MSN in Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, and Risk Management Online Degree

MSN in Quality, Safety, and Risk Management in Healthcare

Drexel’s online MSN in Quality, Safety, and Risk Management in Healthcare program draws from multiple disciplines. It’s ideal for working nurses who want to improve patient outcomes, reduce mortality rates, and create positive change in patient care. 

The interdisciplinary patient safety and healthcare quality Master of Science in nursing program focuses on helping you build key competencies. You’ll learn how to enhance and monitor quality metrics, further safety for both patients and staff, and manage risks in a dynamic healthcare and nursing environment. Plus, the format enables you to learn and collaborate as you would in practice.

MSN in Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety Online Program at a Glance

• 46 quarter credits (equivalent of 30.67 semester credits)
• 100% online
• No on-campus residency requirement
• Ideal for nurses who want to take their career to new levels and impact quality, safety, and risk management in the healthcare industry
• Ranked #45 in Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs by U.S. News & World Report
• Ranked #12 in Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs for Veterans by U.S. News & World Report
• Learn from faculty members who are practicing experts in the fields of nursing, law, quality, patient safety, and risk management
• Study topics from a wide array of disciplines with the opportunity to learn and collaborate as you would in any practice setting
• The online format is highly interactive, challenging, and engaging while still fitting the schedule needs of working nurses and healthcare professionals
• Learn through realistic virtual simulation experiences through a partnership with faculty from Drexel’s state-of-the-art simulation center
• Three-year tuition lock for students who complete the program within three years
• The MS program is certified by CAHME and the MSN program is accredited by CCNE and certified by CAHME. CAHME serves the public by advancing the quality of healthcare management education globally. CAHME is an interdisciplinary group of educational, professional, clinical, and other health sector organizations devoted to quality improvement of education for healthcare management and administration professionals.

Program Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission
The mission of this program is to educate the next generation of leaders who will advance quality in healthcare. Through a focus on the core values of innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, data-driven decision making, inclusion, and equity, the program prepares students to influence change and improve care across the continuum. The current landscape in healthcare requires preparation for interdisciplinary collaboration to support optimal outcomes. The program’s curriculum provides students with interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities that support development of knowledge and skills needed to collaboratively solve complex issues in healthcare and improve outcomes.

Vision
The QSRM program aspires to expand our national and international reputation as a leader in quality and patient safety education. The program aims to produce highly skilled, innovative individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to improve the quality and value of healthcare, preparing them to lead in a demanding and dynamic healthcare arena.

Values
Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Innovation, Data-Driven Decision Making, Inclusion, and Equity.

Quality, Safety, and Risk Management Capstone Project

The capstone project provides an opportunity to deepen your newly acquired nursing skills, while developing additional competencies needed to be successful in quality, safety, and risk management in healthcare. It's designed to provide an opportunity to integrate core and support course content related to improvement capability, patient safety, triple aim for populations, person- and family-centered care, leadership, and quality, cost, and value. The capstone project allows you to apply the knowledge learned throughout the program and demonstrate competency in the skills related to QSRM. You have the ability to complete the capstone project at your place of employment, allowingyou to make a meaningful contribution to quality and safety at your organization.

What is an MSN in Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Degree?

An MSN in Patient Safety and Healthcare program is designed for Registered Nurses (RNs) seeking to study the various ways to oversee and advance protocols for patient care in clinical settings.

You’ll learn through classwork and hands-on experiences that apply principles you’ve learned throughout the program to realistic, high stakes simulated activities. While sharing core interdisciplinary requirements, there are two kinds of degree options within this program, each one containing different course sequences and requirements:

• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – designed for nurses
• Master of Science (MS) – designed for healthcare professionals

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
The MSN sequence integrates the Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (AACN, 2011), Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies (NONPF, 2014), and QSEN Graduate Competencies (AACN, 2012).

It’s designed for students who have earned a BSN from an institution accredited by the National League for Nursing (NLN) and/or the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and have a valid RN license. Or, for students who have an accredited bachelor’s degree or an ASN and have a valid RN license.

Master of Science (MS)
The MS sequence includes a wide range of courses from different disciplines, with similar content as the NURS counterpart courses.

It’s designed for students who have earned their bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university. It is also preferable to have healthcare experience.

What Can You Do with an MSN in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Degree?

An MSN in patient safety and quality improvement might be useful in the pursuit of leadership roles within public and private sectors. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field of occupational health and safety is experiencing fast growth, adding new jobs at a rate of 15% through 2033.

After earning your degree, you can apply your knowledge and skill sets across community-based care delivery settings, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations. While job titles vary depending on where you work, you could look for positions such as:

• Director of Risk Management
• Director of Quality and Patient Safety
• Healthcare Risk Manager
• Patient Safety Officer
• Performance Improvement Advisor
• Quality Improvement Coordinator

Upon completion of this program, you will have gained the skills necessary to:

• Apply a legal and ethical framework of health care delivery
• Further the role of the quality, safety, and risk management professional in the health care system through scholarship, clinical experience, and organizational involvement
• Demonstrate critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in decision-making
• Integrate multiple technologies and relevant theories into the organization and synthesis of health data to care for patients, families, and communities
• Integrate culturally sensitive care that contributes to the health and wellness of the community
• Demonstrate leadership through the development of outcome-based standards of care and practice-based health policy issues
• Drive the quality and effectiveness of care based on current research findings, standards of care, and patient outcomes
• Contribute to the advancement of health care and humanity through communication, interprofessional collaboration, and education

Graduation Rate

Program Competencies

For more information on the QSRM program competencies, please visit the QSRM page on the College of Nursing and Health Professions website.

MSN in Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Salary Expectations

Patient safety officers working in state, local, and private hospitals earned a median annual wage of $83,910 in 2024. In the broader industry, salaries range from $50,610 to more than $130,460. In any field, salaries will fluctuate, due to location, clinical settings, and other factors.

Online Open Houses

Learn more about this and other nursing programs from our previously recorded online open house webinar series.

Questions? We're here to help!

For application related questions:
enroll@drexel.edu

For program related questions:
College of Nursing and Health Professions Program Team
CNHPGraduateDivision@drexel.edu

Related Program

• MS in Quality, Safety, and Risk Management in Healthcare

Drexel University offers a variety of Graduate Minors that can be added to any master's degree program.
State restrictions may apply to some programs.
The MSN program at Drexel University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.