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In an effort to address a national nurse shortage exacerbated by an increasing need for nurse educators, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne is expanding its master’s program in nursing to include a teaching track.
Two other specialties are being added to increase the number of advance practice nurses available to care for underserved patient populations.
IPFW’s expanded master of science in nursing program received approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education on Friday. Classes for the new master’s degree tracks start this fall.
The expanded program includes nursing educator, adult health nurse practitioner and women’s health nurse practitioner tracks. IPFW has offered a master’s in nursing administration since 1996.
Like that program, each new track will admit 10 students, said Carol Sternberger, chair of IPFW’s nursing department. Eighteen students with a bachelor’s degree in nursing are already taking master’s-level courses awaiting admission into the expanded program, she said.
The school expected approval for the expanded program, but Sternberger said she still felt euphoric after seeing three years of work become a reality.
“It’s been a long process,” she said. “The faculty and staff have worked really, really hard, and we’re very excited.”
Core courses for the new master’s tracks will include nursing theory, research, informatics and a class on health disparities and other health care issues. Nurse educator track classes will focus on curriculum design, instructional techniques and evaluation. Nurse practitioner specialty courses range from advanced assessment to practice management with content on adult or women’s health and more clinical hours than the other specialties.
Students will take classes part time – two a semester – and would likely finish their degrees in three years or so, Sternberger said. If demand called for a full-time program, the schedule could potentially be restructured to offer that in the future.
mschroeder@jg.net
