PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The GSN ONLY accepts commissioned officers or service sponsored civilians in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, or Public Health Service with a Bachelor's or Master's Degree with a concentration in Nursing.
The Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AG-CNS) program is dedicated to graduate education of nurses in the uniformed services within the advanced practice role of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). The program prepares nurses for the care of the adult and geriatric population across the wellness to acute care continuum, and includes specialty preparation in perioperative nursing. The educational focus is on the integration of clinical practice, management & leadership, evidence-based practice/scholarship, education, and consultation into the single multifaceted advanced practice role of a CNS. The program integrates evidence-based theory and practice concepts to enable students to critically analyze scientific literature, evaluate nursing outcomes, translate evidence to support clinical, fiscal, and managerial decision-making, and develop advanced practice skills necessary to function in increasingly complex healthcare settings and assist in the transformation of healthcare to improve safety and outcomes for our patients.
The rigorous curriculum not only stresses concepts supporting direct care for individuals, families and populations; but also inter-professional relationships between nurses, physicians, and healthcare organizations in an effort to improve patient outcomes through process and system changes. As such, graduates from the program are uniquely qualified to manage quality care of the adult-geriatric population across the continuum from wellness through acute care; analyze healthcare systems/processes to optimize patient outcomes; and guide change in support of high reliability organizations in healthcare.
In addition to the role and population focus of the DNP-AG-CNS program, additional content is provided to support the specialty focus of perioperative nursing. From a specialty perspective, the program emphasizes building leadership within the perioperative environment to improve patient care outcomes; enhance the delivery of evidence based care; and improve the business side of healthcare focused on efficiency, productivity, and overall management in the care of the surgical patient. The specialty focus of the program supports the advanced practice CNS role across the perioperative continuum of care to enhance the care of patients and families undergoing operative and other invasive procedures.
Graduates from this program are prepared to sit for advanced practice certification as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult-Gerontology offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation. Additionally, graduates are eligible to sit for specialty certification as an advanced practice Perioperative CNS offered by the Credentialing and Certification Institute (CCI). This specialty certification links the CNSs initial licensure certification as an APRN to that of specialty practice to validate specialty specific competencies at the APRN level of practice within the perioperative continuum of care.
CURRICULUM
The DNP-AG-CNS program is 36 months of full-time study combining didactic and clinical experiences across the wellness–acute care continuum within the five domains of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS): leader/manager, consultant, educator, scholar (evidence-based practice) and clinical expert within the three spheres of influence for CNS practice (patient, nurse and organization).
Within the 3 year program graduates will obtain, on average, 94 credits, over 1800 hours of clinical experience working with masters and doctorally-prepared managers, clinical nurse specialists, physician assistants, clinical and surgeon champions, and subject matter experts within federal and civilian healthcare facilities. In addition to educational preparation for the role and population, the program is designed to include clinical and didactic specialty content in perioperative nursing. All clinical assignments are designed in concert with the leadership at the clinical sites in an effort to develop “real world application” experiences that demonstrate the student’s ability to translate knowledge gained in the classroom into clinical practice. The approximate clinical hour distribution supporting the CNS role across the wellness through acute care continuum as well as within the perioperative specialty for the adult-gerontology population is as follows: wellness/primary care through acute care continuum – 297 clinical hours (16%); CNS role across 3 spheres of influence - 654 (35%); Systems-based scholarly project - 276 (15%); and CNS practice within the perioperative continuum – 650 clinical hours (35%).
REQUIRED NURSING CORE COURSES (23 CREDITS)
GSN 706 Healthcare Informatics 3
GSN 750A Global Perspectives Seminar in Complex Healthcare Systems I 3
GSN 750B Global Perspectives Seminar in Complex Healthcare Systems II 3
GSN 9XX Evidenced Based Practice and Scholarship 5
GSN 903 Translating Evidence into Practice 3
GSN 906 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project 6
REQUIRED ADVANCED PRACTICE CORE COURSES (21 CREDITS)
GSN 601 Advanced Anatomy 3
GSN 602 Advanced Health Assessment 3
GSN 603 Advanced Physiology 3
GSN 610 Advanced Pharmacology 4
GSN 611 Advanced Pathophysiology 4
GSN 710 Bedside Ultrasonography 1
GSN 711 Integrative Medicine Methodologies 1
GSN 809 Concepts in Operational Leadership & Readiness 2
GSN XXX Trauma & Combat Casualty Care X
ROLE/POPULATION SPECIFIC COURSES (37 CREDITS)
GSN708 Advanced Diagnosis and Management in Adult Primary Care 5
GSN709 Advanced Diagnosis and Management in Geriatric Primary Care 1
CNS600A Principles in Outcomes Management 2
CNS601A CNS Role Application across the 3 Spheres of Influence 4
CNS603 Business Administration for Highly Reliable Healthcare Organizations 3
CNS605 Medical Facility Design: Maximizing Patient Outcomes 2
CNS606A Trauma Management in CNS Practice 3
CNS610A Advanced Diagnosis and Management in Adult-Geriatric Acute Care 4
CNS608 Performance Metrics in Outcomes Management 3
REQUIRED PRACTICUM COURSES (17 CREDITS)
CNS802 DNP Practicum for CNS Practice I: Advanced Concepts for CNS Independent Practice 4
CNS803 DNP Practicum for CNS Practice II: Assessment for High Reliable Organizations 4
CNS804 DNP Practicum for CNS Practice III: Strategic Planning in Healthcare 3
CNS805 DNP Practicum for CNS Practice IV: Capstone Immersion for CNS Independent Practice (2 semesters) 6
ELECTIVE OPPORTUNITIES
GSN810 Operational Readiness Directed Study 3
GSN721 Interdisciplinary Health Policy 2
PDR4127 Media Communication in Health Care 2
DNP PROJECT (6 CREDITS)
GSN906 Doctor of Nursing Practice Project 6
The project translates research into practice in the form of a practice or system improvement. Students identify inconsistencies, inefficiencies, or other issues within the clinical setting and propose a solution based on existing research.
