Masters in Nursing Schools in Kentucky

Kentucky’s diverse population, which includes an eclectic mix of rural, urban, and suburban communities, has health care needs that can best be met by skilled professionals. With a Master’s degree in nursing in Kentucky, you can step up to fill this role and serve people in your community. Several nursing schools in Kentucky offer routes to earn your MSN, and you can compare them here.

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Nursing Programs in Kentucky

The Master’s in Nursing degree is a rigorous educational program that builds upon your existing nursing education and experience. Since this degree prepares you for important practice and leadership roles immediately after graduation, there may be clinical practice requirements that you have to meet before getting accepted into a program, such as having practiced nursing for at least two years. These requirements will vary between programs, so be sure to check out admissions information from each school.

If you go the traditional route of first earning a Bachelor’s in Nursing, you may only need two to three years to earn your MSN. You may be in school for up to five years if you are bridging from a non-nursing Bachelor’s degree or Associate’s degree in nursing. There are also online MSN programs in Kentucky to choose from, offering a high degree of flexibility if you plan to work your way through school.

As a nurse practitioner student, you may take courses like Primary Care of Adults and Pediatric Pharmacology. Nursing education programs often include classes like Transformative Curriculum Design and Leading Through Technology. Nursing administration may require courses like Management of Health Care and Nursing Theory.

Kentucky is home to many scholarship opportunities for graduate nursing students. The Kentucky Nurses Foundation and Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners & Nurse Midwives both award scholarships every year. Through the state, you can apply for funding from the Nursing Incentive Scholarship Fund.

Working With Your MSN in Kentucky

Nurses with their MSN are in demand in this state. Health Kentucky notes that nurse practitioners are in serious demand in rural Kentucky communities. Their estimates indicate that 43% of Kentucky’s population lives in a rural area, while only 28% of the state’s primary care practitioners practice in rural areas. This shortage also means that many women living in rural areas do not live close to high-quality pregnancy care. With a Master’s degree in nurse midwifery, you can assist low-risk women in pregnancy and childbirth.

With a master’s degree in nursing you could work as a nurse anesthetist or a nurse administrator.

Working as a nurse anesthetist gives you the opportunity to ensure that patients are safe and comfortably sedated during surgeries and procedures.

As a nurse administrator with a master’s degree, you can work in a hospital or clinic management position and oversee those who perform direct patient care in a variety of settings.

To discover more about MSN programs or these career options, contact any of the schools on this page.

What You Can Expect From Your MSN Program

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports that there are 15 AACN member schools in Kentucky and several other universities that are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. However, Kentucky is suffering from a nursing shortage, like most other states, including a shortage of Nurse Educators. As a result, Kentucky’s Action Coalition is working as a strong driving force to transform health care and nursing education in the state. If you would like to be part of the transformation of healthcare, this might be the perfect time to return to nursing school in KY for your graduate degree.

Kentucky has numerous accredited MSN programs, both on campus and online. Some of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs that are available include: Adult Gerontology Primary Nurse Practitioner, Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, and a Master of Science in Nursing with a Certificate in Health Professions Education. If you are interested in Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing, this program teaches you to diagnose, assess and treat those patients with psychiatric problems/disorders, which is essential to improving healthcare in the United States.

The criteria for admission to any of the Master of Science in Nursing programs typically includes many of the following requirements.

Official transcripts representing all college course work with a GPA of 3.0 or better
A bachelor’s degree earned from a regionally accredited institution
GRE examination scores with a 148 verbal and a 140 quantitative and analytical score of four
Two letters of reference from individuals who can speak of academic and or professional capabilities and potential
All prerequisites must be completed prior to enrollment in MEPN
Completed application, which is available online, with $60 application fee
Completed Graduate Applicant Data Sheet, available online
A personal interview with faculty may be required

The general core courses to become a Nurse Practitioner in Kentucky can include many or all those listed below:

Foundations for Advance Practice
Economic & Info Management in Complex Health Care Systems
Introduction to Health Care Systems and Policy
Statistics
Nursing Pharmacology
Research and EBP
Advance Clinical Assessment
Lifespan Pathophysiology

The Concentration Area Courses for Mental-Psychiatric Nursing include:

Advance Psychiatric Assessment and Clinical Interview Techniques
Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
Transition to Practice
Advanced PMH Practice: I & II Nursing of Individuals, Families, Groups
Advanced Clinical Practice I: Nursing of Individuals, Families
Advance club clinical Practice II: PMH Nursing with Groups & Communities
Clinical Decision Making: Psychopathology Across the Lifespan
Psychopharmacology

If you want to graduate from this program, it requires 45 credit hours and 672 clinical hours. Other graduate programs require similar amounts of credits and clinical hours, based upon which MSN program you choose.

