Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) - Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration

Program Admission Requirements

In addition to the Graduate School Admission Requirements, applicants for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) - Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration Program must possess a B.S.N. from a regionally accredited college or university and a nationally accredited nursing program with at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale in the nursing major. They must have completed an undergraduate or graduate level statistics course and a course in research methods. They must also submit three professional references, a resume, and a professional statement (details at http://www.wcu.edu/learn/departments-schools-colleges/HHS/hhs-schools-depts/nursing/).

Applicants must be a registered nurse eligible for licensure to practice in North Carolina and have a minimum of one year of clinical nursing experience within the past five years and may be required to participate in an interview session that includes a written exercise. Applicants who are admitted to the program must own or have access to a computer with Internet service. Computer literacy is a necessary prerequisite. Meeting minimum requirements for admission does not guarantee acceptance into a program.

Program Description

The BSN-DNP (FNP Concentration) Program prepares nurses in an advanced practice role with competencies based on scientific inquiry, information literacy and ethics. Upon completion, graduates will be prepared to provide quality primary health care, health promotion, disease prevention, and management of common conditions across the life span. The 9-semester program is a full-time curriculum over 36 months and requires a minimum of 86 course credits and 1000 clinical hours. New student cohorts will be admitted in May of each year for the summer semester. The program will require travel to sites in Western North Carolina for clinical practicum rotations. A comprehensive exam will be required during the final semester. The research requirement is a six-hour doctoral project that is to be completed during the final part of the program.

In addition to the academic requirements, students are expected to adhere to the technical and professional standards of the program. For the most up to date information regarding these standards, program suspension, and termination refer to the program’s website linked from the College of Health and Human Sciences.

Application Deadline: September 15th of each year for Summer (May) entry.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P) Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration (86 hours)

The BSN-DNP (FNP concentration) focused program prepares nurses in an advanced practice role with competencies based on scientific inquiry, information literacy and ethics. Upon completion, graduates will be prepared to provide quality primary health care, health promotion, disease prevention, and management of common conditions across the life span. The 9-semester program is a full-time curriculum over 36 months and requires a minimum of 83 course credits and 1000 clinical hours. New student cohorts will be admitted in May of each year for the summer semester. The program will require travel to sites in Western North Carolina for clinical practicum rotations. A written comprehensive exam will be required during the final semester. A six-credit hour DNP scholarly project is completed during the final part of the program.

NSG 826 - Leadership and Health Care Systems Credits: 3
NSG 801 - Essentials of Academic Writing Credits: 1
NSG 814 - Foundations and Applications of Evidence-Based Practice Credits: 3
NSG 811 - Advanced Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners Credits: 3
NSG 812 - Advanced Health Physical Assessment and Diagnostics Credits: 3
NSG 813 - Advanced Applied Health Assessment and Diagnostics Credits: 3
NSG 817 - Applied Biostatistics Credits: 3
NSG 804 - Primary Care of Adults Credits: 3
NSG 820 - FNP Clinical Management: Adult Focus Credits: 3
NSG 819 - Advanced Pharmacology for Nurse Practitioners Credits: 3
NSG 805 - Primary Care of Female Adolescents and Women Credits: 3
NSG 821 - FNP Clinical Management: Women’s Health Focus Credits: 3
NSG 823 - Economic and Financial Aspects of Healthcare Systems Credits: 3
NSG 806 - Primary Care of Geriatric Clients Credits: 3
NSG 824 - FNP Clinical Management: Geriatric Focus Credits: 3
NSG 809 - Social and Behavioral Health Problems Credits: 3
NSG 807 - Primary Care of Children and Adolescents Credits: 3
NSG 825 - FNP Clinical Management Pediatric Focus Credits: 3
NSG 829 - FNP Professional Practice in Primary Care Credits: 3
NSG 828 - FNP Clinical Management: Primary Care Credits: 4
NSG 822 - Health Care Policy and Ethics Credits: 3
NSG 908 - Integrative Health Promotion & Holistic Disease Management Credits: 3
NSG 909 - Primary Care Office Procedures Credits: 3
NSG 910 - Expanded Advanced Clinical Practice for FNP Credits: 6
NSG 802 - Community Epidemiology Credits: 3
NSG 916 - DNP Scholarly Project Credits: 1-2