2016 Fact Book

60 acute care nurse practitioner (GAACNP), and is offered in a hybrid format at the Palm Beach Campus. In the fall of 2016, the college will begin offering the FNP program on the Tampa Campus. The FNP and GAACNP programs are both offered in a hybrid format, blending the use of online and classroom environments, depending on the course content and educational requirements. Graduates of either program receive an M.S.N. degree. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) is a practice- focused terminal degree that prepares graduates to practice at the highest level in a specialty practice or executive leadership. The D.N.P. curriculum builds on current M.S.N. programs by supporting evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems thinking. Graduates of this program are prepared to lead and engage in practical, clinically focused scholarship and research utilization. The online Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in nursing education prepares nurse scholars to develop evidence-based practice guidelines and organize new and innovative nursing care delivery systems. It also trains them for placement in research/evidence-based practice positions within their education departments. Nova Southeastern University’s Ph.D. in Nursing helps to address the current and projected national shortage of nursing faculty members at all levels of nursing education. College of Optometry One of humanity’s most precious gifts is sight and the optometric physician is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of this gift. The optometric physician, through academic and clinical training, is able to examine, diagnose, treat, and manage disorders and diseases of the visual system and associated structures. The profession of optometry offers many challenges and rewards to those willing to devote themselves to serving others through a lifetime of study and dedication to excellence. In urban and rural communities throughout the nation, today’s optometric physician serves as the primary eye care practitioner in individual or group practices, hospital settings, public health organizations, educational institutions, and centers for vision research. Nova Southeastern University’s College of Optometry is the only optometric academic institution in the state of Florida. The College of Optometry admitted its charter class in 1989, and its graduates provide primary eye care as well as specialty care in such areas as contact lenses; ocular disease; low-vision rehabilitation; and binocular, geriatric, and pediatric vision evaluation and treatment. Furthermore, the college benefits from the integrated, interprofessional health care programs of the university’s Health Professions Division. The College of Optometry offers a fully accredited, full- time, four-year course of study leading to the Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree. The College of Optometry also has established a five-year, extended program leading to the Doctor of Optometry degree. Students in the extended program take courses with the full-time students, but with a reduced course load. Coursework covered in the first two years of the traditional full- time program is covered in three years in the extended program. The last two years of both programs are identical and are taken concurrently. Two other unique programs in NSU’s College of Optometry are a one-year preparatory program and a mini-M.B.A. for optometrists certificate offered in conjunction with the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Because the profession is constantly evolving, optometrists require an educational program that meets the challenges of technological and medical advances and supports patient-oriented clinical research. As primary vision care professionals, students are trained in pathology, diagnostic and therapeutic drug therapy, and modern techniques in imaging and lasers. Students also receive instruction in binocular vision, optics, contact lenses, and refraction—fields that have traditionally been the foundation of the profession. The didactic focus of the first two years of study encompasses coursework in medical sciences, optics, and the vision sciences. In preparation for direct patient care, students also study general optometric theory and methods; ocular pathology; and the diagnosis, treatment, and management of vision anomalies. Some of the medical sciences are taught in classes with other health care disciplines, reflecting the Health Professions Division’s philosophy of interprofessional education.