Doctor in Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)

The School of Nursing offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice with a Family Nurse Practitioner specialty.

Accreditation

The School of Nursing is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and is approved by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission. The Doctor of Nursing Practice program will be undergoing its initial D.N.P. accreditation visit by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in the 2015-2016 academic year. The D.N.P. program has received initial approval by the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission. The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) curriculum meets requirements for national certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

D.N.P. Application Priority Deadlines

D.N.P. candidates may apply for admission at any time during the year. However, application by the priority deadline will enhance the applicant’s potential for admission and for arranging financial assistance.

B.S.N to D.N.P: November 15/Rolling admissions for the following Summer (June)

Post-master’s to D.N.P: February 15/Rolling admissions for the following Summer (June)

Post-master’s to D.N.P.: March 1/Rolling admission for the following Fall (September)

Post-master’s to D.N.P.: December 1/Rolling admissions for the following J-term or Spring

Admission Criteria

• B.S.N to D.N.P: Hold a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited school of nursing.
• M.S.N to D.N.P post-master’s: Completion of a master’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited school of nursing.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (B) on a 4.00 scale for all college work.
• Submission of PLU Graduate Application forms and $40 non-refundable fee.
• Official transcripts from each college and university attended.
• Official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) results from within five years of application.
  • Minimum scores: 500 in both the verbal and quantitative sections (or 150 or higher in verbal and quantitative on the new scale) and 4.00 in analytical writing.
  • Official older GRE results will be accepted from students who have completed a master’s degree from an accredited university in the past five years.
• Professional résumé.
• Statement of professional goals.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• Submission of School of Nursing Addenda packet, which includes:
  • Questions Relative to Licensure;
  • Policy/Procedures for students who are transferring from another School of Nursing graduate program;
  • Policy/Procedures Regarding English Proficiency; and
  • Physical/Psychological Expectations of Nurses preparing for Professional Practice.
• Civil, administrative and criminal history clearance in all states as well as any other applicable territory or country.
• Fluency in speaking, reading, writing and comprehending graduate-level English (see policy and procedures in the Graduate Application Addendum).

Advance Deposit

There are limitations on the number of students accepted into the D.N.P. program each year. Applicants accepted into the program are required to make a non-refundable $300 advance tuition payment to confirm their acceptance of an offer of admission within three weeks of their acceptance date.

Program Requirements

All admitted D.N.P. students must provide valid documentation of the following by designated dates and before enrollment in any practicum/clinical course:

• Unrestricted licensure as a registered nurse in the State of Washington
• Immunization and health status;
• CPR certification;
• Comprehensive personal health insurance; and
• Civil, administrative, and criminal history clearance in all states, as well as any other applicable territory or country.

Drug Testing Policy

All nursing students will be required to submit to a drug, marijuana, and alcohol screening at least once yearly as part of their continuing School of Nursing health requirements. Students may be required to submit to additional drug screenings as required by the clinical agencies and School of Nursing. The screenings may be scheduled or they may occur at random and unannounced. Students will be expected to adhere to any deadline set by the agencies and/or the School of Nursing.

Advising

The Advisor, Admission, and Placement Coordinator for the School of Nursing typically completes initial advising and program planning with applicants and admitted students. Post-master’s students will meet with the Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing Programs to conduct a Gap Analysis of previous master’s coursework and develop a plan of study to meet the D.N.P. degree requirements. D.N.P. applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of the regularly scheduled advisory sessions and review the website. Upon matriculation, all students are assigned a graduate faculty advisor.

Non-Matriculated Students

B.S.N.-prepared registered nurses may, with permission of the Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing Programs, enroll in up to nine semester hours of D.N.P. courses on a non-matriculated basis with School of Nursing approval. Non-matriculated students are, by definition, non-degree seeking individuals, and there is no guarantee that non-matriculated students will eventually be admitted. Non-matriculated students must formally apply to, and be accepted to, the D.N.P program if they want to seek a D.N.P. degree. For more information on non-matriculated status, see the Graduate School policies.

D.N.P. Program for B.S.N. (Prepared Registered Nurses)

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree at the highest level of nursing practice. The sequence of study recognizes the academic and professional success of the baccalaureate degree as the groundwork for graduate study. A limited number of candidates are admitted each year and admission is competitive.

