RN to Master of Science in Nursing Informatics

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Harness Information Science to Improve Patient Care by Earning Both a BS in Nursing and an MS in Nursing Informatics

100% Online Learning

If you’re a registered nurse looking to earn both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing Informatics, this fully online dual-degree program allows you to earn both degrees more efficiently than completing the programs separately.

You’ll earn your bachelor’s degree in nursing after completing all general education and bachelor’s component courses, which include five graduate-level online courses. Then, you’ll continue seamlessly into the remaining graduate-level online courses.

The MS in Nursing Informatics program prepares you to use data to respond to health care problems, improve care and organizational operations, and make information-based decisions in a variety of health organizations. Online courses, practical experiences, and a robust curriculum provide a flexible path for working nurses to build their careers in the growing field of nursing informatics managing complex health information in health care facilities, public health firms, research laboratories, and insurance agencies.

Learn more about the application requirements for the online RN to MS in Nursing Informatics.

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PROGRAM DETAILS

Online RN to MS in Nursing Informatics

Degree Requirements 142 Credits

General Education33 Credits
Major Core51 Credits
University4 Credits
Prerequisites to Major Core42 Credits
Electives12 Credits

What courses will I take?

Degree Pathway

RN to Master of Science in Nursing Informatics

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 1 - Term 1
Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, interpret, and use information legally, ethically, and effectively. This course provides a broad overview of information literacy concepts, including the differences between academic and popular research methods, finding and evaluating sources, reading sources critically, writing with sources, and safely navigating information networks such as the internet. Students must complete information literacy within their first 13 credits at Excelsior.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
1

University Requirement
The future: the only constant is change. The only certainty is uncertainty. So how do you prepare today for what might come tomorrow? In this introductory, interdisciplinary course unique to Excelsior University, you will learn through questions, not answers. You will challenge your prior assumptions, open your mind, and consider society s future dilemmas, progress, and crises. You will plan and question your own future your educational path, career trajectories, personal interests, ambitions, and mindsets. And you will build the foundational skills and flexibility of mind research and writing, critical thinking, argumentative reasoning, metacognition, and self-regulation to help you navigate the uncertainty and change of our future societies, workplaces, and selves. Note: This course must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Registration in this course is restricted to incoming students with fewer than 60 transfer credits. This course duplicates IND301 and CCS120. Credit for only one of these courses will be applied toward graduation. The Cornerstone cannot be completed in the same term as a Capstone course.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

University Requirement
Year 1 - Term 2
This course helps students to develop their skill as public speakers and oral communicators. Designed to provide students with a supportive environment where they can overcome the anxiety they may feel about public speaking, the class emphasizes techniques and practices for effective speech construction and delivery. Students will also develop critical thinking and listening skills. Students taking this course will need access to recording equipment for the purpose of creating podcasts, voiced-over PowerPoint presentations and videotaped speeches.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Humanities
In this course, you'll apply psychological principles and theory to your everyday life. In addition to foundational topics like psychology as a science, learning and memory, human development, and consciousness, you will learn about some more specific topics like stress and health, psychological disorders and therapy, and human sexuality. Concepts learned in this course can be applied in any career to better understand behavior, thought, and emotion. Note: This course uses lower cost interactive courseware instead of textbooks.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Social Science & History
Year 1 - Term 3
Covers an intermediate level of algebra in order to prepare students for subsequent courses in mathematics. Major topics include real numbers and algebraic expressions, equations and inequalities, functions and graphs, systems of equations and inequalities, polynomial expressions and functions, rational and radical expressions, and quadratic equations and functions.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Math
This course offers an introduction to the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, research methods, and scholarship in sociology. Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior, and this course examines several important sociological topics, including: culture; socialization; deviance; social inequality; social institutions; and social change. This course also explores various socio-historical and socio-cultural frameworks across the world, promoting an appreciation for unique cultural identities and institutions. Students will improve their analysis, understanding and interpretation of contemporary social issues in this rapidly changing world. This course encourages the practice of "doing" sociology through exploration of students' everyday social world, and the often invisible and taken-for-granted social forces that shape it.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Sociology
Year 1 - Term 4
This course introduces the science of lifespan development and the concept of human growth as being a product of the interaction among the biology, psychology, and environment of the individual. This course examines the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and environment factors across the lifespan. Students will explore, analyze, and present theories and evidence associated with developmental science from conception through death. Concepts learned in this course can be applied to any career focusing on health or human services and can help learners raise healthier children and live in more functional families.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Prerequisite to Major Courses
This course introduces students to the skills and theories of interpersonal communication, which are essential for building and maintaining successful personal and professional relationships. Students will evaluate the complicated interactions of psychological, social and cultural forces involved in interpersonal exchanges, while learning about personality traits, the perception of self and others, listening, managing conflict, and verbal and non-verbal communication.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Humanities
Year 1 - Term 5
This course focuses on the structure and function of the human body. Topics and body systems that will be studied include: the chemistry of life, histology and the integumentary system, skeletal and articulation system, muscular system, nervous system, sensory system and the endocrine system.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Prerequisite to Major Courses
This class provides students with foundational knowledge and skills to prepare them for academic and professional writing. By analyzing the work of other writers, students will learn to approach writing from a rhetorical and genre-based perspective. They will practice sentence- and paragraph-level writing, learning to revise and correct their own work. They will also work on finding, documenting, and effectively integrating sources into a research-based essay. Both traditional (textual) and multimodal (textual and visual) composition will be addressed.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Written English I
Year 1 - Term 6
This course focuses on the structure and function of the human body. Topics and body systems that will be studied include: blood, the cardiovascular system, lymphatic and immune system, respiratory system, digestive system, nutrition and metabolism, urinary system and fluid balance, and reproductive systems.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Prerequisite to Major Courses
This course is designed to help you improve your academic and workplace writing skills. The course emphasizes research-based, argument-driven writing. You will complete a research paper, a workplace proposal, and an oral presentation related to your academic discipline or profession. You will practice finding, evaluating, and citing sources; paraphrasing and summarizing; outlining and paragraphing; and revising and proofreading.

