School of Nursing: Alternate Entry Master's Program in Nursing

The Alternate Entry Master’s at University of Portland (AEM UP) program is geared to the strengths of individuals who have a bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field and seek to enter the profession of nursing. The AEM UP program has two components:

1) Pre-licensure.   In this component, students complete full-time coursework that prepares them to take the Registered Nurse (RN) licensing exam in the state of Oregon. This component is completed in 5 semesters (19 months) of full-time coursework.

2) Clinical Nurse Leader.  During this component, students work full-time as RNs while completing part-time, Clinical Nurse Leader-specific coursework. This component is presented in a blended format of weekend immersions (1 weekend per month) with web-enhanced instruction. Upon successful completion of this component, students earn a Master of Science in nursing degree with a Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) specialty. This component is completed in 7 semesters (2 years, 5 months).

Click  here to view the course sequencing grids for the pre-licensure and CNL components and the course descriptions of all courses in the AEM UP program.

If you would like to learn more about the CNL role, a free DVD is available upon request (please e-mail nursing@up.edu to request a DVD). Also, you can follow the links below to articles and websites with more information:

• New Clinical Nurse Leader Role Focuses on Big Picture – An article in Nurse Week featuring University of Portland CNL graduate, Nan Trump.
• AACN Envisions Clinical Nurse Leader of the Future – An article from Nurse.com that explains the origin and background of the CNL role.
• New Plans for VA Nursing’s Future –  A Nurse.com article that describes the Veterans Affair’s (VA’s) plan to implement the CNL role in medical centers across the nation.
• AACN CNL Website – The American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN’s) main Clinical Nurse Leader webpage. Browse the various links and publications for information about the CNL role.

The next opportunity to begin the AEM UP program is in Summer (mid-June) 2010. Orientation will take place on June 16 and 17 and classes will begin on June 21, 2010. The priority application deadline is was November 2, 2009. However, please know that all completed applications received by the Graduate School after the priority deadline will be reviewed as long as there is adequate processing time and space available.

To request an application packet, please contact the School of Nursing at 503-943-7211 or nursing@up.edu