Nursing Practice, D.N.P.

Dean, School of Nursing and Health Sciences: Judy Gregg, DNP, RN

DNP Program Director: Debra Garee, DNP, RN

DNP Program Coordinator: Jessica Myers, DNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC, APRN

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree prepares Registered Nurses to lead and deliver quality healthcare through the translation of evidence into practice. Upon completion of the DNP program, graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification exam. Students enrolled in the DNP program choose a concentration in one of the following areas:

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): This concentration focuses on systems leadership needed to address global healthcare needs. By completing this concentration, nurses are equipped to assume leadership roles and advance their practice as they work to improve both the quality and safety of nursing.
• Family Nurse Practitioner: This concentration is designed for Registered Nurses who provide continuing and comprehensive primary care to individuals, families, and communities across the lifespan. Family Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice nurses who are equipped to assess, diagnose, prescribe, and coordinate care for common, acute, and chronic illnesses while promoting health maintenance and disease prevention.
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: This concentration is designed for Registered Nurses who provide mental health care to individuals, families, and communities across the lifespan. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice nurses who are equipped to assess, diagnose, prescribe, and coordinate a wide range of mental health services to patients and families in a variety of settings. They also provide emergency psychiatric services, psychosocial and physical assessments of patients, and treatment plans, as well as promote positive mental health maintenance and care.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission requirements for the DNP program include the following:

• submission of official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed to date;
• a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale);
• completion of an online application and Registration Agreement Form;
• submission of a current unencumbered RN license verification in the applicant's state of residence;
• completion of an online application and Registration Agreement Form.

Applicants from foreign countries and U.S. territories must also provide recent evidence of proficiency in English by: 1) scoring 80 or above on the Internet-based TOEFL with subscores in writing, reading, speaking and listening of at least 20; 2) scoring 550 or above on the written TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with subscores in writing and reading of at least 50; or 3) scoring 6.0 or above on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). All tests of English proficiency must have been taken in the last two years to be considered for acceptance.

Applicants who do not meet one/more of the admission requirements above may be granted conditional admission if approved by the DNP Program Coordinator.

Students must submit each of the items below prior to the end of the first course. Applicants are encouraged to submit these items as part of the admission process.

• negative drug screen test;
• federal and state criminal background checks;
• malpractice insurance;
• American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification;
• health screen with complete immunization record.

ACADEMIC PROGRESSION

All DNP students must achieve a grade of “B” or better for the overall grade in any course in the DNP curriculum. Students not earning a grade of “B” must repeat the course. The student may continue in the program while completing Foundation coursework. However, once reaching the Core and Concentration Courses, all courses must be taken sequentially. A required DNP course may only be repeated one time and no more than one course may be repeated in the program. Students must maintain a minimum of a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale. Students must have an identified preceptor and appropriate clinical site with required documentation of such submitted and approved prior to entering the DNP Core and Concentration Courses.

Each of the courses below must be successfully completed in order to progress to the next set of DNP Core and Concentration Courses. Failure to complete the required courses will result in the student taking an In-Process Course. A grade of Incomplete may be awarded until the criteria are met.

• DNP System Thinking Seminar I: Project Development (DNP Project Plan Approval);
• DNP System Thinking Seminar II: Implementation (Complete Data Collection);
• DNP System Thinking Seminar III: Data Analysis (Statistical Analysis);
• DNP System Thinking Seminar IV: Dissemination (Signed Manuscript and Oral Defense).

Students who do not complete the required clinical hours in the course may be required to take an In-Process Course. A grade of Incomplete may be awarded until the hours and requirements are met.

ACADEMIC DISMISSAL

A student may be dismissed from the DNP program if s/he:

• fails to achieve a final grade of "B" in more than two courses;
• fails to maintain the required 3.00/4.00 GPA;
• fails to remit payment for an outstanding financial balance;
• fails to comply with the policies set forth in the "School of Graduate and Professional Studies" section of this Catalog; and/or
• fails to comply with the ANA Code of Ethics or HIPAA Guidelines.

READMISSION TO THE PROGRAM

Students whose enrollment at MVNU is interrupted for more than 16 weeks must go through the admission process before registering for courses again. Students must meet all requirements for admission to both the University, GPS, and DNP Program. Students must meet the progression criteria and curriculum requirements for currently enrolled students. Students permitted to re-enter the program will be readmitted under the policies of the new academic year’s handbook. Readmission will be on a space-available basis.

TRANSFER CREDIT PROVISIONS

Up to twenty-seven (27) credit hours of graduate work may be transferred from regionally accredited colleges, or universities. Credit is transferred on a course-by-course basis as applicable to the degree. Transfer credit is granted only if grades of "B" or better were earned, and provided the course is a reasonable equivalent to one required in the program. No credit for prior learning is awarded. Equivalence of course content and transfer of credit is determined by the Program Director. All students entering the DNP program who hold a Master of Nursing Degree are required to take the Intro to DNP System Thinking Course prior to taking core or concentration courses. Transfer credit will not be accepted for the Core and Concentration Courses. No direct clinical hours may be transferred in. However, students within the General DNP concentration may transfer in a maximum of 500 indirect clinical hours to be dispersed equally across the clinical courses.

GRADING POLICIES

Students must achieve a final grade of “B” or better in each course in the DNP curriculum. Students who do not earn a final grade of “B” or higher in a course must repeat the course (a grade of B- is not acceptable). A required DNP course may only be repeated one time, and no more than one course may be repeated.

