U.S. News Ranks SXU Grad Nursing Within Top 10 for 10 Consecutive Years

CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Landing on a U.S. News & World Report list is a prestigious honor, with in-depth and compelling methodology guiding its rankings. Only the most innovative programs earn a coveted spot, and with each year's methodology evolving to meet the newest standards, ranking within the top 10 for 10 consecutive years is no easy feat. So, how did a small private university in Chicago manage to do it for its online graduate nursing program?

Saint Xavier University (SXU) is no stranger to innovation. With a tradition of nursing excellence that spans 88 years, SXU launched the first integrated baccalaureate nursing program in Illinois in 1935 and has offered graduate nursing programs since 1963. SXU forged a path for integrative nursing, a framework for providing person-centered, relationship-based care that focuses on improving the well-being of both caregivers and those they serve. SXU's nursing programs continue to evolve to meet the increasingly complex changes of 21st-century health care, and the online MSN integrates the most current evidence-based practices with new technologies to prepare students to emerge as nursing leaders. 

The 2023 U.S. News & World Report ranking methodology considers an institution's engagement, faculty credentials and training, peer assessment, services and technologies, and student excellence. With expert faculty, a variety of high-impact learning opportunities through state-of-the-art technology, and exam pass rates at 100%, SXU checks all the criteria and more, delivering an affordable, accessible, and high-quality program that prepares exemplary nurses who go on to positively impact patients for years to come. 

Rigorous Curriculum Review with Regular Enhancement
The graduate nursing curriculum is developed in accordance with the program's mission, goals, and expected student outcomes and reflects relevant professional nursing standards and guidelines. Curriculum is regularly reviewed and revised to maintain congruency with the School of Nursing mission: to prepare registered professional nurses to meet current and future health care needs of populations through advanced nursing practice and transformative leadership grounded in Mercy values. The program uses outcome data, including completion rates, licensure, certification, and employment to evaluate and make recommendations for program improvement.

Accreditation and Accolades
SXU is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), a national accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency/fellowship programs in nursing and serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. 

SXU has been designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing (NLN) continuously since 2007. Institutions are selected based on their ability to demonstrate sustained excellence in faculty development, nursing education research, or student learning and professional development. Schools must also demonstrate a proven commitment to continuous quality improvement. 

Three Tracks to Choose From
Clinical Leadership: The Clinical Leadership track focuses on care coordination, risk assessment, quality improvement, outcome evaluation, communication and leadership, and the implementation of evidence-based practice, preparing students for the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) exam.

Family Nurse Practitioner: The Family Nurse Practitioner track gives students the skills to provide comprehensive, patient-centered primary care to individuals of all ages, preparing them to take the family nurse practitioner certification exam administered by ANCC or AANP. The FNP program currently boasts a 100% pass rate for all students taking the FNP certification exam.

Nurse Educator: The Nurse Educator track helps students develop techniques and learn how to adapt them to different settings, like public health classes, hospitals and schools of nursing, preparing them for the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) exam. 

Each track features specific practicum courses and includes content, activities and structured assignments that target precise aspects of the intended nursing role. The courses build on knowledge, competencies, and values inherent in the nursing profession and examine advanced topics in pathophysiology, health assessment and pharmacology. 

The University was recently awarded a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, which supports students at any track by funding their education. It also supports the need for nurse educators by making it more affordable for nurses who want to go back to school. 

Expert Faculty
Each faculty member has the appropriate education, credentials and experience to teach track-specific courses. Many are prepared at the doctoral level and have served in a variety of clinical roles, including on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each faculty member has also earned Saint Xavier's Certificate of Preparedness for Online Teaching and is equipped to meet the needs of various learning styles.

Faculty meet frequently to discuss new policies and initiatives for enhancing programs and provide students with virtual and in-person office hours. MSN students work closely with preceptors, who guide students in identifying and participating in practicum activities that foster student development in the specialty role, and all students are guided to choose practicum activities that help them meet role competencies that professional organizations have promulgated.

Ideal Student-Faculty Ratio and Student Support
Each track is comprised of a small number of students, allowing for individualized attention and opportunities for input from other students and faculty. Each student also has an advisor who works to meet their individual needs. Faculty provide formative feedback to students and practicum faculty get feedback on student performance from preceptors. Students have access to various academic success services, a specialized nursing academic success coach, synchronous sessions for specialty courses in which students can engage in discussion among peers, a welcome orientation, and on-campus intensives for some programs, featuring hands-on learning about suturing, common office procedures, interpretation of test results, and radiologic studies. Students also have access to a variety of resources via the SXU learning management system, including study strategies and test-taking techniques and workshops and videos on managing test anxiety, using databases for research and paper-writing skills, stress management, and time management.

Use of Technology
Faculty use diverse and innovative teaching-learning practices and technologies to foster student success. Though the program is offered fully online, Family Nurse Practitioner students come to campus several times throughout the program for face-to-face interactions that enhance and support learning. During these intensives, they have access to SXU's state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab, which replicates clinical practices in a safe environment and ultimately enhances patient safety and optimizes outcomes. Simulation spaces are constructed for medical-surgical, intensive care, maternal-child, NICU, pediatrics and home health settings. The lab is fully equipped with basic skills supplies and features high-fidelity simulators with camera capabilities. 

A Look to the Future
As nursing education undergoes a rapid transformation that requires institutions to meet new essential standards, SXU plans to remain within the top ten online graduate nursing programs for years to come, with a goal of continuing to employ experienced faculty, revising the curriculum to meet the needs of future students, and engaging with clinical partners to meet the demands of the workforce. 

Saint Xavier University was founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy and is a private, Catholic, four-year, coeducational institution that provides a transformative educational experience to more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students who are prepared to become compassionate leaders in their field of study and their communities. As a mission-driven, student-centered institution, Saint Xavier educates for competence, character and career success, with program offerings through our College of Liberal Arts and Education and College of Nursing, Health Sciences and Business. Recognizing Saint Xavier's excellence in education, U.S. News & World Report has ranked SXU consistently among the best colleges in the Midwest.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Deborah Rapacz,
Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications,
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SOURCE Saint Xavier University