Doctor of Nursing Practice

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History and Philosophy

The University of Virginia School of Nursing opened the first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in Virginia in 2007 in response to the demands of contemporary health care associated with increasing complexity in the health care system, expansion of scientific knowledge, and growing concerns regarding the quality of patient care delivery and outcomes. The program was initially for master’s-prepared nurses with specialty practice. In 2013, a post-baccalaureate pathway for BSN or generalist MSN nurses to move directly from an initial specialty MSN curriculum into the DNP program. The UVa program, fully accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), supports the vision for transformational change in education for professional nurses who practice at the most advanced level. The American Association for Colleges of Nursing (AACN) position statement on the DNP degree recommends that nurses practicing at the highest level should receive doctoral-level preparation. More recently, the Institute of Medicine statement on the Future of Nursing recommends that nurses achieve higher levels of education and training to meet the increasing demands of contemporary health care.

The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/dnp/pdf/essentials.pdf), developed by the AACN, provide guidelines for DNP programs and to serve as a basis for accreditation of programs. The DNP Program at UVa was designed to meet these Essentials. The program encourages DNP students to tailor an individualized program using cognate courses from any School or department throughout the University.

Purpose

The purpose of the Doctor in Nursing Practice Degree is to prepare DNP students to:

1. Perform at the highest level of nursing practice.
2. Assume leadership roles in complex healthcare delivery systems.
3. Critically appraise existing literature and other evidence in a specialty area to determine and implement best practices.
4. Improve patient outcomes by expanding DNP student knowledge of evidence-based practice.

Program Objectives

Objectives for the proposed DNP program are derived from the AACN document, The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. At the completion of this program, students are expected to demonstrate the competencies required for the highest level of nursing practice. DNP graduates will be able to do the following:

• Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics, the biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences as the basis for the highest level of nursing practice;
• Demonstrate organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement in healthcare systems;
• Apply clinical scholarship and analytical methods to evidence-based practice;
• Use information systems technology and patient care technology to improve and transform health care;
• Demonstrate leadership in health care policy for advocacy in health care;
• Collaborate with interprofessional and intraprofessional teams to improve patient and population health outcomes.

Admission

Admission Requirements

Post-Master’s Pathway:

• Have an MSN degree from a nationally accredited (CCNE or NLN) school.
• Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate and graduate study.
• Have completed an intermediate-level course in statistics within the past 5 years.
• Possess an unencumbered RN license in the state where you intend to do your clinical practica.
• Have a valid certification in specialty nursing (NP, CNS, etc), if applicable, by the time of entry into the program.
• Submit three satisfactory academic and professional recommendations.
• Submit a current resume or CV.
• Send official transcripts for all post-secondary study.
• Be available for an interview if requested.
• International applicants have additional requirements.

Post-Baccalaureate Pathway:

Admission to the School of Nursing is competitive and based on evaluation of all portions of the application. To be considered for the Doctor in Nursing Practice, applicants must submit a completed application and:

• Have a BSN or generalist MSN degree from a nationally accredited (CCNE or NLNAC) school.
• Have at least 2 years of full-time RN experience in a relevant area.
• Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in undergraduate and graduate study.
• Have completed an intermediate-level course in statistics within the past 5 years.
• Possess an unencumbered RN license in the US and be eligible for RN certification in Virginia
• Submit three satisfactory academic and professional recommendations.
• Submit a current resume or CV.
• Send official transcripts for all post-secondary study.
• Be available for an interview if requested.
• International applicants have additional requirements.

Admission Procedure Applications are submitted online from the SON website: http://nursing.virginia.edu/admissions/ with a November 1 deadline.

Degree Requirements

To earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the post-MSN pathway student must successfully complete the prescribed plan of study, including 11 didactic courses, a minimum of 504 DNP practicum hours, and a DNP Scholarly Practice Project.

Full-Time Course Load All students receiving financial assistance are required to be full-time (12 credits) every semester and six credits during the summer, when applicable. A student’s plan of study is determined in collaboration with his or her faculty advisor. GNUR 9998 (Doctoral Research—with the DNP Program Director) may be taken concurrently with other course work to bring the total number of credits up to 12. Credits from GNUR 9998 are not counted in the total program hours of credit.

Length of Time in Program MSN-DNP students must be enrolled and pay full tuition and fees for at least four semesters and one summer; six semesters and two summers for post-baccalaureate DNP students. Post-baccalaureate students must be enrolled and pay full tuition and fees for at least seven semesters and two summers. All requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years of the time of admission to the program.

Transfer of Credit Transcripts of students who have completed a master’s degree in nursing or other graduate work are evaluated, and credit may be transferred if assessed as equivalent to courses offered at the University of Virginia. Acceptance of specific cognate and elective courses is determined by the student’s faculty advisor. Acceptance of core courses is determined by the instructor(s) who teach the course(s) in collaboration with the faculty advisor. The process of obtaining transfer credit must be initiated by the student before the end of the first year of study.