The Master of Nursing program has two streams: the Thesis Stream and the Nurse Practitioner Stream. The Master’s program is built on the existing strengths of the faculty and the focus of Primary Health Care, which is the foundation for the curriculum in the current undergraduate program. Graduates from both streams will be prepared to function in an advanced practice role in Primary Health Care settings. The MN Thesis graduate will be prepared to engage in a variety of advanced practice roles including, but not limited to, direct care of individuals; families, communities or populations; education; administration and research. The MN Nurse Practitioner graduate will be prepared to manage the health needs of individuals; families; groups and communities across the lifespan. Graduates of the Nurse Practitioner Stream will be eligible to write the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Canadian Nurse Practitioner Exam. The degree designated upon successful completion of either stream is a Master of Nursing (MN).

 

Nurs 610 Foundations of Graduate Study

Nurs 611 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing

Nurs 612 Advanced Primary Health Care

Nurs 613 Quantitative Nursing Research

Nurs 614 Qualitative Nursing Research

Nurs 621 Ethics in Nursing

Nurs 622 Advanced Nursing Practice

VHM 801 Veterinary Biostatistics

Nurs 600 Thesis

 

27 credit hours plus 9 for thesis

 

 

NP Stream: 12 courses (includes synthesis paper)

Nurs 611 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing

Nurs 612 Advanced Primary Health Care

Nurs 613 Quantitative Nursing Research

Nurs 614 Qualitative Nursing Research

Nurs 631 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Across the Life Span

Nurs 632 Episodic Health Care Across the Life Span

Nurs 633 Professional Role of the Nurse Practitioner

Nurs 634 Chronic Disease Management

Nurs 635 Nurse Practitioner Practicum/Synthesis Paper

N6202 Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (UNB)*

N6211 Advanced Health Assessment (UNB)*

Biology 401 Human Physiology and Pathophysiology

 

 

*These courses are taken through the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and may require some travel.

 

Each candidate in the thesis-based option is required to submit a thesis based upon research conducted under supervision as described in this section of the calendar. The thesis must demonstrate the student's capacity for original and independent research and should extend the knowledge base in the field under study.

 

General specifications as to paper, format, order, and binding are available from the Office of the Coordinator of Graduate Studies.

 

The student should consult frequently with the Supervisor and the Supervisory Committee when preparing the thesis. After the final draft has been read and approved by the members of the Supervisory Committee, four copies must be submitted to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for dissemination to members of the Examining Committee. These copies must be submitted no later than four weeks prior to the student's oral defense.

 

The final oral examination, which is devoted chiefly to the defence of the thesis, is a Faculty examination, identified as the Master's Examination. Normally, the Examining Committee consists of the two members of the Supervisory Committee, one other member of the School of Nursing, and one reader, external to the university, who submits a written report attesting to the quality of the work. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies selects the Examining Committee at the request of the Supervisor, appoints the Chair, and is responsible for notifying the Dean of Nursing of its composition.

 

Normally, the final oral examination is open to the public; however, members of the public may question the student only upon the invitation of the Chair of the Examining Committee.

 

The examination is passed and the thesis approved if there is no more than one negative vote; an abstention is considered to be a negative vote. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies is responsible for reporting the result of the examination to the Dean of Nursing. The result is recorded as "Accepted as is," "Accepted after minor revision," "Accepted after substantial revision," or "Unacceptable." The result "Accepted after minor revision" normally entails editorial changes. If the result is "Accepted after substantial revision", the student may be given the opportunity by the Examining Committee to revise the thesis with or without defending again. If the thesis revision is successful, the thesis supervisor is to sign before the thesis is presented to the Graduate Studies Committee. Six copies, including one unbound copy, should be presented to the Graduate Studies Coordinator. If the result is "Unacceptable", the student may be given one opportunity by the Examining Committee to revise the thesis and to defend it again.

 

When the thesis, in its final form, has been prepared after the final oral examination, the student will bring six unbound copies to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies at least three weeks prior to Convocation.

 

Each copy must be submitted in a separate folder with the pages numbered and arranged in the appropriate order. The thesis must be free from typographical and other errors. All copies must include the Certificate of Approval signed by the Examination Committee and the members of the Supervisory Committee. Also included must be a brief Abstract and a copy of the circulation waiver and the copying licence.

 

When accepted by the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, one copy will be retained for microfilming and for deposit in the University Library after being bound. A second copy will be released to the Faculty of Education. A third copy will be released to the student's supervisor and three copies will be released to the student

 

The University requires publication of the thesis in the following manner:

 

One unbound copy of the thesis is forwarded to Library and Archives Canada, together with an agreement form signed by the candidate authorizing Library and Archives Canada to microfilm the thesis and to make microfilm copies available for sale on request. Library and Archives Canada will film the thesis exactly as it is and will list the thesis in Canadiana as a publication of Library and Archives Canada. A fee is charged by Library and Archives Canada to offset the cost of microfilming.

 

The Library and Archives Canada Microfilm Agreement form will be sent to the candidate prior to the Master's Examination, to be signed and submitted to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies immediately after the successful completion of the examination.

 

The student, in consultation with the Supervisor and the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, shall have the right to request that circulation and/or copying of the thesis in any form be withheld for up to one year.

 

In normal circumstances, as a condition of engaging in graduate study in the University, the author of a thesis grants certain licences and waivers in respect of the circulation and of Thesis copying of the thesis:

 

 

Copies of the thesis shall have on the title page the words "In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Education." The international copyright notice, which consists of three elements in the same line–the letter "C" enclosed in a circle; the name of the copyright owner (the student); and the year–should appear as a bottom line on the title page of the thesis.

