Nursing leadership with integrity.
Nursing leadership with integrity.

Online master’s in nursing leadership

Want to make it into the room where decisions are made? An MSN in nursing leadership will prepare you with the knowledge and the confidence to get there.

The landscape of health care is constantly evolving and there’s a growing need for nurse leaders to step up with the experience and know-how to manage and advocate on behalf of nurses everywhere. The Nursing Leadership Specialization option for the MSN is focused on key topics that will help an accomplished nurse step into administrative roles with poise. Employing strategic and critical thinking, digging into ethics, policy, technology, and evaluating evidence-based contemporary management strategies, the master’s in nursing leadership online will prepare you to take on the field’s biggest challenges.

As with all of OCU’s online MSN programs, the master’s in nurse leadership is 100% online with no on-campus or clinical requirements, giving you a flexible path to reach your career goals.

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Nurse leadership roles by the numbers

$110,680
Median annual medical services manager salary1
28%
Growth rate for medical services managers, much faster than the national average1
144,700
Projected job openings for medical services managers from 2022-20321
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MSN Program Details Sheet

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Considering a nursing degree to take your career to the next level? Your journey starts here. Complete the form to get a program brochure for the Oklahoma City University MSN Online.

Get valuable insights into the OCU online experience, learn more about specialization options, and see where this degree can take you.

What can you do with an MSN in nurse leadership?

OCU’s online master’s in nurse leadership will prepare you to think bigger and with an eye on strategy. With an understanding of large institutional budgeting, finance, technology, and management, you’ll be a competitive candidate for a wide range of executive and nurse leadership roles. No matter what type of role you’re interested in, you’ll likely be able to move on from 12-hour shifts to a more traditional work schedule as well as open up the opportunity to earn more and challenge yourself with new responsibilities while honing in on your personal areas of interest.

In a nursing leadership role you might:

  • Create schedules and manage talent distribution
  • Solve urgent problems related to technology, staffing, or resources
  • Collaborate and work with interdisciplinary teams across a health care organization
  • Recruit and train new nurses or other clinical staff
  • Collect and assess evidence to find and resolve gaps in processes
  • Advocate on behalf of staff or patients
  • Establish and maintain quality assurance and safety policies

Course Highlight

Evolving Health Care Systems

Learn to lead with innovation and navigate the complexities of modern health care. Build upon your ability to create accountable, effective teams and foster relationships that drive meaningful change. This course champions nurse advocacy, preparing you to anticipate future challenges and address present-day demands with expertise. Transform patient care and health care policies through visionary leadership that recognizes and meets the evolving needs of communities.

View Full Curriculum

Four members of medical staff collaborating in front of whiteboard

Common nursing leadership roles:

Master’s in nursing leadership and management jobs can be found in all corners of healthcare, making it easier to find a role overseeing staff or projects that suit your interests.

Icon of exterior of hospital

Chief Nursing Officer

Shape nursing strategy, oversee patient care standards, and lead the nursing staff of a health care organization.

Icon of patient on exam table next to medical cross symbol

Director of Patient Services

Analyze data concerning patient outcomes to ensure patients receive timely, efficient, and organized care across various departments and specialties in an organization.

Icon of medical bag with medical cross on front

Medical Services Director

Oversee clinical teams, coordinate medical programs and policies, and ensure compliance with health care regulations to deliver superior patient care and services.

MSN Online: Nursing Leadership Specialization Curriculum

Designed to prepare nurses to serve in middle- and upper-management roles, including executive leadership positions within health care organizations, the MSN Leadership Specialization from Oklahoma City University provides students with the valuable management skills to take on top roles in health care settings.

NURS 5202 Technology Management in Nursing Leadership (2 credit hours)

Introduction to emerging technologies within health care organizations. Examines the usage, integration, and surveillance of AI and smart technology in health care settings from the perspective of nursing leaders.

NURS 5302 Quality Improvement and Safety in Nursing Health Care Leadership (2 credit hours)

Principles and tools of quality improvement processes and programs. Gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes to construct a safe healthcare environment for clients, families, and staff.

NURS 5804 Leadership Ethics, Law and Health Care Policy (4 credit hours)

Nursing and health care policy development from agenda setting, policy formation, policy implementation, and policy evaluation at the national, state, and local levels. Legal, political, and regulatory aspects of health care organizations and providers are explored, as well as critical issues encountered by nursing leadership. The influence of ethical issues on nursing leadership and policy development are examined.

NURS 6303 Contemporary Health Care Organizations (3 credit hours)

Business and human relationship skills to guide the operation of contemporary health care organizations. Evidence-based practice management strategies to enhance leadership effectiveness in a variety of healthcare settings.

NURS 6314 Health Care Economics and Financial Management (4 credit hours)

Management of financial resources in the health care industry, public and private health care funding, applied financial management, management resource systems, budgeting, and nursing resource allocation are examined and applied to modern health systems.

NURS 6403 Evolving Health Care Systems (3 credit hours)

Explore innovation, accountability, relationship building, and leading change to function effectively in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment. Nurse advocacy is promoted by planning for the future while meeting current expectations. Prerequisite: NURS 6303.

NURS 6413 Emerging Complex Health Care Systems (3 credit hours)

Critical insights from complexity science underpin examination of new ways of thinking about individual and organizational behaviors and performance. Traditional and contemporary management strategies will be analyzed from the perspective of complex systems theory.

Online master’s in nursing leadership blogs

Nursing is a dynamic profession that offers a variety of career paths. Continuing education will keep you current on medical best practices, and additional training can open up new career options, higher pay, and different challenges throughout health care organizations.

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Working nurses who want to advance their careers don’t have to put their lives on hold. With the emergence of online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs, there are flexible and convenient pathways available. Without reporting to campus, you can develop as a nursing leader, exploring topics ranging from disease prevention to social justice in health care.

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One of the best aspects of nursing is the number of opportunities you have to move in a different direction, yet stay connected to the job you love. As a nurse manager, you still have the opportunity to work with patients in a clinical setting but you also get to represent your team to your organization’s management.

Read More

Prepare for a dynamic leadership role

Whether you have an eye on a seat at the executive table, want to pivot to a career as a nurse informatics manager, or are interested in gaining the leadership skills to head your own nonprofit health organization, consider the Online Master of Science in Nursing with a Leadership Specialization.

Woman in blue sweater observing nurses at work and taking notes

Sources

  1. Retrieved on August 14, 2024, from bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm

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