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Purpose

The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program is to prepare individuals for the highest level of nursing leadership and practice within organizations and systems, with the ultimate goal of improving health care for diverse populations. The DNP program focuses on providing education in key areas such as evidence-based practice, quality improvement and systems leadership.

Goal

The goal of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is to prepare graduates for the highest level of nursing leadership and practice within organizations and systems, to improve health care delivery and patient outcomes at all levels and for diverse populations, to serve as faculty in nursing education programs, and to translate research findings for clinical practice.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

  1. Develop and evaluate new practice approaches based on theories and empirical evidence from nursing and other disciplines.
  2. Demonstrate organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement/patient safety for health care systems and populations.
  3. Design, implement and evaluate processes to improve health practices and outcomes at the institutional, local, state, regional, national, and international health delivery levels.
  4. Demonstrate leadership in the selection, use, evaluation, and design of information systems/technology for improvement and transformation of health care.
  5. Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of health policy and its impact on health outcomes at the institutional, local, state, regional, national, and international health care delivery levels.
  6. Engage in interprofessional collaboration in complex health care delivery systems.
  7. Design, implement, and evaluate care delivery models and strategies to improve population health.
  8. Demonstrate advanced levels of accountability and systems thinking to advance and uphold professional nursing values.
  9. Demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating care in complex situations.

DNP Options for Certification

DNP students and graduates are encouraged to complete certification in a relevant content area based on individual career goals and areas of study. DNP graduates who are certified as nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists are strongly encouraged to maintain that certification as evidence of clinical knowledge and skill. There are additional options for certification that relate to those DNP students and graduates who have a nursing leadership/administration/executive focus that includes:

  • Advanced Nurse Executive (NEA-BC)
  • Nurse Executive (NE-BC or CENP)
  • or as a Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML).

Admission Requirements

Following receipt of the completed application from NursingCAS and a complete set of transcripts from all educational institutions attended, designated faculty evaluate, interview, and select applicants and recommend them to the professional graduate committee of the College of Nursing for admission. Admission is competitive and capacity is limited. Applicants with strong educational backgrounds are considered first. See the Admission Policies for Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree Programs policy (5.3.4) in the Student Policies section for details.

Admission Key Dates

DNP students are admitted once annually.

DNP Program Application Opens Application Due Program Start
MSN to DNP September 1 February 1 May
BSN to DNP September 1 February 1 August

Curriculum Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice

The DNP program for the BSN to DNP is a 66-70 credit program based on advanced practice specialization in the DNP program. The DNP program for the MSN to DNP is a 35-credit program. All DNP students complete a DNP project in their program. Elective courses are also possible, based on a student's career goals and consultation with his/her faculty advisor. BSN to DNP students have an integrated plan of study that includes the required DNP courses and additional courses to meet MSN essentials.

Required Courses

All DNP students take the required courses.

BIOS 806BIOSTATISTICS3
EPI 820EPIDEMIOLOGY IN PUBLIC HEALTH3
NRSG 701IMPLEMENTING EVIDENCED-BASED PRACTICE3
NRSG 702METHODS FOR ASSESSING CLINICAL PRACTICE OUTCOMES3
NRSG 703CHANGING COMPLEX SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE DELIVERY2
NRSG 704CLINICAL INQUIRY1-12
NRSG 709HEALTH CARE POLICY3
NRSG 731TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP3
NRSG 755HEALTH CARE ECONOMICS AND FINANCE3
Total Credit Hours24-35

BSN to DNP Plans of Study

BSN to DNP programs are offered in 3- and 4-year plans of study. Below are exemplars of the 3-year plans for each of the specialties.

In addition to the required DNP courses, the courses below are required for the BSN to DNP degrees.

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP: BSN to DNP

NRSG 605ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY4
NRSG 606APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES3
NRSG 607ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL REASONING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN3
NRSG 608TRANSITION TO NURSE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE1
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 620ADULT GERONTOLOGY ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER (NP) I3
NRSG 622ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER ROLE: DIAGNOSTICS AND THERAPEUTICS3
NRSG 624ADULT-GERONTOLOGY ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER (NP) II3
NRSG 626ADULT-GERONTOLOGY ACUTE CARE HEALTH PROBLEMS I3
NRSG 628ADULT-GERONTOLOGY ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER (NP) III3
NRSG 631ADULT-GERONTOLOGY ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER (NP) COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PRACTICUM3
NRSG 635ADULT-GERONTOLOGY ACUTE CARE HEALTH PROBLEMS II3
Total Credit Hours35