If you graduate from this program you will have met the eligibility criteria required to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center examination. This credential validates your skills and training, and you may include it on your resume, which will help you when you apply for new position. If you are a member of the America Nurses Association the cost of the exam is $270, members of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners pay $340 and nonmembers pay $395 for this credential.

Salaries that are possible after earning your graduate nursing degree will depend on your chosen focus, your experience, your education, any credentials you choose to earn and your employer. Getting your graduate degree may enhance your earning potential, but it will also provide you with an increase sense of autonomy and can directly influence patient outcomes and healthcare quality in Kentucky.

Be sure to visit the Financial Aid Office at your university and complete a FAFSA application, which is a federal grant program. Kentucky has a Nursing Incentive Scholarship Fund that provides scholarships to Kentucky residents attending approved nursing programs. The recipients are selected individually by the NISF committee. Each scholarship is $3000 annually, which may be used for cost-of-living expenses and school expenses.

Many colleges also offer scholarships or grants, and some hospitals offer tuition reimbursement if you are attending school part-time and working. The Health Resources and Services Administration offers low interest and long-term loans, as well as Loan Repayment Programs you may want to look into as well.

If you complete your graduate degree you will have a great sense of satisfaction as you can choose a career that fits your goals, and you are actually helping the nursing profession as a whole. Be sure to contact the Kentucky nursing schools that offer MSN programs directly from our page to learn more about all of your options.

Kentucky RN to MSN Bridge Programs

As a registered nurse, have you ever wondered how you can use your education to better benefit the nursing community of Kentucky and take on more responsibility in your career? One of the biggest benefits of working in the nursing field is the variety of ways in which you can advance your career. With higher education, you may be able to work in nursing leadership, advanced nursing care, nursing education, or several other specialties. This may even lead you into prestigious positions in the health care community of Kentucky. The Hastings Tribune reports on Shana Schultz, a NICU nurse who was recently recognized as one of the top 40 nurses under 40 in Kentucky. If you are ready to advance your education and career, contact the RN-to-MSN schools in Kentucky you are interested in learning more about.

Kentucky MSN students may be expected to tackle and succeed at a long list of program outcomes. Almost all schools expect you to develop some leadership skills, and you may even be tested on these leadership skills in a clinical setting. Instructors may check your understanding of nursing research and your ability to integrate nursing research into your clinical decisions. Your patient communication skills may also be tested, particularly if you plan on going into advanced clinical practice on your own.

The courses you take as an RN-to-MSN student vary, depending on which school and specialty you choose. Typically, all nursing students take Master’s courses like Nursing Policy & Politics, Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Assessment, and Nursing Theory. To work efficiently in a clinical specialty, you may need to take classes like Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Psychological Assessment, and Clinical Psychopharmacology. In a nursing education specialty, you may take Clinical Teaching in Nursing, Teaching in Schools of Nursing, and Curriculum Development in Nursing. Other specialties you may choose from at the MSN level include nursing informatics, nursing administration, and clinical nurse leadership.

Program lengths in Kentucky vary between schools, but they typically last about three years. If you attend courses each summer and during winter breaks, you may be able to graduate slightly faster.

The state of Kentucky is home to many nursing scholarships and grants that can benefit MSN students. Once you have been accepted to an RN-to-MSN program in Kentucky, you may be able to begin the application process. The Kentucky Board of Nursing has the Nursing Incentive Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships worth $3,000. The Kentucky Nurses Foundation is another popular source of scholarships for Kentucky nursing students. If you want to become a nurse practitioner or nurse midwife, you may qualify for a $1,500 scholarship through the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners & Nurse Midwives.

If you want to become a nurse educator, nurse administrator, or nurse researcher, you may not need to pursue anything beyond your normal RN license. However, if you want to pursue an advanced clinical role, it’s likely that you may need an advanced license from the Kentucky Board of Nursing.

Job growth rates in Kentucky reflect a growing demand for advanced nursing professionals. Nursing salaries here are on par with the national average.

A master’s degree in nursing can be a great way to impact the field of nursing and promote change within the field of health care. If you’re ready to take the first step, contact KY nursing schools with MSN bridge programs directly from our site to learn more about your options.

Kentucky Direct Entry MSN

You’re one of the lucky few people who have decided upon a career in nursing. You’re ready to get into the field of nursing and start making a difference in patients’ lives every day—the only problem is that you don’t have a nursing degree. Luckily, if you already have a Bachelor’s degree in any field, you have the groundwork needed for a Master’s degree in nursing.

Kentucky’s direct entry MSN programs were specifically created for those who have non-nursing Bachelor’s degrees and want to start an advanced nursing career. To find the programs available, contact the Kentucky nursing schools with Direct Entry MSN programs today.

