Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree will soon be the required degree for clinically practicing APRNs, CNMs, and nursing leaders in health care organizations. The University of Utah College of Nursing offers advanced practice nursing programs as a DNP degree.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) chose the University of Utah's College of Nursing as its first recipient of the New Era for Academic Nursing Award. Strategic integration within a rising-star academic health care system is just one thing that makes the University of Utah the state's premier nurse educator. US News & World Report ranks the College of Nursing No. 9 in midwifery and No. 19 in doctorate of nursing practice. And with $27 million in research funding and seven endowed chairs, the college is No. 23 in overall NIH grant funding.
BS to DNP Program
The Bachelors to Doctor of Nursing Practice program provides bachelor's degree prepared registered nurses with advanced specialty education. The College of Nursing BS-DNP program specialty tracks includes Adult/Gerontology Acute Care, Neonatal, Nurse Midwifery, Primary Care (Family or Adult/Gerontology Primary Care), Psychiatric Mental Health, Women's Health, and a dual track in Nurse Midwifery and Women's Health.
The DNP program is three years (8-9 academic semesters) of full-time study. Courses are on campus and online. The programs of study for each nurse practitioner specialty track are available at https://nursing.utah.edu/programs/curriculum/dnp.php
Masters to DNP Program
The Masters to Doctor of Nursing Practice (MS-DNP) program of study is based on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) Essentials of Doctoral Education and is individualized based on a student's previous master's education, experience, and specialty interests.
The Post MS-DNP is designed for Masters prepared nurses to obtain the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in one of two pathways:
- Direct Care for advanced practice registered nurses (APRN)
- Organizational Leadership (non-APRNs, i.e., for nurse administrators, and APRNs)
This specialty track can be completed as a full or part-time program of study. Courses are offered in a combination of online and executive format. Visit https://nursing.utah.edu/programs/curriculum/dnp.php for a sample program of study.
Distance Delivery
For geographically eligible students, the following specialty tracks are available through distance delivery.
- Primary Care (Family or Adult/Gerontology Primary Care)
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Neonatal
- Nurse Midwifery
- Women's Health
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Integrate nursing science with knowledge from ethics, the biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences to provide the basis for advanced nursing practice.
- Provide, manage and evaluate the care of individuals and populations using evidence-based concepts related to physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, as well as community, environmental, cultural and socioeconomic dimensions of health.
- Demonstrate advanced levels of clinical judgment and decision-making, systems thinking, and accountability in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based care.
- Develop and evaluate initiatives that will improve the quality of care delivery.
- Analyze and communicate critical elements necessary to the selection, use, and evaluation of healthcare information systems and patient care technology.
- Actively engage in interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at improving healthcare delivery, care coordination, and policy.
- Demonstrate professionalism, value lifelong learning and recognize the need to adapt the practice to changing social, political, and global healthcare environments.
Nursing Education Xchange (NEXus)
Opportunities are offered for doctoral/graduate students, through the Nursing Education Xchange (NEXus), enrolled at member colleges and universities to take courses that may not be provided at his/her home institution for a typical price.
