As a master's or additional specialty student at the Connell School of Nursing, you will choose one advanced practice specialty from 10 options. The specialty component of your degree will prepare you for certification as a nurse practitioner (NP), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), or certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Some specialty areas offer both NP and CNS concentrations, with a number of aspects in common: Both offer an advanced practice status that includes leadership opportunities; practice in a range of settings, including ambulatory and acute care; and the opportunity to advance evidence-based practice. The NP focuses mainly on primary care and has the ability to write prescriptions, while the CNS provides individual specialized care and also assumes roles in management, education, and research.
adult health nursing – np or cns
Adult health nurses work with adolescents, adults, and the elderly. They offer care in clinics, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), private practice, occupational health, home care, and school settings. While our curriculum focuses on the ambulatory care setting, clinical opportunities may be tailored to meet a student's individual area of interest, such as oncology, gerontology, or critical care.
community health nursing – cns
Community health nurses integrate concepts from epidemiology, environmental health, community development, program evaluation, policy development, and case management to promote public health. They hold positions with local and state heath departments, boards of health, state laboratories, hospitals, departments of environmental protection, divisions of occupational safety, offices of health and human services,and home care agencies.
family nursing – np
Family nurse practitioners deliver primary care to individuals, families, and communities across a broad range of racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic, age, and developmental strata. Course work combines principles of epidemiology and community health to prepare you for practice, leadership, and advocacy roles. Family health nurses practice in ambulatory settings, home health agencies, occupational health sites, prisons, senior centers, homeless shelters, and migrant labor camps.
forensic nursing – cns
Forensic nurses work with individual clients and families to provide consultation services, collect evidence from erpetrators and survivors of violent crime, and testify in court. They have the opportunity to advance forensic nursing science, develop policy, influence legislation, and collaborate with other health care, social services, and criminal justice system professionals to enhance the care of victims and perpetrators of violence.
gerontological nursing – np or cns
Gerontological nurses provide health promotion and evidence-based care for the elderly, with a focus on evidence-based practice. Opportunities for advanced clinical specialization can be tailored to fit individual needs and interests. Gerontological nurses work in a broad range of health care settings, including clinics, HMOs, long-term care, occupational health, home care, and private practice.
nurse anesthesia – crna
Nurse anesthetists work in virtually every setting in which anesthesia is administered and administer approximately 65 percent of all anesthesia in the United States each year. Boston College's partnership with Anaesthesia Associates of Massachusetts, the largest provider of anesthesia services in the state, ensures that our nurse anesthetists have broad hands-on experience at a range of clinical sites. As mandated for certification, the nurse anesthesia specialty has unique application requirements and processes compared with other specialty areas.
palliative care – np or cns
Palliative care nurses deliver innovative nursing interventions and treat health conditions with the goal of improving the quality of life for seriously ill patients and their families. Palliative care nurses choose a population-based concentration — adult, gerontological, or community health nursing — and work in symptom management clinics, home health and community agencies, long-term care facilities, acute care hospitals, and hospice settings.
pediatric nursing – np or cns
Pediatric nurses work with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age children, and adolescents and practice in a range of settings, both inside and outside of formal health care agencies and institutions. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Boston College's pediatric nurse practitioner specialty among the top 10 pediatric nursing programs in the nation.
psychiatric mental health nursing – cns
Psychiatric mental health nurses conduct individual and group psychotherapy, diagnose psychiatric disorders, perform psychiatric assessments and evaluations, and provide consultation to primary care providers. They practice in a variety of settings, including private practice, outpatient, partial hospitalization, day treatment, and community-based intervention programs.
women's health – np
Women's health nurse practitioners offer direct care that meets the unique concerns of women across the life span: in adolescence, during normal pregnancies, and into senescence. They are prepared to participate in research or publishing, serve as case managers, and educate patients, groups, communities, and other health care professionals.