Nursing

College of Health and Human Services
Dean: Don Taylor

School of Nursing
BH 371
415-338-1802
Director: Shirley Girouard

Faculty

Professors—Baj, Ferretti, Girouard, Johnson-Brennan

Associate Professors—Boyle, Davis, Eaton, Fisher, Hardie, Nichols, vanDam

Assistant Professors—Alameida, Carabez, Chou, deLeon, Landry, Li, Orsi, Privé, Serber

Clinical Faculty/Full-time Lecturers—Bahr, Giarretto, Shea

Programs

Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Master of Science in Nursing
Master of Science in Nursing: Concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner
Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate


Academic Nursing Programs Offered

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Master of Science in Nursing

The School
The mission of the School of Nursing is to: (1) provide baccalaureate and graduate nursing education to meet the needs of a diverse, complex and rapidly changing healthcare system; (2) prepare graduates to provide quality nursing care, leadership, and advocacy to meet the health care needs of culturally diverse people in urban environments; and, (3) prepare graduates to improve health care and nursing services through service to the community. The nursing profession is holistic in nature- providing services for individuals, families, groups and the community in a variety of settings including hospitals, community agencies, and schools—wherever health promotion, disease and illness prevention and nursing care are needed.The specific goals of the School of Nursing are to:

At the baccalaureate level, the program provides the basis for professional nursing practice, service and leadership and for pursuing life-ling learning including graduate education. Students in the masters program prepare for professional roles in practice, administration, education and research. The masters program is designed to meet the critical need for qualified nurse leaders and advanced practice nurses in primary care, acute and chronic care, long term care, home care, and community/public health. Per California State regulations, an LVN 30 unit option is available but only offered on a space available basis. As the program is impacted, we are not often able to accommodate such students.

There are approximately 300 undergraduate students and 200 masters students enrolled in the School representing the diversity of the community we serve. The School of Nursing is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing and is accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. It is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the National League for Nursing, the California Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Western Institute of Nursing Research.

Career Outlook

The Bachelor of Science degree prepares students for entry-level positions in professional nursing practice. Graduates are prepared to take a national licensure examination to become registered nurses and for positions in maternity, pediatrics, medical-surgical nursing, gerontology, psychiatric/mental health, community health, long-term care and home-care. In addition, they are eligible for Public Health Nursing Certification in California upon licensure as a registered nurse.

Master of Science graduates provide leadership and expertise in a variety of settings as expert clinicians, administrators/managers, teachers and researchers assuring health and healthcare for people of all ages. Clinical nurse specialists, as expert clinicians, serve specific client/patient populations in acute, chronic, inpatient and outpatient settings. Graduates of the nursing administration emphasis hold positions in nursing management, administration, and as entrepreneurs across a variety of health care settings. Graduates of the community public health emphasis have positions as managers, program planners, and case managers for specific at-risk populations in community and public health settings. Graduates prepared as family nurse practitioners hold positions in a variety of primary care and hospital settings. Graduates of all emphases are eligible for positions in program planning and evaluation and serve as clinical faculty for schools of nursing. The master's curriculum meets the requirements for entry into nursing education at the doctoral level.

Notes for Prospective Applicants

In addition to the requirements listed for each educational level in the materials that follow, there are special considerations for all nursing students:

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (Prelicensure)

The School of Nursing offers prelicensure (RN) bachelors degree programs at the San Francisco campus and in the Sequoia Health District (the Sequoia Hospital/SF State Baccalaureate Nursing Program at Canada College). The Sequoia/Canada program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Sequoia Health District with additional support from the San Mateo Community College Health District, the Sequoia Hospital and the CSU. The course of study is the same for each although admission requirements vary. Students are encouraged to explore the specific requirements on the web site as they vary for each site and from year to year.

Applicants to the baccalaureate nursing program may be current students at SF State or transfer students. As freshmen applicants are not admitted to the University as nursing majors, students can be admitted as undeclared, pre-nursing or to an alternate major. The pre-nursing major does not guarantee admission to the nursing major. All students applying to the nursing program must be accepted into the University and thus, meet University requirements (see earlier sections of the Bulletin). Students applying to the nursing program have specific prerequisites for the program (see details that follow).

