Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice-Nurse Practitioner
Nurse Practitioner specializations
Anesthesiology specialization (see Anesthesiology section)
Corvette Yacoob, DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC, Program Director
Program Overview
This practice-focused post-master’s doctoral program is designed to prepare experts in specialized advanced nursing practice. It centers on practice that is innovative and evidence-based, reflecting the application of credible research findings. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) DNP Essentials guide the curriculum and include eight concepts: Scientific Underpinnings for Practice; Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking; Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice; Information Systems/Technology and Patient Care Technology for the Improvement and Transformation of Health Care; Health Care Policy for Advocacy in Health Care; Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes; Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving the Nation’s Health; and Advanced Nursing Practice. The post-master’s DNP is a terminal, graduate degree and curriculum is based on the DNP candidate’s prior education, experience, and choice of specialization. Competencies for the DNP build and expand upon those attained through master’s study and achieve the same end-of-program competencies as the post-baccalaureate DNP. All applicants must be board certified in their specialty area and hold a master of science in nursing from a regionally and nursing accredited program. It is anticipated that a minimum of 12 months of full-time, post-master’s study will be necessary to acquire the additional doctoral level competencies. The post-master’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) curriculum prepares and requires students to engage in evidenced-based clinical projects that primarily focus on the appraisal and translation of theory and all forms of best evidence to practice.
Purpose
The purpose of the program is to foster the development of a community of expert advanced practice nurses who will transform practice and improve health care outcomes through the application of nursing knowledge.
Goals
The goals of the program are to prepare graduates as:
- Expert advanced practice nurses who provide and lead healthcare services for increasingly complex patients by integrating multiple knowledge bases and methods by developing comprehensive high-level advanced practice nursing care (Advanced Practice Leadership);
- Advocates who will improve the quality and safety of care, patient outcomes, and health policies that impact the health of society (Advocacy); and
- Scholar-Practitioners who are rooted in the critical appraisal and application of evidence-based methods in clinical practice (Scholarship).
Student Learning Outcomes
In accordance with The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Practice Nursing of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2006, the faculty identified the following expected outcomes of each student at the completion of the DNP program. All graduates will be able to:
- Synthesize, integrate and apply nursing science with knowledge from the arts and sciences and clinical expertise to the delivery of nursing and health care services to diverse populations.
- Assume leadership roles in the evaluation, design, organization, and improvement of health care delivery.
- Discover, integrate, connect, disseminate and translate research across disciplines to reduce risk, promote safety, and enhance quality in clinical practice.
- Use technology resources and demonstrate information and data literacy to man-age complex heath care decisions and advance quality of care.
- Advocate for changes in healthcare policy formation, financing, regulation and practice to remediate health disparities local and globally.
- Employ effective communication and interdisciplinary collaboration skills to solve complex problems, facilitate change, and promote improved quality of care in organizations.
- Develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based clinical prevention and population health services for individuals and groups.
- Engage in safe, effective, and efficient advanced nursing practice within a defined specialization.
Admission Requirements
Candidates are selected for admission based upon the likelihood for program completion and academic success in graduate education. These include:
- A Master’s degree in Nursing (MSN) from a regionally accredited or internationally recognized school.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale in graduate study.
- Current license to practice as a registered nurse or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).
- Have a valid and current national certification in an advanced nursing practice specialty (which attests to the minimum clinical hours for the specialty). If applicant is not nationally certified, certification must be achieved within one year of starting the program.
- DNP Portfolio demonstrating high potential for producing scholarship, including:
- CV/Resume.
- One essay with a clear statement of goals and expectations for entering the DNP program and how the student anticipates this degree will benefit the profession of nursing and his/her community.
- One essay describing the type of clinical project the student plans to undertake in the DNP program.
- Three letters of recommendation—one addressing clinical competence and two addressing academic ability.
- Transcript evidence of satisfactory completion (grade B or higher) of an undergraduate or graduate nursing research course.
- Transcript evidence of satisfactory completion (grade B or higher) of a statistics course, which included descriptive and inferential methods, within five years of program start date.
- Three letters of recommendation from professional references as described above.
- Upon the start of the program, accepted candidates are required to possess a notebook computer with specified software which conforms to criteria established by the Program. Applicants are advised that portions of the didactic coursework are web-based and also provided in conjunction with telecommunications or video teleconferencing instruction. Candidates should possess basic computer literacy skills, including the use of word-processing, Windows operating systems, electronic mail, and navigation of Internet applications. Students without these prerequisite skills are encouraged to take CS 180 Introduction to Computers. This course will not count towards degree requirements.