In the first half of your program, you work towards an RN license. In the second half, you complete Master’s-level training in your chosen nursing specialty.

Since your prerequisites should have been completed during your first Bachelor’s degree, you jump right into nursing courses when you start your Accelerated MSN program in Kentucky. It’s likely that you’ll start with core nursing classes like Advanced Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Nursing Fundamentals, and Health Assessment. As you work towards your RN, you’ll complete two years’ worth of clinical work in about one year or less. This may require you to spend lots of time in a local hospital or nursing home.

When you’ve earned your RN license and proven your abilities in Bachelor’s-level nursing, you can start on the road to your Master’s degree. Offerings vary between schools, so thoroughly consider all of your options. You can start by requesting program details from the schools on this page that offer Direct Entry Master’s in Nursing degrees in Kentucky.

Depending on your skills and interests, you may want to become a nurse practitioner, nurse leader, nurse midwife, or nurse educator. Regardless, your curriculum will include core courses that are required of all specialties. Core courses include Scholarly Inquiry, Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Health Assessment, and Contemporary Issues in Nursing.

Just as clinical work is important in the first part of your education; it’s usually a major part of your Master’s degree. Clinical requirements are based on your specialty and how much time you may be spending with patients. In general, plan on completing several hundred clinical hours in this part of your graduate nursing education.

Many Kentucky schools, employers, and government agencies offer scholarships for academically successful nursing students. If you begin your application process early, you may be able to apply for several nursing scholarships each year. The Kentucky Board of Nursing has the Nursing Incentive Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships of $3,000 per year. If you join the Kentucky Nurses Association, you may be able to apply for multiple scholarships that they award. Local employer Norton Healthcare offers scholarships for those with financial need, those who have high grades, volunteers, and employees.

As a nursing professional in Kentucky, you may be able to earn a competitive salary. Many employers and organizations pay well for the expertise of an MSN.

The Kentucky Board of Nursing will oversee your career and your nursing license. In many specialties, you just need to maintain a registered nurse license. However, clinical specialties do require advanced licensure. These specialties include nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, and nurse anesthetist.

Kentucky’s growing need for nursing professionals gives you the opportunity to excel in this field and make a difference where it truly counts. Whether you want to strengthen the nursing field through research, advanced care, or leadership, you can become a prominent part of a local nursing team.

Take some time to get more information about the Kentucky Direct Entry programs you are interested in applying to today.

Kentucky CRNA Programs

Health care is an incredibly important topic in the United States, especially in light of recent health insurance legislation. As a result of changes in the field, millions of Kentucky residents are obtaining health insurance and planning procedures that they have needed for years. This has led to an increase in demand for specially-trained health care professionals, including nurse anesthetists. Nurse anesthetists provide anesthesia for a number of purposes, from minor pain relief to general anesthesia for major surgical procedures. By earning a master’s degree in nurse anesthesia, you can become a valuable part of an anesthesia team at a local health care facility. Contact the schools you see on our page that offer CRNA programs in Kentucky to learn more.

You will need a highly specialized set of skills to work in nurse anesthesia. You must be willing to study the human body and its physiology in-depth, as this field requires you to administer anesthesia via many different routes. In addition, you have to develop an extensive knowledge of pharmacology, particularly in the area of analgesics. Attention to detail can help you ensure proper technique and avoid costly mistakes.
Becoming a nurse anesthetist can be a great way to make the most of your nursing potential and experience. Find out more about this Master’s degree program to find out if you would like to become a nurse anesthetist in Kentucky.

Admissions and Curriculum for CRNA Programs in Kentucky

Prior to planning for your new career in anesthesia, you may want to check out the admissions requirements for CRNA schools in Kentucky. Though these requirements may seem fairly competitive, you may be able to exceed them with a little bit of planning and hard work. You should plan on getting experience in a critical care setting, as many schools expect you to prove yourself in this work setting before you can begin a CRNA program. A Bachelor’s degree in nursing is a prerequisite for this program. You should have a fairly impressive academic record; most Kentucky schools require a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Nurse anesthetist programs tend to have more involved course requirements than other Master’s-level nursing programs. By the time you graduate, you may have completed well over 50 credits in nursing leadership, nurse anesthesia, pharmacology, and advanced nursing practice. You may need to spend about three years in school as a full-time student to matriculate with a Master’s degree in nurse anesthesia. Many of your courses may include a laboratory or clinical requirement. To be eligible for certification as a nurse anesthetist, you need to work with no fewer than 550 patients under the supervision of a CRNA.

