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DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE (DNP)

 

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is an academic partnership offered by Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Louisiana Lafayette. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a terminal professional degree that focuses on the clinical aspects of nursing rather than academic research. The curriculum for the DNP program is consistent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACE) Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice.

 

Purposes

The purposes of the DNP program are to prepare graduate students at the highest level of nursing practice to:

  1. Provide complex hospital and community-based care for patients and families.
  2. Redesign and evaluate nursing and health care systems.
  3. Address shortages of clinical nursing faculty to mentor and educate nurses.

 

Admission Procedures

Applicants to the DNP program must apply to the University and the Southeastern Graduate Nursing Program at the same time. See admission to the University section for application deadlines and fees.

 

Admission Requirements

Students are admitted as a cohort into the post-master's DNP Program. Cohorts will be admitted in fall semesters. Didactic courses are offered online; however, students will be required to participate in on-campus activities immediately prior to start of the program and at the conclusion of the program when presenting synthesis projects. In addition, there are several courses in the curriculum (i.e., Residency, I-III) with practicum requirements. Prior to enrolling in Nursing 801: Biostatistics, students must provide evidence of completion of a graduate-level statistics course. The graduate-level statistics course must be approved by the DNP Program Coordinator.

Requirements for admission to the DNP program include:

  1. A completed application form and payment of the application fee submitted on or prior to the application date.
  2. Receipt of official transcripts from each degree-granting college or university previously attended.
  3. An earned master's degree in one of the following areas of advanced nursing practice:
      • Nurse Practitioner
      • Clinical Nurse Specialist
      • Nurse Midwife
      • Registered Nurse Anesthetist
      • Nursing Administration/Leadership
  4. Cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale on master's-level course work.
  5. Evidence of current, unencumbered U.S. nursinglicensure (no restrictions).
      • RN license
      • APRN license if applicable
  6. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to the applicant's capacity for doctoral study.
      • One letter must be from a former faculty member in a nursing program, a current or former nursing supervisor, or nursing leader.
      • One letter must be from someone who can attest to the competencies and expertise of the applicant at the advanced practice level.
      • The third letter is from an individual of the applicant's choice; however, the letter should address the applicant's ability to successfully complete a doctoral education in nursing.
  7. Current resume' or vitae.
  8. A document, prepared by the applicant, which addresses the applicant's:
      • Goals for doctoral study which are congruent with the DNP program (See The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, which can be accessed at: https://www.aacnnursing.org/DNP/DNP-Essentials).
      • Focused area of interest for synthesis project.
      • Expression of how acquiring the DNP degree is important to fulfilling his/her career goals.
      • The document must be typewritten, double-spaced, in 12 point, Times New Roman font and should be no longer than three pages in length.
  9. Completion of a telephone interview with the DNP program coordinator.
  10. Prior to enrollment, students will be required to submit to background checks, drug and alcohol screening, and must meet program health requirements. These screenings will be conducted at the student's expense.
  11. Students should be proficient with methodologies utilized in Online Learning and must possess computer equipment and technology which is compatible with University learning management systems such as Blackboard and Moodle.

 

Residency Requirements

Core courses taken at either school in the collaborative are applicable to requirements of each member institution. NURS 809: Advanced Directed Studies and practicum hours required in Residencies I, II, and III can only be taken at the home institution.

 

Registration Procedures

  • Registration for core and role courses will be held according to published dates and procedures. An advisor is available to assist students. Information and downloadable forms are available for the School of Nursing webpage: www.southeastern/graduatenursing.
  • A Professional Degree fee will be assessed each semester of coursework. Students will also be assessed fees for proctored testing of online courses.
  • All courses offered are subject to resources available and sufficient student enrollment.
  • Full-time degree plans require from 7-10 credit hours per semester; part-time plans require 6 credit hours per semester.
  • For limited course slots, preference will be given to regular admission status.

 

BSN to DNP Curriculum

The BSN to DNP program consists of 70 credit hours. The BSN to DNP curriculum maintains the MSN degree, as students can opt to exit out after the MSN degree requirements are met. All of the courses required in the DNP programs are delivered in distance accessible formats. Courses are designed to comply with the recommendations in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials of Doctoral Education.

Semester 1, Summer

NURS 605: Applied Statistics for the Health Sciences 3 hours

 

Semester 2, Fall

NURS 801: Biostatistics 3 hours
NURS 830: Advanced Practice Scholarly and Theoretical Foundations 3 hours
NURS 618: Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice 3 hours

 

Semester 3, Spring

NURS 607: Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice 3 credit hours/
60 laboratory hours
NURS 617: Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice 3 hours
NURS 602: Generating Evidence for Nursing Practice 3 hours

 

Semester 4, Summer

NURS 682: Advanced Practice Nursing: Family Health I 5 credit hours/
180 practicum hours

 

Semester 5, Fall

NURS 683: Advanced Practice Nursing: Family Health II 5 credit hours/
210 practicum hours
NURS 804: Clinical Scholarship and Analytic Methods for Evidence Based Practice 3 hours
NURS 831: Epidemiology and Preventative Care for Populations 4 hours

 

Semester 6, Spring

NURS 681: Business, Leadership and Health Policy for Nurse Practitioners 3 hours
NURS 684: Advanced Practice Nursing: Family Health III 5 credit hours/
210 practicum hours
NURS 803: Project Planning                 3 hours

*May Graduate with MSN*

 

Semester 7, Summer

NURS 821: Residency I 2 hours credit/
60 residency hours
NURS 808: Ethics and Health Care Policy 4 hours

 

Semester 8, Fall

NURS 822: Residency II 4 hours credit/
180 residency hours
NURS 807: Organizational and Systems Leadership 4 hours

 

Semester 9, Spring

NURS 823: Residency III 4 hours credit/
180 hours residency
NURS 806: Health Care Informatics 3 hours

 

 

Post-Master's DNP Curriculum

The post-master’s DNP program consists of 39 credit hours beyond the master’s degree. All of the courses required in the DNP programs are delivered in distance accessible formats. Courses are designed to comply with the recommendations in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials of Doctoral Education. 

Semester 1 

NURS 800: Scholarly Foundations for Advanced Practice 3 hours
NURS 801: Biostatistics 3 hours
NURS 803: Project Planning 3 hours

 

Semester 2

NURS 802: Epidemiology 3 hours
NURS 804: Clinical Scholarship and Analytic Methods for Evidence Based Practice 3 hours
NURS 805: Preventative Care for Populations 3 hours
NURS 821: Residency I 2 hours

 

Semester 3

NURS 806: Health Care Informatics 3 hours
NURS 807: Organizational and Systems Leadership 4 hours
NURS 822: Residency II 4 hours

 

Semester 4

NURS 808: Ethics and Health Care Policy 4 hours
NURS 823: Residency III 4 hours

 

As Needed

NURS 809: Advanced Directed Study 3-6 hours

 

Synthesis Project
Each candidate for the DNP is required to complete a synthesis project in the student's area of interest, which incorporates DNP course work and represents an evidence-based intervention, evaluation and dissemination of findings. A student actively engaged in a synthesis project must be officially enrolled in NURS 809: Advanced Directed Study, or a Residency course for credit.