“Support Program for Improving Graduate School Education”
FY 2009 Graduate Student Application Guidebook

 

Master’s course

Examination date Monday, February 9, 2009

Okinawa Prefectural College of Nursing, Graduate School
Health Nursing Science Course

 

Outline of the Support Program for Improving Graduate School Education

［Program’s name］ Development of Advanced Nursing Specialists in Islands Nursing
　　　　　　　　　　−Blended Education of Island On-site and Distance Teachings −

［Program’s duration］ FY 2008 − FY 2010

［Program’s contents］
(1)　Establishment of a new education research field
　This course will be established as one educational research course of the Health Nursing Science Graduate Program of our graduate school. The "Islands Health Nursing” area will be included in the frontier of health nursing field available in both the master’s and doctor’s courses of the Doctorate Program for Health Nursing Science Research. In this field, based on nursing rooted in island community culture, research, training and practice will take place to promote community care cooperation where islands collaborate to solve problems as a whole, to take preventive measures against emergencies and infections typical of islands, and to improve lifestyle to lower the lifestyle-related disease occurrence rate.

(2) Admission number and system in the islands health nursing area
　We accept two students in the master’s course and one in the doctor’s course. Applicants must be nurses or nursing staff currently working on islands. Students are given three years maximum to complete the course. We also willingly accept undergraduate students from islands, which will lead them to earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing and encouraging them to pursue higher degrees.

(3) Establishment of new subjects in the Islands Health Nursing field
　New subjects will be established to produce advanced nursing practitioners (masters’ course: hereinafter referred to as M) and pragmatic educational research leaders (doctor’s course: hereinafter referred to as D) in the islands health nursing field. The following new subjects will be established: Island Health and Nursing Theroy I (M) and II (D); Island Health and Nursing Seminar / Practicum (M); Island Health and Nursing Problem Study (M); and Island Health and Nursing Special Study II (D). Community Culture Nursing Theory (M) as a special subject (core subject), and Community Cooperation among Multi-profession Theory (M) and International Nursing in Island (D) will also be established as elective subjects.

(4) Study venues and teaching methods in islands health nursing at home and abroad
　Miyako Island will be the base for human resource development. At present, multi-professional collaborative activities are already taking place on Miyako Island. Joint research among professions and between islands and college are also in progress. We will educate students on the island through these activities. On Taiwan and other Pacific Islands, and Kauai Island of Hawaii, we will do research on the problems with community culture health nursing and the current status of cooperation and collaboration among multi-professions. We are planning to set up meetings and workshops to study with nursing staff in these areas.
　Lectures and practices will be held on Miyako Island. By using a video conference system and the Distance Education System of our college (FCS), students here at this college will also be able to attend the lectures on the island.
　As for Problem Research (M)・Special Research II (D), the principle is that teachers will go to Miyako Island to educate students while involving in joint research activities there. Moreover, masters’ students will have an opportunity to experience educational activities as a TA (Teaching Assistant). Doctoral student will have an opportunity to experience working as both TA and RA (Research Assistant) in order to develop his/her competence to become pragmatic educational research leaders in the future.

Admission policy of the Health Nursing Science Course

　　Nursing practitioners able to design, practice, and evaluate advanced health nursing with remarkable insight and professional knowledge / skills/ attitude, and nursing professionals, educators, and researchers in the administration / business / management fields have been playing increasingly active roles in recent years.
　　In the global age, aging society with the birth rate declining, and the highly specialized healthcare and welfare service system, this course aims to develop professional leaders capable of catering to social demand. We aim to develop such human resources able to contribute to health nursing activities and the creation of new sciences as follows: advanced practitioners in health nursing, practitioners with enough knowledge and skills to handle the telecommunication / remote information system effective in remote island / area healthcare, emergency healthcare, and life-long heath education and healthcare, based on Okinawa’s uniqueness (remote nursing), nursing administrators, educators able to integrate learning and educational principles and apply them to nursing education, and researchers able to contribute to the creation of new nursing knowledge through research activities. In order to provide educational opportunities for nurses in service, as specified by Article 14 “Special exception” of the Graduate School Establishment Standards”, this graduate school is permitted to give lectures and research advice at night and during other specific hours or periods.
　　The master’s course aims to develop professional abilities to practice and educate advanced care in terms of health nursing from a broad perspective, or research abilities by deepening academic knowledge.
　　The doctor’s course aims to develop the research ability needed to conduct independent research activities as a researcher in the nursing field, and rich store of academic knowledge as its basis.

　　We admit students with the following attributes, abilities, and motivation in the master’ course.

1. Motivated to contribute to society as an intermediate nursing practitioner, or nursing educator.
2. With solid basic academic ability and rich store of basic knowledge in the specialized field; willing to confront the challenge of solving unknown problems.
3. Motivated to contribute to the development of nursing in response to people’s health needs beyond the existing specialized fields in basic education .
4. Motivated to understand different cultures and engage in communication with people.
5. Able to pursue studies by maintaining a balance between work and studies if Article 14 of the Graduate School Establishment Standards is applied.

