As part of a series of US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants of over $149 million awarded to programs throughout the country to help grow and expand healthcare professions, California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) School of Nursing received a grant to create new advanced nursing education programs. These programs will include a new Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) track under the Clinical Nurse Specialist specialization, and a post-MSN certificate in Transitions of Care Management.

The Post-MSN Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Transition of Care (TOC) program is the only one of its kind in the San Diego area. Limited to only 10 initial students, CSUSM will be accepting applications until early January and starting the new program in Spring 2017. TOC courses will focus on how to provide transitional care in acute care facilities and communities. Students will also complete an externship focusing on providing care in acute care settings or in community clinics.

Transitional care was identified as an important part of achieving health reform with the onset of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that nearly one in five Medicare patients discharged from a hospital – approximately 2.6 million seniors – are readmitted within 30 days, at a cost exceeding $26 billion every year. Because of these statistics, care transitions need to be handled by nurses in management roles with expertise in how to move patients between health care providers or settings.

The TOC Management program will provide advanced practice nurses with specialized education to directly benefit their institutions and reduce healthcare costs. Designed for working professionals, the TOC program can be completed part-time both online and at the San Marcos campus.

See also
New Online Master of Science in Nursing Degree Approved at Indiana University Bloomington
Share This