Palliative Care Option
in Conjunction with Adult, Family, Gerontological, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practioner Programs The College of Nursing is an integral part of the Medical University of South Carolina which is the only academic Health Science Center in the state. We are widely recognized for providing a supportive learning environment that has a low student to faculty ratio, expert faculty and preceptors as well as highly successful complex clinical settings. Palliative Care is “a philosophy of care that provides a combination of active and compassionate therapies intended to comfort and support patients and families who are living with serious illness, being sensitive and respectful of their spiritual, cultural and personal beliefs, values and traditions.” After the landmark SUPPORT study found that people were dying across the country in moderate to severe pain, on ventilators, with little regard for patient wishes, palliative care became an important topic within healthcare. The MUSC College of Nursing believes that palliative care is an extension beyond end-of-life care. Students will learn to not only medically treat and help patients, but they will learn to recognize a point in the disease process where the transition of care shifts from simply responding to the patient’s disease to caring for the whole patient. The palliative care program may be taken in conjunction with the Adult, Family, Gerontological, and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs. It may also be taken as a post-masters certificate. Program Benefits This graduate program option prepares advanced practice nurses to function collaboratively with physicians and other health care disciplines in providing palliative care in a variety of healthcare settings. Graduates of this program will be prepared to serve as health care providers for those at the end-of-life with physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. Teaching and counseling of individuals and families are emphasized throughout the curriculum. Graduates are prepared to sit for certification in Palliative Care by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses. Career Opportunities The program shares a collaborative approach teaming with South Carolina Area Health Education Center to coordinate the placement of participants in statewide clinical sites. Graduates of this program will be prepared to work within a variety of patient care settings from hospitals and health care facilities to rural community health clinics, family practice offices, nursing homes, internal medicine offices and hospices.
Admission Options
Registered nurses (RN) with a BSN degree are admitted to the Masters Program and graduate with a MSN. This program requires 5 semesters of full time study.
This option is for registered nurses (RN) with a Diploma in Nursing or an A.D.N. At least 60 semester hours of prerequisite classes must be completed before starting the RN-MSN program. Once admitted to the RN-MSN program, it requires completion of several undergraduate courses before progressing to the MSN coursework. Students graduate with a MSN, bypassing the BSN. This program only starts in the Fall semester and it requires 5 semester of full time study. A part-time option is also available.
To be admitted to the accelerated BSN/MSN program, students may hold a baccalaureate degree in an area other than nursing and 22 semester hours of designated prerequisite courses, or they may have 60 semester hours of prerequisites and no previous degree. Full time or part-time progression into the MSN portion of the program depends on passage of state boards and on space availability within the chosen track.
For registered nurses (RN) with a MSN degree seeking a second area of specialty - a certificate is awarded, not a second master's degree. Admission Requirements- Undergraduate Cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
- Official GRE Scores with a Minimum Score of 1000 (500 Verbal - 500 Quantitative)
- Undergraduate Level Statistics Course
- Active RN License
- 3 Confidential Reference Forms
- Online Application
- 1 page essay
- Resumé
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Sample Plan of Study |
| NURSM 600 | Applied Physiology | 3 sh | | NURSM 624 | Advanced Health Assessment¹ | 4 sh | | NURSM 650 | Foundations and Issues in Palliative Care | 3 sh | |
| NURSM 639 | Advance Practice in Health Promotion and Risk Reduction¹ | 4 sh | | NURSM 751 | Foundations of Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 sh | | NURSM 781 | Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Nurses2 | 3 sh | | NURSM 804 | Statistics for Health Care Research | 3 sh | |
| NURSM 608 | Advanced Practice in Episodic and Chronic Conditions: Adults1 | 4 sh | | NURSM 768 | Research and Evidence-Based Nursing | 3 sh | | NURSM 803 | Spirituality and Palliative Care | 2 sh | |
| NURSM 647 | Palliative Care I: Management of Physical and Environmental Domains | 1 sh | | NURSM 648 | Advanced Practice in Palliative Care I: Management of Physical and Environmental Domains1 | 3 sh | | NURSM 651 | Palliative Care II: Management of Psychosocial Domains | 1 sh | | NURSM 652 | Advanced Practice in Palliative Care II: Management of Psychosocial Domains1 | 3 sh | | NURSM 769 | Health Care Finance | 2 sh | |
| NURSM 764 | Advanced Practice Nursing: Role Residency1 | 6 sh | | NURSM 649 | Interdisciplinary Seminars in Palliative Care | 1 sh | | NURSM 777 | Advanced Practice Role and Scope | 1 sh | | NURSM 802 | Health Policy, Research, and Issues for Advanced Practice Nurses | 2 sh | | NURSM 805 | Controlled Substance Prescribing for the APRN’s | 1 sh | | | | | Thesis or Scholarly Project | 0-6 sh | | Minimum MSN Course Work | 53 sh | 1 Clinical Component 2 May be challenged with prescriptive authority All Palliative Care Courses are Italicized. *Other program options available: RN-MSN, Post-MSN |
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Application Deadline
The application deadline is February 1st for fall admission and September 15th for spring admission (excluding ANP and FNP tracks). Late applicants may be considered upon space availability. Before applying for Spring, applicants should contact the program coordinator regarding space availability.
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Clinical Experiences
Precepted clinical experiences are individually arranged. Nurse Practitioner students complete 720 hours with an assigned clinical preceptor. CNS students complete a minimum of 504 clinical hours Students may complete a selected number of hours in a specialty area if desired, including the Palliative Care option. Students may have to travel to clinical sites that may require an overnight stay. |
Criminal Background Check
Upon matriculation, all College of Nursing students will be required to undergo a criminal background check.
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Full Time/Part-Time Programs of Study
Full time and part-time programs of study are dependent on the semester of application and clinical placement opportunities. An individual program plan of study is completed at the time of admission into the program. |
Technology
The MUSC College of Nursing is committed to increasing the use of technology in nursing education. The campus program utilizes various forms of online education including web enhanced classes, chats and discussion groups. To enhance your educational experience, the College of Nursing offers orientation and assistance in the use of technology and online education. For information regarding technology requirement, please visit Nursing Technology Center. |
Accreditation
The College of Nursing Undergraduate and Graduate programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The Undergraduate program is approved by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Board of Nursing. |
For more information, please contact:Felicia J. Wright, MBA 
Nursing Outreach Coordinator
Office of Student Services
College of Nursing
Medical University of South Carolina
99 Jonathan Lucas Street
MSC 160
Charleston, SC 29425 Telephone: (843) 792-4622
Email: wrightfe@musc.edu : Students who have a previous conviction for a felony may not be allowed to sit for the State Board of Nursing exam (NCLEX) even if they complete the degree in nursing, depending on the nature of the offense. Contact the South Carolina Board of Nursing for additional information prior to application to the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing. |
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