All assignments must be completed in order to successfully pass each DNP course. Students who fail to submit any assignments will receive a grade of “B-”. If a course has a clinical component, a satisfactory clinical evaluation is required to successfully pass the course, as well as completion of all required clinical hours. Clinical failures receive a maximum grade of a “B-” for the course, and both the didactic and clinical component of the course must be repeated.

Per the Graduate Catalog, a student who receives a grade of “B-” or below must retake the course with full tuition charge. The second grade will replace the first, which will remain on the transcript, but will no longer be included in the calculation of the GPA. A 3.00 cumulative GPA is required for graduation. A course grade below “B-” will not count towards the student’s graduation requirements. A student who does not maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA is subject to probation.

INCOMPLETE GRADES

Students who do not complete the required clinical hours or meet necessary criteria in the course may be required to take an In-Process Course and a grade of Incomplete may be awarded until the hours and requirements are met. When necessary, the instructor may administer a grade of Incomplete (I). As a final grade, an Incomplete may be administered only if permission is granted by the appropriate GPS Program Coordinator. To accomplish this, the student and the instructor must submit a written request for an Incomplete prior to the final instructional week for that course to the DNP Program Coordinator. If permission is granted, the final grade must be submitted to the Assistant University Registrar for GPS within thirty (30) calendar days of the last date of the course. If not, the final grade will automatically be changed to “B-” and the student will not receive credit for the course.

PRE-CLINICAL REQUIREMENTS

Students must submit each of the following items below prior to participation in Clinical courses:

• negative drug screen test;
• federal and state criminal background checks;
• malpractice insurance;
• American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification;
• health screen with complete immunization record.

CLINICAL REQUIREMENTS

Students must have an identified preceptor and appropriate clinical site with required documentation of such submitted and approved prior to entering the DNP Core and Concentration Courses. Students must maintain documentation of immunization records, medical forms, American Heart Association Healthcare Provider CPR certification, malpractice insurance, federal and state criminal background checks, and negative drug screen tests. Students are expected to actively engage in and complete all surveys and evaluations of the clinical site and preceptor.

Students are responsible for identifying clinical sites and preceptors. The Program Coordinator may offer assistance and facilitate coordination of the clinical placement. Clinical sites must be approved by the program coordinator and enable the student to meet the outcome requirements. They must have the patient population necessary to meet the concentration requirements. All documentation including a signed agency agreement and preceptor agreement must be completed prior to the student participating in clinical hours. Students must submit all requirements identified by the clinical agency prior to engaging in clinical.

All students are required to complete the identified number of clinical hours per course with a total of 1000 clinical hours. Students who do not complete the required clinical hours in the course may be required to take an In-Process Course. A grade of Incomplete may be awarded until the hours and requirements are met.

Students in the Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Concentrations must complete a total of 1000 direct patient hours. These hours are spread out through the curriculum with the minimum hours that must be completed in each course listed in the chart below.

Students in the General DNP concentration must complete a total of 1000 hours. 500 direct clinical hours and 500 indirect clinical hours may be counted toward the required total. Direct hours are in the form of engagement with leadership experiences at the clinical site. Indirect hours are earned through completion of assignments and activities identified in each course syllabus. Students may transfer in indirect hours only. These hours are spread out through the curriculum with the minimum hours that must be completed in each course listed in the chart below.

Students in the General DNP concentration must complete a total of 1000 hours. 500 direct clinical hours and 500 indirect clinical hours may be counted toward the required total. Direct hours are in the form of engagement with leadership experiences at the clinical site. Indirect hours are earned through completion of assignments and activities identified in each course syllabus. Students may transfer in indirect hours only. These hours are spread out through the curriculum with the minimum hours that must be completed in each course listed in the chart below.

Students in the Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Concentrations must complete a total of 1000 direct patient hours. These hours are spread out through the curriculum with the minimum hours that must be completed in each course listed in the chart below.

Students are expected to engage in professional communication at all times. If difficulties arise at any time within the program, including the clinical site or with clinical preceptors, students are expected to follow the chain of command to seek resolution. Students should initially notify the course instructor, followed by the Program Coordinator, then the Program Director, and finally the School Dean in an effort to resolve issues.

Students are required to dress professionally in either business casual or clinical scrubs as appropriate for clinical settings. Students should demonstrate good hygiene and follow the dress policies for the clinical agency. A Mount Vernon Nazarene University name tag must be worn at all times when in the clinical setting. Name badges will be provided through the Nursing office prior to the first clinical.

Demonstration of competency is required for all clinical courses and will be measured through a clinical evaluation. Students must complete all documentation in a timely manner. All evaluations including students, preceptors, and faculty must demonstrate competency.

TOTAL: 60 Credit Hours

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Graduate students must meet the degree requirements as stated in the Catalog under which they first enrolled. Students must earn their degree within a maximum of seven (7) years from the first date of enrollment at MVNU. Students who withdraw from MVNU for more than six (6) months will meet the graduation requirements as stated in the catalog under which they resume enrollment. Students changing majors or programs must meet requirements as stated in the Catalog that is current at the time the change is made. A student who receives a grade of less than "B" in any course will be required to repeat that course until a grade of "B" or better is earned. A minimum program GPA of 3.00 is required to graduate.

A total of 1000 clinical hours are required to be completed and recorded to qualify for graduation. Students must also successfully complete the DNP Quality Improvement Project with manuscript approval from DNP Committee.