The request to establish a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree

Date: February 8, 2013
To: College of Health and Human Services
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: September 14, 2012
Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Fall 2013

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Summary

On February 8, 2013, the UNC Board of Governors approved this program to be offered (Implementatin Term: Fall 2013).

The School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) proposes to establish a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree as a Post Master of Science in Nursing (Post-MSN) program to be offered with Western Carolina University as a consortium program.The School of Nursing proposes a new curriculum of 42 graduate semester credit hours (post-masters) to form the course requirements for a DNP degree.The proposed degree is currently being developed in detail as part of the required University System Appendix C –Request Authorization to Establish a New Degree Program.The Request to Plan (Appendix B) degree was approved by the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina System on June 14, 2012. Students will be admitted and graduated from the enrolling institution with courses shared across the two universities. The curriculum meets educational competencies for a DNP degree as established by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and each School of Nursing will seek program accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in accordance with professional accrediting requirements.

This DNP proposal will add 14 new courses at the doctoral level.Five of these didactic courses will be taught at UNCC and 4 didactic courses will be taught at WCU. Two existing graduate courses (HLTH 6202—Community Epidemiology and an elective) at UNCC also will be part of the curriculum. A series of four courses comprises a Clinical Residency and Project that will be taught at each school to only the students enrolled at the respective home university.All courses are cross-listed at both universities (see below).

Didactic Courses offered at UNCC and taken by all students in the consortium (18 graduate semester credit hours) [Due to the nature of this program, these courses require variable billing and credit hours – 0 or 3. Sections with 0 credit/billing hours will be offered for WCU students and sections with 3 credit/billing hours will be offered for UNCC students.]

  • NUDN 8140/NSG 814 Foundations and Applications of Evidence Based Practice (0 or 3)
  • NUDN 8150/NSG 815 Healthcare Program Evaluation and Quality (0 or 3)
  • HLTH 6202/NUDN 8202/NSG 802 Community Epidemiology (0 or 3) (Summer)
  • NUDN 8160/NSG 816 Global Health & Social Justice (0 or 3) (Summer)
  • NUDN 8260/NSG 826 Leadership, and Healthcare Systems (0 or 3)
  • NUDN 8270/NSG 827 Technology for Communication and Transforming Healthcare (0 or 3)

Didactic Courses offered at WCU and taken by all students in the consortium (12 graduate semester credit hours)

  • NSG 818/NUDN 8145 Leadership and Project Planning (3)
  • NSG 817/NUDN8147 Applied Biostatistics (3)
  • NSG 822/NUDN 8220 Health Care Policy and Ethics (3)
  • NSG 823/NUDN 8230 Economic & Financial Aspects of Healthcare System (3)

Didactic Courses taken by students who are only admitted and enrolled at their home institution] (12 graduate semester credit hours)

  • NUDN 8441 or NSG 883 Clinical Residency and Project Development I (2)
  • NUDN 8442 or NSG 884 Clinical Residency and Project Development II (2)
  • NUDN 8443 or NSG 885 Clinical Residency and Project Development III (3)
  • NUDN 8444 or NSG 886 Clinical Residency and Project Development IV (2)
  • Elective (3)

Catalog Copy

The Post-Masters Doctor of Nursing Practice degree prepares graduates to analyze systems of care and provide transformational leadership to improve patient safety, quality of care, and implement evidence-based culturally competent care practices. Graduates from this program will be able to interpret and apply research findings to practice settings, determine and measure system and population outcomes, manage information systems, and use appropriate technology for health and risk communication.

Upon completion of the DNP program, graduates will:

  • Analyze and integrate evidence from nursing science with evidence from other relevant scientific disciplines to form a scientific foundation for advanced practice in nursing.
  • Apply clinical scholarship, scientific evidence, and analytical methods to improve health care outcomes.
  • Develop and evaluate systems to enhance safety and quality of health care.
  • Advocate and participate in collaborative interdisciplinary efforts to improve health outcomes at the practice/organization, community, state and national levels.
  • Engage in culturally competent and ethically sound advanced nursing practice.
  • Demonstrate leadership in the improvement of patient outcomes and transformation of health care delivery.
  • Manage directly the complex problems of clients/populations and systems to facilitate access and navigation of the health care system to improve health outcomes.

Program Accreditation

The DNP Program will seek accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) per CCNE procedures and timelines.

