbursement of services
- Advocate for accessible healthcare that minimizes environmental health risks
- Stay abreast of regulatory processes and payer systems, such as Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and private sources
Master of Science in Nursing
Majors: Administrative Management and Clinical Nurse Leader
Among general skills the successful student is expected to develop/heighten through the program:
Critical thinking * Complex problem-solving * Judgment and decision-making * Active listening * Active learning * Clear, effective oral and written expression * Reasoning * Learning strategies * Ethical responsibility
Among the manifold Practice-Based Skills the successful student will acquire through these programs (select list):
- Lead and collaborate to deliver safe, comprehensive care
- Apply theories and models in nursing, administration and organizational management to nursing administration practice
- Research and apply best practices and evidenced-based practices to improve standards of care. Translate the best available evidence into practice for improved outcomes in healthcare
- Plan, manage, and evaluate programs for health promotion, risk reduction and health restoration
- Oversee personnel matters, e.g., recruiting, hiring, retention and termination of nursing staff. Motivate and mentor nursing staff
- Integrate care services efficiently and cost-effectively across disciplines and care settings. Develop and oversee budgets and approve spending
- Collection, compilation, and interpretation of measurable outcome results
- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements while addressing operational issues
- Practice and promote effective use of technology
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Among general skills the successful student is expected to develop/heighten through the program:
Critical thinking * Complex problem-solving * Judgment and decision-making * Active listening Active learning * Clear, effective oral and written expression * Quantitative reasoning * Ethical responsibility * Teamwork * Time management
Among the manifold Practice-Based Skills the successful student will acquire through these programs (select list):
- Apply knowledge and skills of organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement and patient safety in promoting safe, high-quality care for diverse patients across healthcare systems and environments
- Promote individual and population health by assessing factors that influence individual and population health and apply principles and culturally appropriate health promotion and disease-prevention strategies
- Assess patients’ conditions. Help perform diagnostic tests and analyze the results
- Record patients’ medical histories and symptoms; maintain complete and detailed records of patients’ healthcare plans and prognoses (including the patient & family’s emotional and spiritual needs)
- Consult and collaborate with doctors and other healthcare professionals
- Teach patients and their caregivers how to manage illnesses or injuries; provide patients/caregivers with information needed to promote health, reduce risk factors, and/or prevent disease or disability
- Review and utilize evidence from nursing research and other sources
- Deliver culturally competent nursing care for individuals, families and populations