M.S. in Nursing Education @ Walden Univ.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2009

Patrick, so good to hear from you.

I never did start and am soooooooooo jealous to hear that you are completing soon. Congratulations!!!!

Tell us about the practicum and what it entailed.

Obiwarz · Jun 18, 2009

Before the end of 2009, it was the M.S. in Nursing, but Walden was recently given the designation to award the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Everyone graduating after the beginning of 2009 will get an MSN now. I just have my two practicum classes left and cannot wait until it is done this Fall. I poured A LOT of work into my last two years. I echo my previous post above -- make sure you are READY before taking the plunge. By the way, I'm doing leadership & management, am a cardiac floor nurse, and only 25 -- just real motivated already, but had a hard time still.

From a recent newsletter to students available publicly here :

Dear Walden University Nursing Student,

Walden University is now approved to award the Master of Science in Nursing

(MSN) degree. Walden recently requested and received approval from the

Minnesota Office of Higher Education (MOHE), our state regulatory body, to

change the degree designation from the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in

Nursing to the MSN in order to align our program with national trends in

graduate nursing education and to meet the needs of our students. The

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) has fully accredited

Walden University's graduate program in nursing and has acknowledged the

change in designation of the program.

Before the end of 2009, Walden's graduate nursing program will change from

the M.S. degree program in Nursing to the Master of Science in Nursing

(MSN). All students who are currently enrolled in the M.S. degree program

will automatically be enrolled in the newly designated MSN program and will

receive an MSN degree upon successful completion of the program. However,

current students who do not wish to be enrolled in the newly designated

MSN program may remain in the M.S. degree program in Nursing by

submitting a form to the Office of the Registrar by August 24, 2009. This

form will be available on Walden's Web site on July 13, 2009 and you will

receive email notification once the form is available.

If you wish to earn an MSN, you will not need to contact Walden regarding

this choice or complete any forms--the change will be automatic and will be

reflected on your records, including your transcript.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jun 19, 2009

patrick, so good to hear from you.
i never did start and am soooooooooo jealous to hear that you are completing soon. congratulations!!!!
tell us about the practicum and what it entailed.

hey tweety .... :yeah: :yeah:

yes, i was drawn out of the abyss of my studies in an effort to respond to gigi:lol2:. i have not been online with allnurses for some time and i have to say that i really miss you all very much! i love allnurses!:redbeathe:redbeathe

yes, i am almost finished with the program:yeah:. while i have always stated that the program is very doable for a full time working nurse or nurse leader, it can be time consuming and after 3 years of it ... i am ready for it all to be done!

actually, i was really dreading the practicum since i started the program. much of this dread came from the fact that i did not know what it entailed. but now that i am doing the practicum, it seems very doable to me.

the practicum consists of 2 8 week courses. the first course is designed to help you develop your project plan and establish your goals. during this phase, you begin working with your preceptor (which you needed to have approved before you reached this course). the preceptor and your professor work in conjunction with you to help you establish and begin your synthesis project. for me, i decided that my goal was to teach an online nutrition course for the adn level nursing student. i have never taught an online course before and felt this would give me great experience. besides, i want to teach in walden's bsn program when i finish my msn, so this was the perfect opportunity to get some experience.

the practicum is a total of 125 hours completed between both practicum courses. you must finish all your required practicum hours by the 6th week of your last course. in addition, in order to graduate, you must compile a professional electronic portfolio. this professional portfolio must have a table of contents and describe your continued competence as an educator (my specialization is nursing education). the contents of the course must include evidence of your scholarly writing, journal articles that your have read, community service hours you have done, your cv, anything you may have published, your professional mission statement, teaching philosophy, etc.

the portfolio must be completed and presented in the 3rd week of your last class. any revisions must be completed by the end of the last class or you receive an incomplete for the class and cannot graduate (yikes):bowingpur.

that is it in a nutshell. may sound very overwhelming to someone who has not started yet, but once you get to this level - you understand what you need to do and simply get "r" done.

i do hope you decide to go on and get your msn. :smokin: i am glad that i have done this. i am currently investigating doctoral programs and i may actually stay with walden and do their ed.d program starting in january. i need a break though, so i am really not sure what i am doing.

great to hear from you and please say hi to all the folks in the moderators lounge for me ....also, let me know what you are doing. you can send me a pm is you have any other questions.

patrick :typing

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jun 19, 2009

That is not true. I'm currently in the program (started January 09) and at the end, you will receive the M.S. Degree in Nursing, with a specialization in Education. They were recently awarded the honor of conferring the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as opposed to the Master of Science Degree in Nursing. Don't ask me what the difference is, but apparently there is. But either way, it is NOT just a MS in Education.
CCNE is another accrediting body that accredits nursing programs, similar to NLNAC. I personally find more ADN and BSN programs having the NLNAC accreditation and the graduate programs receiving the CCNE accreditiations. However I've seen vice versa as well.

