MCPHS Online Nurse Practitioner Programs

What to Expect from MCPHS Online FNP and PMHNP Programs

Admission Requirements: Applicants to the MSN program must hold a BSN from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants to the RN to MSN Bridge program must hold an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) or diploma from a state-approved program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher. All students must hold an unencumbered RN license in their state of residence.

Application materials for the MSN include an application, official transcripts, one letter of recommendation, proof of RN licensure, and a resume. The RN to MSN application includes official transcripts, a resume or CV, and a personal statement. The GRE or GMAT is not required.

State Restrictions: MCPHS accepts students from most states and is an NC-SARA participant. However, only students from the following states are eligible to study the nursing programs: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia. All students outside of Massachusetts should verify with the MCPHS School of Nursing and their State Board of Nursing as to eligibility and licensure requirements for their state.

Study Plan: The MSN program can be completed in 24 months on a part-time basis. The RN to MSN Bridge program can be completed in three years, taking two courses per term. The first year is a bridge year, and the following two years fulfill MSN coursework and clinicals. Start dates land in the Fall, Spring, and Summer.

MSN Core Curriculum: Core courses for the MSN program include Professional Role Development for Advanced Practice Nursing; Advanced Pathophysiology; Advanced Pharmacology; Scholarship for Advanced Nursing: Building an Evidence-based; Human Diversity, Social, and Policy Issues; Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan; and Translating and Integrating Scholarship Practicum.

• FNP Specialty Curriculum: The FNP specialization comprises 42 credits and requires the completion of 630 clinical practicum hours. Specialty courses include Family Primary Care I: OB/GYN and Pediatric; Family Primary Care II: Adult; and Family Primary Care III: Geriatric.
• PMHNP Specialty Curriculum: The PMHNP specialization comprises 45 credits and requires the completion of 540 clinical practicum hours. Specialty courses include Psychopharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurse (PMHNP); Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing I: Child & Adolescent; Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing II: Young and Middle-Aged Adult; and Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing III: Older Adult.

RN to MSN – FNP Curriculum: The RN to MSN – FNP program comprises 62 credits plus 720 clinical practicum hours. Bridge courses include Chemistry of Nutrition; Professional Role Development; Health Assessment; Community Health Nursing; Nursing Informatics and Healthcare Technologies; and Scholarly Inquiry. Once the bridge year is completed, students follow the curriculum for the MSN – FNP program.

Post-Master’s Certificate Curriculum: The FNP Post-Master’s Certificate comprises 24 credits plus 630 clinical hours, while the PMHNP certificate comprises 27 credits plus 540 clinical hours. Both specializations complete Professional Role Development for Advanced Practice Nursing; Advanced Pathophysiology; Advanced Pharmacology; Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan; and Survey of Telemedicine. Specialty courses then follow those listed for the MSN.

Online Experience: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences utilizes Blackboard as its online delivery system. Blackboard allows students to participate in discussion boards, view recorded lectures, complete assignments, and interact with faculty and peers. MCPHS provides hands-on and collaborative learning experiences. Courses are mostly asynchronous, with some scheduled synchronous activities. Class sizes are kept small, and students are typically able to keep working while earning an online graduate degree.

Online testing is monitored by ProctorU, which allows students to take exams in a location preferable to them. Students are verified at the beginning of the program, and during exams, their screen, body movements, and eye movements are motored by proctors. Online students have access to all of the college’s services, including libraries, faculty office hours, technical support, the Center for Academic Success and Enrichment, disability support services, counseling services, the Center for Professional Career Development, and the alumni network.

On-Site Requirements: The FNP and PMHNP specializations of the MSN and Post-Master’s Certificate programs require three visits to the Worcester, MA, campus. These include new student orientation, a residency during the second year, and a final residency during which graduation ceremonies take place. The RN to MSN Bridge program adds an MSN orientation to the requirement, totaling four campus visits. The length of the residencies runs one to three days. All other coursework is online, while clinicals are completed at approved locations near the student.