Clinical Nurse Leader

Program Overview

As the healthcare environment has become more complex, the role of the professional nurse has grown to meet contemporary complex challenges. A criticism of the current health care system is that patient care has become highly fragmented, with patients seeing a plethora of specialists during shortened hospital and other health care settings stays.

The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) is a relatively new professional role in nursing, that places well-educated generalist nurses in central positions in hospitals to move patients seamlessly through the health care system during episodes of care.

The Helen S. Breidegam School of Nursing and Public Health offers the Master of Science in Nursing degree for Clinical Nurse Leaders. The program is a 35-credit program, that includes 21 credits of general core and direct care courses that are shared with other graduate nursing programs. In addition, there are 14 credits of specialty courses, including a 400-hour clinical immersion experience in the CNL role. There will be an increase to 500 clinical hours for students beginning their program of study in fall 2024.

Curriculum 

Students take four general core and three different direct care courses. They also complete specialized requirements of their chosen concentration. The CNL Track includes:

Clinical Nurse Leader Track

Admission Requirements

• Satisfactory completion of an accredited baccalaureate program with at least 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
• Submission of official transcripts from all postsecondary schools attended
• Active licensure to practice nursing in the State of Pennsylvania
• Completion of a statistics course at an undergraduate or graduate level with a grade of C or better
• Two professional references, one from a nursing supervisor
• Written statement of professional goals for graduate study and nursing career
• Professional resume or curriculum vitae

MSN Pathway

Are you a Moravian University BSN student or graduate who wishes to obtain the Master of Science in Nursing degree (MSN) in one of the programs for Clinical Nurse Leaders, Nurse Educators, Nurse Administrators, MSN Nurse Administrators/MBA? See if you may be eligible for Direct admission into one of these MSN programs.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing and master's degree program in nursing at Moravian University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Learn More

For more information about the CNL program, to speak with an advisor, or to make an appointment, call us at 610-861-1400 or email graduate@moravian.edu, or contact Caroline Bechtel, Student Experience Mentor, at 610-625-7131 or bechtelc@moravian.edu.