Overview
Mission
The Mission of the Uniformed Services University Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AG-CNS) program is to educate safe, competent Clinical Nurse Specialists who are able to practice independently in response to worldwide missions in the Uniformed Services in support of the adult and geriatric population across the wellness through acute care continuum with the specialty focus of perioperative nursing.
Philosophy
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.
In addition to the role and population focus of the 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.
Design
The Master of Science AG-CNS program is 24 months of full-time study combining didactic and clinical experiences across the wellness through 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 impact for CNS practice (patient, nurse and organization). Within the two-year program, on average, graduates will obtain over 800 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. 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 includes: wellness/primary care through acute care continuum, acute care, and CNS practice within the perioperative continuum.
The curriculum meets the goals of the AACN 2021 Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, and the National Association for Clinical Nurse Specialist (NACNS) National CNS Competency Task Force Organizing Framework and Core Competencies (2008). The curriculum is aligned with the 2010 AACN Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Competencies; the 2011 Criteria for the Evaluation of Clinical Nurse Specialist Masters, Practice Doctorate, and Post-graduate Certificate Educational Program, 2010 AACN Scope and Standards for Acute and Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Practice; Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) 2006 Position Statement on the Perioperative Advanced Practice Nurse and the 2010 AORN Perioperative Advanced Practice Nurse Competencies.
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.
Degree Requirements
Core Requirements
| OPMS 5000 | Leadership and Teamwork in the Health Professions: A Military Perspective | 3 |
| NURS 5110 | Advanced Health Assessment | 3 |
| NURS 5111 | Advanced Anatomy | 3 |
| NURS 5112 | Advanced Physiology | 3 |
| NURS 5120 | Global Perspectives Seminar in Complex Healthcare Systems I | 3 |
| NURS 5121 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 4 |
| NURS 5122 | Advanced Pharmacology | 4 |
| NURS 5130 | Global Perspectives Seminar in Complex Healthcare Systems II | 3 |
| NURS 5131 | Inquiry into Statistical Methods, Evidence Based Practice and Scholarship | 5 |
| NURS 5132 | Integrative Medicine Methodologies | 1 |
| NURS 5133 | Trauma & Combat Casualty Care | 3 |
| NURS 5220 | Translation of Evidence for Health Care Practice, Policy, and Evaluation | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 38 |
Program Requirements
| NURS 6121 | Principles in Outcomes Management for CNS Practice | 2 |
| NURS 6131 | CNS Role Application Across the 3 Spheres of Influence | 3 |
| NURS 6132 | Business Administration for High Reliability Healthcare Organizations | 3 |
| NURS 6510 | Advanced Diagnosis and Management in Adult Primary Care | 5 |
| NURS 6612 | Advanced Assessment and Diagnosis in Management of the Older Adult | 1 |
| NURS 6210 | Medical Facility Design: Maximizing Patient Outcomes | 2 |
| NURS 6211 | Trauma Management in CNS Practice | 2 |
| NURS 6212 | Advanced Diagnosis and Management in Adult-Geriatric Acute Care | 3 |
| NURS 6220 | Performance Metrics in Outcomes Management | 3 |
| NURS 6222 | Practicum for CNS Practice I: Advanced Concepts for CNS Independent Practice | 4 |
| NURS 6230 | Practicum for CNS Practice II: Advanced Concepts for CNS Independent Practice | 7 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 35 |
Total Required Credits: 73
Electives
| NURS 5400 | Operational Readiness: Dive Medicine and Water Rescue | 1 |
| NURS 5401 | Operational Readiness: Military Mountain Medicine (M3C) | 1 |
| NURS 5402 | Operational Readiness: Military Cold Weather/Avalanche | 1 |
| NURS 5403 | Operational Readiness: Directed Study | 1 |
| NURS 5404 | Operational Readiness: Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) | 1 |
| NURS 5405 | Operational Readiness: Transitions of Care | 1 |
| NURS 5406 | Operational Readiness: Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties (MMCBC) | 1 |
| NURS 5407 | Operational Readiness: Military Humanitarian and Civic Assistance | 1 |
| NURS 5408 | Interdisciplinary Health Policy | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10 |
These courses are electives and may be taken in addition to Core and Program requirements.