The curriculum for your nurse anesthetist program may begin with core nursing courses that are expected of all advanced nursing students. Courses in this group include Advanced Human Physiology, Evaluating Evidence for Advanced Nursing Practice, Pharmacology of Anesthetics, and Human Anatomy for Advanced Nursing Professionals. Courses unique to the CRNA program include Basic Principles of Anesthesia, Advanced Principles of Anesthesia, Clinical Anesthesia, and Clinical Decision Making for Advanced Practice.

Your school application process may include financial aid. Once you have been accepted to an accredited nurse anesthesia program, you can begin applying for scholarships and grants that are for advanced nursing students. The Kentucky Board of Nursing is maintained by the Kentucky Board of Nursing. Another source for multiple scholarships is the Kentucky Nurses Association. Some organizations and health care providers have scholarship funds, like Norton Healthcare.

Working as a Nurse Anesthetist in Kentucky

One of the most important aspects of working in the nursing field is licensure and certification. The state of Kentucky is fairly strict about nursing professions, so you will want to ensure that you go through the proper licensing procedure before you start working as a nurse anesthetist in Kentucky. All licensing goes through the Kentucky Board of Nursing. They require certification from the National Board of Certification & Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists. This involves passing a licensing exam and providing proof of your completed degree and clinical hours. You can then submit your test scores to the Board of Nursing and apply for an advanced practice nursing license. Keep in mind that ongoing certification is required in Kentucky, so you must complete 40 hours of continuing education every year that you practice as a nurse anesthetist.

Becoming a nurse anesthetist isn’t just good news for your career. In fact, it can positively impact the entire nursing field. By integrating research and clinical practice into your career, you can improve care standards throughout the field and display the importance of continuing education. Furthermore, your advanced level of education may put you in a great position to be seen as a leader by your peers.

As health care continues to evolve in America, it’s clear that nurse anesthetists will likely continue to be an important part of the field. Take advantage of this opportunity by reaching out to CRNA schools in Kentucky for program details today.

Forensic Nursing in Kentucky

The healthcare background you get as a registered nurse is useful in many settings and applications. For example, forensic nursing is one of the newest nursing specialties to be offered at nursing colleges in Kentucky. Nurses with forensic training can provide care to victims of trauma, gather evidence from bodies, and ensure that patients receive evidence-based, sensitive care.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, also known as SANEs, study a specialized form of forensic nursing. In September of 2016, Kentucky started ensuring that certified SANEs were available at all times (KY Forward, 2016).

If you’re ready to learn about the opportunities in forensic nursing, discover how to become a forensic nurse by contacting programs below.

Master’s Degree Programs in Forensic Nursing in Kentucky

To study forensic nursing at the Master’s degree level, you need a Bachelor’s degree in nursing and a current nursing license. Many programs have extensive experience requirements, since forensic nursing is a specialized field that requires sensitivity and a knowledge of current evidence.

By the time you graduate, you should have at least 30 credits from graduate nursing courses. Some programs require far more than 30 credits, depending on which school you attend and whether you study sexual assault nursing, legal nurse consulting, or forensic nursing. There are some courses that are commonly offered in all of these areas.

Courses Offered for Forensic Nurse Degree Programs

Forensic Science and the Legal System
Criminal Law and the Courts
Advanced Forensic Nursing
Program Development, Leadership, and Policy of Forensic Nursing
Forensic Clinical Experience

To be ready for the challenges of a forensic nursing career, you need plenty of clinical experience. Hour requirements vary between schools, but you may spend several hundred hours in relevant clinical settings.

Before you start working in forensic nursing in Kentucky, you may need to get certified. Through the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, you may become a Certified Forensic Nurse if you have at least three years of RN experience. SANE licensure goes through the Commission for Forensic Nursing Certification. The forensic nursing requirements for Advanced Forensic Nurses include two years of full-time experience, 2,000 hours of forensic nursing experience, and a Master’s degree.

The Role of Forensic Nurses in Kentucky

When you start working as a forensic nurse, you may take part in many meaningful programs that help victims get justice and provide them with care that is sensitive to their trauma. The Kentucky Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs runs an SANE program that makes SANEs accessible to victims whenever they need them. Many other facilities are starting to provide SANE coverage. If you become a legal nurse consultant, you may work for a government agency, a crime lab, or a nurse consulting firm.

If you’re ready to use your nursing experience in a new and challenging role, learn more about forensic nursing now.

Contact forensic nurse programs to get started.

Clinical Nurse Leader Degrees in Kentucky

What does it mean to be a good health care leader? You’ve likely developed your own ideas in this area while working as a registered nurse. Perhaps you’ve lamented the state of leadership in your own facility and thought about how you could guide nurses to higher standards of care.

Without a doubt, the role of the Clinical Nurse Leader is extremely important in Kentucky. With nursing homes implementing new hiring standards and screening procedures throughout the state, leaders must be able to train and guide new staff to thrive under their facility’s expectations (WFPL News).

