Nursing: MSN
Advance your nursing career, boost your earning potential and prepare to become a family nurse practitioner — while still working in the field.
Why a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)?
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are in unprecedented demand. The U.S. Department of Labor projects the need for NPs will double between now and 2029, making it the #2 fastest-growing occupation in the country (surpassed only by wind turbine technicians). Nurse practitioners can specialize in several areas; one of the most common paths is to become a family nurse practitioner, or FNP.
FNPs serve more than 800 million patients a year. Because they can offer a full range of primary healthcare services (including prescribing medications and ordering diagnostic tests) to patients of all ages, they fulfill an especially urgent need in rural and underserved areas with limited access to physicians. In addition to clinical services, FNPs focus heavily on patient education, disease prevention and health promotion.
If you’re passionate about patient care and want to expand your nursing career, a master of science in nursing is an ideal next step to move into an advanced practice role.
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Career Outlook & Success
100%
employment rate for MSN graduates within six months
52%
growth rate predicted for nurse practitioners through 2029 (BLS.gov)
$106,380
median annual salary for nurse practitioners in Indiana (BLS.gov, 2019)
Why USF for Nursing?
The University of Saint Francis has a strong reputation for preparing competent, caring healthcare professionals. Our MSN program builds upon your existing nursing experience with:
- A holistic, person-centered focus on care
- High-quality academics rooted in Franciscan values
- Engaged, inspiring faculty members, including practicing NPs
- Enriching hands-on learning opportunities in high-tech facilities
Once you earn your MSN degree, you’ll be eligible to take the family nurse practitioner certification exams through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
Additionally, you can choose one of two MSN programs, based on your background and future goals:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track: the traditional master of science in nursing option for students with a bachelor’s degree
- RN-to-MSN Transition track: provides associate degree nurses with the necessary bachelor’s-level courses before transitioning into MSN coursework (additional clinical hours required). This program has additional requirements for admission.
Flexible & Convenient Schedule
You have professional obligations, and family always comes first. That’s why USF offers its nursing/MSN programs in a hybrid format with a flexible and convenient schedule:
- Full- and part-time options
- Evening classes, every other Tuesday
- Remaining coursework completed online, on your time
Learn By Doing:
Simulations and Clinical Experience
You will learn and collaborate with your classmates in a state-of-the-art science center, which features:
- a simulation lab (with life-like patient simulators)
- a resource lab with exam rooms and patient units
Plus, as you work to become a family nurse practitioner, you’ll gain more than 600 hours of supervised clinical experience at healthcare facilities such as:
- DeKalb Medical Group
- Fransican Health Partners
- Lutheran Health Physicians
- Parkview Health
The University of Saint Francis gave me the tools I need to provide the kind of care I want for my patients. I have the foundation from my nursing background, but the building blocks for becoming a nurse practitioner are all right here. They definitely set you up for success.
Brett Burns ‘20
MSN major
Family Nurse Practitioner Career Opportunities
Once you’ve earned your MSN, pass your certification exam and officially become a family nurse practitioner, you can work as an FNP in a broad range of healthcare settings, including:
- Community health centers
- Home health agencies
- Hospitals
- Outpatient clinics
- Physician’s offices
- Private practice
- Schools
- Urgent care centers
With additional training and experience, you could move into supervisory roles or even into administrator positions.
100% Placement Rate: Where You’ll Find Our Graduates
After completing their MSN programs, USF graduates find advanced practice nursing positions at places such as:
- Adams Health
- Allendale
- Allergy & Asthma Center
- Cardinal Family Medicine
- Clean Slate Outpatient Addiction Medicine
- Emergency Medicine of Indiana, LLC
- Family Healthcare of Northwest Ohio, LLC
- Fertility and Midwifery Center
- Fort Wayne Neurological Center
- Heart City Health Care
- Indiana Ear
- Kroger – The Little Clinic
- Lutheran Health Physicians
- Marion General Hospital
- Mercy Health Ohio
- Northeast Internal Medicine Association
- Parkview Health
- Select Specialty Hospital
- St. Vincent Health
- Summit Pain Management
- Veterans Affairs Northern Indiana Health Care System
This partial list of employers demonstrates the versatility of MSN programs and the many places an FNP can take you.
Additional Educational Opportunities
Some students use the master of science in nursing (MSN) as a stepping stone into a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) or Ph.D. program, with the goal of working in research, education or public health.
Additionally, you may earn certification in more than one NP speciality. Between the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) you can find certifications in areas such as:
- Acute care
- Adult health
- Gerontology health
- Neonatal health
- Oncology
- Pediatric/child health
- Psychiatric/mental health
- Women’s health
Accreditation
The Master of Science in Nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Our Mission
Rooted in Franciscan Values, faculty engage a diverse community of learners to serve society holistically as compassionate, professional nurse leaders.
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Academic Plan
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