OPERATIONAL READINESS CURRICULA/EXPERIENCES
The GSNs Operational Curriculum is integrated throughout the APRN programs to develop military providers capable of providing care in both traditional and operational settings. All APRN students receive “core” operational content during the first year of the program to include Tactical Combat Casualty Care, Advanced Trauma Life Support, Behavioral Health First Aid and battlefield principles taught through an immersive experience at the Antietam Battlefield.
During the 2nd year of the program, FNP and WHNP students learn alongside the rising 4th year medical students in an operational medicine course called Military Contingency Medicine (MCM) which provides the content for the 5 day Bushmaster field exercise. During this same period in the program, the AGCNS students attain an additional certification in Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN); participate in a 2-week inter-professional clinical immersion exercise conducted on the USNS COMFORT (the medical guard ship during the exercise) with training in support of large scale combat or humanitarian operations with simulation experiences involving MASCAL trauma/surgical drills, massive transfusions, traumatic amputation, global health, and patient movement at sea; complete a 1-week Austere Surgical Team inter-professional course; and serve as facilitators in the provision of critique and feedback during the Austere Surgical Care exercise.
In addition to these specific courses, operational content is woven throughout the AGCNS, FNP and WHNP curriculum, and students are offered the opportunity to complete an operational elective such as Dive Medicine, Military Mountain Medicine and the Cold Weather Medicine which are conducted in austere settings.
During the 3rd year of the program, additional unique operational experiences are woven into the AGCNS DNP curriculum with a focus on advanced clinical knowledge needed to manage poly trauma from a systems perspective in support of transitions of care across theaters of operations. These experiences consist of the completion of the Critical Care Air Transport (CCAT) Initial course with a 2-week follow-on clinical rotation to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany working with an inter-professional team in support of care coordination/transitions of care from "combat zones" to CONUS; and a 3 week clinical rotation with a humanitarian team in support of OPERATION SMILE
CLINICAL ROTATIONS (6 CREDITS)
Clinical rotations focused on experiences across the wellness to acute care continuum within the adult-gerontology population are integrated into the DNP-AG-CNS specialty courses. In consultation with the leadership at the various clinical sites and clinical preceptor(s), students receive focused clinical site experiences and exposure to projects within the five CNS domains. Students clinical learning needs are continually assessed through the combination of clinical logs, preceptor evaluations, formative evaluations, and projects completed. Additional specialty rotations supporting advanced clinical practice are integrated into the program and include rotations across the perioperative continuum. If at any time students feel their clinical needs are not being met, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the clinical coordinator and/or the program director so that appropriate action can be taken.
Individual clinical assignments are made by DNP-AG-CNS faculty. Clinical experiences and time spent at the clinical site varies by semester, course, and clinical rotation. Individual student clinical assignments will be determined at the beginning of each semester.
Clinical site rotations are established each semester and rotate throughout the three year program of study to maximize student experiences. The primary clinical sites utilized in the program include: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, Virginia. Additional clinical sites utilized within and beyond the national capital area may include: INOVA, Virginia; Shock Trauma (C-STARS), Veterans Administration, Washington, D.C.; National Institute of Health (NIH), MD; 96th Medical Group, Eglin AFB, FL; and more. Based on the needs of the program, additional sites will be established.
ADMISSION
The GSN ONLY accepts commissioned Nurse Corps officers or service sponsored civilians in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, or Public Health Service. Applicants must have a Master's Degree in nursing or related field and hold a current unrestricted nursing license in any of the US states and territories.
For General Admission Requirements, read the Apply page
DEGREE SPECIFIC ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or higher on a 4.0 scale
- Combined science GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale (chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, etc.).
- Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Current Certification for Operating Room Nurses (CNOR)
- Minimum of two years’ experience as a perioperative nurse at the time of matriculation
FINANCIALS
TUITION AND FEES
Tuition: $0
Fees: $0
Books: $0
Equipment: $0
Tuition and fees are waived for all students.
Students retain active duty benefits.
SERVICE OBLIGATION
Active-duty Uniformed Services personnel may incur an obligation for additional service in accordance with the applicable regulations governing sponsored graduate education.