Furthermore, health care policy has seen unprecedented change in recent years. Experts note that nurses need more education and training to understand these changes (Lexington Herald Leader). Becoming a nurse leader empowers you to train staff and ensure that they have the knowledge they need to understand the Affordable Care Act.

If you are ready to further explore the opportunities in nurse management, take a look at our list of nurse leadership Master’s degree programs in Kentucky to discover your options.

How Can I Become a Clinical Nurse Leader in Kentucky?

The experience and education you receive as a registered nurse creates a strong foundation for clinical nurse leadership study in Kentucky. Keep in mind that you must have a Bachelor’s degree before you begin graduate-level study.

If you already have a Bachelor’s degree in nursing, you can jump right into graduate courses when you’re accepted to a program. Associate’s degree nurses may qualify for RN to MSN programs, which include the coursework required for a BSN and MSN. Non-nursing Bachelor’s degree holders may have to take core nursing courses and pass the NCLEX-RN prior to beginning graduate courses.

Although there are many different training options for aspiring nurse leaders, they tend to have fairly similar goals and learning outcomes. At quite a few programs, students must demonstrate the following competencies prior to graduation:

Understand administrative processes in health care
Function in mentorship role for nurses
Comprehend and respond to complex health problems
Utilize research and patient input to make strong clinical decisions

While it is clear that nursing leadership is an extremely diverse field, the curriculum at your school of choice should help you excel in each area of study. Throughout Kentucky, schools require courses like those listed here:

Health Services Administration
Ethics in Health Care
Health Law
Leadership and Human Resource Management in Nursing
Health and Information Management in Nursing
Cultural Competence in Nursing
Health Communication

Obtaining a high-level nursing certification involves several licensing steps. Clinical Nurse Leader is a national certification, not a statewide certification. However, you still must maintain your registered nursing license through the Kentucky Board of Nursing. This involves completing 14 continuing education units every two years and renewing your license by October 31 in even-numbered years.

To become licensed as a Clinical Nurse Leader, you work with the AACN. This organization requires graduation from an approved Master’s degree program, a passing score on the licensing exam, and completion of the application process. After securing your certification, renewal occurs every five years.

What Does a Clinical Nurse Leader Do?

By the time you graduate and begin your career as a nurse leader, you should be extremely familiar with the Kentucky nursing community, its challenges, and the ways in which it can grow. The more time you spend in a nurse leadership role, the more you may develop your own goals for your institution and the nursing industry in general.

Clinical work, nurse management, administrative work, and research are all aspects of nurse leadership positions. The amount of time you dedicate to each responsibility depends on the needs of your organization and what your goals are.

It is important to note that the AACN designed the Clinical Nurse Leader role to primarily serve in a clinical capacity. By working and staying active in a clinical setting, you can demonstrate the importance of education and evidence-based care to other nurses.
Understanding your scope of practice may take some time. Joining a group like the Kentucky Organization of Nurse Leaders can help you connect with other nurse leaders and grow from their experience.

A career in nurse leadership does not just benefit you—it contributes to higher standards across the nursing industry. Learn more by getting in touch with Master’s in nurse leadership programs in Kentucky.

Kentucky Research Nursing Graduate Programs

During your time as a registered nurse in Kentucky, you have likely seen procedures and standards change dozens of times, if not more than that. These changes may seem excessive or too frequent, but the truth is that quite a bit of research goes into every change that is made in the nursing industry. Your experience may help you see areas for growth or change in Kentucky, and you could use that experience to become a great nurse researcher.

To understand how important nursing research is in Kentucky and throughout the country, all you have to do is look at how much money is spent on research studies. Kentucky legislators recently put their support behind a bill that would significantly increase spending on medical research. As research facilities, hospitals, and universities try to keep up with the demand for research, their need for clinical researchers should increase.

Explore your options in this field by looking at our list of research nursing graduate programs in Kentucky.

Kentucky Graduate Degree Programs in Nursing Research

It is clear that your previous nursing experience can be extremely helpful when you enter a nurse research program. In fact, you must have a Bachelor’s degree in nursing to apply to graduate programs in this field. However, the field of nurse research blends statistics with nursing, so you must complete a thorough curriculum before you can work in this field.

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The Role of Clinical Nurse Researchers in Kentucky

The research that you do as a clinical researcher doesn’t just improve health care and give nurses a better working environment. In fact, this research can often save lives. Nurse researchers in Kentucky found that drug-related deaths in Lexington have been increasing year over year. These kinds of findings can help nurses and policymakers figure out what they need to focus on when treating patients.

Kentucky may be an excellent place to get established in your nurse research career.