 

Master’s Course　　Health Nursing Science Course

1.　Admissible number and area / field / specialized subject

Area	Field	Specialized subject	Admissible number
Frontier of health nursing	Islands health nursing	Islands heath nursing	2 persons

※The specialized subject (Islands health nursing) is to be established by the FY 2008 Support Program for Improving Graduate School Education applied to and adopted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology in September 2008.

2.　Application conditions
　Applicants shall fall under either of the following conditions (1) - (6) in addition to the condition (7):
(1)Graduate of a nursing college (excluding a short-term college) or expected to graduate by March 2009.
(2)Graduate of a college of other fields than nursing (excluding a short-term college), being licensed as either of a nurse, public health nurse, and midwife.
(3)Approved as being as academically competent as a college graduate by our faculty.
(4)Completed the 16-year course in school education abroad, or expected to complete by March 2009.
(5)Completed the specialized course of an advanced vocational school separately designated by the Education Minister after the date specified by the minister.
(6)Designated by the Education Minister (Notification No.5 of the Education Ministry on February 7, 1953).
(7)Currently in service of nursing.

3.　Selection method
(1)Students shall be selected by comprehensively evaluating academic exams, interviews, and application forms.

4.　Announcement of successful applicants
(1)The announcement shall be posted on campus and our Web site starting at 14:00, Mon., February 16, 2009. (Passing-status will be set to applicants in writing.)
NB) We shall never respond to any inquiries by phone.

5.　Enrolment procedures
(1)Enrolment procedure period: Mon., February 16, 2009 - Mon., February 23, 2009 【Deadline】
(2)Successful applicants must submit the forms needed for enrolment procedures sent with the passing-status notification within the above mentioned period.
(3)Applicants in service under the application of Article 14 of the Graduate School Establishment Standards must submit a written approval prepared by the immediate manager.

6.　Enrolment fee / tuition fee
(1)Enrolment fee Residents in Okinawa ¥282,000　　Others ¥512,000
(2)Tuition fee Annual amount ¥535,800
※Residents in Okinawa fall under either of the following categories.
A The person who has had an address in Okinawa before April 1, 2008 and onwards.
B The person whose spouse or relative in the first degree has had an address in Okinawa before April 1, 2008 and onwards.
(3)The enrolment fee must be paid within the enrolment procedure period. The tuition fee, however, shall be collected twice a year in the first term (April) and the second term (October) after enrolment.
※If the tuition fee is revised while at college, the revised tuition fee will be applied to students.

7.　N.B.
(1) No forms and entrance examination fees shall be returned once they are submitted and paid.
(2) Admission might be revoked even after the announcement of successful applicants if false entries should be found in the submitted forms.
(3) Contact for application: Entrance exam administrator, Academic affairs division, Secretariat, OPCN
　　　　　　　　　　1-24-1 Yogi, Naha City, Okinawa Post code: 902-0076
　　　　　　　　　　Phone: 098-833-8800
　　　　　　　　　　FAX : 098-833-5133

 

Structure of the educational subjects (Islands health nursing) - Master’s course

	Subject (credits)
Required in the area	Frontier of Health Nursing	Islands Health Nursing	Island Health and Nursing Theory I (2) Island Health and Nursing Seminar (2) Island Health and Nursing Practicum (6) Island Health and Nursing Problem Study (4)
Required	Core subjects		Continuing Health Nursing Education I (2) Health Nursing and Research I (2) Community Culture Nursing Theory (2)
Elective subjects			Life-long Human Development Study (2) Health Nursing Policy (2) Vital Functions and Risks (2) Nursing Ethics (2) Epidemiology and Health Statistics I (2) Nursing Consultation (2) Health Promotion / Health Education I (2) Nursing Administration (2) Health Nursing Information (2) Community Cooperation among Multi-profession Theory (2)

Completion requirement: Over 30 credits should be earned to complete the master’s course.
［Breakdowns: core subjects (6), required subjects in the area (14), elective subjects (10: including Community Cooperation among Multi-professions Theory)］

Outline of educational research area / field (Master’s course)

Area	Field	Outline
Frontier of health nursing	Islands health nursing	This field aims to develop nursing leaders capable of advanced practice and practical education in islands nursing. Nursing professionals play a great role on islands where there are few health / medical welfare professionals. The field aims to develop advanced islands nursing professionalism to realize nursing rooting in islanders’ lifestyle and culture, particularly through health and medical welfare activities by care cooperation and collaboration among multi-professions such as health and medical welfare, education, and administration. ■Teachers in charge / Miwako Noguchi, Midori Kamizato, Eiko Kadekaru, Akiko Ikeda, Fujiko Toyama, Kazuko Maeda, Kiyoko Tamashiro, Akemi Owan, Rimiko Ishikawa