|
|
2017-2019 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Doctor of Nursing Practice
|
|
 Return to: Degree Programs and Graduate Certificates
Program Coordinator:
Deana Hays
3003 Human Health Building
(248) 364-8765
hays@oakland.edu
Beginning Sept 2018 - Applications will be available through NursingCAS
Program description
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the terminal degree for nurses in clinical practice. It is a 38-credit, post-master’s program intended to prepare nurse leaders at the highest level of nursing practice to improve patient outcomes and translate research into practice (American College of Nursing).
Registered Nurses who possess a DNP degree are prepared to assume clinical and leadership roles in clinical practice settings. Knowledge acquisition in the DNP program includes the ability to analyze organizational and clinical systems, critique evidence to support clinical practice and improve patient outcomes, and develop practice guidelines to enhance patient safety.
Program delivery
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program is an online program. Students enrolled in this program qualify for in-state tuition.
Doctor of Nursing Practice program outcomes
At the end of the DNP program, the DNP graduate will be able to:
- Integrate scientific and theoretical knowledge from nursing and other disciplines to develop, identify, evaluate, and disseminate best practices to improve health care and health care systems.
- Lead organizations and systems to enhance quality and safety to improve patient, population, and organizational outcomes.
- Employ data analytic methods, information systems, and technology to evaluate, integrate, and translate evidence to improve programs of care, outcomes of care and care systems.
- Lead and influence health policy to reduce health disparities, encourage cultural sensitivity and promote access to quality care while advocating for social justice and equity at the system, state, national, and international levels.
- Use models of interprofessional collaboration to enhance patient and population health outcomes.
- Provide the highest level of ethical, patient-family-centered care as a scholar in nursing specialty practice.
Application terms and deadlines
Applicants are admitted for the fall semester only. Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Admissions by the semester deadlines listed below.
- August 15 for the following fall semester
- International students: August 15 for the following fall semester
Application requirements
To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and any additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:
Applicants do not submit an online Oakland University Graduate Application. A completed application and required materials must be submitted through the Nursing Centralized Application Service (NursingCAS). Information and instructions for applying through the NursingCAS can be found at the School of Nursing website.
-
- Additional department application requirements
| |
- Completion of a master’s degree in nursing in a clinical area (includes nursing administration but not nursing education) from an institution accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education with a graduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above. Must submit an official transcript with master’s degree posted.
|
| |
- Proof of Practicum Experience
- DNP applicants must provide evidence of the number of clinical practicum hours they completed in their master’s educational programs. Students may receive credit for up to 640 clock hours of practicum accrued in their master’s program (you may not count unsupervised post-graduate clinical practice). Clinical practicum hours are assessed individually for each applicant.
- DNP applicants must complete and submit (through NursingCAS) the Supplemental Application-Doctor of Nursing Practice Program form to provide Validation of Supervised Clinical Practicum Hours.
|
| |
- Copy of unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the United States or its territories
|
| |
- Requirements for recommendations:
Both recommendations must be from professionals and must include at least one from a nursing colleague in an advanced practice role familiar with the applicant.
|
| |
- Written professional statement of 500 to 1,000 words. The professional statement should focus on the applicant’s professional experiences as a nurse in an advanced practice role, how the DNP will enhance the applicant’s professional development, and the applicant’s career goals following completion of the program. The professional statement will be evaluated on many areas, including content and appropriate use of grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. The professional statement should be prepared in size 12 Times New Roman font.
|
| |
- Individual interview with a School of Nursing’representative.
|
Admission review and assessment
Admission to graduate study at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records and graduate, professional statement, letters of recommendation, telephone interview, and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.
Related links
|
Degree requirements
The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree requires Registered Nurses who graduated with an advanced practice focus in their master’s programs or a Master’s in Nursing (for the Executive Leadership Track) to complete a minimum of 38 credits, depending on prior course/clinical work taken at the master’s level. All DNP students must satisfy a minimum of 1000 supervised clock hours of practicum experience to demonstrate attainment of the doctoral level competencies. Students may receive credit for up to 640 clock hours from their master’s educational program; each applicant’s supervised clock hours of practicum experiences from their master’s program are assessed through a written validation form found in the supplemental application. Registered Nurses without an advanced practice clinical focus to their master’s degree will be considered on a case by case basis.
