Purpose
The doctor of nursing practice (D.N.P.) program is designed to prepare
advanced practice nurses who will possess the knowledge and skills for
leadership in nursing and health care practice. The health care
delivery system in the United States requires doctorally prepared,
practice-focused practitioners that can effect change, provide
strategic planning and program development, apply data management and
informatics skills, translate research into evidence-based practice,
influence health and social policy for diverse populations, and
influence positive health care outcomes. The coursework will be
delivered in an online and blended format similar to the Ph.D. program
and will include a residency period in which the students will gather
on campus for instruction and socialization.
A graduate of the D.N.P. program will be prepared to accomplish the eight
essentials of doctoral education for advanced practice in nursing as
specified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing as well as
meet the following program objectives:
- integrate biophysical, psychological, organizational, informatic,
ethical, and legal knowledge with nursing science as a foundation for
expert clinical nursing practice in a specific nursing clinical
specialization
- demonstrate accountability in specialty practice according to accepted standards of patient care and safety
- translate research findings into evidence-based practice at the individual and health care system levels
- use information technology to evaluate the delivery of health care to individuals and internal and community systems
- effect desired change by developing and implementing policies at
different levels of the health care system and with different
constituencies
- provide multidisciplinary leadership through analysis of critical
indicators and/or health care delivery systems in order to provide
optimal patient care and safety in a specific nursing clinical
specialization
- demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills in the planning and
delivery of health and illness management in a specific nursing
clinical specialization
The online and blended curriculum requires a minimum of 41 credits
beyond the master's degree. Of that total, 38 credits must come
from nursing courses, including 6 credits for capstone projects leading
to the development of a program and final clinical paper and 12 credits
in clinical practica. An additional interdisciplinary course in
health care management (3 credits) is required.
In addition to the 41 credits of study, students seeking the D.N.P. must:
- develop a capstone project proposal
- secure committee approval of the capstone project proposal
- conduct and successfully complete the capstone project
- present the findings of the capstone project
The faculty believes that a foundation in nursing theory, nursing
research, advanced pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and a
graduate level pharmacology course are integral to the practice of an
advanced practice nurse. Therefore, students entering the D.N.P.
program are expected to have successfully passed master's level courses
in the areas listed above. A prerequisite course in basic
statistics is also required.
Clinical Residency Experience
The D.N.P. degree signifies clinical nursing expertise. The clinical
residency courses represent a synthesis practicum with a clinical coach
and a clinical mentor in either the student's advanced practice
specialization or practice/administration focus or both. The
clinical coach is a nursing leader with a graduate nursing degree who
will assist the student in the clinical setting to achieve his or her course
objectives. The clinical mentor is preferably a
doctorally prepared nurse, but may not always be, who specializes in
the student's area of interest and may be located anywhere in the
country.
The clinical residency courses are planned jointly by the student, the
faculty member, and/or the clinical coach and mentor. The plan
must be approved in advance by the faculty member. A written
letter of agreement, signed by the student, faculty member, clinical
coach, and clinical mentor, specifies the objectives to be attained,
experiences and activities for which the student is responsible, the
time commitment, and the deliverable product(s). Upon completion
of the clinical residency courses, the faculty member--with input
from the clinical coach and clinical mentor--determines whether the
objectives have been met satisfactorily. This documentation is
filed in the student's record.
Advisement
Each entering student is assigned an academic faculty adviser who
provides guidance in registration and developing a plan of study,
monitors the student's progress, and assists in the selection of a
capstone project topic and plan. Should it be necessary to make a
change in the academic adviser, the change can be initiated by the
adviser or advisee but must be coordinated with the associate dean of academic affairs, the associate dean of student affairs, and the director of the graduate program.
Time Limit
Requirements for the D.N.P. degree must be completed within eight years.
Admission
The requirements for admission to the D.N.P. program are:
1. a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program
2. a master's degree with a major in nursing from a nationally accredited program
3. a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.2 (where A = 4.0)
4. satisfactory combined score on the GRE (verbal, quantitative, and analytical and/or writing abilities)
5. a personal interview (a telephone interview, when appropriate, may be arranged)
6. submission of the following materials:
a. current registered nurse licensure
b. an essay describing the applicant's goals for doctoral study and career goals relative to advanced nursing practice
c. curriculum vitae with relevant work experience pertaining to the area of clinical specialization (certification in the specialization is preferred)
d. two scholarly papers of which the applicant is sole author (this can be a published article or chapter, a paper done in the master's program, and/or a paper completed for work)
e. three letters of reference from professional sources that support the applicant's ability to succeed in the doctoral program. Two of these letters must come from nurse academicians.
f. two official transcripts of all previous college work
g. completed application form