Dedicating yourself to your education now can help you boost your job satisfaction and contribute to the health care industry at large. Get started by contacting research nursing programs in Kentucky.

Kentucky Certified Nurse Midwife Programs

There are many reasons that you may be interested in the field of nursing. From the opportunity to serve patients and change lives to the variety of specialties in which you can work as a nurse, the field of nursing can be very exciting. If you’re interested in serving in a specialty field, you may be ready to start moving toward a career in nurse midwifery.

Becoming a certified nurse midwife (CNM) can benefit you and your patients in many ways. Certified nurse midwives provide highly personalized care to women of differing medical needs. Whether it involves performing a pelvic exam and clearing a woman for another year of health checks or helping a new mother through the process of childbirth, this field allows you to make a difference every single day.

Contact the schools you see listed on this site to learn more about certified nurse midwife programs in Kentucky.

Becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife in Kentucky

If you want to change the future of nursing by become a CNM, you have to start with the proper training. You should spend at least two years in a graduate program while earning 30 to 45 credits. The courses you take should cover advanced nursing clinical skills, theories of female health care, evidence on childbearing practices and procedures, and leadership skills in a health care setting.

As you move through your program, you can learn from those with many years of experience in midwifery and get lots of hands-on experience in clinical settings. In fact, you may look forward to spending more than 1,000 hours in hospitals and clinics.

Becoming familiar with the curriculum for your CNM program can serve you well as you start to tackle the learning goals and outcomes set out by your advisors. As a new student, you may take core classes that are required of all graduate nursing students. These classes include Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning, Advanced Health Assessment, and Pathophysiologic Concepts.

From there, you can enroll in midwifery courses. These courses may include Women’s Health for Advanced Practice Nursing, Evolution of Midwifery in Nursing, Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology, and Antepartal Care for Nurse Midwifery. In these courses, you may observe and help with midwifery procedures, including pelvic exams, birth, and postpartum exams.

Financial aid may be a big part of your school choice, so it’s crucial to look into advanced nursing scholarships early and often. Kentucky residents may apply for aid through the Nursing Incentive Scholarship Fund. Several local employers have dedicated scholarship funds, including Norton Healthcare. The Kentucky Nurses Foundation offers a variety of scholarships to nursing students at different educational levels.

Working as a Certified Nurse Midwife in Kentucky

Before you can start bettering the health care provided to women and newborns, you have to meet the licensing and certification requirements of Kentucky. Upon completing your degree, you can apply to take your midwifery exam via the American Midwifery Certification Board. Once you have passed their rigorous certification procedure, you can apply for advanced practice standing with the Kentucky Board of Nursing. As long as you renew your license as needed, you can keep working as a certified nurse midwife.

As is the case with many nursing careers and specialties, the demand for nurse midwives is growing rapidly.

Women deserve to receive high-quality health care that is tailored to their needs. You can start making that happen by reaching out to certified nurse midwife programs in Kentucky.

Kentucky Clinical Nurse Specialist Degrees

With your background as a registered nurse, you may have quite a bit of experience in patient care, reading and understanding nursing research, and working as part of a collaborative health care team. These skills can serve you well in almost any field, but they are particularly valuable if you want to further your education and become a clinical nurse specialist (CNS).

Contact the schools listed below that offer Clinical Nurse Specialist programs in Kentucky to learn more about entering this field.

As a CNS in Kentucky, you may be in a position to improve the state of health care and reach more patients than you could as a registered nurse. Clinical nurse specialists often enjoy a greater scope of practice and can work without the oversight of a physician. Money Talks reports that clinical nurse specialist is one of the top 28 jobs for the class of 2015. If you’re looking for an advanced nursing career that integrates research, practice, and leadership, this may be the path for you.

Becoming a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Kentucky

Clinical nurse specialists often serve as leaders in their places of employment, leading nurses and doctors through changing standards and new protocols. Since this job comes with so much responsibility, it’s important to get the proper education before you start working.

A Master’s degree in nursing includes 30 to 45 credits of advanced nursing courses and helps you develop the extensive practical skills needed in this field. Each CNS program has its own learning outcomes, so you should become familiar with the goals of your program. Doing so can make you a better student and help more adequately prepare for your new career. Upon graduation, you may be able to create clinical care plans for patients in your chosen specialty, direct registered nurses in their daily work routines, lay out new protocols for health care practitioners, and interpret nursing research to figure out how it effects your health care organization.

Clearly, these goals are very diverse. To reach them, you may take core courses like Applications of Research in Nursing Practice, Statistical Literacy in Nursing Research, Theoretical and Ethical Basis for Nursing, and Context of Health Care. High-level courses that may be part of your curriculum include Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Human and Family Development, Program Development in Health Care, Clinical Pharmacology, and Health Assessment & Measurement.

