Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

The DNP Program at UMDNJ-SN is for master’s-prepared RNs seeking a doctoral degree. This practice-focused doctorate is an alternative to research-focused doctorates in nursing and is congruent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recommendation that advance practice nursing education transition to the clinical doctorate level. It is a degree preparing individuals for multiple roles. Its target population includes those practitioners whose aim is to attain the highest levels of excellence in practice.

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Curriculum Focus:
The program will prepare students with the knowledge base and skill mix to provide expert evidence-based nursing care across diverse settings and systems. The curriculum provides a systematic integration of advanced clinical and advanced leadership content with a focus on evidence based quality care and cultural competency skills. Graduates of this program will have the expert skills and knowledge to work within interdisciplinary teams to achieve the nation’s quality care healthcare goals and reduce disparities. Those with practice doctorates will use their education and expertise in leadership roles on the front lines of their profession in order to improve continuously the quality of care and delivery of services.

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Tracks
Two tracks of concentration courses will be offered: the direct care track which addresses advanced nursing practice competencies for the individual, family and population care level and the indirect care track which addresses advanced nursing practice competencies for the systems or organization-focused care level.

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Curriculum Overview
The DNP program consists of 32 credits beyond the master’s level specialty content. The first 8 courses are considered to be “universal courses” taken by students in both the direct and indirect tracks. After completion of the universal courses students break into their specific track to complete the cognate and capstone project. For students who have not been in active practice, they may be required to take an additional 6 credits - the DNP practice and practicum course.

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Course Description

Nurs 6000:  Legal Issues and Health & Social Policy
This course will explore the interrelationships between policy, ethics and the law and their impact on clinical practice and health care/nursing administration. Broader social issues common to vulnerable populations will be examined using ethical and legal frameworks. Recurring issues in clinical practice will be examined for how legislation and regulation impacts care. System issues relevant to health and healthcare delivery will be explored for its impact on care and policy implications. Practices/protocols/policies that are compliant with legal and ethical mandates will be explored. Organizational and social policy implications of these clinical issues will be examined and approaches to communicating and advocating for policy change will be developed.

NURS 6100:  Principles of Epidemiology
This course introduces students to the study of diseases and ill health through their patterns of occurrence in human populations. The approaches of epidemiology in estimating the burden of disease, and in evaluating primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies are presented.

NURS 6200:  Health Promotion and Treatment from a Population Perspective
This course integrates evidence-based health promotion and treatment strategies for common disorders/diseases identified in Healthy People 2010. In-depth sociocultural, ecological and systems of care delivery factors that contribute to health disparities will be explored. An emphasis will be placed on determining, designing and implementing innovative models which bridge prevention and illness treatment.

NURS 6300:  Theory Application in the Clinical Setting
The evolution and development of theories relevant to nursing practice, including grand and middle-range theories, and the philosophical underpinnings and implications of theories will be analyzed. Strategies for theory development, evaluation, and application will be emphasized. Students will explore the philosophical underpinnings of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Implications for research and practice will be discussed. 

NURS 6400:  Evidence Based Advanced Nursing Practice
Theories, concepts, and methods relevant to the review, analysis, synthesis, and application of scientific evidence to nursing and health care practice will be discussed. Using software such as available from the Cochrane Collaboration and the Joanna Briggs Center for Evidence Based Practice, the student will perform and guide others in the process of integrative and systematic reviews to determine the best evidence for practice. The ethical, legal, cultural, and financial implications of evidenced based advanced nursing practice will be discussed. A particular emphasis will be placed on addressing disparities in health care outcomes.   

NURS 6500:  Interdisciplinary Leadership, Quality and Collaboration
This course will explore critical topics in organizational and systems leadership that emphasizes the primacy of clinical work, quality models, continually improving health outcomes, and ensuring patient safety. Leadership and communication strategies to move interdisciplinary groups toward common goals and objectives will be examined. Students will create missions and visions for cultures of excellence, evidence, and cultural sensitivity. Strategies of quality improvement (evidence transfer and utilization) and interdisciplinary communication will be emphasized.

NURS 6600:  Health Care Economics and the Business of Practice
This course will examine both healthcare economics and the business of practice. The relationship of economic issues, health policy & clinical practice will be explored. Economic concepts and tools will be used to examine issues and solve problems/issues pertaining to health care and the delivery of healthcare services. Approaches to economic evaluations will be explored and students will use findings from economic evaluations to inform policy makers about the costs and effects of medical interventions to support their decisions on the allocation of health care resources. Evidence-based critique skills will be expanded to include critical appraisal of economic evaluation studies and Actuari software will be used to conduct an economic systematic review. Relevant finance concepts will be explored to develop skills in assessing the practice/organizations’ financial condition, budgeting, and profit analysis.

NURS 6700:  Evidence Based Practice in the Health Care System
Building on a completed knowledge synthesis for a target population/practice, students will identify appropriate strategies for organizational/practice evaluation to determine evidence-based practice needs of a selected clinical or health care setting. Students utilize theoretical approaches and empirical evidence, including health outcomes data, to prepare plans for the implementation and evaluation of an evidence-based policy, procedure or program to address the identified need. Proposed evidence-based practice changes are based on an understanding of the cultural, financial, legal, and human resources needs of the health care environment. Program evaluation strategies to assess benefit of changes on patient safety or quality will be explored.

Cognate:  A cognate course from your specialty or interest area will be selected.

NURS 6900:  DNP Residency and Project
Under the guidance of their DNP faculty advisor, students will synthesize, integrate and translate newly acquired knowledge and skills in the implementation and evaluation of their selected project.  Using scientific theory, systematic evidence appraisal, systems, organizational and policy analysis, and models of care delivery, students will complete the DNP project.  Seminars will focus on guiding the student through all aspects of project design, implementation and evaluation.  Clinical experiences will be individually designed within the context of the direct or indirect focus of the student’s program.

Additional Practice Course:

NURS 6800:  DNP Practice and Practicum
This course is designed to integrate knowledge of nursing theory, evidence based nursing practice, physiologic and pathophysiologic foundations, ethical and legal principles and health care systems into clinical practice.  In consultation with their DNP faculty advisor, students will select an area of clinical practice and implement advanced clinical decision-making in the provision of culturally sensitive, patient centered, evidence based care.  Case presentations from the students’ clinical practicum experience will be used to explicate clinical trends, expert clinical judgment, and individual and population focused interventions. Expertise, knowledge and data gained from this course will be used in the development of the final project proposal.

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