Doctor of Nursing Practice

The Doctor of Nursing Practice is a post-masters 39-credit hour practice doctorate geared toward preparing Family Nurse Practitioners to excel in increasingly complex healthcare settings.  In today’s clinical environments, where the rapid expansion of scientific knowledge is only outpaced by the demand for healthcare services, it is imperative that clinical practice experts master additional competencies.  Indiana State University (ISU) is committed to preparing clinical nursing leaders as evidenced by the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.  The DNP program began in the Fall of 2010 and recently graduated its inaugural class at ISU’s May 2012 commencement.

The DNP program is in the Department of Advanced Practice Nursing at the College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services.  The program is based upon the essential concepts of the DNP curriculum as approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in September 2005 and the accrediting body for DNP programs, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).

The DNP program is a candidate for accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and will be receiving an accreditation visit in the fall of 2012.

Graduates of ISU’s DNP program will:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Use analytic methods to critically appraise existing literature and other evidence to determine and implement the best evidence for clinical practice.
  4. 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.
  5. Advocate for social justice, equity, and ethical policies within all healthcare arenas.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Demonstrate independent advanced practice clinical judgment, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes.

If increased intellectual knowledge and career advancement are in your future, the Doctor of Nursing Practice may be right for you.

Maybe you see yourself in clinical instruction, involved in research, or perhaps continuing your current career with increased skill and greater awareness of the dynamic healthcare environment.

Our curriculum is compatible with your individual interests and goals, designed to meet the needs of the working professional and offers full-time and part-time plans of study. 

Our unique online learning format is user friendly and convenient and, unlike your many other competing priorities, is there when you have time. 

Whatever your career path, Indiana State University will be there when you are ready to start your clinical doctorate. 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.  Start your journey today!

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