Second Careers and Nursing (S.C.A.N.) Program

Program Requirements

Pre-licensure

The five-semester pre-licensure portion of this program is offered in an intensive format and must be taken in full-time study. Courses are offered in a fixed schedule with required clinical experiences that may be scheduled Monday-Saturday. This program meets Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) requirements for licensure. For the MSN degree in the S.C.A.N. program, the following courses are required of students in all clinical specialties.

Program Example: Pre-licensure

Internship

This intensive period of clinical education and continuing preparation for leadership takes place in a health care agency under the direct supervision of a clinical preceptor and supported by clinical faculty in the graduate program. Student interns work the same hours as clinical nursing staff in the agency and gradually assume greater responsibility. At the same time, they review pre-licensure subject matter in preparation for NCLEX examinations (RN exams).

Total Pre-Licensure portion of S.C.A.N. Program: 65 semester units + internship

NOTE: Before taking advanced practice clinical courses for completion of the MSN degree, the student must successfully complete the clinical internship and achieve the passing score required by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) on the NCLEX exam.

In addition to full-time study and clinical practicums (within courses), post-licensure students are required to have clinical work experience apart. This may be no more than 20 hours per week for international students.

Post-Licensure

The post-licensure portion of this program is offered in an intensive four to six semester format. The examples given below show courses required for the Family Nurse Practitioner and the Adult CNS clinical specialties. Students who elect a different specialty will have their programs planned individually according to course sequencing for that specialty. As an alternative to full-time study, students may elect to complete master’s degree requirements through studying in a part-time format while taking courses each semester. Whether they choose to study full or part-time, all students may:

• Elect to write a thesis or take a comprehensive exam to complete the degree.
• Elect nine units of additional courses with an emphasis in nursing education or administration.

Any student who elects to write a thesis must take GNRS 514 Research Proposal Writing (2).

Program Example I: Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty without Thesis

Program Example II: Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) with Thesis

Note: All stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Graduate Catalog for the most current and controlling information.