Admission/Application Information

Criteria for Admission to the Baccalaureate Nursing Program

Undergraduate students must be admissible to the University in accordance with existing criteria as stated in the undergraduate admission requirements section of the University Bulletin. In addition, students seeking to major in nursing must meet the following criteria and prerequisites.

Prospective students must:

The following prerequisite courses are required for acceptance into the nursing program
(generally no more than one course should be outstanding at the time the student applies to the School):
Units
Completion of University Segment I General Education Basic Subjects
BIOL 210/
BIOL 211
General Microbiology and Public Health/Laboratory 4
BIOL 328 Human Anatomy (must include a laboratory component if taken elsewhere) 4
BIOL 610/
BIOL 611
Principles of Human Physiology/Laboratory 4
CHEM 101/
CHEM 102
Survey of Chemistry/Laboratory 4
MATH 124 Elementary Statistics (quantitative reasoning) 3
Additional Requirements Applicants are advised before applying to the school
DFM 253 Nutrition in Health and Disease 3
PSY 200 General Psychology 3
NOTE: oral communications/speech and sociology or anthropology courses are required for licensure in California.  

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Curriculum

Required Courses Units
NURS 311 Health Assessment 3
NURS 312 Foundations in Nursing Theory 3
NURS 313 Foundations in Nursing Practicum 2
NURS 314 Nursing Skills Lab 2
NURS 315 Pharmacology 3
NURS 316 Health Assessment Skills Lab 1
NURS 321 Pathophysiology 3
NURS 322 Medical Surgical Nursing Theory 3
NURS 323 Medical Surgical Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 324 Geriatric Nursing Theory 3
NURS 334 Maternity Nursing Theory 3
NURS 335 Maternity Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 336 Pediatric Nursing Theory 3
NURS 337 Pediatric Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 338 Nursing Research 3
NURS 444 Psychiatric/ Mental Health Nursing Theory 3
NURS 445 Psychiatric/ Mental Health Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 446 Community/ Public Health Nursing Theory 3
NURS 447 Community/ Public Health Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 556 Nursing Leadership Theory 3
NURS 557 Capstone Practicum 3
Total for nursing major 59

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (RN Advanced Placement Option)

The Advanced Placement Option (APO) is designed for RNs with associate degrees or diplomas in nursing interested in obtaining a baccalaureate nursing degree. The APO curriculum allows credit for some previous course work and has flexible scheduling to accommodate the practicing nurse. Students have the option to study part-time or full-time. If a student meets University general education and other degree requirements, it is possible to complete the course of study in one to one and a half years through full time study.

Admission/Application Information

Criteria for Admission to the APO

Prerequisite Courses Units
BIOL 210/
BIOL 211
General Microbiology and Public Health/Laboratory 4
BIOL 328 Human Anatomy (must include a laboratory component if taken elsewhere) 4
BIOL 610/
BIOL 611
Principles of Human Physiology/Laboratory 4
CHEM 101/
CHEM 102
Survey of Chemistry/Laboratory 4
MATH 124 Elementary Statistics (quantitative reasoning) 3
PSY 200 General Psychology 3
DFM 253 Nutrition in Health and Disease 3

The APO nursing program

Required Courses
The following are required nursing courses to be taken (or challenged):
Units
NURS 300 Bridge to SFSU Advanced Placement 1
NURS 311 Health Assessment 3
NURS 316 Health Assessment Skills Lab 1
NURS 321 Pathophysiology 3
NURS 324 Geriatric Nursing Theory 3
NURS 338 Nursing Research 3
NURS 446 Community/ Public Health Nursing Theory 3
NURS 447 Community/ Public Health Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 557 Capstone Practicum 3
NURS 706 Health Care Policy and Nursing Issues 3
Total 26

APO Challenge Procedures
APO students may receive credit for courses through challenge exams, previous course work and experiences. Each student will have an adviser who will work with them to determine what courses can be challenged and to plan an appropriate course of study. Students challenging courses by examination take the exam prior to the beginning of the semester when the course is offered, pay tuition and register for the course. Upon successfully completing the challenging exam and at the end of the semester when the course is given, the student will be given a grade for the course. If the student is not successful in challenging the course, they must take the course.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