Prerequisites
ENG101 English Composition I or ENG101A Advanced Composition I

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Written English II
Year 2 - Term 1
This course is an introduction to microbiology. It covers the fundamental concepts of microbiology, including the study of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and algae. Students will explore the structure, function, genetics, and physiology of microorganisms, as well as their roles in the environment and human health. Microbiology covers the scientific methods necessary to understand microbial growth and metabolism and provides a historical perspective by reviewing the major scientific contributions that led to modern-day microbiology. Our scientific inquiry will include case studies, a variety of visual aids, virtual labs, discussions, and written assignments.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Prerequisite to Major Courses
In this interdisciplinary course, students will develop the analytical skills necessary to examine ethical issues in the workplace. Students explore conventional ethical theories and principles, develop ethical decision-making, and resolve common dilemmas. Students discuss the multiple challenges faced by professionals and identify ethical practices or codes that apply to each of their own professions.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Ethics
Year 2 - Term 2
The purpose of this course is to give the student an overview of current and emerging trends in science and technology so that s/he will be able to make informed decisions and be an informed consumer. The course will introduce the scientific method and terminology used in reporting scientific results. A survey of current topical science issues will be covered as examples. This course will also prepare the student to read accounts about scientific, technological, and medical advances in the press and assess the scientific conclusions presented.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Natural Science
Ever wonder how Steve Jobs created such amazing products or Sarah Lewis used failure for creative success? Given the rapid changes in today s economy and workplace, creativity and innovation continue to be important skills that support career growth. Because employers continuously rate the ability to solve problems as an essential skill, this course is designed to introduce and strengthen a student s ability to move through logical problem-solving processes in order to creatively find solutions to problems that are personally or professionally relevant to them. Neuroscience research affirms that we all possess the same mental capacities as people with highly inventive minds, so students will study innovators and global thinkers who will show them the crucial techniques to increase their competency, sharpen their skills, and develop their innovative mindset.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Arts & Sciences
Year 2 - Term 3
One of the most pressing questions a student always has about any given course is, How will this class help me in the real world? A class on critical thinking is arguably the most useful and valuable course you can take, no matter what field of study you are pursuing. Not only will you learn how to effectively solve personal and professional problems and achieve goals, you will also deeply examine some of the most important issues in your life and persuasively communicate about them! From tackling real world situations and case studies, to evaluating arguments from a range of perspectives, you will have the opportunity to skillfully articulate positions, drawing from your own experience as well as aptly applying the solid critical thinking skills you acquire in this class. By the end of the course, you will have mastered the understanding that it is not so much what you know, but how skillfully you think!