All DNP students must complete a minimum of 38 credits of required coursework. In the DNP program, graduate credit will not be awarded for courses in which a grade less than 3.0 is earned. All numerical grades earned are used in computing a student’s grade point average.
a. Foundation courses (14 credits)
b. Clinical core ( 9 credits)
- NRS 8965 - Clinical Immersion Practicum (5 credits)
- Elective (3-4 credits)
The student is required to identify a 3-4 credit elective that supports his/her area of interest. The elective must be a 5000 level graduate course or higher and must be approved by the Graduate Program Director
(NRS 8965 is the clinical immersion course that can be taken across a number of semesters. Clocked hours of practicum experience acquired in the student’s Master’s program. DNP students can register for 1 to 5 credits per semester of NRS 8965).
Students who have completed a post master’s Graduate Certificate in nursing or related field at Oakland University or another accredited university could reduce the requirement for the clinical specialty up to 11 credits for the Post-Master’s DNP. Students will be required to submit a report showing how the DNP Essentials were met during their post-master’s Graduate Certificate experience in order to be eligible to reduce the required credits in this area.
Post-master’s credits that are not part of a post-masters degree or graduate certificate will be reviewed individually according to Oakland University’s transfer policy.
c. Research (18 credits)
The purpose of the research sequence is to prepare DNP students to evaluate current research, develop a research proposal, carry out the research process, and prepare a final report that represents the outcomes of the research effort. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006) and the policies of Oakland University Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning will be used as guides for what constitutes appropriate formatting for the final project.
DNP students must identify faculty who will serve as DNP project team members(one faculty team chair and one or more members) on their DNP project to supervise the student’s progress in completing the project, ensuring that all human investigation requirements are met. It is permissible for students to work in pairs (no more than two students) on the final project, with permission of the team members. The School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Handbook provides information and policies related to the project.
Satisfactory academic progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.
Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details. Good academic standing
All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program.
To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.
Good academic standing is a requirement for:
- Holding a Graduate Assistantship
- Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
- Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
- Going on a leave of absence
- Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.
Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.
School of Nursing requirements: Students are required to follow university policies and procedures for graduate students, as described in the Oakland University Graduate Catalog. In addition to the university requirements, specific School of Nursing policies and procedures are outlined in the School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Handbook.
Students are expected to earn a grade of 3.0 or above in each course in the DNP program. In courses graded Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory (S/U), students are expected to earn a course grade of satisfactory.
Students who are not making satisfactory progress in the program may be placed on probation with conditions imposed for retention in the program or may be recommended for dismissal from the program.
Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study. Related program information
Advising
Students are responsible for requirements and policies stated in the School of Nursing Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Handbook and each course syllabus. Every student admitted to the DNP program is assigned to an academic adviser who is available to assist with the interpretation and implementation of relevant policies and procedures.
Continuous enrollment
The continuous enrollment policy for doctoral students requires continuous registration of graduate students for at least 1 credit each semester in the academic year to maintain an active graduate student status. This includes semesters in which the comprehensive, preliminary or qualifying examination is taken, defense, and each subsequent term (fall and winter) until the degree requirements are met and the dissertation or project is submitted to Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning.
Students are required to submit a leave of absence form if extenuating circumstances arise where the student has to take a semester off. Failure to submit this form may result in a loss of admission status.
Some agency and graduate assistantship eligibility may have course-load requirements that exceed the minimum registration requirements of the Continuous Enrollment Policy (e.g., Veterans Affairs, Immigration and Naturalization for international students, and federal financial aid programs). Therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to register for the appropriate number of credits that are required for funding eligibility and/or compliance as outlined by specific agency regulations under which they are governed.
|
Return to: Degree Programs and Graduate Certificates
|
|