Program Overview
The University of Kansas School of Nursing offers a graduate-level Clinical
Nurse Leader (CNL) program to prepare nurses to be leaders across all settings
in which health care is delivered. The CNL functions as a clinician who oversees
the care coordination of distinct groups of patients and actively provides
direct patient care in complex situations. The nurse in this role has clinical
responsibility and authority for decision-making regarding patient care, with
an emphasis on health promotion and risk reduction. The role of CNL includes
outcomes manager, client advocate, educator, information manager and interdisciplinary
team member. While the CNL is not an advanced practice role, CNL graduates
are eligible to apply for continued advanced practice nursing education.
Graduates of the CNL program will receive both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
(BSN) degree and a Master of Science (MS) degree.
Program Format
The undergraduate portion of the CNL curriculum includes all of the regular
courses, which prepare a nursing student for the BSN degree, except that three
courses are taken at the graduate level instead of the undergraduate. In addition,
CNL students are required to take three credit hours of Pathophysiology instead
of five credit hours. At the end of two years, a BSN degree is granted and
the student will sit for the NCLEX in order to be licensed as a registered
nurse. The CNL student will then proceed into one final year for graduate study,
which will culminate in the Master of Science degree in Nursing. In summary,
the CNL program is three years in length for a total of 92 credit hours (53
BSN, 39 MS).
Sample Plan of Study for CNL
BSN Fall 1 = 16 credits: |
BSN Spring 1 = 17 credits: |
BSN Summer 1 = 8 credits: |
NURS 301 Techniques for Therapeutic Interventions
I (1)
NURS 310 Information Technology for Health Professionals (1)
NURS 320 Alterations in Physiological Functioning (3)
NURS 340 Foundations of Nursing (5)
NURS 341 Foundations of Nursing Clinical lab (3)
NURS 350 Client Assessment (2) |
NURS 302 Techniques for Therapeutic Interventions
II (1)
NRSG 748/749 Theories: Bridge to Practice and Research (2/1)
NURS 325 Pharmacology (3)
Two of the following:
NURS 350/361 Mental Health Nursing/Clinical lab (3/2)
NURS 365/366 Nursing of Adults/Clinical lab (3/2)
NURS 375/376 Nursing of Children/Clinical lab (3/2) |
NRSG 754 Health Care Research (3)
Remaining Class:
NURS 350/361 Mental Health Nursing/Clinical lab (3/2)
NURS 365/366 Nursing of Adults/Clinical lab (3/2)
NURS 375/376 Nursing of Children/Clinical lab (3/2)
|
BSN Fall 2 = 14 credits: |
BSN Spring 2 = 11 credits: |
MS Summer 2 = 6 credits: |
NURS 420/421 Nursing of the Client with Complex
Acute Needs/Clinical (3/1.5)
NURS 430/431 Population Based Health Care/Clinical lab (2/1.5)
NURS 455 Legal/Ethical Foundation for Professional Nursing Practice
(3)
NRSG 755 Health Care Professionalism: Issues and Roles (3) |
NRSG 880 Organizational Foundations for Leading
Change (3)
NRSG 820 Organizational Communication and Program Planning (2)
NURS 490 Professional Practicum (5)
NURS 442 Critical Inquiry for Nursing Practice (2)
BSN degree granted. Eligible to sit for NCLEX licensure
examination. |
NRSG 701 CNL Residency I (6) |
MS Fall 3 = 10 credits: |
MS Spring 3 = 10 credits: |
|
NRSG 826 Global Perspective and Diversity
in Health Care (2)
NRSG 702 CNL Residency II (6)
NRSG 808 Social Context for Health Care Policy (2) |
NRSG 703 CNL Residency III (6)
NRSG 885 Evaluation & Analysis of Health Care Effectiveness (2)
NRSG 898 Research Project in Nursing (2)
MS (Nursing) degree granted. |
|
|
|
Total Program: 92 credits
53 BSN credit hours
39 MS credit hours |
Clinical Partners
The KU School of Nursing is one of more than 70 schools across the United
States participating in the CNL pilot project sponsored by the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). KU has partnered with two area hospitals so
that new CNL graduates will have suitable settings for employment after graduation.
The partners for KU’s CNL program are The University of Kansas Hospital
and Children’s Mercy Hospital & Clinics.
Admission Requirements
Candidates for the CNL program are selected each year from the incoming Fall
BSN junior class. Applicants must have completed all liberal arts and sciences
prerequisite courses for the BSN degree, and will have already completed a
bachelor’s degree in another discipline prior to admission to the School
of Nursing. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for application consideration.
Inquiries should be addressed to:
KU School of Nursing
Office of Student Affairs
Mail Stop 2029
3901 Rainbow Blvd.
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-1619
TDD: 888-766-3777
Email: soninfo@kumc.edu
©
The University of Kansas Medical Center