Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P)
General Information
The School of Nursing offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. The DNP program is designed to allow nurses who possess a graduate degree in nursing to prepare for the highest level of nursing practice.
Program Outcomes
- Develop, evaluate, translate, and integrate theory-based nursing and interdisciplinary knowledge in new practice approaches to enhance health and health care delivery.
- Create and evaluate principles of organizational and systems theory to provide leadership in improving health outcomes and promoting excellence in practice.
- Utilize analytic methods, information technology, and research methods to critically appraise evidence-based practice data to evaluate outcomes of practice, practice patterns, and health systems against national benchmarks, to improve health care outcomes.
- Assimilate and process aggregate data, using information systems, informatics and technology, as well as evaluation and assessment tools, current research and outcome data, to translate this knowledge to improve or transform patient and health care systems.
- Actively influence health policy that addresses health disparity, access, quality, and financing at institutional, local, state, federal, and international levels.
- Employ effective communication and interprofessional collaboration to design, implement, and evaluate individual and system level interventions, to improve health and create change in health care delivery systems.
- Implement clinical prevention and population health activities to improve the health of individuals and populations.
Admission Requirements
Minimum requirements for admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program include
- a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) from a nationally accredited program,
- unencumbered Registered Nurse (RN) license from an approved state,
- a graduate GPA of at least 3.0 (4.0 scale).
Admission is competitive and limited to available space. In addition to the Graduate School application, applicants must also submit to the School of Nursing a separate completed DNP application form, a resume or curriculum vitae, a professional statement (750 words), and 3 professional references. As a limited number of applicants are accepted for admission, selection will be based on careful consideration of all information included in the admission application packet and the degree to which each candidate meets the requirements. Complete applications, which include all requested information, are given priority in the selection process. In order to be competitive, all material and documentation must be submitted by the deadline.
Please refer to the School of Nursing website at nursing.eku.edu/doctor-nursing-practice for specific information on the application process for admission and progression plans for study, or contact the department at (859) 622-7927 for information on the application process for admission.
Progression Policy
To progress, students must complete all required course work with a grade of “B” or higher and must complete any pre-requisite courses before advancing to the next course. Students who fail to meet the requirements for progression must apply for readmission. Readmission to a nursing course is not guaranteed to any student. Please refer to the Student Handbook for specific information on readmission procedures. The program reserves the right to alter the suggested plan as necessary to enhance a quality educational program.
Program Requirements
CIP Code: 51.3818
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DNP Core Courses | ||
| NSC 905 | Analytical Methods for EBP | 3 |
| NSC 940 | Theoretical Appl for DNP | 2 |
| NSC 941 | DNP Project Seminar | 1 |
| NSC 942 | Healthcare Deliv. Informatics | 3 |
| NSC 950 | Health Policy | 3 |
| NSC 954 | Organizational Leadership | 3 |
| NSC 960 | Mngmnt of Health Care Resource | 3 |
| NSC 990 | Synthesizing Evidence for DNP | 3 |
| NSC 992 | Implementation Methods for DNP | 3 |
| Organizational Leadership | ||
| NSC 900 | Organizational Leadership: DNP Experience I | 1-3 |
| NSC 901 | Organizational Leadership: DNP Experience II | 1-3 |
| NSC 994 | DNP Project | 6-9 |
| Total Hours | 32-39 | |
Required hours will be individually evaluated on a planned program of study for each student, depending on academic background and career goals.
Exit Requirements
DNP Project (NSC 994 DNP Project) – Candidates are required to satisfactorily complete and present a DNP project before they are eligible to graduate from the program. Students must have documentation of a minimum of 1,000 total clinical hours completed beyond the BSN. Hours required to be completed at EKU will be assessed upon admission to the DNP Program and a plan of study developed accordingly.