DNP Program
Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program
The purpose of the DNP program at the FSMFN is to prepare nurse practitioner and nurse-midwife leaders who will evaluate and improve primary care practice. The Doctor of Nursing Practice DNP program prepares you for an advanced role in practice nursing as well as leadership.
Doctorate of Nursing (DNP) program goals
The ultimate goal of the DNP program is to improve the health care and the health status of populations with a focus on rural and underserved communities. DNP graduates provide leadership in multiple areas. They are competent, reflective clinicians within their area of advanced practice nursing.
Graduates of the DNP program will be equipped for leadership roles in nursing practice, administration, research, and academia.
Description of the DNP Program
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is conceived as the highest degree for clinical nursing practice. The FSMFN DNP program is initially designed as a post-master’s degree program for nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives who want to improve their skills in the areas of leadership, clinical scholarship, evidence-based practice and clinical evaluation. All students entering the DNP program must be registered nurses who have completed a master’s degree in nursing and are nationally certified as either a nurse practitioner or a nurse-midwife. The DNP program builds upon and expand the competencies of the masters’ prepared advanced practice nurse.
The DNP program is 33 semester credits. These include 8 credits (360 hours) of clinical practicum. The curriculum is delivered using distance education strategies over the course of five 12-week terms. There are two required on-campus experiences. The first is a three-day orientation to the program called DNP Bound. The second on-campus experience is at the midpoint of the program, when students will attend a three-day residency during which they will present their proposed projects to their student colleagues and faculty. During terms Four and Five, students spend approximately 20 hours per week in a clinical site.
Doctorate of nursing curriculum
The DNP curriculum has been carefully constructed to incorporate the eight essential competencies delineated by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The competencies address the following:
1. Scientific underpinning for practice
2. Organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement and systems thinking
3. Clinical scholarship and analytical methods for evidence-based practice
4. Information systems/technology and patient care technology
5. Health care policy for advocacy in health care
6. Inter-professional collaboration for improving patient and population health outcomes
7. Clinical prevention and population health for improving the nation’s health
8. Advanced nursing practice
The DNP completion program is full-time plan of study designed for student to take 2 courses per term.
To read more about the DNP - doctorate in nursing- click here
The DNP degree will prepare advanced practice nurses to make meaningful decisions within their practice.
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) information
Masters in Nursing |
