University of Colorado College of Nursing

Program Description

One crucial point in any version of national health care reform is that the state’s demand for nurses to support health care services will continue to exceed the supply of qualified and educated nurses in the health care systems. In addition, requirements of the nationally acclaimed Magnet Hospital recognition program have mandated that nurse managers hold a master’s degree. Our i-LEAD Program strives to make a substantial contribution in overcoming these obstacles.

Benefits and Uniqueness of the i-LEAD option program:

• The College of Nursing faculty are experts in health care systems, informatics, leadership, research and practice.
• i-LEAD is available entirely online, thereby being accessible to students in rural Colorado and across the country as well as internationally.
• i-LEAD utilizes the benefits of social media to integrate students into the administrative network of experts within Colorado as well as across the country.
• Both in-state and out-of-state students share one low tuition rate.
  

• The program is designed to foster nursing leadership and reduce health disparities.
• This option provides faculty in associate degree programs the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in an accessible format.
• Nurses, interested in administrative positions, will gain core competencies in management.

This master’s program option provides a 30 credit core master’s degree in nursing leadership and health care systems, with the following exit options:

1. Graduation with a MS in nursing leadership and health care systems
2. Completion of an additional 12 credits for specialization in executive leadership, offered as a post master’s certificate
3. Completion of an additional 12 credits for specialization in health care informatics, offered as a post master's certificate
4. Seamless progression into our PhD program with a health systems research focus

While seeking admission to this MS option, a potential student would be eligible to enroll as a non-degree-seeking student and may take up to 12 semester credits prior to acceptance into this MS option. 

Please contact the Office of Professional Development for more information about enrolling as a non-degree-seeking student. Email: professional.development@ucdenver.edu or call: 303-724-1372.

Competencies

Upon completion of the nursing program, students will be prepared to incorporate pertinent knowledge, values and abilities for direct and indirect provider roles to:

• Implement caring and competent nursing practice with individuals, families and communities based on understanding the human experiences of health, illness and healing.
• Integrate the ethical use of technology and information systems to augment the human capacity for health, facilitate decision-making, support collaboration and foster communication.
• Promote health of local to global communities through promoting safe environments and safe and effective health care addressing the interaction among individuals, communities and their environmental contexts.
• Manage care to achieve quality, cost-effective and ethical outcomes in the delivery of health care for individuals, families and populations.
• Engage in leadership to promote social justice related to access, quality and socio-cultural acceptability of health care through relationship-centered caring, advocacy and empowerment.
• Negotiate and adapt the delivery and management of health care and health care systems for diverse populations and environments.
• Practice relationship-centered caring through self-awareness, by developing and maintaining respectful relationships, communicating effectively, and integrating the influence of the human experience of health, illness and healing.
• Practice nursing reflectively, guided by theory, based on best evidence and integrating creative and critical thinking.
• Participate in generating and testing knowledge regarding nursing, health care and reflective caring practice.
• Actively engage in self-directed learning to maintain state of the art nursing practice and to facilitate the education of future practitioners, paraprofessionals and healthy communities

Faculty