When you go back to school to earn a Master’s degree in nursing, you may have the chance to apply for several different types of financial aid. If you plan on working through school, your employer may help you with some or all of your tuition if you agree to work for them after graduation.

You may also apply for the Nursing Incentive Scholarship, which is worth $3,000. Even if you are not currently employed in health care, you may be able to apply to local employers like Norton Healthcare for scholarships. Scholarships are often available through the Kentucky Nurses Foundation.

Working as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Kentucky

Of course, becoming a clinical nurse specialist means keeping up with advanced practice requirements. You must maintain an Advanced Practice Registered Nursing license via the Kentucky Board of Nursing. Once your license is upgraded to an advanced practice license, you can legally begin working as a clinical nurse specialist.

As more and more people start to use their health insurance benefits and seek out care, you may see the demand for clinical nurse specialists grow considerably.

You can change your future and your health care community with an advanced nursing degree. Get started today by reaching out to clinical nurse specialist programs in Kentucky.

Kentucky Public Health Nursing Grad Programs

The Kentucky healthcare industry is not unlike the healthcare industry in other states; healthcare is in high demand and continues to grow. There are many different facets of healthcare, but nursing continues to be one of the most critical and rewarding. Nurses are educated to focus primarily on patient care, interacting with patients and other stakeholders regularly using only research based practices.

As the largest sector of nursing, public health nursing plays a vital role in the healthcare field. Graduate programs in public health nursing can prepare you to become a leader and advocate. Contact the Kentucky schools with public health programs listed below to learn more about advancing your education in this field.

As one of the most sought after and respected professionals in healthcare, nurses can continue to strengthen the goal of providing top quality patient care by earning a graduate degree in public health nursing. There are many different college degree programs available in Kentucky, offering thorough, quality education tracks.

There are over twenty-five traditional brick and mortar colleges offering graduate programs in public health in Kentucky. Online degree programs offer flexibility to busy professionals who might not need to earn the degree in a non-traditional manner. By requesting information from the schools that interest you, you can find the right fit for both your educational and career goals.

Master’s Degree Programs in Public Health Nursing in Kentucky

Kentucky is rich in history and old southern charm, but is also home to many of the finest college campuses in the country. Contact the schools below to learn more about many of the various college programs offering graduate programs in public health nursing.

Many of the programs are offered in traditional classrooms, but virtual programs offer equally challenging degree programs that can completely prepare nurses in their field of specialty.

Graduate level public health nurses in Kentucky not only work with patients of varying demographics and health conditions, but can work with communities to properly design and deliver healthcare programs. With patient care being the primary focus, prevention and treatment of illnesses and diseases are disseminated successfully into entire communities of people.

The first and most important step when considering a graduate program in public health nursing is requesting information from many different colleges. Check accreditation sources and compare the degree tracks. Apply to several different programs so you may have options about your education. Nursing programs can be very competitive and some may consider previous education including your undergraduate nursing degree, work experience, volunteer work, and any affiliations that you may have when considering admission.

The Role of Public Health Nurses in Kentucky

Public health nurses in Kentucky are important advocates and spokespersons for stakeholders in the medical field as well as for patients. Understanding the clinical aspects as well as the social involvement aspects, public health nurses are able to provide quality care to patients while continuing to research and communicate the growing needs of the medical field.

Public health nurses are in direct contact with the largest sector of the population and work diligently to deliver programs into communities that will prevent the spread of illness and disease. Public health nurses may find employment in a wide variety of places including health departments, government agencies, mobile medical units, correctional facilities, military bases, schools and many other places.

Graduate Nursing Programs in Healthcare Policy in Kentucky

When your facility changes a policy or sends out a bulletin on a new healthcare law, you may wonder who is behind the laws that so heavily impact your nursing work. Maybe you have even thought that you would be a great policymaker with your nursing experience.

That opportunity is one that is catching on across the United States. Nurses have always known the importance and power of lobbying, and with graduate-level nurses who understand health policy, nurses have a louder voice in legislation and policy creation. Graduate programs in health policy build on your nursing knowledge to empower you to work in the policy sector.

Policies shape public opinion and public opinion shapes policy; this is something you may come to understand as a health policy graduate. Overall, Kentucky residents’ faith in the Affordable Care Act is low, but the overall opinion of the Medicare system remains strong (Kaiser Family Foundation).

Discover the myriad ways in which health policies are influenced, created, and revised by checking out graduate programs in healthcare policy in Kentucky.

Master’s Degree Programs in Healthcare Policy in Kentucky

A Master’s degree in nursing naturally puts you in a position of leadership in the nursing community of Kentucky. With advanced study in policy and law, you can serve as a leader in the field and as a voice for Kentucky nurses.