The School of Nursing provides masters level educational opportunities for both registered nurses and individuals with bachelor’s degree in other fields who wish to enter the nursing profession. Registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees in nursing can enter the master’s program by demonstrating they have met the nursing prerequisites and have nursing content comparable to that in the SF State baccalaureate program. RNs without a nursing bachelor’s degree may need nursing coursework such as community health and research. The School offers the nursing Master of Science degree for RNs in two locations: the SF State cohort has most classes at the San Francisco campus; and the second cohort has many classes in the Stanford/ Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital area. RN’s with master’s degrees may apply to the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) certificate program. Individuals who are not nurses but have a bachelor’s degree may apply to the generic nursing Master of Science program. Students in this program spend their first five semesters completing theory and clinical course work with other pre-licensure students. Upon completion of these courses the students take a national licensing exam (NCLEX) to become a registered nurse in California. Students must be licensed to progress with graduate level studies.

The master’s level curriculum includes both core courses and specialty courses. The core courses, the portion of the program for all students, include nursing theory, advanced practice nursing roles, pathophysiology, research, leadership, health policy and ethics for advanced practice nurses. Units taken in addition to the core program are selected with graduate nursing faculty advisement. Students are engaged in clinical practice experiences throughout the curriculum and complete their studies with a thesis or field study.

Please note that the FNP certificate courses, the FNP specialty (non-core courses), and the Stanford/Packard cohort courses may be offered through the College of Extended Learning and thus, have fees higher than other courses.

Admission/Application Information and Requirements for the Masters Degree

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: requirement is satisfied by scoring a 5 or better on the Graduate Essay test or achieving a score of four or higher on the analytical writing portion of the GRE. Passing the GET or taking remedial courses is required prior to enrolling in NURS 794. Level Two: is satisfied by demonstration of English competency on the final paper for NURS 794.

Generic Nursing Master of Science Degree

Prerequisite Course Requirements Units
BIOL 210/
BIOL 211
General Microbiology and Public Health/Laboratory 4
BIOL 328 Human Anatomy (must include a laboratory component if taken elsewhere) 4
BIOL 610/
BIOL 611
Principles of Human Physiology/Laboratory 4
CHEM 101/
CHEM 102
Survey of Chemistry/Laboratory 4
COMM 150 Fundamentals of Oral Communication 3
DFM 253 Nutrition in Health and Disease 3
ENG 214 Second Year Written Composition - English 3
MATH 124 Elementary Statistics (quantitative reasoning) 3
PSY 200 General Psychology 3
Sociology or Cultural Anthropology (any one course in either) 3
Total 34

 

Pre-licensure Nursing Courses Units
First Semester
NURS 311 Health Assessment 3
NURS 312 Foundations in Nursing Theory 3
NURS 313 Foundations in Nursing Practicum 2
NURS 314 Nursing Skills Laboratory 2
NURS 315 Pharmacology 3
NURS 316 Health Assessment Skills Lab 1
Total 14
Second Semester
NURS 321 Pathophysiology 3
NURS 322 Medical Surgical Nursing Theory 3
NURS 323 Medical Surgical Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 324 Geriatric Nursing Theory 3
Total 12
Third Semester
NURS 334 Maternity Nursing Theory 3
NURS 335 Maternity Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 336 Pediatric Nursing Theory 3
NURS 337 Pediatric Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 338 Nursing Research 3
Total 15
Fourth Semester
NURS 444 Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Theory 3
NURS 445 Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing Practicum 3
NURS 446 Community/Public Health Nursing Theory 3
NURS 447 Community/Public Health Nursing Practicum 3
Total 12
Completion of Prelicensure Courses/Graduate Level Courses
Qualified applicants are accepted into the generic nursing Master of Science program conditionally. Upon completion of prerequisite and prelicensure courses in nursing a passing score on the Graduate Essay Test (GET) or GRE written proficiency exam and status as a registered nurse in California (successful completion of the NCLEX exam), the student enrolls in graduate level courses.
Fifth Semester
NURS 556 Nursing Leadership Theory 3
NURS 557 Capstone Practicum 3
NURS 700 The Theoretical Basis of Nursing 3
NURS 732 Ethics in Advanced Nursing Role Development 3
Total 12
Sixth Semester
NURS 794 Seminar in Research 3
NURS 733 Advanced Nursing Role Development: 2
NURS 734 Advanced Nursing Role Application 2
NURS 801 Graduate Nursing Practicum I 4
Nursing Elective 3
Total 14
Seventh Semester
NURS 706 Healthcare Policy and Nursing Issues 3
NURS 802 Graduate Nursing Practicum II 4
NURS 895 Field Study or 3
NURS 898 Master's Thesis
Nursing Elective 3
Total 13
Total for degree 92

