Consortium model for master's education in nursing

Redesign of clinical nurse specialist role course for distance education. Development, implementation, and outcomes

The purpose of this article is to describe a collaborative effort to redesign a clinical nurse specialist curriculum for distance education among 4 regional state universities in southern Louisiana. The multisite approach was implemented to increase access to educational opportunities in advanced practice nursing for location-bound professional nurses. Course development, challenges to implementation, and success of the redesign are discussed. Additional topics described are online technical requirements and strategies for role socialization through distance learning. Success of the effort included an enhanced ability to recruit students to this specialty area.

Distance education programs for advanced practice nurses: questions to ask

This article reviews the use of distance learning in nursing education and to summarize key questions that must be addressed by programs or students considering advanced practice nursing education using distance technology. An acute care nurse practitioner program using distance learning strategies is provided as an example to illustrate delivery of a clinically based curriculum. Examples of questions to be addressed in evaluating a distance education program include: How much of the course or graduate nursing program is available on-line? What are the specific informational technologies used? How does communication occur between graduate students and faculty? How are clinical requirements of a course managed? Are there any requirements for time to be spent directly on campus? Is it necessary for the student to have a computer and Internet provider? Knowledge of the available technology and components of distance education can enhance the ability of the advanced practice nurse to evaluate better and choose educational program offerings.

Benefits and challenges of a graduate nursing consortium

The Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing (ICMSN), a partnership among four universities in Louisiana, is a proven articulation model for delivering graduate education in nursing. The authors describe the benefits and challenges of an academic consortium. Recommendations are offered for establishing similar models of multi-institutional collaboration in higher education.