Doctor of Nursing Practice: FAQ

The changing demands of this nation’s complex healthcare environment require the highest level of scientific knowledge and practice expertise to assure quality patient outcomes. The Institute of Medicine, Joint Commission, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other authorities have called for re-conceptualizing educational programs that prepare today’s health professionals.

Some of the many factors building momentum for change in nursing education at the graduate level include: the rapid expansion of knowledge underlying practice; increased complexity of patient care; national concerns about the quality of care and patient safety; shortages of nursing personnel which demands a higher level of preparation for leaders who can design and assess care; shortages of doctoral-prepared nursing faculty; and increasing educational expectations for the preparation of other members of the healthcare team.

A 2005 report titled – Advancing the Nation’s Health Needs: NIH Research Training Programs, the National Academy of Sciences called for nursing to develop a non-research clinical doctorate to prepare expert practitioners who can also serve as clinical faculty. AACN’s work to advance the DNP is consistent with this call to action.

In many institutions, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Certified Nurse Mid-Wives, and Certified Nurse Anesthetists, are prepared in master’s degree programs that often carry a credit load equivalent to doctoral degrees in the other health professions. AACN’s position statement calls for educating APRNs and nurses seeking top systems/organizational roles in DNP programs.

The clinical doctorate is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in advanced nursing practice and offers an alternative to the research-focused doctorate. DNP prepared nurses are well-equipped to fully implement the science developed by nurse researchers prepared in PhD, DNSc, and other research-focused nursing doctorates.

The DNP program at Elms College integrates course work with practice immersion experiences to prepare our future practice scholars to bring knowledge-based evidence into clinical practice, improving health care outcomes and strengthening nursing’s role in the care through a practice doctorate.

• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
• Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)
• Health Systems Innovation and Leadership (HSIL)

The Post-Graduate APRN Certificate Program is to provide for current, certified  advanced practice nurse practitioners an additional population focus  other than that obtained in their master’s or doctoral program.  Individuals eligible for this program hold a national nurse practitioner certification, seek an additional nurse practitioner population focus, hold Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN) licensure and are working in the clinical environment.  The program is designed to broaden the clinical capabilities of advanced practice nurses who are planning a role expansion or role change. 

Upon completion of this certificate, FNP Post Graduate APRN Certificate Program graduates will be prepared to deliver primary care services in a variety of settings across the continuum of care, such as:

• Internal medicine clinics
• Emergency services
• Community clinics
• Long-term care facilities
• Specialty clinics
• Student health centers
• Rehabilitation centers
• Ambulatory care centers
• Home care
• Prisons and jails

Upon completion of this certificate, AGACNP Post Graduate APRN Certificate Program graduates will be prepared to deliver acute care services and be employed in a variety of acute care settings, such as:

• Hospitalist inpatient care
• Critical care
• Trauma care
• Specialty practices such as cardiology, pulmonary, nephrology, gastroenterology, and surgery in both the inpatient and outpatient settings
• Emergency department

An Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is a registered nurse who has completed a graduate degree or post-graduate program and successfully passed a national certification examination to practice in one of four roles including that of a nurse practitioner. The APRN has the advanced knowledge and skills to provide direct care in the continuum of health promotion and maintenance of care.

A hallmark of the Elms College’s practice doctorate is a capstone project. The DNP Capstone is a scholarly project designed to address a practice issue affecting groups of patients, health care organizations, or health care systems. The successful completion of a scholarly project demonstrates the synthesis of the student’s immersion experiences. This scholarly project will embrace learning from both coursework and clinical practice application. Prior to graduation each student will prepare a manuscript describing the scholarly project and publicly present their project findings.

The first step in determining the DNP degree includes identifying your area of interest in nursing practice. DNP-NP students who are full-time students with a BSN are to complete the program in approximately 3 years; DNP-NP students who have a MSN degree may complete the program in approximately 2.5 years.  DNP HSIL students may complete the program in approximately 18 months. 

No, the GRE is not required for the Elms College DNP.

Skills you need for graduate study include, but are not limited to, word processing and PowerPoint skills, online database searching, library database searches, and E-learning navigation skills for the educational learning platform. It is recommended students take NUR 6001 – Technology: Methods and Tools for Graduate Study if a technology skills refresher is needed. Elms College provides on-campus and off-campus support (by telephone and e-mail where you can ask questions from our technology experts).

Yes, you will need a computer and a high-speed Internet connection. Computer systems are constantly changing so we will gladly work with you for a list of computer hardware recommendations.

Using a hybrid model of education, students will be expected to be on campus for face-to-face or on Zoom sessions on a scheduled basis throughout the semester. The hybrid online educational process is conducted through the college’s on-line platform, Moodle. 

The purpose of a clinical practicum is twofold. First, the experience provides for direct clinical observation and second provides an opportunity for advanced clinical practice under the direct supervision of a preceptor. Students have an opportunity to apply theory learned in the classroom and advanced skills learned in the skills lab/simulation into practice in approved clinical settings. The practicum fulfills required course and practice hours while providing a real-life opportunity to work as a future APRN.

Students will be mentored by nurse practitioners and physicians while completing their clinical practice hours within specific populations across the lifespan. Various hospitals and outpatient clinics serve as preceptor site placements for students commuting within the Elms College geographic area. The clinical practicum will be guided by the Track Coordinator and clinical faculty.