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Arts & Sciences
This course analyzes how people influence and are influenced by the real or imagined presence or others and how people interact with and relate to those around them. Topics include research in social psychology, social cognition, social perception and judgment, attitudes and attitude change, conformity and obedience, group behavior, attraction and intimate relationships, helping behavior, aggression, prejudice, and the application of social psychology to other fields including the legal system. The concepts learned in this course can be applied to all careers in which one works with and in teams, as well as work where it is important to influence or persuade others. Duplication Note: This course duplicates PSYX365: Social Psychology. Credit for only one of these will be applied toward graduation.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Social Science & History
Year 2 - Term 4
Develops the statistical skills of collecting, organizing, summarizing, and analyzing information to draw conclusions or answer questions. Major topics include descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, probability, binomial and normal distributions, statistical inference, linear regression, and correlation. Duplication Note: MAT201 duplicates BUS233: Business Statistics, BUS 231 Business Data Literacy and MAT215: Statistics for Health Care Professionals. Credit in only one of these courses will be applied toward graduation. MAT201 also duplicates the Excelsior Examination MATX210. Students will receive credit for either the course or the examination, as both will not be applied toward graduation.

Prerequisites
MAT101 Math for Everyday Life or MAT114 Intermediate Algebra

Credit Hours
3

General Education: Statistics
Year 2 - Term 5
Nurse leaders engage in ethical decision-making processes that align with organizational priorities. Leaders make a variety of strategic decisions including people management, prudent use of financial resources, and development of a vision for the organization and team. Leading a team is a complex endeavor and involves clear communication of the vision, the ability to work in inter-professional teams, a passion for the mission, the ability to make decisions under pressure and uncertainty, and the ability to motivate others to embrace the vision. This course analyzes the interrelated relationship between leadership and decision making and examines how wisdom, research, personal values, and theory enhance leadership and decision-making skills. The course will use a mix of reading, course conversations, case studies, teamwork, and reflective exercises to explore the role of nurse leaders.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license.

Credit Hours
4

Major Requirement
This course integrates evidence, theory, standards, and knowledge from nursing, public health, and other disciplines to guide population-focused nursing practice. Importance is placed on the application of the core functions of public health: assessment, policy development, and the assurance of available and necessary health services for diverse populations. Emphasis is placed in identifying determinants of health, advocating for vulnerable populations, prioritizing primary prevention, and utilizing available resources to improve the health of populations. Population-focused nursing involves assessing the health care needs of a specific population and making health care decisions for the population as a whole rather than for individuals. This course includes practice experiences in the community.This course includes 45 hours of practice experience.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license.

Credit Hours
4

Major Requirement
Year 3 - Term 1
This course focuses on the theoretical foundations of nursing practice through the exploration of nursing theories, organizational change models, and learning theories. The application of theories relevant to nursing practice will be emphasized. The examination of multiple theories and their implications on nursing knowledge development and practice will serve as a foundation for future graduate courses. In addition to the classroom discussions and written assignments, students will engage in a 1-hour practice experience that will support new understanding of professional practice. This is an 8-week 3-credit hour course requiring a minimum of 18 hours of course engagement each week (refer to the Credit Hour Calculation Policy found in the Student Handbook.) Course engagement includes student activities such as discussions, reading, study time, practice experience, and assignments.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license.

Credit Hours
3

Major Requirement
This course focuses on the advanced comprehensive assessment of individuals. It builds on the students knowledge and skills and provides a foundation for the advanced practice nurse to evaluate the health of individuals and provide health promotion interventions. The interactions of developmental, biopsychosocial, and socio-cultural contexts resulting in health effects for individuals provide the structure of the course. Students obtain the practice skills necessary for advanced communication (i.e., clinical interviewing, focused history taking), biopsychosocial and physical assessment, critical diagnostic reasoning, differential diagnosis, and clinical decision-making through course readings, dialog, discussions, videos, simulations, and practical examinations. This course includes 45 hours of practice experience hours using virtual clinical simulation.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license.

Credit Hours
3

Major Requirement
Year 3 - Term 2
This course explores historical knowledge development through the examination of nursing as an art and a science. The science of nursing will be examined through the fundamental patterns of knowing and the science of knowing. The masters-prepared nurse will develop the ability to apply ethical and moral reasoning, evidence-based competencies, and leadership strategies to promote innovation and to transform nursing practice. Students will use the spirit of inquiry, combined with personal creativity, and the translation of evidence to enhance interprofessional collaboration.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license. NUR502 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice.

