Doctor of Nursing Practice
Our complex healthcare environment benefits from advanced knowledge and practice expertise, which can positively affect healthcare outcomes for individuals and populations. Colorado Technical University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is designed for licensed RNs with a Master’s in Nursing who are looking to continue on to the Doctorate level, which is the terminal degree for nursing. Demand for nurses with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree continues to grow as employers are quickly recognizing the unique contributions that expert nurses are making in the practice arena, reports the AACN.1
Highlights of the DNP Program:
- Developed using the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice
- Comprehensive practice-focused program requires 1,000 hours of documented, supervised post-baccalaureate clinical hours for graduation, 500 of which must be completed at CTU
- The program culminates in a project that allows you to translate evidenced-based practice and research findings into a practice change project using your area of advanced nursing practice.
- Our focused doctoral program offers you the opportunity to pursue a degree in 18-24 months2 without putting your life on hold.
Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Goals:
- To help students prepare for advanced nursing roles in systems leadership and administration, maximizing the application of evidence to improve healthcare outcomes.
- To expand the knowledge of the advanced registered nurse for a leadership position in the profession.
Relevant Institutional/Programmatic Accreditation
CTU is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission www.hlcommission.org
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TOTAL CREDITS
PROGRAM AVAILABILITY
- Online
Program Details
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Degree Requirements
Courses-Core
Course Title Course Description Credit Hours NRSG810 Scientific Underpinnings of Nursing Practice 4 NRSG812 Applying Evidence-Based Practice and Research to Improve Health Outcomes 4 NRSG815 Information Systems and Advanced Nursing Practice 4 NRSG817 Health Policy and Advancing Nursing Practice 4 NRSG825 Population Health and Epidemiology 4 NRSG830 Organization and Systems Leadership 4 NRSG831 DNP Project I: Design and Planning 6 NRSG832 DNP Project II: Implementation of Evidence Based Practice 6 NRSG833 DNP Project III: Evaluation of Change 5 DNP Specialty Topic I 4 DNP Specialty Topics II 4 Total Credit Hours: 49 Students who have not completed the required 500 post-baccalaureate clinical hours must complete the DNP Transitions course/s prior to beginning their DNP Project courses.
Course Title Course Description Credit Hours NRSG820 DNP Practice Transitions I NRSG821 DNP Practice Transitions II NRSG822 DNP Practice Transitions III Total Credit Hours: 13 Courses- DNP Specialty Topic Options
Course Title Course Description Credit Hours HCML870 Health Policy and Regulations 4 HCML872 Economics and Financing of Healthcare Organizations 4 HCML874 Continuous Improvement for Systems in Healthcare 4 HCML876 Informatics in Healthcare 4 LDR870 Self-Insight and Personal Development as a Leader 4 MGMT824 Strategic Thinking and Organizational Alignment 4 ODC870 Organizational Strategy & Design 4 ODC872 Current Topics in Organizational Development 4 ODC874 Leading and Managing Large Scale Transformation 4 ODC876 System Thinking and Decision Making 4 PM874 Special Topics in Project Management 4 PM876 Risk and Quality Management 4 Total Credit Hours: 49
Program Requirements
Admission to this program requires a current, active and unencumbered license to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States. All students must maintain this licensure throughout the program of study.
Students must have graduated with a programmatically accredited Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a regionally accredited institution. A minimum grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required for acceptance into the program.
Prior to starting the nursing program all applicants must submit an unofficial or official copy of their college transcript from their MSN degree for review. Applicants to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program who meet all general admission requirements, but did not successfully complete a graduate level statistics course, may be granted provisional admission, until the completion of a graduate level statistics course with a B- or higher. Provisionally accepted students who do not complete a graduate level statistics course prior to NRSG812 Applying Evidence-Based Practice and Research to Improve Health Outcomes will be administratively withdrawn. CTU offers HCM671 Healthcare Statistics that fulfills this program requirement. Students who do not have prior graduate level statistics should consult with their Student Success Coach about options to satisfy this requirement.
The DNP requires a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical hours. CTU may recognize up to 500 hours of supervised, documented clinical hours from your post-baccalaureate (MSN or Post Graduate Certificate) experience toward this clinical requirement.