Navigating health policy requires quite a bit of experience and specialized knowledge, so your Master’s degree may involve 33 or more credits of required courses. In courses like those listed below, you may explore many areas of health policy and healthcare that you have not experienced before:

Health Finance
Health Economics
Health Policy
Legal Aspects of Healthcare Management
Managerial Epidemiology
Healthcare Operations Analysis
Decision Making in Healthcare

Since many Kentucky programs overlap policy, management, and research, you may need to evaluate different graduate health policy programs to find one that is well-suited to your long-term career goals. Comparing curricula and learning outcomes is one way to select a program that focuses on policy and the legislative process.

Look for health policy programs with learning goals like those listed here:

Analyze health services and their ability to meet population needs
Utilize research and current evidence to design policies
Communicate effectively with people at different levels of legislation and healthcare
Utilize critical thinking skills to address healthcare issues and problems

Staying up-to-date on nursing techniques, issues, and advances is a crucial part of your career. Renew your nursing license through the Kentucky Board of Nursing by the last day of October in every even-numbered year.

How Do Nurses Impact Healthcare Policy in Kentucky?

Healthcare policy is an extremely diverse and complex field, and the ways that you influence this field may change from year to year. As you expand your nursing career and learn how to navigate the world of healthcare policy, you may work with more experienced legislators and develop your confidence. As you become more established in health policy, you may have the freedom to advocate for causes that are important to you and be a voice for the nursing community as a whole. Many groups impact healthcare legislation in Kentucky, including the Kentucky Health Policy Institute.

Staying on top of policy positions and goals of the nursing industry may help you do more with your legislative work. The Kentucky Nurses Association has worked with policymakers on topics like the Patient Safety Act, the prescription of narcotics by APRNs, and the creation of a school nurse pilot program.

The influence you have over healthcare policy may expand beyond the nursing community of Kentucky to the national healthcare industry in its entirety. You can begin by furthering your education.

Get started now and request information from graduate healthcare policy programs in Kentucky.

Hospice Nursing in Kentucky

As a registered nurse, you may have worked in hospice in the past. Perhaps you currently work in hospice or palliative care and you’re ready to expand your scope of practice while focusing your nursing career on the needs of terminal patients. By earning a Master’s degree in hospice nursing, you can take on a more demanding role in patient care and influence the decisions made in care plans.

Featured Programs:

Master’s Degree Programs in Hospice/Palliative Care Nursing in Kentucky

A Master’s degree in nursing can give you the certification and training needed to work in hospice care. A Bachelor’s degree in nursing gives you the greatest variety of programs, since most programs require an undergraduate degree. There are selected schools that accept Associate’s-level nurses into RN-to-MSN programs. However, to specialize in hospice care, you may need a Bachelor’s degree or a substantial amount of nursing experience.

The first decision you make is whether you want to become a clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner. Both options permit you to pursue palliative care nursing certification, but each role functions slightly differently in healthcare settings. Comparing course requirements, credit hour requirements, and clinical hours can help you choose a program that fits your skills. Hospice nurse education requirements address subjects like ethical care with terminal patients, family support, and the grieving process.

Hospice Certification Course Options

Caring for the Caregiver
Spirituality in Hospice and Palliative Care
Therapies in Hospice and Palliative Care
Aging and Chronic Illness
End-of-Life Care
Counseling for the Terminally Ill

By the time you complete your Master’s degree, you should have more than 500 hours of clinical experience. At minimum, you need 500 hours for certification as an NP or CNS. To add hospice nursing to your certification, you may need hours above and beyond your base requirements.

Numerous organizations and employers fund scholarships for graduate nursing students. The Hospice & Palliative Nurses Foundation awards $2,000 scholarships to graduate students.

After you graduate, you may apply for an advanced license through the Kentucky Board of Nursing. From there, you need to get 500 hours of experience in one year or 1,000 hours of experience in two years to become an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (Hospice & Palliative Credentialing Center, 2016).

The Role of Hospice/Palliative Care Nurses in Kentucky

Hospice nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists are typically employed through hospice agencies that serve clients within specific areas. Rather than spending most of your time at a clinic or hospital, you may travel to patients’ homes and provide nursing care in a home setting. Your daily work may include patient assessment, administration of pain medications, patient communication and education, and family updates. This role shifts slightly as a patient nears the end, since you may respond to emergency calls and pain control needs. There are many palliative care agencies in Kentucky. Some of the most widely known are Appalachian Hospice Care, Hospice Care Plus, and Heritage Hospice.

If you’re passionate about completing hospice nursing certification, Kentucky schools are ready to help you. Explore options here and request information on hospice certification.