- Applicants may be required to fulfill specific prerequisites or other conditions of admission prior to an admission decision.
- All applicants must affirm and attest to sound physical health, emotional stability, and personal integrity that will enable them to successfully complete the educational program, comply with criteria for nursing licensure, and adhere to American Nurses Association professional codes of conduct and practice.
- Applicants must affirm and attest that they are free of addiction to substances of abuse, are not restricted in their practice of nursing or under investigation by any Board of Nursing, and are willing to adhere to Drug Free Workplace policies and procedures of affiliate clinical training sites, to include submission to randomized drug testing and/or testing for cause and upon Program demand.
- Admission is on a competitive basis for a limited number of positions. As a result, applicants may meet minimum admission requirements, but may not be selected for a personal interview or admission.
- Applicants are advised to contact the Office of Financial Aid to investigate funding options at the time they are considering submission of their application package.
Application Process
All application materials must be complete and be received by the Office of Admissions by August 15 for admission to the Program at the start of the fall semester. Applications received after August 15 will be considered on a space available basis. Only those candidates with a completed application package on file, inclusive of all documentation noted above, will be considered for admission. The above criteria are evaluated as a composite package, serving as an indicator of predictive success in the program. The Admissions Committee will rank all applicants as Accepted, Provisionally Accepted, or Not Accepted.
Curriculum
Curricular content is reflective of standards set forth by CCNE professional associations of the nurse practitioner specialty tracks. The program is a sequential curriculum beginning in the fall semester of each year. The program consists of 35 to 37 credit hours delivered over a six-semester, part-time course of study. Coursework is completed via a hybrid platform of on-campus and off-campus sessions. Some courses require pre- or co-requisites (see course descriptions). In addition to didactic coursework, students will complete and present their doctoral scholarly project during the last semester of the program as part of their on-campus session requirements. The scholarly project demonstrates the synthesis of concepts and skills learned while enrolled in the program.
Progression Requirements
- Students must comply with policies related to the Academic Dishonesty Policy and Civility Policy and failure to do so will prevent progression;
- Doctoral students must obtain a grade of at least B in all courses and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale to progress in the DNP program; if a student receives less than a B grade or a cumulative GPA of 3.0, the student may not progress to the next semester;
- Any student who receives a C in a course will be required to repeat the course;
- Any student who receives an F in a course will be dismissed from the DNP program;
- Students may not begin a new semester with a grade of ‘Incomplete’ in a course from the previous semester without the permission of the program director;
- Students must successfully complete a semester to progress to the next semester;
- Students may not progress in the program while on an approved Leave of Absence; and
- Students enrolled in DNP Scholarly Project III who does not complete the seminar requirements by the end of Semester VI will get an ‘IP’ grade; the student will be required to enroll in a one-credit course each additional semester until completion of the DNP Scholarly Project.
Graduation Requirements
Satisfactory completion of all courses and successful defense of the DNP Scholarly project is necessary for the student to graduate. In addition, a student must have completed all course work with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale. All requirements for the post-master’s DNP must be met within a five-year time period from matriculation (excluding any approved leave of absence time).
Transfer of Credits
Acceptance of transfer credits is at the discretion of the program director. A maximum of six graduate credits may be transferred from a regionally accredited or internationally recognized institution of higher education at the time of matriculation. The Program’s sequential design and specialty content prevents transfer credit of specialization coursework from outside of the curriculum. Only courses with a final grade of B or higher will be considered for transfer. Transfer credits must meet the criteria established by Barry University.
Grading Policy
The grading policy for students in the post masters DNP will be as follows:
| A |
90%–100% |
| B |
80%–89% |
| C |
70%–79% |
| F |
0%–69% |
Receipt of a failing grade is cause for dismissal from the Program.
| I |
= |
Incomplete |
| IP |
= |
In Progress |
| Withdrawal from a course after the add/drop period of the semester constitutes a failure. |
Students who are dismissed from the program may re-apply for admission. Readmission is not guaranteed.
An ‘I’ (Incomplete) grade is not automatically given for absence from class or incomplete work. An ‘I’ grade will need to be requested in writing by the student to the course instructor when course assignments have not been satisfactorily completed. A substantial portion of the required coursework and assignments/assessments, as determined by the faculty member, should be complete to qualify for an ‘I’ grade. Students who are granted an ‘I’ grade in a course must complete all the course requirements by the end of the next semester. An ‘I’ grade becomes an F if assignments are not completed.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (38 credits)
This program requires a special program fee.
Semester I (8 credits)
Semester II (6 credits)
Semester III (9 credits)
Semester IV (5 credits)
Semester V (7 credits)
Semester VI (3 credits)