Nursing (D.N.P.) Doctor in Nursing Practice

Requires 42 hours.

The Post-Masters Doctor of Nursing Practice degree prepares graduates to analyze systems of care and provide transformational leadership to improve patient safety, quality of care, and implement evidence-based culturally competent care practices. Graduates from this program will be able to interpret and apply research findings to practice settings, determine and measure systems and population outcomes, manage information systems and use appropriate technology for health and risk communication. Upon completion of the DNP program, graduates will:

• Analyze and integrate evidence from nursing science with evidence from other relevant scientific disciplines to form a scientific foundation for advanced practice in nursing.
• Apply clinical scholarship, scientific evidence, and analytical methods to improve health care outcomes.
• Develop and evaluate systems to enhance safety and quality of health care.
• Advocate and participate in collaborative interdisciplinary efforts to improve health outcomes at the practice/organization, community, state and national levels.
• Engage in culturally competent and ethically sound advanced nursing practice.
• Demonstrate leadership in the improvement of patient outcomes and transformation of health care delivery.
• Manage directly the complex problems of clients/populations and systems to facilitate access and navigation of the health care system to improve health outcomes.

Admissions Requirements for Post-MSN DNP:

• An overall GPA of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in the MSN program as documented by official transcripts.
• Earned master’s in nursing in an advanced nursing practice specialty from a nationally accredited program.
• Current RN licensure in their state of residence.
• Evidence of a national standardized test score (e.g. GRE, MAT, GMAT).
• APRNS must provide evidence of current national certification and meet the requirements for practice in their state of residence.
• An essay that address, 1) advanced practice expertise, 2) career goals, 3) how the DNP will foster achievement of these goals, and 4) plans for DNP project.
• Resume/curriculum vitae.
• Three recommendations that should address the practice capabilities of the candidate.
• For international students, submission of TOEFL scores with a minimum score of 557 for the paper test and 220 for the computer test.
• Additional evidence for consideration of the application can be uploaded (e.g. publications, posters, evidence-based practice projects).
• Applicants who do not meet the above criteria can meet with the Program Coordinator to discuss other factions that may have a bearing on admission.
• Evidence of 500 supervised clinical hours within the MSN program.