Overview
Barnes-Jewish College, Goldfarb School of Nursing is committed to preparing nurses to be leaders and scholars in academic, administrative, and practice roles. For students in research or practice doctoral programs of study who wish to prepare for or enhance a career that involves nursing education, we offer multiple options for engagement based on learner goals. DNP students may enroll in one or multiple courses as electives or add the full post-master’s certificate to their plan of study. Courses taken by our master's level nurse educator can transfer into the MSN/DNP core courses into the GSON DNP, lessening the time to completion for the DNP.
Option #1 If you wish to work as an educator on a general medicine, surgery, or outpatient unit, this option provides you with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors to build upon adult learning theory to onboard new employees, develop programs to address clinical issues on the unit, provide insights into new processes, new procedures, and new equipment, or would like to become clinical faculty educators. Students in this track are eligible to sit for the Professional Development Certification. Students in this track can apply for scholarships from the Missouri State Board of Nursing to increase the number of nurse educators in the state awarded to GSON.
Option #2: If you would like to transition to a faculty position in an academic environment or become an educator in a critical care unit, then you will want to pursue option #2, which has distinct courses in advanced pathophysiology and advanced pharmacology. Students in this option are eligible for the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, as well as the Missouri State Board of Nursing Scholarship monies awarded to GSON and are eligible to sit for the NLN CNE certification. MSN/DNP core course taken in the program are fully transferable to our DNP Programs and will decrease your time to achieving your DNP.
Concentration Highlights
Nurse educators, in clinical or academic settings, are instrumental in shaping the future of nursing, ensuring high standards of care and promoting excellence among current and future nurses. Our Nurse Educator concentration allows both online and hybrid programming with clinical or academic concentrations- providing optimal flexibility for adult learners. The Nurse Educator concentration emphasizes the role of nursing in academia and in the clinical setting- advancing teaching and learning through research, evidence-based practices, peer-review, reflection, and dissemination.
Our students learn the basics of adult learning theory and curriculum design so they can build and refine curricula. They also learn to design a variety of clinical scenarios and apply them to a simulated learning environments. Students have the opportunity to participate in one-one practicum experiences teaching courses, clinical experiences and/or developing and implementing evidence-based curricula in the clinical setting.
Convenient Online Classes
There’s no need to travel to campus to complete your studies. All of your courses and communication will be online and even orientation can happen virtually.
Personalized Practicum Experience
Four of the curriculum plan terms include immersive practicum education experiences that include hands-on experience with curriculum development and evaluation, teaching strategies and assessment, instructional technology in education, integration of simulation and virtual reality in academic environment and practice settings related to all learners. You’ll have the support and guidance of a variety of preceptors who have a master’s degree (or higher).
Diverse Career Potential
Graduates of the Nurse Educator Concentration will be prepared to teach students in an academic setting, as well as patients and practicing nurses in various clinical settings including hospitals and community health care agencies.
Prepare for Excellence
Graduates will be eligible to take the National League for Nursing’s (NLN) Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) exam upon completion of requisite experience. The Nurse Educator role is recognized by NLN as a specialty area of practice.
Sample Course Sequence Option 1
NOTE: Courses and sequencing are subject to change
Didactic 1 credit hour = 15 contact hours
Clinical 1 credit hour = 60 clinical contact hours
Total contact hours = 30
| TERM I | Credit Hours | Didactic Contact Hours | Clinical Contact Hours |
| NURS 6420 Health Promotion Theory & Population Health (Full-term) | 3 | 45 | - |
| NURS 6523 Foundations of Scholarly Writing and Evidence-Based Practice (7 weeks) | 3 | 45 | - |
| NUR 6327 Health System Policy (7 weeks) | 3 | 45 | - |
| TERM 2 | |||
| NURS 5547 Theoretical Foundations and Innovation in Adult Education (7 weeks) | 2 | 30 | - |
| NURS 5549 Trends, Issues, and Roles in Practice Education (7 weeks) | 2 | 30 | - |
| NURS 5546 Simulation Principles and Instruction Design Principles * Full Term | 3 | 30 | 60 |
| TERM 3 | |||
| NURS 5550 Practicum I: Curriculum Development and Evaluation * | 3 | 30 | 60 |
| NURS XXX Nurse Educator Role Synthesis (7 weeks) | 3 | 45 | - |
| NURS 65226 Quality and Performance Improvement in HC systems (7 weeks) | 3 | 45 | - |
| Term 4 | |||
| NURS XXX Innovations for Teaching in Clinical and Simulated Settings | 3 | 30 | 60 |
| NURS 5520 Practicum II: Teaching Strategies and Learning Assessment * (7 weeks) | 2 | 15 | 60 |
| TOTAL | 30 | 390 | 240 |
Sample Course Sequence Option 2
NOTE: Courses and sequencing are subject to change
Didactic 1 credit hour = 15 contact hours
Clinical 1 credit hour = 60 clinical contact hours
Total contact hours = 630
| TERM I | Credit Hours | Didactic Contact Hours | Clinical Contact Hours |
| NURS 6420 Health Promotion Theory & Population Health (full-term) | 3 | 45 | - |
| NURS 6523 Foundations of Scholarly Writing and Evidence-Based Practice (7 weeks) | 3 | 45 | - |
| NURS 6327 Health System Policy (7 weeks) | 3 | 45 | - |
| TERM 2 | |||
| NURS 5547 Theoretical Foundations and Innovation in Adult Education (7 weeks) | 2 | 30 | - |
| NURS 5549 Trends, Issues, and Roles in Practice Education (7 weeks) | 2 | 30 | - |
| NURS 5546 Simulation Principles and Instructional Design | 3 | 30 | 60 |
| TERM 3 | |||
| NURS 5550 Practicum I: Curriculum Development and Evaluation * full-term | 3 | 15 | 120 |
| NURS 5110 Pharmacotherapeutics (Full-Term) | 3 | 45 | - |
| Term 4 | |||
| NURS 6526 Quality Performance Improvement in HC Systems (7 weeks) | 3 | 45 | - |
| NURS 5101 Advanced Pathophysiology for Primary Care | 3 | 45 | - |
| NURS 5520 Practicum II: Teaching and Learning Assessment * | 2 | 15 | 60 |
| TOTAL | 30 | 390 | 240 |
Admission Requirements
The following items are required when applying to the Master's Program for Nurse Educator:
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
- Transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended
- Cumulative GPA from undergraduate work 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale
- Unencumbered/unrestricted RN License to practice in Missouri
- Two Professional references from individuals who can address academic skills including oral and written communication skills and clinical competence
- Current CV or Resume
- A personal statement of personal attributes and experiences that will help you be successful in this program
The Admissions Department may provide a 10-year forgiveness for cumulative GPA calculation. The student should submit a petition for forgiveness of prior grades to the Admissions Department.
Tuition and Fees
Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing reserves the right to adjust tuition and fees at any time. For additional information, please contact our Business Office.
Faculty
Deborah Birk, PhD, RN, MSN, MHA, NEA-BC
Office: 314.362.0377
Request Information
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