Master's Entry Program in Nursing

Successful graduates will receive a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and a Health Administration Graduate Certificate or a Teaching and Learning in Nursing Graduate Certificate. As a pre-licensure registered nursing program, the MEPN program accepts applicants who have completed the following:

Application Requirements for the Masters Entry to Practice Nursing (MEPN)

Application materials must be submitted and reviewed prior to acceptance. These materials include the following:

• Completed Franklin Pierce University Graduate Admission application
• Resume
• Essay stating goals and objectives for applying to the MEPN program
• Non-nursing bachelor-level (or higher) earned degree (must be completed before starting MEPN program)
• Receipt of all official transcripts from colleges and/or universities previously attended
• Achievement of minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) admission exam with a passing score of 80%
• Interview with nursing faculty

Students must complete the following prerequisite college level courses with a letter grade of B or better prior to starting the M.E.P.N. program:

• Anatomy and Physiology I (4 credits with lab)
• Anatomy and Physiology II (4 credits with lab)
• Microbiology (4 credits with lab)
• Statistics (3 credits)
• Human/Lifespan Development (3 credits)
• Chemistry (College or High School level)

MEPN Mission Statement

The Master’s Entry to Practice Nursing Program (MEPN) is committed to preparing ethical “leaders of conscience who demonstrate sound critical thinking and clinical judgement, promote health and healing, and who make significant contributions to the local and global communities. The curriculum prepares students to utilize scholarly inquiry to provide care that is patient centered and rooted in evidence. Graduates will be prepared to practice in diverse health care arenas to effect improvements in patient outcomes through leadership in health care delivery systems.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the MEPN program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate critical thinking and decision-making based on biopsychosocial and organizational sciences to improve healthcare quality and outcomes in a variety of settings.
• Integrate organizational and systems leadership to guide and direct clinical decision making and evaluation of patient outcomes and safety.
• Advocate for ethical and culturally sensitive strategies in the design of high quality and cost effective healthcare delivery.
• Apply clinical scholarship and implementation of best practices for the improvement of healthcare delivery.
• Incorporate technology to support and coordinate delivery of high quality, safe patient care.
• Demonstrate advocacy strategies to influence healthcare policy to improve health of the public.
• Collaborate with the inter-professional team to influence the shared goals of disease prevention, health promotion, and patient-centered care to diverse populations.

The MEPN program prepares the graduate to:

• Utilize professional codes and standards of professional nursing practice.
• Demonstrate autonomy in critical thinking and decision making to guide care to patient across the lifespan.
• Function effectively within interprofessional healthcare teams, utilizing evidence-based practice to deliver high quality safe patientcare and promote positive patient outcomes.
• Apply leadership skills as a change agent within the healthcare system to promote equity and culturally sensitive care

The MEPN program:

• Prepares the student to take the NCLEX-RN upon completion of the program
• Consists of six consecutive 12-week terms over 18 months
• Is a full-time program; it is recommended that students do not work due to the rigor of the program

Program Progression

The course sequence in the curriculum is designed to provide incremental knowledge and skills necessary for professional nursing practice. To achieve this goal, the sequence of courses must be followed. A student in good academic standing will progress through the curriculum as designed. Nursing courses are arranged in a specific sequence, thus repeating a course will result in delay of the student’s progress through the curriculum, requiring a longer period of time to successfully complete the program. Good academic standing is demonstrated by earning a course grade of 83% or greater in all NR 700 level nursing courses, achieve a grade of “pass” in all clinical courses and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0. If a student does not achieve a course grade of 83% or greater in any NR 700 level nursing course, the student will decelerate in the program and be placed on Academic Suspension as defined in the Academic Catalog. A student who wishes to return to the MEPN program will be subject to the Re-entry to MEPN policy as outline in the School of Nursing Student Handbook.