Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP

Nursing

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Associate Dean: Dawn Coburn Joy, Ph.D., RN, CNE

INTRODUCTION

Upon completion of the program requirements, students are awarded the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. To comply with required educational changes, as outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Programs (COA) the Villa Maria School of Nursing is offering the addition of courses that will meet identified core content and competencies as outlined by the AACN specific to the practice doctorate.

The program is offered as a “bridge program” or Master’s add-on from the MSN to the DNP that is 26 credits in length. It can be completed in four to six part-time semesters. Graduates will be prepared as leaders in their practice area. Course content will direct the DNP student at Gannon University to prepare, deliver and evaluate an evidence-based practice project in the clinical arena. This project will be an immersion experience and will is not be a research dissertation. Students may use their previous MSN level thesis work as a pilot study or starting point to develop their project.

OUTCOMES

At the conclusion of the course of study leading to the Doctor of Nursing Practice at Gannon University, the graduates will: • be prepared in advanced nursing practice as culturally sensitive, competent and safe practitioners and who deliver care and act as advocates for individuals, aggregates, and communities of varying diversity and socioeconomic levels. • effectively use technology, large aggregate data bases, and information systems to identify, use, and create therapeutic nursing interventions that promote health and prevent disease. • identify, analyze, and create evidence-based solutions to individual practice and organizational health care dilemmas. • synthesize and utilize ethical, legal, political, and advocacy methodologies to positively impact health care practice and health care delivery systems. • promote collaborative and multidisciplinary delivery of health care as members of teams and organizations across the health care practice arena. • provide quality nursing leadership and serve as mentors to other nurses, from novice nurses to nurses in advanced practice roles.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants who hold a Master of Science in Nursing are eligible to apply for admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program of study. Applicants must:

• Submit an application for admission with the Gannon University

Graduate Admissions office. Applicants will: – Provide official transcripts of all previous academic work. – Have a 3.5 out of 4.0 overall GPA in their Master’s degree program. – Submit three letters of recommendation; one from an academic professional (faculty who knows the student’s ability to do independent academic work), one from an employer, and one from a professional who can address the candidate’s advanced practice ability. – A professional resume – A copy of a current Registered Nurse license and advanced practice license (where applicable) – Evidence of active certification and current CEUs – Course description of a Graduate level statistics course (if completed) – A synopsis or evidence of a thesis or evidence-based practice project completed at the Master’s level – An essay (limited to 500 words) regarding the applicant’s interest in obtaining a DNP – Complete a phone or onsite interview with VMSON leadership. – Provide information regarding clinical practice hours acquired for evaluation to meet the 1000 hour DNP clinical requirement.

THE CURRICULUM PLAN

A three-credit graduate level statistics course must be completed prior to or concurrent with taking DNURS 801 Evidence based Practice/Theory. If the course is not taken at Gannon, a course description must be approved by the Nursing Director. Graduate students are assigned an academic advisor who will provide guidance and support throughout the DNP program.

REQUIRED COURSES FOR DNP PROGRAM OF STUDY Fall Semester

DNURS 801 Evidence Based Practice/ Theory DNURS 802 Transcultural Influences on Health Care (40 hours clinical project)

Spring Semester

DNURS 804 Scientific Underpinnings of APN*

DNURS 803 Leadership & Health Policy (40 hour clinical project) *

Summer Session

DNURS 806 Health Care Informatics 3 DNURS 807 Evidence Based Practice Project 3

Fall Semester

DNURS 805 Epidemiology and the Role of the Clinical Nurse Doctorate 3

DNURS 809 Evidence – Based Practice/Specialty Practicum Project Dissemination 2

* All students must complete a minimum of 304 clinical practice hours (40 + 40 + 224 hours = 304 hours); All post-BSN and post- MSN clinical certification hours will be evaluated for a total of 1000 post-BSN clinical hours * DNURS 803 must be a prerequisite or co-requisite with DNURS 804.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

DNURS 801 Evidence-Based Practice/Theory

3 credits Emphasis is on the use of evidence on the delivery of health care and the measurement of outcomes in advanced nursing practice. Methods to improve practice, identify and test interventions and health care delivery models, and evaluate health care outcomes will be explored. Content provides a synthesis of best research evidence with clinical expertise and client values to direct practice for the best health care outcomes.

DNURS 802 Transcultural Influences on Health Care

3 credits This course emphasizes the impact of culture, belief systems, and societal norms on the delivery of health care for diverse populations. Diversity is studied in relation to roles, expectations, and social organization. Emphasized are the tools necessary to acquire the knowledge and skills to demonstrate culturally aware communication and cultural assessment which will identify strategies for enhancing health outcomes of ill and well patients, families, and communities. Transcultural nursing concepts, theories and models will be applied to the analysis of health disparities and health care trends and issues across the lifespan. This course includes a 40-hour clinical project.

DNURS 803 Leadership and Health Policy

3 credits This course is designed to identify the impact of leadership on organizational, professional, and governmental policies in nursing practice. It includes an overview of how health care changes affect the structure and cost of care in the United States at the local, state, and national levels. Leadership is fundamental to Doctor of Nursing (DNP) practice. This course will prepare students to analyze and develop practice processes and outcomes that improve quality outcomes, patient safety, and their implications. Teams and interprofessional collaboration will be examined to effect quality outcomes. Students will synthesize the impact of budget and finance on strategic planning and influence health policy makers to evaluate and improve health care delivery systems at a local, state, or national level. This course includes a 40-hour clinical project.

DNURS 804 Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice

3 credits Prerequisite: DNURS 801 Prerequisite or corequisite: DNURS 803 The DNP student will explore the evolution and application of knowledge in nursing. This course will emphasize the acquisition of knowledge, the theoretical underpinnings of nursing and the transference of knowledge to the practice of nursing. To effect changes in nursing and health care of the individual, family and community, the joining of theory and practice are explored within the context of other scientific disciplines and clinical nursing practice.

DNURS 805 Epidemiology and the Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse

3 credits This course explores the distribution and determinants of health- related states and events in populations, and the application of findings to the control of health problems. Identifying health care needs and trends based on epidemiological data in a specific population will be used to examine ways to ensure that health care needs are being met—and improved. Clinical doctorate nursing students will be given the knowledge necessary to identify—and effectively use—epidemiologic database systems and trends in health care data.

DNURS 806 Health Care Informatics

3 credits This course focuses on the role that information technology has as a support of patient-centered care—from individual to population- focused care. Topics covered include electronic medical records [EMRs]; patient safety systems, tele-health modalities, from remote monitoring in hospital settings—such as intensive care units [ICUs]—to remote monitoring in patient homes; and web based patient and professional education opportunities. Clinical doctorate nursing students will select, design, use, and evaluate a health information modality at the system level. Students will identify ethical issues in information management and the use of technology used to evaluate and research evidence-based issues.

DNURS 808 Evidence – Based Practice/ Specialty Practicum Project Implementation

3 credits Prerequisites: DNURS 801, 804 in the part-time sequence This clinical practicum implementation requires the student to be precepted by a research or Doctorally-prepared mentor in a practice specialty area of their choice for a total 224 hours over the course of the semester. Concepts across the program of study, from all didactic and clinical experiences, will culminate in an evidencebased change project. Practice settings can be varied, and can include clinical, governmental, or educational settings. Students will disseminate their project in a poster presentation in the clinical and the educational arena.