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP: BSN to DNP Program

NRSG 605ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY4
NRSG 606APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES3
NRSG 607ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL REASONING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN3
NRSG 608TRANSITION TO NURSE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE1
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 610ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE CLINICAL PRACTICUM I2
NRSG 619ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE CLINICAL PRACTICUM II3
NRSG 621ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE I2
NRSG 623ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE CLINICAL PRACTICUM III3
NRSG 625ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE II3
NRSG 629ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE III3
NRSG 627ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE CLINICAL PRACTICUM IV4
NRSG 632ADULT-GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE IV1
Total Credit Hours35

Family NP: BSN to DNP Program

NRSG 605ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY4
NRSG 606APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES3
NRSG 607ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL REASONING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN3
NRSG 608TRANSITION TO NURSE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE1
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 637HEALTH PROMOTION IN PRIMARY CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES3-5
NRSG 638PRIMARY HEALTH CARE OF YOUNG FAMILIES3-6
NRSG 639PRIMARY HEALTH CARE OF OLDER FAMILIES3-6
NRSG 640ADVANCED PRIMARY HEALTH CARE OF FAMILIES1-5
Total Credit Hours24-36

Nurse Leader/Administrator/Executive: BSN to DNP Program

NRSG 603LEADERSHIP IN NURSING3
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 651HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS AND POLICY3
NRSG 652ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS4
NRSG 653ANALYZING ISSUES IN NURSING ADMINISTRATION3
NRSG 654INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH INFORMATICS3
NRSG 656DEVELOPING SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURES IN HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS5
NRSG 657PRACTICUM IN MANAGING AND EVALUATING IN HEALTH CARE5
Total Credit Hours29

Pediatric Primary Care NP: BSN to DNP Program

NRSG 605ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY4
NRSG 606APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES3
NRSG 607ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL REASONING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN3
NRSG 608TRANSITION TO NURSE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE1
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 671PRIMARY CARE AND HEALTH PROMOTION IN CHILDREN'S HEALTH3-5
NRSG 672PRIMARY CARE OF CHILDREN II: ACUTE HEALTH PROBLEMS2-5
NRSG 673PRIMARY CARE OF CHILDREN III: CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS2-6
NRSG 684ADVANCED CHILDREN'S HEALTH PRACTICUM1-5
Total Credit Hours22-35

Pediatric Primary and Acute Care NP: BSN to DNP Program

NRSG 605ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY4
NRSG 606APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES3
NRSG 607ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL REASONING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN3
NRSG 608TRANSITION TO NURSE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE1
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 671PRIMARY CARE AND HEALTH PROMOTION IN CHILDREN'S HEALTH3-5
NRSG 672PRIMARY CARE OF CHILDREN II: ACUTE HEALTH PROBLEMS2-5
NRSG 673PRIMARY CARE OF CHILDREN III: CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS2-6
NRSG 684ADVANCED CHILDREN'S HEALTH PRACTICUM1-5
NRSG 688SPECIAL TOPICS (CLINICAL) IN ACUTE CARE NURSING1-6
UNIV OF IOWA NURS 6400 (Acute Care I)3
UNIV OF IOWA NURS 6401 (Acute Care II)3
Total Credit Hours29-47

+ Indicates courses that are part of a consortium between UNMC, UMKC and University of Iowa

Psychiatric Mental Health NP: BSN to DNP Program

NRSG 605ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY4
NRSG 606APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES3
NRSG 607ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL REASONING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN3
NRSG 608TRANSITION TO NURSE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE1
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 662COUNSELING MODELS IN ADVANCED PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING2-3
NRSG 663ADVANCED PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING WITH ADULTS2-4
NRSG 664ADVANCED PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING WITH CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS2-4
NRSG 665NEUROSCIENCE PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING2
NRSG 668PRACTICUM IN ADVANCED PSYCHATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSING1-8
Total Credit Hours23-35
1

7 cr. Total needed for NRSG 668, which can be taken over 1 or more semesters.

2

3-5 cr. to result in 7 cr. NRSG 668 total during program of study

Women’s Health NP: BSN to DNP Program

NRSG 605ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY4
NRSG 606APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY FOR ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES3
NRSG 607ADVANCED ASSESSMENT AND CLINICAL REASONING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN3
NRSG 608TRANSITION TO NURSE PRACTITIONER PRACTICE1
NRSG 609HEALTH PROMOTION FOR POPULATIONS3
NRSG 676ADVANCED PRACTICE WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE I2
NRSG 677ADVANCED PRACTICE WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE II3
NRSG 678ADVANCED PRACTICE WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE III2
NRSG 679ADVANCED PRACTICE WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE CLINICAL14
Total Credit Hours35