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The Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AG-CNS) is an advanced clinician who functions as an expert clinician, leader, researcher, educator, and consultant that exerts influence in three spheres: patient/family, nursing personnel, and organization system. The AG-CNS graduate acquires knowledge and experience to provide services to individuals in an area of specialization across the lifespan in health promotion, disease prevention, and management of common acute and/or chronic illness. The AG-CNS works in a variety of clinical settings including acute care hospitals, community agencies, long term care, home care, and physician offices. There are 24 credit hours in the specialty with 500 direct clinical hours.

The AG-CNS graduate is prepared to:

  1. Provide expert outcome-oriented nursing therapeutics for complex patients to promote health, well-being, and quality of life.
  2. Manage the integration and coordination of patient care services across the health care continuum.
  3. Design and implement patient and staff educational programs for promotion of positive health care outcomes.
  4. Consult and collaborate with members of the health care team to support the delivery of quality patient care.
  5. Utilize research methodology and evidence to investigate, promote, and evaluate nursing therapies that produce positive patient care outcomes.
  6. Model responsibility for continued professional development, integrity, accountability, competence, and credentialing as a clinical nurse specialist.

About the Clinical Experience

Curriculum Post Masters Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist  
Clinical Core Courses  
NURS 617 Advanced Concepts of Pathophysiology 3 credit hours
NURS 618 Advanced Health Assessment 3 credit hours
NURS 622 Clinical Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice 3 credit hours
  Total Clinical Hours 9 credit hours
   
Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Practitioner Specialty Courses  
NURS 645 Advanced Nursing Assessment and Intervention I 5 credit hours
NURS 646 Advanced Nursing Assessment and Intervention II 5 credit hours
NURS 647 Advanced Nursing Assessment and Intervention III 5 credit hours
  Total Specialty Hours 15 credit hours

Are you an out-of-state student interested in pursuing a distance learning degree at USI? Check your availability.

The MSN and Post MSN online programs are limited to working with certain states in the U.S. only. Moving into a state not recognized by the graduate nursing program will lead to inability to continue in MSN coursework. The exception to this is active military status.

Non-native speakers of English must meet English proficiency requirements as established by the USI Center for International Programs.

The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master's degree in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice and post-graduate APRN certificate at the University of Southern Indiana are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation).

We offer admission into the program once a year and work with our students to provide a Plan of Study that allows for timely graduation and achievement of their goals.

Fall and spring courses are 16 weeks in length; summer course offerings are 10 weeks long.

There are no campus visits required.

Additional information about the University may be found on our About USI website. We also welcome student visits on campus that are arranged through the USI Office of Admission.