Meeting the Needs of a Changing Climate

Loma Linda University School of Nursing has been home to multiple undergraduate and graduate nursing programs for decades, and continues to look for opportunities to expand and strengthen the various programs. One such endeavor came from the school’s graduate program as it looked at the current nursing climate. Such was the creation of both the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program and the Nurse Leadership DNP program.

The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner DNP Program

With the changes to the Nurse Practitioner scope of practice, as a result of the passage of AB 890 in 2020, it became more apparent that we needed to educate nurses for specific population focused clinical specialties. The Graduate Program has been in discussions with some of the acute care teams over the past few years to determine if there was an interest in this program. Finding much interest and support, the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program was structured. The school worked closely with Ghinette T. Aguilar, MSN, FNP, NPD-BC, Loma Linda University Medical Center Staff Development manager of Academic Relations, and the ARPN leadership, to identify clinical opportunities and acute care nurse practitioner preceptors to support the clinical needs of the program. Additionally, the school awards two credits per year to full-time Loma Linda University Health nursing employees to use toward the graduate tuition. We are currently interviewing prospective students who work for Loma Linda University Health and hope that others will apply and join the program.

The full-time BS to DNP Acute Care Program currently takes three years and nine months to complete. If a nurse has an MS degree, with or without a Nurse Practitioner certification, he/she can complete the program full-time in two years and nine months, as he/she may receive advanced standing for up to 24 of the required credits. If the master’s-prepared nurse received the MS degree from the school, the RN will also receive three credits of religion courses.

The Leadership DNP

There have been ongoing conversations between the nursing leadership team of Loma Linda University Health, including the school and Helen Staples-Evans, DNP, RN, NE-BC, senior vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer of Loma Linda University Medical Center. We have offered the MS-Administration option for some time, and with the growth of the program and current nursing climate, it seemed logical to add this track to the DNP Program.

Ellen D’Errico, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, director of the school’s PhD program, is working closely with Ghinette T. Aguilar, MSN, FNP, RN, NPD-BC, to develop the clinical component. Students who complete the program will be eligible for national certification with ANCC as a Nurse Executive upon completion of the program. The program officially began in Fall 2022. We currently have Loma Linda University Health employees enrolled, with many others interested in the program and in the application process.

The full-time BS to DNP Leadership Program takes three years and nine months to complete, or five years part-time. Similar to the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program, if a nurse has an MS, there is opportunity for shorter program duration for completion, as well as applicable credits to the curriculum if courses were taken at the school.