Entry to Nursing Program, MS

Hannah Murphy Buc, Ph.D, RN
Assistant Dean for Professional Practice and Direct Entry Pathways 

Anissa Nahabedian DNP, RN, AMB-BC, NPD-BC, CNL
Assistant Professor and Program Director 

The Master of Science Entry to Nursing Program (MS-EN) is a five-semester on campus direct-entry program that prepares students with bachelor’s degrees in other fields for clinical nursing careers. This revised Master of Science Entry to Nursing Program, opened in 2024, builds on the humanities and sciences using reflection and experiential learning. The program revision is based on nearly two decades of success with students from other careers preparing for clinical nursing in our current complex health care systems. While at Georgetown, students learn from expert faculty and have opportunities to learn in clinical sites within the District of Columbia and the surrounding Maryland and Virginia region. Students refine their clinical skills through laboratory and high-fidelity simulation in the O’Neill Family Foundation Clinical Simulation Center. In total, students will have 800+ clinical, lab and simulation hours.

Curriculum Overview

The terminal objectives of the Master of Science Entry to Nursing Program (MSEN) program state required MSEN graduate outcomes. The terminal objectives, derived from the Mission and Core Values of the Berkley School of Nursing, require that the MSEN graduate is prepared to: 

  1. Illustrate proficiency in the core knowledge and skills required to enter registered nursing practice (AACN, The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education).
  2. Integrate advanced nursing knowledge, ethical principles and clinical excellence in advanced generalist nursing practice to promote human flourishing.
  3. Develop commitment to the advancement of excellent professional care and quality patient-care outcomes as an advanced generalist nurse.
  4. Synthesize evidence, research, technology and informatics to assist in the development and validation of nursing science and practice.
  5. Integrate theoretical and scientific concepts that promote leadership in education, practice and research.
  6. Participate in the process of policy development and implementation to design, implement and evaluate patient-care processes and models of health care delivery to improve health care and quality of life for individuals, families, groups, and populations.
  7. Engage in professional communication and collaboration, serving as a leader and partner, with all members of the health care team to advocate for patients, families, and populations while maintaining the common good.
  8. Engage in lifelong learning and the professional development of self and others.

The nursing component of the curriculum provides for development of clinical skills as well as a strong theoretical base. Nursing coursework and experiential learning will begin in the first year. The senior clinical practicum provides one-on-one clinical practice in an area of the student’s interest to expand their knowledge and leadership skills in preparation for professional nursing practice.

After completion of the baccalaureate program, graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination for licensure to practice as professional nurses.

The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the District of Columbia Board of Nursing.

The Berkley School of Nursing is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Nursing Association.

Clinical experiences are arranged within the surrounding metropolitan area including the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Students are responsible for their transportation to these clinical sites.

Safety and Quality

The MSEN Program aligns with the Quality Safety Education for Nurses project (QSEN) and prepares their graduate nurses with the knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) necessary to continuously improve the quality and safety of the healthcare systems within which they work. 

Commitment to Wellness

An animation of the Jesuit value of ‘cura personalis’ is the MSEN program’s formal and informal instruction and provision of opportunities for creating healthy self care behaviors that promote wellness and resiliency.  Furthermore, this intention addresses the known impact of positive wellness and mindfulness behaviors on professional clinical nurses as a lifelong practice. 

Sigma Theta Tau

The BSN Program participates in Sigma Theta Tau, the International Nursing Honor Society. Sigma Theta Tau honors practitioners and students of nursing who exemplify outstanding qualities of leadership, scholarship, and service to the profession of nursing. Tau Chapter was founded at the Berkley School of Nursing in 1960. 

Student Professional Responsibility

Students are responsible for reviewing, understanding and abiding by the regulations, procedures and requirements as described in all official publications of Georgetown University and of the Berkley School of Nursing. These are found specifically in the Undergraduate Bulletin as well as the Current Students Resources section of the BSON website. In addition, students are required to adhere to regulations and guidelines from Health Care Settings (in use as clinical sites), Professional Licensing Boards, Federal, State and Local Health Care Authorities and Professional Nursing Organizations, including the American Nurses Association “Code of Ethics for Nurses”.

Clinical Clearances Academic Policies

All student nurses are expected to meet and maintain certain health requirements. All of the clinical clearance requirements can be found in the direct entry program handbook. Failure to meet any of the requirements will jeopardize the ability to attend clinical courses.

Academic Policies

Additional academic policies governing the MSEN program can be found in the direct entry programs handbook.