Community & Public Health Leadership
New opportunities for nursing leadership are abundant as health care shifts from hospital-based to community-oriented systems. The Community and Public Health Leadership concentration prepares nurses for specialized practice in promoting the health of individuals, families, groups and communities. Emphasis is on the development of knowledge and expertise to assess the health status and health delivery systems of communities and to design nursing interventions to better manage care in complex settings. Courses provide the required knowledge and expertise needed to plan, implement, and evaluate care in community settings, including public health departments, schools, home health agencies, and community nursing clinics. Care management strategies to assure continuity of health service delivery for individuals and groups at the local and global level are emphasized.
The MSN in Community & Public Health Leadership is also offered for students who do not live in Central Virginia. In this option, students enroll in 2-4 courses per term and complete most of the course requirements via the internet. Classes meet 'live' at the University twice per term (at the beginning and end of the semester). Active-duty military nurses and their dependents are exempt from the requirement to attend classes in Charlottesville those two sessions per term, and may access these class meetings live via a web-camera.
The curriculum builds on both the theoretical knowledge and clinical experience of the bachelor's prepared nurse.
Full-time students can complete the MSN in Community & Public Health Leadership in as little as 20 months. Part-time students complete the program in approximately 32 months.
The University of Virginia School of Nursing offers a program that combines the Community & Public Health Leadership with Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP), or Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (GNP) preparation.
Program Coordinator: Pam Kulbok, DNSc, RN (434)924-0128, email: pk6c@virginia.edu.
Clinicals
Students complete a total of 504 hours of clinical preceptorships. Most of these hours are completed in GNUR 723 (spring) and GNUR 724 (summer).
Students arrange to complete their clinical requirements close to your home. In the past, students have worked in public health (state or county), with school systems, with HMOs or other non-governmental actors, or with global agencies (W.H.O. Healthy Cities Project, international health missions, etc).
Certification
Graduates are eligible to sit for ANCC certification as a Community Health CNS.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the School of Nursing is competitive and based on evaluation of all portions of the application. To be considered for the Master's of Science in Nursing, applicants must submit a completed application and:
- Have a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited school.
- Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate study.
- Hold an unencumbered RN license in the state where you intend to complete your practica.
- Demonstrate satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination*.
- Submit clear written statements on educational and professional goals, as well as on diversity.
- Submit three satisfactory academic and professional recommendations. One of these letters should be from an APN.
- Submit a copy of your resume or C.V.
- Have completed an undergraduate or graduate statistics course within the past 5 years.
- Be available for an interview if requested.
Note: New BSN graduates may apply for any of the MSN specialty tracks. If you are a new nurse and applying for an Advanced Practice specialty track (NP or CNS), you should apply as a part-time student. You need at least one year of relevant post-BSN clinical nursing experience before enrolling in GNUR 550 (Advanced Pharmacology) and GNUR 551 (Advanced Health Assessment).
Application deadline:
Fall or Summer entry: April 1
Spring entry: November 1
*All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The School of Nursing accepts GRE scores that are more than 5 years old. If you have your 'older' scores, you may submit a copy of the Student Report. Students who have already completed a graduate degree do not need to submit GRE scores. The Institutional Code for the University of Virginia is
R-5820. Because of some recent problems with receiving the ETS score reports, you may be asked to mail/fax a copy of your Student Score Report.
International applicants are required also to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination. Visit their websites for more information. The University of Virginia institutional code number is R-5820, nursing #0610.
Downloads, Program of Study, and Links
For More Information
For additional information on admission to and programs of study at the UVa School of Nursing, please fill our our online form. You are also welcome to call the Office of Addmissions at (434) 924-0141 / (888) 283-8703.
Questions on admissions and financial aid should be directed to Clay Hysell, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Services, email hysell@virginia.edu