by Bobby Anderson, RN, Staff Writer
As a nurse, it’s something we all crave in our daily lives.
As students trying to advance our careers, it’s something we have to have.
Dr. Heather Fenton is a Northeastern State University bachelor’s program nursing graduate.
Nearly a decade ago, word got back to her the school was hiring for the master’s program and she couldn’t help but come back to the school that had given her so much.
With previous experience teaching in a practical nursing program, Fenton was working on her doctorate when she found her employer wasn’t going to compensate her for getting her doctorate.
At the same time, Fenton needed flexibility in her career while taking care of her mother on her journey with Alzheimer’s.
“Coming to Northeastern was perfect,” she said. “The program was online which gave me the flexibility and that’s where it started.”
Fenton has been at Northeastern State since 2011 and the offerings have only expanded as nursing has changed at a rapid pace.
“It’s going to be very important,” Fenton said of advancing nursing education. “Covid will not be the only pandemic we experience. As we become a more global world and the ability to travel very freely … we’re going to have more disease outbreaks. Nurses are definitely needed.
“The higher the education the nurse has the better the patient outcomes are.”
Northeastern State offers multiple ways for nurses to advance their careers no matter where they are in their profession.
RN to BSN
As the first RN to BSN program in Oklahoma, NSU is committed to a bold vision and a culture of learning and discovery.
The next application date begins December 28 with classes starting January 11.
NSU offers an online RN to BSN program that can be completed in as few as 10 months. There are no prerequisite courses, and you can apply while you are completing your associate’s degree or nursing program.
The curriculum consists of 30 upper-division credit hours and is designed to build on your previous education and experience and prepare you for a professional nursing career. The program will also provide a strong foundation for graduate education in nursing.
Major areas of emphasis include family nursing, community health, leadership, and research. Graduates are prepared to provide primary health care in diverse settings; to provide education to individuals, families, and community groups; and to continue lifelong learning.
MSN Administrative Leadership
NSU offers an online Master of Science in Administrative Leadership in Nursing program that can be completed in as few as 12 months. The program has six start dates offered each year and 7-week, 100% online courses.
Core MSN coursework expands your knowledge base in cultural perspectives, advanced research and evidence-based practice as well as current issues and trends facing professional nursing practice. A capstone will give you the opportunity to demonstrate the synthesis of administrative leadership and nursing competencies through a master’s project or thesis.
Coursework for this 32 credit-hour program is delivered in an accelerated, 100% online format, and includes an embedded practicum in which you will work with a mentor as you complete 120 hours in the field.
MSN Nursing Education
The Master of Science in Nursing Education online program at Northeastern State University can be completed in as few as 12 months through 7-week courses and six start dates each year. Coursework is 100% online, and the program will give you the knowledge and credentials you need to plan curriculum and facilitate learning.
You will learn to not only teach in diploma, practical nursing, associate, and baccalaureate degree nursing programs, but to also provide continuing nursing education (CNE) in academic, clinical and healthcare settings.
MSN Nursing Informatics
The online Master of Science in Nursing in Nursing Informatics program offers six start dates each year with 7-week courses and prepares you for opportunities to work as a consultant in public, private or corporate settings. The coursework for this online program is delivered 100% online and can be completed in as few as 12 months.
“It’s a program where nurses are working more with the technical aspects of nursing and the electronic healthcare record and helping nurses meld with IT,” Fenton said. “Students learn how to data mine and dig into large data repositories and pull out information that will be meaningful and useful for whatever project they’re working on.”
Fenton said it was the flexibility that NSU offered that saved her. But it’s just one of the advantages.
“Our connection and engagement with students,” she said. “We are very flexible. We understand the online students’ needs because we ourselves have been online students. Nurses typically work full-time jobs so when it’s time to take time out for our education sometimes things come up.
“Our faculty is very flexible, especially with Covid 19.”
For more information visit: www.nsunurses.com
