Lead in a changing world
As the modern nursing landscape evolves, registered nurses (RNs) are playing critical roles in patient care and advocacy while on the job—and opportunities abound for those looking to lead the charge and make a bigger impact.
With your Clinical Nurse Leader master’s degree from Regis, you can build in-demand skills in clinical care, advocacy, education, mentorship, policy, information management, and informatics as you prepare to take on more responsibility and move into a leadership role.
Overview
What is the CNL master’s?
The Clinical Nurse Leader master’s degree is a specialized Master of Science in Nursing designed for RNs who hold at least a bachelor’s degree and who want to move into leadership as clinical nurse leaders (CNL).
This CNL role is a recent addition to the nursing field designed to improve quality of care, provide better treatment, and bring leadership and clinical expertise from the administrative level instead to the point of care. In short, CNLs are highly involved, on-the-ground nursing leaders.
Overview
Academic-practice partnership
The CNL is unique among MSNs in how hands-on the curriculum is. We designed our CNL alongside partner organizations to ensure it covers the most in-demand clinical and leadership skills. This collaboration carries over to coursework and clinical placements, some of which take place on-site at the partner organization.
Our current hospital partners include:
- Brigham Health
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
Overview
Prepare to get CNL certified
After completing your Clinical Nurse Leader MSN, you can qualify to sit for the CNL Certification Examination offered by the Commission on Nurse Certification (CNC). Passing this exam grants you the CNL credential.
As a CNL, you'll be qualified to take on an array of responsibilities spanning the spectrum of nursing duties and health care settings. Specifics of the role may vary, but CNLs tend to be interdisciplinary leaders and change-makers who provide expert treatment at the point of care.
Overview
Why choose Regis College?
- Apply with no GRE/GMAT required.
- Get real-world experience with on-side courses and extended field placements.
- Benefit from a flexible hybrid course delivery model.
- Earn an education from an institution regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
- Learn in a program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Real nursing, real leadership
If you’re an RN ready to move into nursing leadership, our Clinical Nursing Leadership master’s degree gives you a streamlined path toward your goals. The program focuses on experiential, hands-on opportunities and coursework that covers high-demand topics like leadership, quality management, health policy, health promotion, informatics, and evidence-based practice.
You can complete this master’s degree in about 2.5 years and prepare for CNL certification.
Program Details
What is “academic-practice"?
The academic-practice partnership model means that our CNL program was built in collaboration with real-world hospitals and health care providers. Some of your hands-on coursework, as well as the clinical placements in your final two semesters, will take place on-site with these partners.
Because CNL students are admitted in partnership with the partner hospital, a condition of admission into this program is that your placement must take place within an affiliating clinical partner of Regis.
Program Details
Real-world nursing experience
The CNL program was designed to be a completely immersive experience—so you can prepare for nursing leadership starting on day one.
Through the academic-practice partnership model, the CNL program affords future nursing leaders with unique opportunities for hands-on learning. In addition to the on-location coursework that takes place at partner hospitals, you’ll have the opportunity to complete 400 combined hours of clinical placement covering health policy, leadership, and clinical experience.
Program Details
Cohort model
Nursing and nurse leadership are truly collaborative efforts, so we employ a cohort model for the CNL program—meaning you’ll have the opportunity to work with the same classmates and colleagues throughout your master’s degree.
Cohorts comprise about 15 learners who work alongside one another and take coursework at the same pace. Throughout the 2.5-year program, you can learn from your colleagues’ experience as you build bonds, expand your professional network, and learn to lead together.
Program Details
Interdisciplinary framework
While the CNL program is a product of our Young School of Nursing, some coursework is an interdisciplinary collaboration with the School of Health Sciences. These courses are included to help you round out your health care knowledge with inter-professional learning opportunities.
That’s in addition to nursing coursework designed around concepts of leadership, mentorship, and management, as well as the three P’s of advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment.
Program Details
Hybrid learning model
As a working RN, you have a busy schedule. We built our CNL program to work around your schedule as much as possible through a hybrid learning model.
About half of your coursework will take place on-site at a partner hospital location, and the other half will take place on campus. But you can participate remotely in much of your coursework by joining via synchronous online streaming video.
In most cases, your classes will take place in the evening starting around 5 or 5:30 p.m.
Practical, hands-on courses to prepare tomorrow’s nursing leaders
The CNL master’s degree is designed to give you a streamlined path from bachelor’s-level RN skills to graduate-level leadership, mentorship, and clinical practice. The program comprises 39 credit hours and can be completed in about 2.5 years.
Coursework takes place in a hybrid model that includes on-site coursework with our partner hospitals, on-campus classes, and synchronous online courses. The curriculum will cover topics like:
- Advanced research
- Ethics
- Evidence-based practice
- Health assessment
- Health policy and promotion
- Informatics
- Management
- Nursing leadership
- Nursing theory
- Pathophysiology
- Pharmacology
Your final two semesters will comprise a total of 400 hours of clinical placement across coursework and a capstone project experience. This real-world experience will help you build your knowledge and skills in leadership, health policy, and clinical practice.
About Regis College
For more than 95 years, Regis College has supported learners in their journey to realize their full potential, reach their personal and professional goals, and become forces of good in the world. It’s our mission to help empower women and men to challenge themselves as they prepare to serve and lead through education.
With our focus on student success and our commitment to social justice and service, we help students in the greater Boston area and around the globe achieve more and go further.
College Details
Diverse learning opportunities
Regis College is a coed university 12 miles west of Boston in Weston, Mass. founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph Boston.
With more than 3,200 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students enrolled on campus and in fully online graduate programs, Regis provides an academically rigorous education within the schools of nursing, arts and sciences, business and communication, and health sciences.
College Details
The Future of Nursing
The Young School of Nursing at Regis has consistently been recognized by the National League of Nursing as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education.
In line with Regis’ mission of providing innovative, industry-focused learning opportunities, the university offers academic partnerships with hospitals and local employers, a clinical dental center in Waltham, Mass., and bachelor’s completion and accelerated nursing programs at its campus in Lawrence, Mass.
College Details
Via Veritas Vita
Our motto, Via Veritas Vita, translates to “the way and the truth and the light.” These words drive our mission of empowering learners through knowledge to live meaningful lives and contribute to our global society.
Today, Regis boasts an alumni network more than 20,000 strong. This supportive, tight-knit community has a history of professional success in the job market: 97% of our graduates find full-time work or pursue further education within six months of graduation.