RN-Master of Science in Nursing for Registered Nurses

Qualified applicants are conditionally accepted into the MSN program. Students convert to classified status in nursing upon a passing score on the Graduate Essay Test (GET) or GRE analytical writing component.

Required Core Courses: Units
NURS 700 The Theoretical Basis of Nursing 3
NURS 706 Health Care Policy and Nursing Issues 3
NURS 732 Ethics in Advanced Nursing Role Development 3
NURS 733 Advanced Nursing Role Development: 2
NURS 734 Advanced Nursing Role Application 2
NURS 794 Seminar in Research 3
NURS 801 Graduate Nursing Practicum I 4
NURS 802 Graduate Nursing Practicum II 4
NURS 895
    or
NURS 898
Field Study
 
Master’s thesis
3
Concentration/Emphasis or Electives
Units on advisement
9-19
Total for graduation (varies by emphasis) 36-46

Emphases/Concentration

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
This emphasis offers the graduate student the opportunity to take additional courses for certification by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). The CNS is an advanced practice nurse holding a master’s degree with a concentration in a specific area of clinical nursing such as adult and critical or chronic care, women’s health or pediatrics. The role of the CNS is defined by the needs of a select client population and clinical expertise of the nurse. In addition to the core courses listed above, additional courses required for BRN certification include: NURS 730, NURS 731, NURS 711, and NURS 715.

Nursing Administration Emphasis
This emphasis enables students to combine the nursing perspective and principles of business to become effective and successful managers and administrators. Courses may also be taken in the College of Business with the advice and approval of the adviser.

Community Public Health Nursing Emphasis
This clinically-focused emphasis prepares nurses to develop, implement, manage, and evaluate health promotion programs and services for vulnerable populations in urban communities. Courses required in addition to the core include NURS 720, NURS 721, and/or elective units selected with approval of the adviser.

Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration
The family nurse practitioner (FNP) concentration requires 46 units for a total of 600 clinical hours and is designed to prepare FNPs for primary care practice. The following courses are required in addition to the core program.

NURS 715 Principles of Pharmacology 3
NURS 708 Diagnosis and Management in Primary Care 4
NURS 711 Advanced Physical Assessment and Health Promotion/Maintenance 2
NURS 730 Advanced Nursing Physiology and Pathophysiology 2
NURS 731 Advanced Nursing Physiology and Pathophysiology—Seminar 2
NURS 803 Graduate Nursing Practicum III 4
NURS 804 Professional Issues and Nurse Practitioner Skills 2
Total for concentration 19

Advancement to Candidacy

The student must resolve any admission conditions as soon as possible after beginning the graduate program. The Graduate Approved Program (GAP) should be completed and filed in the Division of Graduate Studies after the student has completed 24 units. The Proposal for Culminating Experience form must be completed and filed before he/she enrolls in the culminating experience course, either NURS 895 or 898.

FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATE

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Certificate allows masters and doctorally prepared nurses to attain certification as an FNP in the State of California after completing 30 units of post-graduate work. Completion of the certificate verifies to the California Board of Registered Nursing that the students satisfy all requirements for licensure as family nurse practitioners. The program also provides documentation to professional organizations that all requirements for national certification examinations were completed. The certificate program includes the courses listed under the concentration in family nurse practitioner and additional courses selected in consultation with an adviser.

Admission/ Application Information for the FNP certificate Program

Admission Requirements