Direct Patient Care Practitioner

Direct Patient Care Practitioner - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

The direct patient care DNP track is for nurses who want to become a family primary care nurse practitioner or adult gerontology nurse practitioner at the Doctorate in Nursing Practice level.  The post-master’s to DNP option is appropriate for those who are in one of the recognized four advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) roles (certified nurse-midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist, and nurse practitioner). This DNP track is designed to utilize scholarship to translate evidence to practice with a focus on improved patient outcomes and healthcare delivery.

Students must achieve a total of 1,000 practicum hours between their master’s degree transcript and DNP coursework (400 hours are built into the role integration practicum courses). A GAP Analysis will be used to determine program requirements.

The DNP consists of a total of 30 credits, 23 from the DNP core and seven (7) from the direct patient care track. One day of onsite residency is required for DNP project dissemination and competency demonstration.

You may also select the BSN to DNP entry option. FNP-DNP is 77 credits; AGNP is 76 credits.

Download the DNP Brochure

Plan
of Study

A sample plan of study and a one-year plan of study for MSN to DNP entry are viewable here. You may tailor each plan to meet your individual needs. Please note that plans of study are tentative. Course offerings and rotations are due to change based on enrollment and course resources.

Semester 1 (7 credits)

NURS 920 Analytical Methods in Evidence-based Practice (3 cr.)
NURS 930 Applied Epidemiology (3 cr.)
NURS 955 DNP Project I  (1 cr.)

Semester 2 (8 credits)

NURS 945 Leading Clinical Prevention and Population Health (3 cr.)
NURS 925 Continuous Performance and Quality Improvement (3 cr.)
NURS 956 DNP Project II (1 cr.)
NURS 960 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration I (1 cr., 100 practice hours)

Summer Semester Year 1 (4 credits)

NURS 940 Leadership in Health Care Policy and Advocacy (2 cr.)
NURS 961 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration II (2 cr., 100 practice hours)

Semester 3 (5 credits)

NURS 935 Informatics and Clinical Data Management (3 cr.)
NURS 962 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration III (2 cr., 100 practice hours)

Semester 4 (6 credits)

NURS 950 Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 cr.)
NURS 957 DNP Project III  (1 cr.)
NURS 963 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration IV (2 cr., 100 practice hours)

Summer Semester Year 2

NURS 975 Role Integration (if needed to total 1000 BSN-DNP practicum hours)

Semester 1 (11 credits)

NURS 920 Analytical Methods in Evidence-based Practice (3 cr.)
NURS 935 Informatics and Clinical Data Management (3 cr.)
NURS 930 Applied Epidemiology (3 cr.)
NURS 955 DNP Project I  (1 cr.)
NURS 960 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration I (1 cr., 100 practice hours)

Semester 2 (12 credits)

NURS 945 Leading Clinical Prevention and Population Health (3 cr.)
NURS 925 Continuous Performance and Quality Improvement (3 cr.)
NURS 950 Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 cr.)
NURS 956 DNP Project II (1 cr.)
NURS 961 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration II (2 cr., 100 practice hours)

Summer Semester (4 credits)

NURS 940 Leadership in Health Care Policy and Advocacy (2 cr.)
NURS 962 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration III (2 cr., 100 practice hours)

Semester 3 (3 credits)

NURS 957 DNP Project III  (1 cr.)
NURS 963 Direct Care: Advanced Practice Role Integration IV  (2 cr., 100 practice hours)

Semester 4

NURS 975 Role Integration (if needed to total 1000 BSN-DNP practicum hours)