MEPN
MS in Nursing Science with a Community and Population Health Nursing Concentration
Interested in starting a career as a Registered Nurse?
Our Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) is a two-year, full-time master’s degree program that provides students with the education, training, and clinical hours needed to become Registered Nurses. MEPN is designed for applicants who already have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, but would like to pursue an accelerated graduate-level program that covers the foundation of nursing practice.
MEPN students achieve competencies in research and utilize scholarly evidence in the design, delivery, evaluation, and improvement of health care. The small MEPN cohorts also have the opportunity to learn alongside our undergraduate prelicensure students and graduate students in other health-related professional programs in certain courses in mixed learning communities. Additionally, the MEPN boasts a concentration in Community and Population Health Nursing (CPHN) preparing graduates to lead interprofessional health care teams that advocate for the expansion of health care opportunities to under-served populations.
Learn more about the prerequisite course requirements and other requirements to apply to MEPN here.
- Accelerated two-year, full-time program
- High-tech clinical simulation experiences throughout the curriculum
- Excellent clinical partnerships with rotations throughout UCI Health and immersion opportunities in local communities
- Leadership role preparation and interprofessional team building skills development
- Desirable concentration in Community and Population Health
Goals
- Demonstrate advanced critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and psychomotor skills necessary for safe and competent practice.
- Skillfully communicate both verbally and in writing in a therapeutic and professional manner across a variety of health care environments.
- Provide high-level, culturally sensitive care for individuals and families from various socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- Advance the care of communities and vulnerable populations through leadership, health policy, and innovative practices.
- Incorporate advanced principles of health promotion and health education in the nursing care of individuals, families, groups, and communities.
- Implement a plan of care based on the nursing process that incorporates integrative health, advocacy, and caring principles.
- Critically evaluate and integrate current research, evidence, and policy while planning, implementing, and evaluating care for individuals, families, groups, and communities to ensure evidence-based practice.
- Implement management and leadership principles within collaborative interprofessional teams to optimize health care delivery to individuals and families in a variety of settings.
- Pursue advanced degrees in research, clinical specialization, nursing education, and/or administration.
- Utilize informatics and technology to analyze, manage and improve the delivery of health care.
Program learning Outcomes
- Earn a Master of Science degree.
- Qualify to take the national licensing examination (NCLEX) for registered nurses.
- Be eligible for certification as a public health nurse.
- Be prepared for application of research- and evidence-based practice competencies.
- Gain expertise in specialized concentrations of nursing practice.
- Be prepared for leadership role(s), including collaborative interprofessional team building.
- Attain leadership skills in health policy to become advocates for health promotion and disease prevention efforts supporting population health.
- Be prepared for future research- or practice-focused doctoral studies, if desired
- You are eager to pursue licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN)
- You are interested in becoming a researcher, educator and/or clinician
- You want to build and lead collaborative interprofessional health care teams
- You are passionate about improving health care delivery and access to care
- You wish to design innovative nursing practice and translate evidence into practice
Want to learn more about the different ways to become a Registered Nurse in California? Read more about it our guide.
Curriculum
The MEPN program is a two-year commitment and prepares graduates for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). The curriculum provides education in organization and systems leadership, quality improvement and safety, integration of scholarship into practice, health policy and advocacy, health promotion and disease prevention for improving patient and population outcomes, and a master’s level of nursing practice. View our NCLEX pass rate here: https://www.rn.ca.gov/education/passrates.shtml
Sample Curriculum Plans
You may review the curriculum plan for our Master of Science in Nursing Science program here.
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