GW Nursing tied for the No. 5 spot in U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs. The increase in rank from No. 26 in the previous year is a reflection of faculty, staff and students' hard work and the continued dedication of resources to instructional design, technology and best practices. Once again, the school was also ranked for Best Online Master’s in Nursing for Veterans this year, coming in at No. 3 on that list.
“We are humbled to be given the distinction as a nursing school committed to creating an immersive educational environment in all settings,” said Dean Pamela Jeffries. “As we look toward the future, online programs in nursing will continue to play a vital role in addressing the shortage of health care providers in communities that may lack access to nearby education and health care opportunities.”
U.S. News & World Report’s methodology ranks programs using a weighted measurement of five categories that include, faculty credentials and training, student services and technology, student engagement, admissions selectivity and peer assessment.
At GW Nursing, all graduate programs are available online and include:
- MSN Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- MSN: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner
- MSN: Nurse-Midwifery
- MSN: Nursing Leadership Management
- DNP: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- DNP: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- DNP: Family Nurse Practitioner
- DNP: Executive Leadership
- DNP: Nursing Practice
- Graduate Certificate in Health Policy and Media Engagement
- Graduate Certificate in Nursing Education
- Post-Master’s Certificate in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
- Post-Master’s Certificate in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
- Post-Master’s Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner
- Post-Master’s Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The school also offers an accelerated bachelor of science in nursing option for veterans* that is tailored to the individual and allows them to count their military experience as credit toward their degree.
To support faculty in the delivery of online courses, GW Nursing augments university resources with its Office of Online Learning and Instructional Technology (OLIT). Directed by Miro Liwosz, the team includes two instructional designers, one instructional technologist and one multimedia developer. The team supports and actively consults with GW Nursing faculty on academic projects that impact teaching, learning and research. Over the past few years, the team has assisted in developing more than 100 academic online, blended and electronic presence courses, MOOCs and Open Educational Resources.
OLIT also trains faculty and staff on effective use of instructional technologies, developed and manages a multimedia studio for high-quality audio and video recording and assists in the development and ongoing operations of a high-fidelity medical simulation center.
“Improving the design of courses allows students to spend less time figuring out course navigation and location of resources, and more time on the pedagogy and instructional techniques that enhance learning,” said Mr. Liwosz.
*This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UF1HP26982 and title Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) Program: Veterans Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree for grant amount $1,047,666, with no financing by nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be constructed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsement be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the US government.