MU Sinclair School of Nursing

Gets Top State Ranking for

Graduate Program

Contact: Pam Roe
Director of External Relations
S218 School of Nursing
Columbia , Mo. 65211
(573) 884-2690

May 15, 2007

For Immediate Release

COLUMBIA , Mo. – Each year U.S. News & World Report reports the results of surveys that score and rank graduate programs in U.S. colleges and universities. This year the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri-Columbia School ranked 47th in the nation for its graduate program, which is the highest ranked school of nursing in Missouri.

The School's placement was judged against 285 schools of nursing that were ranked this year and out of 448 masters of nursing programs in the country. Additionally the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) area of study, which is within the School's master's program, was ranked 23 rd out of 30 national programs that were evaluated. However, there are more than 340 master's level nurse practitioner programs in the country.

“This ranking is important because it shows our School is known for its outreach efforts and that the quality of our educational programs is solid,” said Roxanne McDaniel, associate dean of graduate and undergraduate programs at the school. “We have requests from employers nationwide for both our graduate and undergraduate students.”

There is a direct correlation between the two independent rankings, McDaniel says. The U.S. News & World Report base their rankings on expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students. So as the largest area of study in the graduate program, the FNP area of study's reputation influences the national ranking of the entire master's program.

“Those nurses who graduate from MU's FNP area of study have a 100 percent pass rate on their first attempt at the American Nurses Credentialing Center 's certification exam,” said Lila Pennington, instructor of clinical nursing and coordinator of the FNP and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner areas of study. “With the education they receive from MU, these advance practice nurses can meet the standards set for the certification exam. It also means that they will provide top quality care for their patients.”

Since the mid-90s, the number of nurse practitioners has grown every year. In 1996, there were less than 40,000 nurse practitioners nationwide but nine years later the number had increased to 141,000 according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. With the spiraling cost of health care, these professionals are playing a significant role by providing affordable alternatives for those who need it most.

“Nurse practitioners take a very active role in providing primary health care,” Pennington said.
“Eighty to 90 percent of health-care concerns that are seen in the primary care clinics could be handled by nurse practitioners.”

According to the Missouri Nurses Association, in 2004 Marti Cowherd was the ninth nurse practitioner to own and operate her own clinic in Missouri . As a 2002 graduate from the School's FNP/Pediatric Nurse Practitioner areas of study, she sees a lot of room for growth in her Ray County clinic.

“We serve a large Medicaid/Medicare population,” Cowherd said. “And as more of those patients come in, I can see growth in our future. However, it also means that the county's population is getting poorer and that concerns me.”

Rankings in the School's educational and research programs attract qualified students from across the nation both at the undergraduate and graduate level thus working in tandem with the ranking scores.

“Students come from out of state for our undergraduate programs because of our high pass rates on licensure exams,” McDaniel said. “We have also increased our national visibility due to the accelerated BSN , MS (N) and PhD nursing programs by attracting applicants from around the world. Overall, the quality of these programs is recognized by these rankings.”

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