Doctor of Nursing Practice (Post-Master's)

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program at Indiana State University prepares nurses to be innovative leaders and environmental change agents to transform our healthcare delivery system. The DNP represents the highest level of preparation in nursing practice, broadening the graduate's ability to process and translate new evidence into nursing practice. This ability is essential to maximizing the safety and efficacy of nursing practice to improve patient outcomes.

• The online DNP Program is a 37-credit-hour post-master's program requiring a total of 350 hours of supervised clinical preceptorship.*
• Consistent with other DNP programs, there is no dissertation requirement.
• Students complete a DNP scholarly project based on their individual expertise and interests.
• The DNP Program is in the College of Health and Human Services, School of Nursing. The essential concepts of the DNP (The DNP Essentials) curriculum, as approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, forms the basis of our program, which is fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.(ACEN)
• The program offers curriculum compatible with students' individual interests and goals and is designed to meet the needs of the working healthcare professional. The DNP Program began in the Fall of 2010.

*Students must complete 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical/practicum hours as mandated by American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Clinical hours may be credited for students with evidence of national certification in an area of advanced nursing practice:

1. Master’s prepared APRN (CNM, CRNA, CNS, NP): Up to 650 clinical hours with documentation from the master's degree granting institution and proof of national certification. DNP: Current Issues and Clarifying Recommendations [White Paper].
2. Master’s prepared Advanced Practice Nurses with Advanced Certification, e.g. Advanced Public Health, Advanced Nurse Executive, etc.: Up to 650 clinical hours with evidence of academically supervised clinical hours with a 1:1 ratio being observed and proof of certification. American Association Colleges of Nursing. (2015). DNP: Current Issues and Clarifying Recommendations [White Paper].
3. Per AACN MSN Nurse Educators-will not have previous practicum hours waived. A longer program of study will be required to fulfill clinical practice hours. Variable credit, independent study courses facilitate degree completion for nurse educators.

Graduates of Indiana State University's DNP Program will:

• Integrate scientific knowledge to influence health policy and decision-making through leadership, collaboration, and interprofessional action at the organizational, local, regional, national, and global levels.
• Develop and evaluate care delivery approaches that meet current and future needs of patient populations based on scientific findings in nursing and other clinical sciences, as well as organizational, political, and economic sciences.
• Use analytic methods to critically appraise existing literature and other evidence to determine and implement the best evidence for clinical practice.
• Design, select, use, and evaluate programs that evaluate and monitor outcomes of care, care systems, and quality improvement including consumer use of health care information systems.
• Advocate for social justice, equity, and ethical policies within all healthcare arenas.
• Employ effective communication and collaborative skills in the development and implementation of practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, standards of care, and/or other scholarly products.
• Synthesize concepts related to clinical prevention and population health in developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to address health promotion/disease prevention efforts, in care of individuals, aggregates, or populations.
• Demonstrate independent advanced practice clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes.

Program Availability

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program is open to eligible in-state and many out-of-state applicants. The program is closed to all students (including U.S. military and State Department personnel and their family members) residing in a country other than the United States.

Technology Requirements:

High-speed Internet access is required. Applicants must be familiar with basic Internet procedures such as scanning, attaching, and emailing documents. Students will need to have access to a scanning device that will scan documents to PDF. It is recommended that students have a PC running Windows 10 or a Macintosh. Additional recommendations can be found at Indiana State Technology Requirements.

Fees & Expenses:

Nursing students pay the same University fees as other students, including online education delivery fees. Other expenses specific to the program include books, supplies/equipment, name pin, special test fees, and a clinical/program fee attached to designated courses. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from clinical and practicum experiences.