Nov 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Graduate Bulletin 
    
2024-2025 Graduate Bulletin

Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice


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DNP Mission

The mission of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is congruent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006). The DNP program is a practice focused doctoral program designed to prepare nurses at the highest level of nursing practice to lead in applying and translating research into practice in local, state, national, and global health systems. The focus of the DNP program is on evidence-based practice reflecting synthesis, application, and translation of credible research findings. The DNP program includes integrative practice experiences and an intense practice immersion experience that prepares advanced practice nurses caring for populations in primary and specialty care settings with emphasis on chronic illness management.

DNP Philosophy

The philosophy of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is congruent with the University mission that emphasizes high-quality education, personalized learning environment, and attention to research, scholarship, and creativity to advance knowledge. Consistent with the Baccalaureate program philosophy, the DNP program seeks to further prepare leaders who are dedicated to the improvement of health care outcomes at the local, state, national, and global levels. Like the Master of Science in Nursing program, the philosophy of the DNP program includes advanced nursing practice and evidence based practice foci. An additional area of emphasis is chronic illness.

Mastery of these foci may occur in/through post-Baccalaureate to DNP preparation or through post-Masters to DNP preparation. Through either route, the DNP program philosophy holds that the basis for the highest level of nursing practice is the integration of nursing knowledge from the biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences. Further, education at the DNP level provides a basis for translating evidence-based research findings into safe, high-quality clinical practice for a wide variety of patient populations. Finally, DNP-educated advanced practice nurses are uniquely prepared to emerge as leaders utilizing a blend of clinical knowledge, organizational skills, economic understanding, political awareness, and technological proficiency to impact patient outcomes in complex health systems.

DNP Program Goals/Outcomes

1.   Produce nurse practitioner leaders who will utilize the theoretical and scientific underpinnings for nurse practitioner practice to provide acute and chronic health care that is ethical, safe, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, interdisciplinary, technically sagacious and appropriate for a diverse range of individuals and aggregates.

2.   Produce graduates who utilize research and nursing knowledge to influence healthcare policy and advocate for improvement in the health of individuals and aggregates, especially the chronically ill.

3. Produce clinical scholars who are committed to lifelong learning, ongoing leadership, and the improvement of health care delivery in the local community, in Mississippi, in the United States, and across the globe.

 

Admissions Requirements for Doctor of Nursing Practice:


See Graduate Admissions in this Bulletin for information regarding admission .

Program Requirements

In addition to the general degree requirements (see Academic Policies and Procedures and curriculum noted below), the student must successfully complete the following:

  1. A minimum of 38 semester credit hours earned Post Master’s or a minimum of 78 credit hours earned Post BSN
  2. Maintain overall GPA of 3.0/B average or better
  3. Transfer only 6 graduate credits into any Program
  4. National certification as a nurse practitioner prior to NU 799.

Progression Policy

Once a student is admitted to DOCTORATE OF NURSING PRACTICE PROGRAM:

  1. A grade of “B” or above is required in NU 799   & NU 800  :
    1. These courses may be repeated only once.
    2. Students who fail to make a “B” on a second attempt of a failed nursing course or fails a subsequent nursing course is permanently excluded from the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program.
  2. A grade of “C” in non-clinical courses is allowed but more than 2 “C”s will result in expulsion.  If the student’s GPA does not maintain a 3.0 or better they cannot graduate.
  3. A “WF” in any course is counted as a failure in that course.
  4. Students may be dismissed from the program for unsafe practice, unethical or illegal conduct.  In such cases a student will receive an automatic “F” in the nursing courses affected by the actions.
  5. Students may be full time or part time.

Post BSN to DNP


MUW MSN to DNP

Full Time                                                                                                                      

Term Course    
Fall I

NU 503  Advanced
Health Assesement
NU 503L  Advanced
Health Assessment
Clinical (135 clock
hours)
NU 521  Science of
Diagnostic Reasoning
NU 508  Advanced
Nursing Research
NU 502  Advanced
Theoretical Issues

   
Spring I NU 501  Advanced
Pharmacology
NU 505  Primary Care
Management I
NU 505L  Primary Care
Management I Clinical
(270 clock hours)
NU 550  Advanced
Primary Care
Procedures
NU 597  Clinical
Research Project
   
Summer I NU 506  Primary Care
Management II
NU 506L  Primary Care
Management II Clinical
(270 clock hours)
NU 512  Advance
Practice Role
NU 516  Population
Health in Advanced
Nursing Practice
NU 570  Advanced
Healthcare Policy and
Politics
NU 597  Clinical
Research Project
   

DNP Plan of Study

 

  Full Time   Part Time
Fall II NU 700  Philosophy and
Theory
NU 704  Informatics and
Transformation of
Health Care
NU 708  Standards of
Care and Evidence
Based Practice
NU 701  Quality and Safety in Complex Health Systems
Fall II NU 704  Informatics and
Transformation of Health
Care
NU 708  Standards of Care and
Evidence Based Practice
Spring II

NU 713  Chronic
Disease in the Human
Health
NU 750  Inter-
professional
Collaboration

NU 799  DNP Residency (1:4.5 ratio)
HED 517  Introduction to Biostatistics - may be taken
as a prerequisite priot to entering the program.

 
Spring II

NU 713  Chronic Disease in the
Human

NU 799  DNP Residency

HED 517  Introduction to Biostatistics

Summer II NU 800  DNP Project I
(optional)
Summer II NU 800  DNP Project I
Fall III NU 799  DNP Residency II
NU 770  Health Care
Policy & Economics
NU 721  Clinical
Analysis and
Diagnostics
NU 800  DNP Project I
Fall III NU 700  Philosophy and Theory
NU 701  Quality and Safety
Spring III NU 712  Leadership in
Complex Health Care
Systems
NU 714  Population Health
NU 800  DNP Project II
Spring III NU 750  Inter-professional
Collaboration
NU 799  DNP Residency I
    Summer III Optional NU 799  II or NU 800  II
    Fall IV NU 721  Clinical Analysis and
Diagnostics
NU 770  Health Care Policy & Economics
NU 800  DNP Project II
    Spring IV

NU 712  Leadership in Complex Health
Care Systems
NU 714  Population Health

NU 800  DNP Project II

 

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