Potential DNP students must have completed a minimum of 120 documented clinical hours at the post-baccalaureate level prior to admission to the DNP program. Students with 120 clinical hours or greater, but less than 500 clinical hours, will be scheduled for the DNP transitions course(s). This course can be taken at varying credit hours depending on clinical hours transferred into the DNP program. Verification of post-baccalaureate clinical hours completed in the MSN or Post Graduate Certificate program must be submitted on the Colorado Technical University Attestation of Supervised Clinical/Practice/Practicum form. -
Related Degrees
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Tuition
Total tuition for this degree program will vary depending on your educational needs, existing experience, and other factors.
View our tuition resources page for links to information on our civilian and military student tuition, books and fees.
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Ways to Save
Cost of this degree may be reduced based on one or more of the following:
- Active duty military status
- Number of credits transferred and accepted from other institutions
- Eligibility for a Corporate Alliances Grant (check with your CTU Admissions Advisor)
- Tuition Reimbursement (talk to your HR Manager)
- Grants or scholarships at CTU
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Outcomes
This degree program is designed to provide the following skills and knowledge:
- Incorporate scientific principles from nursing and other disciplines to improve practice.
- Appraise, synthesize and ethically apply evidence as an advanced practice nurse to complex health issues.
- Demonstrate systems leadership promoting professional collaboration to improve healthcare outcomes.
- Evaluate health issues of diverse populations to improve healthcare outcomes.
- Analyze, advocate and apply policy to improve practice and healthcare outcomes.
- Incorporate healthcare delivery models and strategies to improve quality healthcare delivery.
- Apply principles of information systems and technology to improve healthcare outcomes.
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Admission Requirements
Admission to this program requires a current, active and unencumbered license to practice as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States. All students must maintain this licensure throughout the program of study.
Students must have graduated with a programmatically accredited Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from a regionally accredited institution. A minimum grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required for acceptance into the program.
Prior to starting the nursing program all applicants must submit an unofficial or official copy of their college transcript from their MSN degree for review. Applicants to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program who meet all general admission requirements, but did not successfully complete a graduate level statistics course, may be granted provisional admission, until the completion of a graduate level statistics course with a B- or higher. Provisionally accepted students who do not complete a graduate level statistics course prior to NRSG812 Applying Evidence-Based Practice and Research to Improve Health Outcomes will be administratively withdrawn. CTU offers HCM671 Healthcare Statistics that fulfills this program requirement. Students who do not have prior graduate level statistics should consult with their Student Success Coach about options to satisfy this requirement.
The DNP requires a minimum of 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical hours. CTU may recognize up to 500 hours of supervised, documented clinical hours from your post-baccalaureate (MSN or Post Graduate Certificate) experience toward this clinical requirement.
Potential DNP students must have completed a minimum of 120 documented clinical hours at the post-baccalaureate level prior to admission to the DNP program. Students with 120 clinical hours or greater, but less than 500 clinical hours, will be scheduled for the DNP transitions course(s). This course can be taken at varying credit hours depending on clinical hours transferred into the DNP program. Verification of post-baccalaureate clinical hours completed in the MSN or Post Graduate Certificate program must be submitted on the Colorado Technical University Attestation of Supervised Clinical/Practice/Practicum form.
At this time, Colorado Technical University cannot accept inquiries for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program from residents of the states of Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
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Next Steps
Where do I go from here?
Choosing to continue your education is a big decision and we're here to help. Choose one of the options below to get started.
Submit your details and speak to an admissions advisor within the next day:
Submit a no-fee online application. An advisor will get in touch after your application is received to schedule an interview (required before enrolling):
Classes start January 1, 2019!
Gainful Employment and Other Student Disclosures
Below you can find placement rates and other information tailored to your chosen campus and program. Certain disclosures are published on this website to assist students in understanding the facts about their programs.
Online Programs - Doctor of Nursing Practice
1. American Association of Colleges of Nursing, June 2017 http://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Fact-Sheets/DNP-Fact-Sheet
2. This doctoral degree program can be completed in 18-24 months, depending on the number of clinical hours that need to be completed; however, many factors will impact your time to completion, including course loads, proficiency and/or, transfer credits and breaks.
This program is not a Nurse Practitioner program or a PhD and is designed for students with a current, active, and unencumbered RN license in the US. Applicants must also have a programmatically accredited Master of Science in Nursing degree from a regionally accredited institution