 

 

 

This course is a required course for graduate students in the Thesis Stream. It is designed to develop and consolidate advanced information and writing skills required for scholarly work. Students will learn to pose questions, gather evidence to support claims and communicate evidence based practice with others across the program. The course will foster a culture of graduate study.

LECTURE/SEMINAR: 2 hours every two weeks for 4 semesters

HOURS OF CREDIT: 3

The purpose of this course is to explore the historical, philosophical, and theoretical underpinnings of professional nursing which guide advanced nursing practice. Students will explore the relevance of philosophy and knowledge to advanced nursing practice. The course will focus on the critical components of traditional and contemporary nursing knowledge, such as the role of nursing metaparadigm, conceptual models, grand theories/models, and middle-range theories.

LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours

HOURS OF CREDIT: 3

 

This course will draw upon critical theory, the social determinants of health, and social justice frameworks, to engage learners in an analysis of major primary health care, health promotion, and population health initiatives locally, nationally, and globally.  Links to social, cultural, environmental, political, and economic contexts that impact on health, equity, and health disparities will be critically analyzed.  Evidence-based research and ethical considerations central to Primary Health Care and advanced nursing practice will be examined.  Emphasis throughout will be placed on upstream, participatory, and collaborative approaches to the development of healthy public policy locally, nationally and globally.

LECTURE/SEMINAR:  3 hours

HOURS OF CREDIT:  3 

 

The purpose of this course is to develop the student’s ability to critique and use existing quantitative research and to conduct original quantitative research. The research process will be examined with respect to the philosophical underpinnings of quantitative research; research ethics; developing research problems, questions, and hypotheses;  writing literature reviews; using conceptual/theoretical frameworks; using experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental designs; sampling; measurement; collecting and analyzing data; interpreting results; and assessing rigor.
LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours 

HOURS OF CREDIT: 3  

                             

The purpose of this course is to develop the student’s ability to critique and use existing qualitative research and to conduct original qualitative research. The epistemological and ontological underpinnings of qualitative research will be explored. The qualitative research process will be examined with respect to research ethics; developing research questions and objectives; using qualitative methodologies of ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, critical and feminist theory, participatory action research, and narrative inquiry; sampling; collecting and analyzing data; interpreting results; and assessing trustworthiness.
LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours 

HOURS OF CREDIT: 3 

 

In all aspects of their professional lives, nurses encounter ethical issues. Grounded in primary health care, this course will identify issues which occur when caring for clients across the life span using a framework of ethical principles and theories. Nurses explore current critical issues encountered in nursing and health care as the relationship with the health care system and society is considered. 

LECTURE/SEMINAR:3 hours

HOURS OF CREDIT:  3

 

In this course, students synthesize and integrate knowledge of research, theory, philosophy, ethics, clinical care, education and leadership to provide primary health care to diverse populations across the lifespan. They will demonstrate autonomy in decision-making and the critical analysis of organizational and system issues that influence scope of practice and professional accountability. In the clinical experience, students will demonstrate their competence in integrating the theory of advanced nursing practice in a chosen domain, based on availability and faculty expertise.
LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: 6 hours

HOURS OF CREDIT: 6

 

This course will focus on the teaching-coaching function of the nurse practitioner in health promotion, screening and disease prevention activities across the life span for individuals, families and communities. Epidemiological principles and health promotion goals will be examined, with emphasis on cultural and environmental influences, individual assessment, and evidence informed practice. Methods of inter-sectoral collaboration and intervention strategies to optimize health-seeking behaviours within the context of the family, group, and/or community will be explored.
LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: 130 hours across the semester 

HOURS OF CREDIT: 6

 

This course deals with the diagnosis and management of episodic and common acute health conditions experienced by clients across the life span. Pathophysiology, assessment, and diagnostic strategies specific to the acute and common problems of clients of all ages will be stressed. Nursing strategies used to restore, maintain and enhance health are emphasized, as are the biological, psychological, social and cultural aspects of care.

LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: 135 hours across the semester

HOURS OF CREDIT: 6

 

This course assists the student to explain and promote the role of the nurse practitioner. It addresses political, social, and economic forces related to the scope of practice, as well as system and organizational issues that may affect the delivery of care. Emphasis is placed on the legal and ethical considerations for the nurse practitioner in an extended practice environment. The skills in leadership and collaborative interdisciplinary practice necessary to perform the NP role will also be emphasized.   

LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours  

HOURS OF CREDIT: 3

 

This course applies concepts of pharmacology, advanced counselling, and complementary therapies to clients and specific populations with chronic health conditions across the life span. The focus will be on nursing interventions that assist clients with multiple care needs to manage their chronic disease conditions, while optimizing health and preventing/minimizing disability. The selection of clinical interventions, clinical decision-making, and evaluation of strategies used to enhance the health outcomes for the chronically ill will be stressed. Emphasis is placed on evidence informed practice and accepted clinical guidelines.

LECTURE/SEMINAR: 3 hours

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: 135 hours across the semester

HOURS OF CREDIT: 6

 

This course provides the student with an opportunity to integrate and consolidate theory, research, and advanced knowledge and skills required of the nurse practitioner in providing primary health care to clients, families, groups and communities experiencing common episodic and chronic health related problems/illnesses. The focus will be on the refinement of skills in critical thinking and clinical reasoning and the development of advanced practice clinical judgment in assessment, diagnosis, and management of clients’ health and illness concerns. Collaboration with clients, families, and other health care professionals will be emphasized. Students develop role competencies under the supervision of a faculty member and a clinical preceptor negotiated by the student and professor. The student will be expected to complete a synthesis paper which provides a detailed case study of a particular health condition, while incorporating an analysis of how theory, research, and professional issues relate to this case.      

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: 250 hours across the semester

HOURS OF CREDIT: 9 (Including synthesis paper)