Skip to content

MSN Leadership and Management Online Courses

Curriculum Details

  • 10 courses
  • 32 credits
  • 500 practicum hours
  • Seven- or 14-week courses

The MSN courses you’ll take in the MSN: Leadership and Management online program will prepare you with hands-on experiences at diverse Chicagoland practicum sites and in-depth seven and 14-week courses covering topics like HR management, professional communication, negotiation, and more.

You’ll learn from faculty with strong leadership and management experience and complete our practicum hours at locations that match your area of interest. Graduate in 16 months ready to make a difference.

Core Courses

Credits

This course focuses on the evaluation and development of evidence-based approaches to improve practice, health outcomes, and the care environment. Emphasis is placed on utilizing theories in nursing research, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement; analyzing evidence; identifying knowledge gaps; developing strategies to generate and disseminate new evidence; and planning approaches for translating evidence into practice. Cultural and lifespan considerations of evidence-based practice approaches are addressed. Ethical considerations of evidence appraisal, development, and implementation are identified. This course serves as the foundation for synthesis and development of nursing knowledge in clinical (capstone) projects. Students must have completed an undergraduate statistics or equivalent course and an undergraduate nursing research course.
This course examines how health care delivery systems are organized and financed and the economic, political, and regulatory factors that influence the planning and delivery of healthcare services across the continuum of care. Emphasis is placed on utilizing health system data sets, quality improvement tools, and evidence-based practice to optimize patient safety and health outcomes. Students apply economic, systems, and organizational principles in evaluating the structure, function, and delivery of health care in the U.S. and participate in the development of policies to improve health care. The utilization of information technology to support the coordination, improvement, and delivery of care is explored.
This course examines epidemiologic and public health principles to analyze needs and plan for care of populations across the lifespan. Social, cultural, environmental, and genetic determinants of health are explored; risk assessment and root causes of illness are examined. Health promotion and educational methods are critiqued, and levels of prevention applied in developing programs for at-risk populations. Building on local context, the urban, multicultural, national, and global influences on population health are explored.
This course focuses on the identification, analysis, and implementation of communication strategies to facilitate formation of successful teams and partnerships. Students will develop a comprehensive knowledge of principles of adult learning and will examine clinical reasoning, judgment, and decision making in addressing the needs of diverse patients and populations across the life span. Emphasis will be placed on developing group leadership skills, building teams through communication and partnership, and conflict management in the light of change.
This course is a foundation for the health care leader and manager shaping change across the continuum of care. It builds upon the knowledge base, tools, and abilities essential to function as an effective nurse leader and manager in a variety of health care systems. Students will synthesize management skills related to systems analysis, human resources, outcomes management, financial management, micro and macroeconomics, organizational development, business planning, conflict resolution, and change management. The clinical practicum is focused upon the application of nursing research, theory, and the essential principles of management to a practice setting. The student will advance knowledge and skill through participation in an agency based project. Students will complete an agency assessment to identify an opportunity (problem) to focus on an agency specific project. These healthcare settings may include acute care agencies, community settings, not for profit corporations, congregations, government agencies or education facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area. Practicum site selection and project planning and approval are done between the student, faculty, and preceptor with the goal of improving outcomes for individuals or populations. The student develops objectives specific to advancing knowledge and management skills and begins work on a capstone practicum project. Practicum hours total 140.
This course is a foundation for the healthcare leader and manager shaping change across the continuum of care. It builds upon the knowledge base, tools, and abilities essential to function as an effective nurse leader and manager in a variety of healthcare systems. Students will synthesize management skills related to systems analysis, human resources, outcomes management, financial management, micro and macroeconomics, organizational development, business planning, conflict resolution and change management. The class includes both a didactic and practicum component. The practicum component is focused upon the application of nursing research, theory and the essential principles of management to a practice setting. The student has the opportunity to advance knowledge and skill through participation in an agency based project. Course projects relate to developing a business plan, analyzing a financial plan, and human resource management approaches in a healthcare setting. These healthcare settings may include acute care agencies, community settings, not for profit corporations, congregations, government agencies or education facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area. Practicum site selection and project planning and approval are done between the student, faculty, and preceptor with the goal of improving outcomes for individuals or populations. The student develops objectives specific to advancing knowledge and management skills and begins work on a capstone practicum project. Practicum hours total 180 clock hours
This course focuses upon the student as a transformational leader in the healthcare environment. The student analyzes and evaluates community based care, integrated systems, and community networks. Concentration on the continuum of care as it moves from simple to more complex systems of partnerships, mergers, networks, and interdisciplinary teams will be emphasized. The role of the leader advances to that of strategic change agent who is knowledgeable in the transformation of organizations to enhance capabilities and adaptability of resources at all levels. Having learned about nursing management processes during NURS 5431, the practicum focus for this semester is on innovative leadership, quality improvement, safety, collaboration, and problem resolution. The student seeks out these experiences in collaboration with the preceptor. Time may be spent with departments and programs such as Quality Improvement, Infection Prevention, Risk Management, Informatics, Patient Advocacy, Bed Control, or other relevant experiences. Activities may include observation, participation in data collection, monitoring, or patient rounding. The student, preceptor, and faculty member work together to identify those activities that best meet the student’s learning objectives. Completion of the practicum project provides the student with an opportunity to apply skills and approaches learned during course work into practice in a healthcare environment. Practicum hours total 180 clock hours.
This course provides students with the opportunity to develop an evidence based practice project with potential for dissemination. The project will be presented in both written and oral formats.

