Program Overview

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is a post-master’s program designed to prepare advanced practice nurses (clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and certified registered nurse anesthetists) for the challenges of the current health care environment. The purpose of the DNP is to prepare nurse leaders to apply advanced practice skills at the highest level of clinical practice. Students will acquire the skills to influence change that will improve health outcomes in populations specific to their advanced specialty preparation. The development of evidence-based interventions, quality improvement methodologies, and health policy changes to enhance health care delivery at the system-wide practice level will be emphasized. The program culminates with a practice immersion experience in which the student develops, implements, and evaluates a practice change initiative within a clinical setting.

Final Scholarly Project

The DNP program will prepare nurses at the highest level of clinical practice who will influence change in health care settings for improvement of care.  Students will begin the program with a plan for a practice change project.  The goals of the project are to:

1. use an evidence-based approach to develop clinical strategies that will improve health outcomes in a particular population of patients
2. implement those strategies
3. evaluate patient outcomes

Projects may be implemented in the student’s current practice setting as appropriate.

Early in the program, clinical experiences that will enhance the student’s ability to plan and implement the practice change will be explored. These experiences will be completed during the Clinical Residency courses.

Students will implement the practice change during the fifth semester.  In the final semester, students will analyze the patient outcomes, plan for sustainability of the project, and disseminate their work to the professional community.

Credit Requirements

The total number of required credits to obtain the DNP degree will be 35-39. The variation in the number of credits is dependent on the student’s previous master’s-level clinical hours. The AACN has recommended that all DNP graduates complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of post-baccalaureate clinical practice. The 35-39 credit post-master’s program includes a minimum of 240 clinical hours. Since students will begin the program with various numbers of clinical hours from their previous master’s programs, the number of required clinical hours will be determined based on portfolio review. An individualized plan for clinical practice experiences will be developed. These experiences will enhance the clinical skills of the student and will facilitate the planning and implementation of their practice change initiative.

Accreditation and Approval

• Pennsylvania Department of Education
• Middle State Association of Colleges and Schools