Credit Hours
3

Major Requirement
Year 3 - Term 3
This course focuses on the development of the nurse as a role model and mentor for the translation and generation of health care evidence in clinical practice. The goals of research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement will be highlighted, and the principles of each will be applied to the clinical setting. Students will examine personal practice in relation to policy and current evidence, and explore grant writing. The integration of theory, evidence, cultural considerations, leadership, ethics, and clinical judgement when implementing change will be emphasized. The student will develop a knowledge base that will prepare them to collaborate with inter-professional teams and embrace leadership roles that initiate, implement, and evaluate innovative practice changes.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license.

Credit Hours
4

Major Requirement
This intensive course introduces students to the concepts of culture and cultural diversity as they relate to health care and the health care delivery system. During the course students will explore religious, racial, ethnic and other subcultures that exist in our society and examine conflicts that often occur when differing cultures enter the health care arena. Students will also discuss the concept of cultural competence and study strategies that health care organizations are using to create more inclusive services.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Major Requirement
Year 3 - Term 4
This course examines public policy, political ideology and ethics as they shape health policy across populations. Political ideology, social and health policy are considered within the lens of population-based health and reducing health disparities. The role of the master s prepared nurse to lead and advocate within the public policy arena is explored and discussed. Contemporary issues in health policy viewed from the perspective of ethics and the social and material determinants of health are considered. A primary focus of the course is consideration and development of the knowledge and skills that the master s prepared nurse needs to be a change agent in health policy. This is an 8 week 4 credit hour course requiring a minimum of 18 hours of course engagement each week (refer to the Credit Hour Calculation Policy found in the Student Handbook.) Course engagement includes student activities such as discussions, readings, study time, and assignments.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license.

Credit Hours
4

Major Requirement
Year 3 - Term 5
The Capstone course provides an opportunity for students to synthesize concepts of professional nursing, develop a quality improvement initiative, apply principles of interprofessional collaboration, and demonstrate self-development. The course is designed to help students apply leadership principles related to effective communication, collaboration, and delegation within interprofessional teams through the work done on the quality improvement initiative. This course also provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate professional self-development through the group debriefing and self-reflection activities. The Capstone course is also designed as a culminating nursing course for the RN baccalaureate student with a practice experience component that includes 45-hours of direct practice experience (PE).

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license. The Capstone must be the last course taken. All major core and university requirement courses must be complete. The capstone can be paired with 1 other course that is considered to be general education course (excluding courses to meet the Written English Requirement and the Ethics Requirement), a concentration course, elective, or lab course (even if the lab is in the major).

Credit Hours
4

Major Requirement
This course will assist students to develop a greater understanding of addictions. Using an eco-systems approach, the addictive process and recovery will be studied, including the reciprocal interaction between addicted individuals and their various social systems. Students will examine substance abuse and behavioral compulsions. There will be a focus on addiction in various populations as well as the business of drugs and prevention. Attention will be given to the biological and genetic factors in the etiology of addiction, family issues, and community responses. The consequences of addictions will be studied at the individual, family, and community levels. This course draws on current research in the field of addictions, and emphasizes critical analysis of contemporary controversies. This course builds on the foundations of health and human services knowledge and skills to help students better understand this complex problem affecting American society.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Arts & Sciences
Year 4 - Term 1
This course provides an overview of clinical decision support focusing on the identification, acquisition, analysis, interpretation and application of data, databases, and decision making strategies which influence health care decisions for improved health care. The course delves into knowledge management and artificial intelligence and its impact on clinical decision making and patient safety. Using a consultant s lens, the student will engage in organizational analysis to determine the best decision support system for implementation based on the needs of the clinicians within their chosen organization. Further, the student determines an implementation approach and plan, and identifies goals while evaluating the effectiveness of the selected system.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license, all Nursing Phase I courses.

Credit Hours
3

Major Requirement
Year 4 - Term 2
This is a course offering graduate nursing students the opportunity to focus on concepts involved in the design of a database. Specifically, we ll examine the usage, management, and evaluation of data through the application of basic concepts of database design as well as knowledge of data representation, data sets, and data integrity. Through the use of databases, critical discernment and reasoning are applied in composing queries and reports to assess healthcare problem prominence and identify solutions. Through course readings, incorporation of the ANA Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice, discussion boards, and an individual project, students will build upon basic knowledge of data information, the data knowledge continuum, security of databases, and develop an understanding of large scale information system environments in order to understand risk, improve care delivery, and provide guidance in the integration of technology in nursing practice.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license, all Nursing Phase I courses.