Admission and Progression Requirements

Admission Requirements for Post-MSN DNP:

  • An overall GPA of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in the MSN program as documented by official transcripts.
  • Earned master’s in nursing in an advanced nursing practice specialty from a nationally accredited program. Current RN licensure in the U.S. at time of application with eligibility for NC licensure. NC licensure must be obtained prior to clinical practice experiences in NC.
  • Evidence of a satisfactory national standardized test score. (e.g., GRE, MAT, GMAT).
  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNS) must provide evidence of current national certification and meet the state requirements for practice in their state of licensure.
  • An essay that addresses 1) advanced practice expertise, 2) career goals, 3) how earning the DNP degree will foster achievement of these goals, and 4) plans for DNP project.
  • Resume/curriculum vitae.
  • Three professional recommendations that address the practice capabilities of the candidate.
  • For international students, submission of TOEFL scores with a minimum score of 557 for the paper test and 220 for the computer test.
  • Additional evidence for consideration of the application can be uploaded (e.g., publications, posters, evidence-based practice projects).
  • Evidence of 500 supervised clinical hours within the MSN program. Applicants who do not meet the clinical hours criteria can meet with the Program Coordinator to discuss a plan to meet the requirement.

Degree Requirements

The DNP program requires 42 post-master’s graduate semester credit hours and completion of a total of 1000 clinical practice hours (included 500 hours in the same clinical practice specialty from the MSN program). All students will be required to complete the curriculum that includes a sequence of courses as listed below:

Theoretical Base (15 semester credit hours)

The theoretical component of the program includes the following: NSG 822/NUDN 8220, Healthcare Policy and Ethics, NUDN 8260/NSG 826, Leadership and Healthcare Systems, NUDN 8160/NSG 816, Global Health and Social Justice, NSG 823/NUDN 8230, Economic and Financial Aspects of Healthcare System, and NUDN 8270/NSG 827. Technology for Communication and Transforming Healthcare also is included.

Methodological Issues (15 semester credit hours)

The methodological issues component of the program includes the following: NUDN 8150/NSG 815, Healthcare Program Evaluation and Quality (3), NUDN 8140/NSG 814, Foundations and Applications of Evidence-based Practice (3), NSG 818/NUDN 8145, Leadership and Project Planning (3), and HLTH 6202/NUDN 8202/NSG 802. Community Epidemiology (3) and NSG 817/NUDN 8147 and Applied Biostatistics (3) also are included.

Elective Courses (3 semester credit hours)

One elective in a chosen area of interest selected mutually with the advisor.

Clinical Residency and Project (9 semester credit hours)

Includes 4 courses: NUDN 8441, Clinical Residency and Project Development I (2), NUDN 8442 Clinical Residency and Project Development II (2), NUDN 8443, Clinical Residency and Project Development III (3), NUDN 8444 and Clinical Residency and Project Development IV (2)

Proportions of Courses Open to Doctoral Students

DNP courses are open to all nursing doctoral students enrolled in the UNCC/WCU Consortium. All students from other university doctoral programs must seek written approval of the instructor and the DNP program coordinator and Associate Director of the Graduate Division to enroll in courses.

Grades Required

A student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all course work taken in the program.A student who accumulates two grades of C or any grade of U will automatically be terminated from the DNP Program.

Amount of Transfer Credit Accepted

DNP students may transfer in 6 graduate semester credit hours (with a grade of B or better) with approval of the DNP Program Director and Associate Director of the Graduate Nursing Division.No course may be older than 6 years at the time of graduation.

Research

DNP students are expected to complete the required Graduate School Course on Ethical and Responsible Conduct of Research as a pre-requisite for the Clinical Residency Project.

The Clinical Residency and Project

  1. Project Description

Students will complete a DNP Project during their clinical residency courses. The DNP Scholarly Project is a project that brings together the practice and scholarship aspects of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. It is designed to address complex practice issues that affect groups of patients, health care organizations, or health care systems while utilizing informatics, technology, and in-depth knowledge of the clinical and behavioral sciences. The clinical scholarship required in the DNP Scholarly Project reflects mastery and competency in the student’s area of expertise.

The DNP Scholarly Project begins in the first semester of study and continues throughout the program, culminating in a scholarly public defense and manuscript prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The DNP Scholarly Project requires students to demonstrate expert practice, the use of evidence based practice, translational research, and use of skills necessary to lead interdisciplinary teams to improve patient/client outcomes and health status individually, organizationally, or within a community. Students may choose to work in private practices, clinics, inpatient units, hospital systems, and other institutions and communities in the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of outcomes of the DNP Scholarly project.

  1. Project Approval

The DNP Scholarly Project is guided by the DNP Scholarly Project Committee. The composition of the DNP Scholarly Project committee will include: 1) a chair who is a doctoral prepared faculty member with regular graduate faculty status at UNCC, 2) an expert clinical mentor (PhD, DNP, MD or any other doctoral prepared individual appointed as UNCC graduate faculty affiliates) and 3) a faculty member that is appointed by the graduate school at UNCC. Selection of the chair will occur during the initial orientation to the program. Additional members will be selected by the end of the first semester. It is the responsibility of the DNP Scholarly Project Committee to guide the student through project planning, implementation, and evaluation process.

