Compare and contrast the AACN Essentials of Master

Compare and contrast the AACN Essentials of Master’s Education with the CCN mission, philosophy, and MSN Program Outcomes.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is committed to establishing quality standards in nursing education, support, and necessary research to improve the practice of professional nursing. ACCN has developed the nine Essentials of Master’s Education in nursing to provide the advanced practice nurses the tools needed to lead, develop, improve, research, integrate technologies, promote, and evaluate current and future healthcare needs (AACN, 2011).

CCN’s vision is dedicated to “graduate extraordinary nursing professionals who transform healthcare worldwide” (CCN, 2015). By incorporating the AACN’s nine essentials into their own mission and philosophy, CCN is establishing expectations and goals that each graduate nurse must demonstrate knowledge in. It is through CCN’s eleven program outcomes students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills that will be expected upon completion of the program.

First and foremost my career is my passion, I love what I do and I look forward to every day making a difference in my patient’s lives. I decided to advance my nursing career and pursue becoming an FNP. I chose this field to provide my patients the best health care possible whether it’s at the bedside, out in the community, through administration, education or mentoring. I want to be involved in making sure professional standards are maintained as an expert leader.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2011, March 21). The Essentials of Master’s

Education in Nursing. Retrieved August 11, 2015, from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/MastersEssentials11.pdf

Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2015). NR-500 Week 6: Scope and Standards of Nursing

Practice at the Graduate Level [Online lesson]. Downers Grove, IL: DeVry Education Group.

How does one demonstrate the concept of critical thinking in relation to the various roles of the professional nurse?

Critical thinking skills is a very important part in Nursing. Throughout nursing school, students are processing information, formulating beliefs, and making decisions. It really isn’t until you have worked as a nurse; assessing, planning, diagnosing, implementing, and evaluating daily do you really grasp the concept. According to Castledine (2010), “it is a process of carefully defining and analyzing problems, with the emphasis on questioning information rather than merely accepting it”. Nurses are with their patients 24/7, prioritizing, monitoring, and advocating when their primary care provider can’t be there. We are the ones our patients call when something just doesn’t feel right. It’s our critical thinking skills that will determine what our next step is. I love when I am precepting a nursing student and to see the light bulb come on when discussing labs, medications, wound care, etc.

Another concept introduced to us this week was Emotional Intelligence. As stated by Chamberlain College of Nursing (2015), “emotional intelligence is composed of five elements: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills”. I believe critical thinking and emotional intelligence go hand in hand. We use emotional intelligence when our patients and their families have fears, and anxiety. I found an interesting article that suggests some strategies and exercises to help us increase our emotional intelligence (Gines, 2015). Using both critical thinking and emotional intelligence we are better able to come up with an even more powerful impact on our patient’s lives.

Castledine, G. (2010). Castledine Column. Critical thinking is crucial. British Journal of

Nursing, 19(4), 271.

Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2015). NR-500 Week 6: Scope and Standards of Nursing

Practice at the Graduate Level [Online lesson]. Downers Grove, IL: DeVry Education Group.

Gines, K. (2015). The Case for Emotional Intelligence. Successful Meetings, 4.

The MSN program outcomes are aligned with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing publication, The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (2011). Upon completion of the MSN degree program, the graduate will be able to:

1 – Practice safe, high-quality advanced nursing care based on concepts and knowledge from nursing and related disciplines.

2 – Construct processes for leading and promoting quality improvement and safety in advanced nursing practice and healthcare delivery.

3 – Use contemporary communication modalities effectively in advanced nursing roles.

4 – Evaluate the design, implementation and outcomes of strategies developed to meet healthcare needs.

5 – Develop a plan for lifelong personal and professional growth that integrates professional values regarding scholarship, service and global engagement.

6 – Apply legal, ethical and human-caring principles to situations in advanced nursing practice.

7 – Design patient-centered care models and delivery systems using the best available scientific evidence.

8 -Manage human, fiscal and physical resources to achieve and support individual and organizational goals.

9 – Compose a plan for systematic inquiry and dissemination of findings to support advanced nursing practice, patient-care innovation, and the nursing profession.

10 – Collaborate interprofessionally in research, education, practice, health policy and leadership to improve population health outcomes.

11 – Apply principles of informatics to manage data and information in order to support effective decision making.

Course outcomes

1 – Demonstrate effective verbal, written, and technological communication using legal and ethical standards for transferring knowledge. (PO 3, 6)

2 – Integrate application of professional values, service, and accountability when planning for personal, intellectual, and professional development. (PO 5)

3 – Apply research principles to interpretation of the content of published research studies. (PO 9)

4 – Analyze data from relevant sources to inform the delivery of care. (PO 4)

5 – Analyze the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing. (PO 1)

6 – Assess the various roles of the master’s-prepared nurse. (PO 1)

MISSION

Chamberlain provides a superior nursing education experience

distinguished by academic excellence, innovation, integrity and

world-class service. We are committed to graduating compassionate,

ethical and knowledgeable nurse leaders who are empowered to

transform healthcare.