This specialty (nondegree) program includes core academic courses and those required for the school nurse services credential, preparing registered nurses who have completed a bachelor’s degree to be effective practitioners of school health. Students develop theoretical and practical expertise in nursing and education applied to basic health services in the public schools (K-12), learning to establish, maintain, and coordinate a comprehensive school health program. This includes planning health programs, assessing the health of children, providing health care and health referral, and contributing to the formulation and evaluation of health policy. To maximize children’s ability to learn in school, candidates for the credential emphasize child health maintenance, illness prevention, restoration of health, and childhood wellness. This program is approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

Admission requirements are the same as those for the Master of Science in Nursing program. Students must also take a California-approved audiometry course to meet SNSC requirements.

Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Academic Core Course		3
GNRS 504	Bioethics and Healthcare Policy	3
Advanced Practice Core Courses		6
GNRS 510	Family Theory in Health Care	2
GNRS 511	Advanced Pediatric Health Assessment and Health Promotion 1	4 (3/1)
or GNRS 612	Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning
Advanced Practice Specialty Courses		17
EDUC 537	Curriculum Development, Revision, and Evaluation Process	3
GNRS 550A	Theory and Practice in School Nursing	6 (3/3)
GNRS 589	Adolescent Health Care	2 (2/0)
GNRS 590C	Primary Health Care of the Young Family for the School Nurse Services Credential	6 (3/3)
Total Units for the SNSC 2		26

¹

Numbers in parentheses are classroom/clinical units.

²

Students must also take a California-approved audiometry course to meet SNSC requirements.

Admission

University graduate admission and program-specific requirements must be met before an application is complete (see Admission to the University). Program-specific application requirements are available online.

International students should contact Graduate and Professional Admissions for application procedures.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:

1. Articulate a Christian worldview, demonstrating respect for the dignity and uniqueness of others, valuing diversity, and applying spiritual concepts.
2. Engage in scholarly inquiry and critical thinking, including evaluation and application of evidence-based research.
3. Appraise and apply knowledge to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions that promote health and prevent disease.
4. Demonstrate thoughtful analysis of the legal, political, ethical, and/or financial factors impacting health care.
5. Use information systems and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, promote quality, mitigate error and support decision-making.
6. Demonstrate the ability to coordinate and collaborate with other health care team professionals.
7. Engage in clinical reasoning, effective communication, and act as change agents to develop professional identity and practice skill.