The student and committee will meet at least once during the respective semester, either at the on-campus immersions, via online or other distance formats as agreed upon by the Chair, committee members, and student. Upon approval of DNP Scholarly Project Topic (Appendix A), the student begins to develop the project. Once the project development is complete, the student presents to the committee and DNP faculty the final proposal for the project. The student’s DNP Scholarly Final Project proposal serves as the primary component of the qualifying examination for the DNP program. To be eligible to defend the DNP Scholarly Project proposal, a student must have completed the written proposal and orally presented the proposal to the committee and DNP faculty (Appendix B). This written and oral presentation is used to evaluate if the student is prepared and qualified to begin work on the project.

  1. IRB Approval

The DNP Scholarly Project must be collectively agreed upon by the student, the practice setting, and the student’s DNP Scholarly Project. Prior to beginning the DNP Scholarly Project, the project must be submitted to the UNCC IRB and/or WCU IRB for review and approval. Further, all IRB requirements for medical review and/or clinical agency IRB review that are pertinent to the DNP Scholarly Project must be fulfilled prior to launching the project. Any additional agency requirements must be completed prior to beginning implementation of the project.

  1. Project Implementation

After successful completion of the Clinical Residency and Project Development III course, the student begins implementation and begins documenting outcomes of the project with oversight from the clinical mentor and advisory committee.

  1. Project Defense

After completion of the DNP Scholarly project, the student will defend the project to the Advisory committee and faculty (Appendix C). The student is allowed two attempts to present/defend the DNP scholarly project. Failure to successfully defend after two attempts will result in termination from the program. Prior to graduation, the student will provide evidence of submission of a manuscript about their DNP Scholarly Project to a peer reviewed journal for publication consideration.

Time Limits for Degree Completion

All graduation requirements must be completed within 6 years after enrollment in the first course.

New Course Descriptions:

NUDN 8140/NSG 814 Foundations and Applications of Evidence-Based Practice (3 Credit Hours)*

This course provides an overview of models of Evidence Based Practice including theories and methods of translational research.

NUDN 8150/NSG 815 Healthcare Program Evaluation and Quality (3 Credit Hours)*

This is an evaluation research course in healthcare settings. Emphasis is on conceptual, methodological, organizational, political, and ethical considerations in evaluating programs.

NUDN 8441/NSG 883 Clinical Residency and Project Development I (2 credit hours)*

This course is the first of a four course series that results in a scholarly DNP project. Students negotiate learning objectives with the course instructor for the practicum.

NSG 818/NUDN 8145 Leadership and Project Planning (3 Credit Hours)*

This course is an introduction to advanced leadership theories to facilitate management of clinical projects.

NSG 817/NUDN 8147 Applied Biostatistics (3 Credit Hours)*

This course emphasizes statistical literacy and develops critical statistical thinking. Students analyze data sets and communicate statistical results in a concise, cohesive and readable manner.

NUDN 8442/NSG 884 Clinical Residency and Project Development II (2 credit hours)*

This course builds on Clinical Residency and Project Development I with a focus on project planning and translation of new knowledge into practice.

HLTH 6202/NUDN 8202/NSG 802 Community Epidemiology (3 Credit Hours)*

Course already exists at UNCC: Epidemiology, a basic science of public health, is the study of the distribution and determinants of diseases in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems. This course introduces students to practice and applications of epidemiology methods and principles as they relate to occurrence of diseases and other health conditions in human population. This course will provide overview of basic concepts including study designs, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiological studies.

NUDN 8160/NSG 816 Global Health and Social Justice (3 Credit Hours)*

This course includes an interdisciplinary human rights and social justice perspective of contemporary issues, problems and controversies that effect social, economic, political and environmental global health.

NSG 822/NUDN 8220 Healthcare Policy and Ethics (3 Credit Hours)*

The course examines healthcare policy development strategies including the analysis of variables impacting policy implementation (e.g. politics and ethics).

NSG 823/NUDN 8230 Economic and Financial Aspects of Healthcare System (3 Credit Hours)*

This course explores the study of financial and business factors related to health care delivery systems and advanced practice nursing.

NUDN 8443/NSG 885 Clinical Residency and Project Development III (3 credit hours)*

This course builds upon knowledge gained in Clinical Residency and Project Development I and II. The student implements the clinical project in the practice setting.

NUDN 8260/NSG 826 Leadership and Healthcare Systems (3 Credit Hours)*

This course will examine challenges, and political issues impacting strategies for organizational design to promote communication, collaboration, conflict management, power sharing and innovation.

NUDN 8270/NSG 827 Technology for Communication and Transforming healthcare (3 Credit Hours)*

This course provides opportunities to explore current theories/practices in information systems and health communication and develop innovative strategies for using emerging information and communication technologies to facilitate patient care and inter-professional collaboration.

NUDN 8444/NSG 886 Clinical Residency and Project Development IV (2 credit hours)*

This course provides a culmination of Clinical Residency and Project Development I, II, and III. The DNP student evaluates the outcomes and impact of the project and disseminates the findings.