MSN Women's Health Care Program Overview

The School of Nursing at California State University, Fullerton offers the Women's Health Care Concentration as part of our Master of Science in Nursing Degree.  This advanced practice nursing option includes applied client-oriented practice as well as a foundation in professional core issues.  The core courses cover research critique and proposal writing; theory application, testing, and refinement; and making sound decisions within legal and ethical frameworks in a complex health care and policy-making system.  Additional skills developed include information competence, critical thinking, problem solving within an interdisciplinary framework, health promotion and disease prevention, research application, advocacy, and an understanding of the unique needs of vulnerable populations.

This education provides the scientific, professional, and clinical foundations needed to establish a quality clinical practice. Graduates are prepared to provide primary health care to women across the life span. Clinical placements are arranged in conjunction with CNM/WHCNP faculty.

Specialty Areas
Within Women's Health Care, applicants have the choice between two emphases: women's health nurse practitioner only or nurse-midwife & women's health nurse practitioner.

Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
The graduate of the women's health nurse practitioner specialty assumes responsibility for the primary ambulatory health care needs of women, in collaboration with physicians and other health care professionals, in a wide variety of settings such as outpatient offices, hospital, and community agencies.  Program emphasis is placed on the attainment of knowledge and experience in the care of women, primarily in the outpatient setting, throughout the life span.    

Nurse-Midwife/Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
The graduate of the nurse-midwifery specialty assumes responsibility for the primary health care needs of women, in collaboration with physicians and other health care professionals.  This occurs in a wide variety of settings such as outpatient, hospital, and community agencies.  Program emphasis is placed on the attainment of knowledge and experience in the care of women during pregnancy and for well woman gynecologic health care.  Main areas addressed include management during the intrapartum period and care of the initial newborn, management of women's health needs for family planning, interconceptual care, and well woman gynecology to include perimenopause and menopause health care.

"I feel that the instructors are invested in educating their students... providing them with clinical sites that provide optimum learning experiences." - MSN Women's Healthcare Student