This means that my degree (which will be confurred in AUgust of 2009) will be an MSN. :)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 19, 2009

Patrick, thanks for your input and for taking the time.

I am no longer on the moderator team.

That really helps a lot. I didn't like the description of the practicums at all. That portfolio sounds dreadful.

I really don't want to work that hard, but it doesn't sound like there's any other way to get an MSN but to work for it and plow through it. My goal right now is to teach online classes, part time to start with, but one has to have the MSN. Live students would probably agitate me. LOL

Does the preceptor have to be a PhD? I know I'm jumping the gun now, but just curious.

Best of luck to you for continued success.

I might take the one hour class in Sept. and then start in January 2010

Obiwarz · Jun 19, 2009

Preceptor is required to have an MSN. That was actually part of the difficult part for me, plus, they have the ability to reject the application. I will know in a few days if they reject mine and thus, wouldn't be able to start my practicum in two weeks. I was on the late end turning it in (after deadline) so I won't have the option to turn it in again either, forcing me to wait until the next class. Here's to hoping for acceptance!

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jun 19, 2009

Patrick, thanks for your input and for taking the time.
I am no longer on the moderator team.
That really helps a lot. I didn't like the description of the practicums at all. That portfolio sounds dreadful.
I really don't want to work that hard, but it doesn't sound like there's any other way to get an MSN but to work for it and plow through it. My goal right now is to teach online classes, part time to start with, but one has to have the MSN. Live students would probably agitate me. LOL
Does the preceptor have to be a PhD? I know I'm jumping the gun now, but just curious.
Best of luck to you for continued success.
I might take the one hour class in Sept. and then start in January 2010

The preceptor must have an MSN right now. There has been some talk of requiring a higher terminal degree for preceptors, but it is difficult enough trying to find a qualified preceptor with an MSN. I have been very fortunate because my preceptor has been excellent! I actually have a primary preceptor and some people on her learning team that I condier my practicum team. All three of them have been awesome to work with.

In terms of working hard, I am not going to tell you that the program is easy, because it really is not. But, once you have your BSN, learning the material to earn your MSN is really a matter of review. The only new material I was really exposed to was the education courses. And for me, these courses were very interesting and I was very motivated to learn them because I was teaching. Courses like Teaching Strategies, Adult Learning Theory, Student-Centered Learning, etc. After you are through with the CORE Master courses, you move into your specialization and take these courses.

I am gald I am almost done because I am pretty tired, but I am really gald I did it, as I am sure you will be too.

Best of luck with your orientation course. This will be a good introduction for you. Also, great to hear you want to teach online courses - I really think over the next few years, this market is going to continue to grow.

Patrick

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2009

Thanks again Patrick. Most of the educators at my facility are MSN-prepared, so I shouldn't have any problem getting one. I also know an MSN whom is also a NP whom would precept me no questions asked. So I hope they stick with the MSN's because getting a PhD might be problematic. However, there are two BSN schools here that has PhD prepared instructors. But people living in small towns would have a problem I would imagine.

Part of me regrets dropping because I'd almost be done by now, but I also have enjoyed the last two years of rest and having a social life. I'm more ready now.

kenyohunt1 · Jun 30, 2009

Hello all I am looking into starting with Walden U January 2010 in the MSN in education. Was wondering if anyone would help with information regarding writting a Goal Statement, and any other information about the program that u think is important.

smilealot · Jul 5, 2009

Hello all I am looking into starting with Walden U January 2010 in the MSN in education. Was wondering if anyone would help with information regarding writing a Goal Statement, and any other information about the program that u think is important.

I'm currently writing mine and my enrollment counselor told me to write about my experience and how that will affect my goals and what my goals are. For instance I just finished my ADN program and passed boards but my ultimate goal is to get my MSN with an emphasis in Education and eventually Family NP. She told me to keep it positive.

LadyT618, MSN, APRN, NP · Jul 5, 2009

Hello all I am looking into starting with Walden U January 2010 in the MSN in education. Was wondering if anyone would help with information regarding writting a Goal Statement, and any other information about the program that u think is important.

Here are some items my enrollment advisor sent me to help me write mine when I was starting.

Goal Statement Guidelines.pdf

Goal Statement Guidelines with instructions.doc

kenyohunt1 · Jul 5, 2009

Thanks for the info, I am still trying to decide what school to go to, Walden, Kaplan or UoP. How has your experiences been so far with the school.