Seton Hall University – Online MSN in Health Systems Administration or Adult-Gerontology NP

Seton Hall University College of Nursing offers an online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with three NP specializations: Acute Care Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Primary Care Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). Graduates of these programs will be prepared to serve as healthcare team leaders and to provide compassionate, evidence-based care.

Graduates of the Acute Care track are eligible to take the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care certification exam through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), or the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). Students in this track learn to manage adult health in an acute care setting such as intensive care units, acute care units, surgery units, emergency rooms, and trauma centers.

Graduates of the Primary Care track are eligible to take the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care certification exam through the ANCC or AANPCB. Students in this track learn to manage adult health in a primary care setting such as long-term care, private practice, home health care, and hospital-based settings.

Graduates of the PMHNP track are eligible to take the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification exam through the ANCC. PMHNP students learn to diagnose and treat mental health and psychiatric illnesses and conditions including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Graduates treat children, adolescents, and adults individually, in groups, and as families.

The Adult-Gerontology MSN requires three immersions. The first is an orientation in which students may participate either on campus or virtually (online). The second immersion takes place two years into the program and is a practicum experience where students practice giving a physical exam and other activities including intubation, installing a CVP line, eye exams, and spirometry. The third immersion is a final practicum experience on campus that includes guest lectures from experts in the field, and practice in suturing, removing fish hooks and placing nerve blocks. In addition students in these tracks complete 600 to 645 practicum hours over four practicum experiences at approved facilities. Students must have one year of professional work experience for the Primary Care track and two years for the Acute Care track. In addition, prerequisites include Statistics, an undergraduate physical assessment course, and Nursing Research. The Adult-Gerontology tracks can be completed in three to four years.

The Psychiatric-Mental Health MSN does not require any campus visits. Students complete at least 600 clinical hours through four practicum courses. The program can be completed in three years and applicants must have at least one year of nursing experience to apply. Prerequisites include Statistics, an undergraduate physical assessment course, and Nursing Research. Students may begin the MSN programs in the Fall, Spring, or Summer.

The online MSN courses are delivered asynchronously with set deadlines for assignments and exams. Students participate in discussion boards and online chats for interaction, and the courses are engaging and practical. To be sure, students also have access to student resources including student coordinators, 24/7 technical support, academic support and faculty hours, library services, and career services.

The MSN in Adult-Gerontology (Acute Care or Primary Care) comprises 48 credits, of which nine are core courses and the rest fall into the Acute or Primary track. Core courses are Forces in Health Care; Nursing Research; and Theoretical Basis of Nursing. Primary Care courses may include Health Promotion; Clinical Pharmacology; Advanced Practice Nursing I-II: Older Years; and Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Decision Making. Acute Care courses may include Acute Care Theory; Advanced Acute Care Theory; Health Concepts of Aging; Advanced Professional Role Enactment; and Advanced Clinical Pathophysiology.

The MSN in Psychiatric-Mental Health comprises 49 credits of which 18 credits are core courses and 31 credits are specialization courses. Core courses include Theoretical Basis of Nursing; Forces in Health Care; Health Promotion; Advanced Clinical Pathophysiology; Clinical Pharmacology; and Nursing Research. Specialization courses include Advanced Professional Role Enactment; Advanced Physical and Psychiatric Assessment and Decision Making Across the Lifespan; Advanced Practice PMH Nursing: Non-pharmacologic Interventions; Graduate Nursing Practicum I: Psychiatric/Mental Health; Advanced Practice PMH Nursing: Child and Adolescent; Graduate Nursing Practicum II: PMHNP Advanced Practice PMH Nursing Practicum: Child and Adolescent; Advanced Practice PMH Nursing: Adults throughout the Lifespan; Graduate Nursing Practicum III: PMHNP Advanced Practice PMH Nursing Practicum: Adults throughout the Lifespan; and Graduate Nursing Practicum IV: PMHNP Advanced Practice PMH Nursing Practicum: Complex Problems.

Seton Hall University is accredited by The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSCHE). The MSN degree program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The NP specializations do not accept students from Alabama, California, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming at this time.