Degree and Programs

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program – Family Nurse Practitioner Focus (DNP-FNP)

The mission of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program – Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) focus (DNP-FNP program) is to develop Family Nurse Practitioners who provide holistic, relationship-centered care to individuals, families, and groups/populations. Graduates are prepared to bring integrative approaches to practice as expert clinicians, effective nurse coaches, transformational leaders, and life-long scholars. Graduates are eligible to take the certification examinations for Family Nurse Practitioner and nurse coaching.

The DNP program – FNP Focus builds upon the expected knowledge, skills, and attitudes for baccalaureate prepared registered nurses as described by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The program prepares graduates for practice at the highest level of nursing in primary care situations. Students complete 89 semester credit hours offered online and 1,035 clinical hours completed in practice settings approved by the Program representatives. Graduates are prepared to:

1. integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including knowledge from the nursing sciences and grounded in nursing theory, to develop and evaluate nursing practice;
2. develop, implement, and evaluate health care delivery models to ensure safety and accountability and promote improved outcomes;
3. evaluate and utilize research and best evidence to improve client well-being;
4. implement technology and information systems to provide care and promote well-being of patients and clients;
5. design, influence, implement, and advocate for health care policy that improves health outcomes;
6. utilize transformational leadership and interprofessional collaborative skills to improve patient and population health outcomes;
7. synthesize concepts of clinical prevention for promoting health and reducing risk and illness;
8. assess, manage, and evaluate patients, families and groups/populations using integrative approaches at the highest independent level of clinical nursing practice; and,
9. engage in self-development (self-reflection, self-assessment, self-care) to promote improved outcomes for self and others.