Graduate Certificate Program Overview:
A graduate-level certificate program, from UC Denver College of Nursing, OPDES consists of a sequence of courses concentrated in a specific cohesive area of study, pattern, or in a group of academic credit offerings that focuses on an area of specialized knowledge or information and has specifically defined outcomes. These programs are offered to students in order to enhance participant knowledge and skills for professional development; a career transition; or for personal enrichment. They are designed to increase the education of matriculated graduate students or to provide continuing education to graduate-level non-degree seeking students.
Students who register in a stand alone certificate program will be classified as non-degree seeking students. In order to enroll, each applicant must fill out an application, a registration form each term, and must have successfully completed a baccalaureate degree at an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Non-degree students are enrolled in courses (after all admitted students are registered) on a space available basis. Courses taken as part of a certificate program may integrate with a graduate degree when a student decides to apply and becomes a matriculated student.
Once enrolled into a certificate program, students will be assigned an advisor and together they will complete a required certificate program plan to be filed with OPDES. This plan is a sample course outline of study with a timeline provided to the student as an example of how and when he or she will satisfactorily complete the graduate certificate program. Students must maintain a minimum of a 2.5 GPA at all times in order to stay in the graduate certificate program. Please note that grades below a B or 3.0 GPA may not be applied to a graduate degree or transferred into a graduate program of study. Students who successfully complete a graduate certificate will be awarded transferable academic credit and issued a certificate at the end of the term.
OPDES currently offers a Clinical Educator Certificate, a Certificate in Healthcare Informatics, a Palliative Care Certificate, and the International Certificate in Human Caring and Healing.
The Clinical Educator Certificate is a comprehensive program that provides the knowledge and skills needed to successfully develop clinical education programs for nurses. Prospective students must have a Bachelor of Science degree or, permission of the course instructor to participate in this program. Graduates with this certificate assume professional roles in clinical education including: Clinical/nursing education director/manager; community and public health educator; perioperative educator; clinical nurse specialist educator/manager; and clinical instructor. This program is a 10 credit hour certificate program consisting of 3 courses, which may be taken out of sequence. These courses are taught entirely online.
You may download the Clinical Educator Informational Flyer and Registration form here. Should you require further assistance, please contact OPDES at 303-724-1372 or via email at professional.development@ucdenver.edu.
The Health Care Informatics Certificate provides an opportunity for health care professionals to acquire knowledge and skills in the rapidly progressing field of informatics. With recent movements towards the adoption of the electronic health record and the need for IT infrastructure to increase patient safety and facilitate evidence-based practice, there is a growing need for more informatics specialists. This certificate provides opportunities for those new to the field and those who may be practicing in the field and need a professional update. Core informatics courses provide a foundational knowledge of concepts and principles related to management of information for decision support, information systems life cycle (planning, analysis, design, implementation and evaluation) and the use of standards and terminologies in health care information systems. In addition, students select two specialty courses in areas such as database management systems, knowledge systems, telehealth applications, health communication or independent studies in human computer interface, project management and emerging technologies. For all course-specific inquiries and for permission to take courses each term, applicants are required to contact the Informatics Option Coordinator via email at: Elisabeth.Levy@ucdenver.edu. Please email OPDES at professional.development@ucdenver.edu for all other inquiries or for more information on how this certificate program can meet your specific learning needs.
All courses are graduate-level and available totally online. Participants must have a BS degree to participate in this certificate program.
NOTE: For those interested in furthering their educational endeavors by completing a Master Degree Program here at UC Denver, College of Nursing, 12 of the 16 credit hours from this certificate program may be transferred into the Master Degree Program Health Care Informatics option. Practicum experiences are arranged in the communities where students live and work. Prospective students must meet admission requirements to be accepted in the Graduate Program at UC Denver, College of Nursing.
You may download the Healthcare Informatics Informational Flyer and Registration form here.
The International Certificate in Human Caring and Healing is a unique program that is the "next generation" of the pioneering education offered in the UC Denver, College of Nursing and the original Center for Human Caring. The entire curriculum for the Certificate Program will be offered in an intensive and intimate format in a scenic, historic Chautauqua Park Retreat Center in Boulder, Colorado. It is offered during the spring semester and consists of six sources for a total of 8 graduate credits. This program will only be offered through spring 2010; all courses must be completed at that time in order to obtain a certificate.
You may download the Human Caring and Healing Informational Brochure which includes a special registration form. For more general information about Dr. Jean Watson’s “Theory of Human Caring” click here.
The Certificate in Palliative Care Beyond Hospice: A Nursing Education Model: Palliative care refers to the comprehensive management of the physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and existential needs of patients with progressive illness and their families (Last Acts, 12/97). This program integrates palliative care principles into the practice of health care professionals for those working in acute and long-term care in both rural and urban settings in Colorado and beyond, and to provide theory review for the HPNA Palliative Care Nursing Credentialing Examination. This certificate program is offered during the spring semester and consists of two 3-semester hour courses for a total of 6 graduate credits.
You may download the Palliative Care Informational Flyer and Registration form. Should you require further information about The Palliative Care Website click here.
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