Credit Hours
3

Major Requirement
Epidemiology has long been an integral part of disease prevention and treatment interventions. Recent pandemics have spurred interest in understanding how disease spreads and how to stop the spread. Epidemiology provides valuable insights into what makes people healthy, chronic disease prevention, and an evidence base to create and test interventions. In this course, you will develop an understanding of disease etiology and surveillance strategies. You will learn how to use data to identify trends in morbidity and mortality, as well as how this data can inform public health policy and best practices.

Prerequisites
None

Credit Hours
3

Major Requirement
Year 4 - Term 3
This course focuses on a structured methodology to select, develop, and maintain a system; this approach is called the system development life cycle (SDLC). The course incorporates six modules corresponding to the four phases of the systems life cycle: planning, analysis, design, and implementation. System projects as they move through this life cycle require definition of requirements, business need determination and combine various models to provide a design framework; and the management of projects also will include the integration of organizational behavior concepts.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license, all Nursing Phase I courses.

Credit Hours
4

Major Requirement
The focus of Management of Fiscal and Operational Systems is to provide a foundation in the financial aspect and business strategies of health care in order to maximize organizational performance. Learners acquire knowledge and skills in developing and analyzing budgets, assessing/accessing variances, judging benchmarking, regulatory requirements, interprofessional collaboration, and forecasting future assets and revenues. This course encompasses the analysis of the environment that challenges health care organizations to maintain safe, quality patient care while shifting to meet regulatory and external requirements. The role of the masters prepared nurse, Nurse Manager, and Chief Nursing Officer in interprofessional financial planning for quality, safety, and financial stability will be addressed.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license, all Nursing Phase I courses.

Credit Hours
3

Major Elective
Year 4 - Term 5
The graduate nursing capstone is a culminating experience designed to provide learners with an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program of study focusing on the competencies of the graduate level nurse. This 6-credit course consists of several integrated components: discussion, reflective journal, scholarly paper, 247.5 practice experience hours, and project presentation. Assessment of the learner fs attainment of program competencies is built into these components. No additional hours will be awarded beyond the 247.5 hours. This requirement must be completed through Excelsior University.

Prerequisites
Active and unencumbered RN license. Capstone is the last course taken, and all major core courses must be completed prior to beginning the capstone. Students can only take an elective or concentration course with the capstone.

Credit Hours
6

Major Requirement

Major Requirement
General Education Requirement
University Requirement
Arts and Sciences Elective
Concentration Requirement
Prerequisite to Major Courses

* Denotes alternative courses are available.

ZTC Denotes a Zero Textbook Cost course.

View our catalog for additional information.

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Nursing informatics helps streamline workflows and improve patient safety by integrating data analytics into care planning, reducing medical errors, and optimizing treatment plans. The demand for nursing informaticists is expected to rise as health care systems implement electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, and other tech solutions.

Danielle Beasley, PhD, RN, RNC-OB, CNE
Department Chair, BS and MS Programs in Nursing
School of Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Accreditations

Institutional Accreditation

Excelsior University is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE or the Commission) www.msche.org. Excelsior University’s accreditation status is accreditation reaffirmed. The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on June 23, 2022 was to reaffirm accreditation. MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions. The Commission’s geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States.

All of Excelsior University’s academic programs are registered (i.e., approved) by the New York State Education Department.

ACEN Accreditation

The bachelor’s and master’s nursing programs at Excelsior University are accredited by the:

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
404-975-5000

These programs include Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Administration of Health Care Systems, Master of Science in Nursing Education, Master of Science in Nursing Informatics, RN to Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Administration of Health Care Systems, RN to Master of Science in Nursing Education, and RN to Master of Science in Nursing Informatics.

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the bachelor’s nursing program in March 2019 is Continuing Accreditation.

The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the master’s nursing programs in March 2019 is Continuing Accreditation.

View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding these programs at acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programSearch.htm.

Frequently Asked Questions

RN to Master of Science in Nursing Informatics

RN to Master of Science in Nursing Informatics

Harness Information Science to Improve Patient Care by Earning Both a BS in Nursing and an MS in Nursing Informatics

PROGRAM DETAILS

Online RN to MS in Nursing Informatics

Degree Pathway

RN to Master of Science in Nursing Informatics

Explore Common Careers

Institutional Accreditation

ACEN Accreditation