The PLU Doctor of Nursing Practice degree prepares graduates in the advanced practice specialty area of Family Nurse Practitioner. Graduates are able to develop and evaluate quality within a health system, collaborate with inter-professional teams to improve health outcomes, and be leaders in the nursing profession. The D.N.P curriculum consists of the M.S.N core coursework (theory, advanced practice roles, evaluation and outcomes research, leadership and management, and advanced health promotion), D.N.P core coursework (information systems and patient care technology, epidemiology, analytical methods, translating research into practice, and health policy), a D.N.P. Scholarly Project and the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty coursework. The Family Nurse Practitioner core coursework focuses on client-centered clinical practice, and prepares nurses to respond to the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s health care consumers, to manage direct care based on advanced assessment and diagnostic reasoning, to incorporate health promotion and disease prevention interventions into health care delivery, and to recognize their potential for professional growth, responsibility, and autonomy. Successful completion of the D.N.P. Family Nurse Practitioner program qualifies students to sit for national certification examinations for Family Nurse Practitioner, making them eligible under Washington State law for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) licensure.

DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
79 semester hours

Prerequisite Course: Introductory Statistics (including inferential and descriptive)

M.S.N. Courses

• NURS 523: Roles of the Advanced Nurse (3)
• NURS 524: Advanced Health Promotion (2)
• NURS 525: Theoretical Foundations (3)
• NURS 526: Nursing Leadership and Management (3)
• NURS 527: Evaluation and Outcomes Research (3)
• NURS 530: Resource Management (3)
• NURS 531: Care & Outcomes Manager Practicum I (3)
• NURS 540: Illness and Disease Management (2)

Family Nurse Practitioner Core Courses

The F.N.P. core courses may have required clinical hours and must be taken in a prescribed sequence.

• NURS 580: Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
• NURS 582: Advanced Health Assessment (3)
• NURS 583: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics (3)
• NURS 584: Family Nurse Practitioner I (5)
• NURS 585: Family Nurse Practitioner II (5)
• NURS 561: Management of Mental Health Conditions in Primary Care (2)
• NURS 562: Primary Care Management of Women and Children (4)
• NURS 594: Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Capstone (3)

Doctor of Nursing Practice Core Courses

• NURS 623: Information Systems and Patient Care Technology (3)
• NURS 625: Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Nursing Practice (3)
• NURS 630: Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (3)
• NURS 631: Translating Research: Improving Practice and Outcomes (3)
• NURS 627: Policy and Politics: Implications for Health Care (3)
• NURS 695: Transition to DNP Practice (1)

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project Courses

The DNP Scholarly Project courses must be taken in the prescribed sequence.

• NURS 681: D.N.P. Scholarly Proposal Seminar: Planning (2)
• NURS 682: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation I (3)
• NURS 683: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation II (2)
• NURS 684: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Evaluation and Dissemination (4)
• NURS 699: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Capstone (2)

Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree for Advanced Practice Nurses

The post-master’s D.N.P. degree builds on the master’s degree in advanced practice nursing (Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist). Students complete the D.N.P. Core and D.N.P. Scholarly Project coursework. A Gap Analysis is conducted to determine what previous coursework meets the D.N.P. competencies and which additional courses will be required for the PLU D.N.P. degree.

Post-Masters Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree for Those Seeking a Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty

The post-master’s D.N.P. for master’s-prepared nurses who wish to complete the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty builds on master’s level coursework, with the student completing the FNP specialty core, the D.N.P Core and the D.N.P. Scholarly Project coursework at PLU. A Gap Analysis is conducted to determine what previous coursework meets the D.N.P. competencies and which additional courses will be required for the PLU D.N.P. degree.

D.N.P. FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER SAMPLE CURRICULUM
36 months
79 semester hours

First Year: Summer

• NURS 623: Information Systems and Patient Care Technology (3)
• NURS 625: Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Nursing Practice (3)

First Year: Fall

• NURS 523: Roles of the Advanced Nurse (3)
• NURS 525: Theoretical Foundations (3)
• NURS 526: Nursing Leadership and Management (3)

First Year: J-term

• NURS 524: Advanced Health Promotion (2)
• NURS 540: Illness/Disease Management (2)

First Year: Spring

• NURS 527: Evaluation and Outcomes Research (3)
• NURS 531: Care & Outcomes Manager Practicum I (3)
• NURS 630: Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (3)

Second Year: Summer

• NURS 580: Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
• NURS 582: Advanced Health Assessment (3)
• NURS 583: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics (3)

Second Year: Fall

• NURS 561: Management of Mental Health Conditions in Primary Care (2)
• NURS 584: Family Nurse Practitioner I (5)

Second Year: J-term

• Optional International/Global Elective

Second Year: Spring

• NURS 530: Resource Management (3)
• NURS 585: Family Nurse Practitioner II (5)
• NURS 631: Translating Research: Improving Practice and Outcomes (3)

Third Year: Summer

• NURS 562: Primary Care Management of Women and Children (4)
• NURS 681: D.N.P. Scholarly Proposal Seminar: Planning (2)

Third Year: Fall

• NURS 594: Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Capstone (3)
• NURS 627: Policy and Politics: Implications for Health Care (3)
• NURS 682: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation I (3)

