Degree options
Announcements
Need some help in deciding between a DNP or a PhD for your graduate studies? This questionnaire will help you begin to make the decision.
The application deadline for fall, 2012 admission to the DNP program is March 1. Please contact Debbie Grew dgrew [at] iupui [dot] edu , Graduate Advisor for the Doctoral Programs with any questions that you have.
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Overview
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a post-masters 37-credit hour practice-focused professional doctorate. The DNP is designed for nurses involved in any advanced practice role including but not limited to : clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist, public health practitioner, nurse executive, nurse informatician, nurse educator, and health policy analyst. Graduates of the program are prepared to assume leadership positions in nursing and health care, both at system or organization levels and at the direct patient care level. Graduates of the program will contribute to quality improvement and patient safety through systems thinking; reflective practice; informatics; translation science and evidence-based clinical practice.
Curriculum and Career Preparation
Thirty-seven credit hours (post-masters MSN) are required to complete the program. Graduates of the program may seek careers in primary health care, complex health care systems, nursing informatics, patient safety and in clinical nursing education. This program provides distance accessibility with some limited on-campus presence.
The program is designed to meet the needs of advanced practice nurses who hold a master’s degree in nursing and certification in their specialty area. The DNP is designed to produce clinical practice experts with the skills and competencies required to lead in complex health care settings. The program may be completed on a full-time or part-time basis.
Program Outcomes
Graduates of the DNP program are expected to:
- Use relationship-centered nursing leadership to improve health care and the health status and outcomes of individuals.
- Engage with communities of practice to frame problems, design and implement evidence-based interventions and evaluate outcomes.
- Integrate the needs of diverse societies in the design, delivery and evaluation of health services in complex systems.
- Transform clinical practice through reflection, action inquiry, strategic resource management, information technology and/or knowledge-based resources.
- Translate knowledge for application to the delivery of advanced nursing practice.
- Implement changes based on evaluation of health systems, health policy and nursing science in response to social, political, economic and ethical issues.
- Evaluate the impact of change on complex health systems including individuals and populations.
