The master's degree in nursing offered via distance education by the University of Tennessee requires educators to design instruction carefully. The most successful students are risk takers, assertive, and responsible for their own learning. Compressed interactive video has proven the most effective medium. (JOW)

Describes Johns Hopkins's Nurse Practitioner Certificate to Master's Program for certified nurse practitioners who lacked master's-level credentials. the program features challenge mechanisms whereby students can acquire credits by examination or portfolio development. (SK)

Current and anticipated changes in health care require changes in master's-level nursing education, especially in preparation for health promotion, primary health care, and case management. Questions must be resolved about core knowledge, research preparation, and an appropriate title for advanced practice nurses. (SK)

Compared to 2 earlier studies in which fewer than 5% of subjects had nursing master's degrees, a study in which 49% of 157 were master's-prepared nurses found the overall extent of dissemination and use of research findings was similar. However, master's-prepared nurses made more use of research findings than bachelor's-degree nurses. (SK)

When 49 nurse practitioners with master's degrees and 31 without rated actual and ideal role behaviors, those without master's rated the majority of behaviors higher than did the other group. Results suggest that master's preparation may not be essential for nurse practitioners. (SK)

The Alternate Entry Master of Science in Nursing program at the University of Texas at Austin admits nonnurse college graduates. Alumni (n=13) were aware of the disconnection between their academic credentials and limited experience. Eventually, all found places where they were comfortable. (JOW)

Nursing theory instructors (n=44) displayed a general consensus on essential course content. They expressed a need for more emphasis on middle-range and practice theories rather than grand narratives and the research-practice-theory relationship. (SK)

Data from 175 accredited programs depicted the state of the art in master's nursing education in the United States in light of projected national trends in the health care delivery system. The findings and projected trends derived from the literature formed the basis for recommendations to improve master's programs. (JOW)

Planning to offer master's degrees online requires examining mission and philosophy, locating human and fiscal resources, and addressing political challenges, faculty and student expectations, and changes needed in organizational culture, such as the reward structure. (SK)

At the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, the Gerontological Nursing Network serves as advocates for older adults, helps graduates find employment, identifies preceptors and practicum sites, and advises about trends. Its interdisciplinary membership is drawn from nursing, medicine, psychology, politics, religion, and sociology. (SK)

Interviews with nine nursing master's program students classified as minorities elicited the following: (1) importance of personal determination and self-confidence; (2) influence of the undergraduate nursing program on the graduate school decision; and (3) family and friends as facilitators and barriers. Strategies for recruitment and retention…

A statewide survey of 288 nurses with graduate degrees found that those were nursing faculty (n=79) were older than other nurses in the sample. There were no differences in job satisfaction between faculty and other nurses. Noncompetitive salaries, desire for clinical practice, and rising expectations in higher education were deterrents to…

The authors examined the administrative preparation needs of a sample of 46 graduates of a clinical nurse specialist program who were surveyed 3 to 5 years after graduation. The study focused on current administrative responsibilities, administrative content in the graduate curriculum, and respondents' future goals for involvement in…

Evaluation of a distance nursing-education program (274 at originating site, 95 at remote site) assessed students' perceptions of professionalization and connectedness with instructor, same-site peers, and offsite peers. Distant-site students were most satisfied with contact with same-site students. There was significantly higher satisfaction with…

An Outreach Project conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing that brought a graduate education program to areas where such training was not available is described. (Author/MLW)