Electives

Credits

This course examines current theory and practice as it applies to the management of human resources within organizations. Specific focus is given on the effects of organizational mission and culture on human resource management. The processes of recruitment and selection, training and development, performance evaluation, compensation and motivation, and legal influences are examined. The course takes the viewpoint of human resource management as a key responsibility of every manager within the organization.

The course will cover a foundational introduction and in-depth review of the socio-historical context and the theoretical basis of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Key DEI concepts and their significance in today’s world are explored. Participants will study and recognize the impact and importance of addressing discrimination, bias, microaggression, forms of exclusion, privilege, and oppression as they interplay with established identities and those around them. Additionally, participants will gain a better understanding of cultural sensitivity to strengthen awareness and deepen cross-cultural respect for all groups.

Business and management is about conflict and resolutions to conflict. Managers utilize tools to communicate effectively, diffuse conflict, and reach effective resolutions to conflict between employees, vendor, and people they work with on a day-to-day basis. The goal of this course is to develop a conceptual framework of how to negotiate in a variety of business situations. Indeed, managers must utilize power to ethically persuade others of the right course of action. Throughout this course, we will discuss the power managers can use to influence others through negotiating tactics. Additionally, students will be afforded the opportunity to become better negotiators through hands-on activities.

This course presents valuable tools and methods that assist with recruitment and retention of the most qualified people who are also a good fit for the organization. Exercises provide experience in selecting the right employees and in coaching and counseling for current and future performance improvement, emphasizing the capacity to provide feedback in a way that it will actually be heard. Finally, the ethics of termination will be discussed, along with examining when and under what circumstances termination should occur. Additionally, this course will assist with the construction of individualized career plans for each student.

This course is based on the premise that today’s world increasingly depends upon collaboration for success. Teams are currently touted as the primary organizational unit in which the collaborative effort takes place. Students will investigate the arguments for and against teams and teamwork. Through exposure to theoretical knowledge and experiential learning technologies, students will identify when teams are and are not appropriate, as well as examine what is required to create a truly effective, high performing team.

This course addresses the application of leadership skills to transform organizations. The external and internal drivers of organizational change are explored, and systems archetypes are utilized to analyze the root causes of organizational issues that must be dealt with in order for change initiatives to be successful.

Request More Information

Complete this form to receive information about coursework, admissions, tuition, and more.