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University of Portland's School of Nursing launches two new Masters of Science programs for health care professionals

June 14, 2017

The University of Portland's School of Nursing has this week received accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities for two new Master of Science (MS) programs for health care professionals. The two programs, MS in Quality and Safety in Health Systems and MS in Innovation in Health Systems, will begin accepting applicants for the Fall 2017 term. 

The first program of its kind in the western United States, the MS in Quality and Safety in Health Systems degree emphasizes the critical knowledge and skills needed in risk management, quality improvement, and patient safety operations. The program is open to all healthcare professionals with bachelor degrees who are currently working in the healthcare industry. 

"Graduates of the Masters in Quality and Safety in Health Systems program will not just learn how to deal with regulations and compliance," said Susan Stillwell, associate dean of graduate education in the School of Nursing. "They will have the skills to identify critical issues and fix processes with the goal of reducing risk and creating high reliability organizations with quality outcomes." 

The MS in Innovation in Health Systems is a hands-on degree designed for practicing nurses working in healthcare organizations who want to pursue leadership roles which focus on improving patient, workforce, and organizational outcomes. Designed for system improvements and population health management, this degree will provide graduates the knowledge to use analytics, informatics, and evidence-based practices to affect system changes to improve patient outcomes and reduce health disparities. As part of the coursework, students will be required to develop a system improvement project which will be implemented in their own organization. 

In accordance with the University's mission of teaching, leadership, and service, the graduates of both Masters programs are taught to practice ethically and consider the business of healthcare in the context of social justice and health policy. 

The School of Nursing graduate programs are delivered in a hybrid delivery format that provides flexibility for students, combining both online learning with on-campus deep learning immersions. Clinical practice experiences are arranged in settings serving individuals, families, and populations across the lifespan. 

For more information, visit https://nursing.up.edu/graduate-programs/. 

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The University of Portland is an independently governed Catholic university guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross. U.S. News & World Report ranks the institution as one of the top ten regional universities in the American West. It is the only school in Oregon to offer a College of Arts & Sciences, a graduate school, and nationally accredited programs in the schools of business, education, engineering, and nursing.

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