Third Year: J-term

• NURS 683: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation II (2)

Third Year: Spring

• NURS 684: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Evaluation and Dissemination (4)
• NURS 695: Transition to D.N.P. Practice (1)
• NURS 699: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Capstone (2)

D.N.P. FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER SAMPLE CURRICULUM (PART-TIME OPTION)
36 months
79 semester hours

First Year: Summer

• NURS 623: Information Systems and Patient Care Technology (3)
• NURS 625: Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Nursing Practice (3)

First Year: Fall

• NURS 523: Roles of the Advanced Nurse (3)
• NURS 525: Theoretical Foundations (3)

First Year: J-term

• NURS 524: Advanced Health Promotion (2)
• NURS 540: Illness/Disease Management (2)

First Year: Spring

• NURS 527: Evaluation and Outcomes Research (3)
• NURS 531: Care & Outcomes Manager Practicum I (3)

Second Year: Summer

• NURS 580: Advanced Pathophysiology (3)

Second Year: Fall

• NURS 526: Nursing Leadership and Management (3)
• NURS 627: Policy and Politics: Implications for Health Care (3)

Second Year: Spring

• NURS 530: Resource Management (3)
• NURS 630: Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (3)

Third Year: Summer

• NURS 582: Advanced Health Assessment (3)
• NURS 583: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics (3)

Third Year: Fall

• NURS 561: Management of Mental Health Conditions in Primary Care (2)
• NURS 584: Family Nurse Practitioner I (5)

Third Year: J-term

• Optional International/Global Elective

Third Year: Spring

• NURS 585: Family Nurse Practitioner II (5)
• NURS 631: Translating Research: Improving Practice and Outcomes (3)

Fourth Year: Summer

• NURS 562: Primary Care Management of Women and Children (4)
• NURS 681: D.N.P. Scholarly Proposal Seminar: Planning (2)

Fourth Year: Fall

• NURS 594: Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Capstone (3)
• NURS 682: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation I (3)

Fourth Year: J-term

• NURS 683: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation II (2)

Fourth Year: Spring

• NURS 684: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Evaluation and Dissemination (4)
• NURS 695: Transition to D.N.P. Practice (1)
• NURS 699: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Capstone (2)

D.N.P. POST-MASTER’S SAMPLE CURRICULUM
STUDENTS WHO ARE ALREADY ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES

24 months, part-time
30 semester hours (minimum*)

*A Gap Analysis will be conducted to determine what additional coursework the student will need to meet the AACN D.N.P. Essentials competencies.

First Year: Summer

• NURS 623: Information Systems and Patient Care Technology (3)
• NURS 625: Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Nursing Practice (3)

First Year: Fall

• NURS 627: Policy and Politics: Implications for Health Care (3)

First Year: J-term

• Optional International/Global Elective

First Year: Spring

• NURS 630: Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (3)
• NURS 631: Translating Research: Improving Practice and Outcomes (3)

Second Year: Summer

• NURS 681: D.N.P. Scholarly Proposal Seminar: Planning (2)

Second Year: Fall

• NURS 682: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation I (3)
  

Second Year: J-term

• NURS 683: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation II (2)

Second Year: Spring

• NURS 684: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Evaluation and Dissemination (4)
• NURS 695: Transition to D.N.P. Practice (1)
• NURS 699: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Capstone (2)

D.N.P. POST-MASTER’S FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER SAMPLE CURRICULUM
24 months
56 semester hours (minimum*)

*A Gap Analysis will be conducted to determine what additional coursework the student will need to meet the AACN D.N.P. Essentials competencies.

First Year: Summer

• NURS 582: Advanced Health Assessment (3)
• NURS 583: Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics (3)
• NURS 625: Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics for Nursing Practice (3)

First Year: Fall

• NURS 561: Management of Mental Health Conditions in Primary Care (2)
• NURS 584: Family Nurse Practitioner I (5)
• NURS 627: Policy and Politics: Implications for Health Care (3)

First Year: J-term

• Optional International/Global Elective

First Year: Spring

• NURS 630: Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (3)
• NURS 631: Translating Research: Improving Practice and Outcomes (3)

Second Year: Summer

• NURS 562: Primary Care Management of Women and Children (4)
• NURS 623: Information Systems and Patient Care Technology (3)
• NURS 681: D.N.P. Scholarly Proposal Seminar: Planning (2)

Second Year: Fall

• NURS 594: Family Nurse Practitioner Clinical Capstone (3)
• NURS 682: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation I (3)

Second Year: J-term

• NURS 683: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Implementation II (2)

Second Year: Spring

• NURS 684: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Evaluation and Dissemination (4)
• NURS 695: Transition to D.N.P. Practice (1)
• NURS 699: D.N.P. Scholarly Project: Capstone (2)