Doctor of Nursing Practice - About the Program
Purpose
The purpose of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is to prepare advanced practice nurses at the highest professional level of nursing practice and will advance the application of nursing knowledge for the purpose of improving health care to diverse populations.
Nurses who wish to continue their education in the areas of advanced practice, nursing and health administration or patient and staff education may consider the DNP option. It is a viable option for nurse practitioners, nurses in or pursuing health administration positions, or nurses who work in patient and/or staff education.
| Program Implementation |
The program will be implemented in two stages.
- The first stage will be a post-master’s DNP Program for master’s prepared nurses who want to receive the DNP degree.
- The second stage will provide a generic DNP Program for students who do not have a master’s degree in nursing and want to enter a DNP Program after graduation from a baccalaureate nursing program. It is anticipated that the second stage will be available in five years.
| Collaboration |
This new program is a collaborative program of Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Mississippi University for Women, University of Mississippi Medical Center, and University of Southern Mississippi with the DNP degree being granted by the University of Mississippi Medical Center or the University of Southern Mississippi.
| DNP Program Outcomes |
1. Develop and manage innovative health services to improve access, quality, and health
outcomes.
2. Enhance the culture of safety in health systems through the application of information
technologies and evidenced-based practice.
3. Translate practice inquiry to improve health services delivery for diverse populations.
4. Provide leadership for multidisciplinary teams through analysis of critical indicators
and/or health systems to improve health status.
5. Design culturally competent health services for vulnerable populations.
6. Translate theoretical knowledge into practice to improve health outcomes.
7. Examine, implement, and evaluate the modification of evidenced-based health
services, health systems and health policies.
8. Develop and test new models of care that address the complex health needs of individuals, families, and rural populations.
| Capstone Inquiry |
The capstone inquiry is the scholarly activity that culminates in the knowledge application of evidence based practice and translation obtained during the doctoral program.
Students will identify and carry though a project area such as a pilot study, a program evaluation, a quality improvement project, an evaluation of a new practice model, or a consulting project. The student integrates and applies appropriate theories and methods from translational research to achieve specified outcomes.
Three practice inquiry courses accompany the capstone inquiry project and include content on information systems and technology needed for establishing evidence-based practice models; the use of outcomes measurement and skills needed for the transferring of data between heterogeneous systems; and demonstration of the skills and techniques for evaluation.
A faculty mentor guides the student through project identification, project planning, implementation and evaluation. A three person committee, including the mentor, will evaluate the project for academic credit. Committee members will be approved according to criteria required by the degree granting school. The student will provide the committee with details of a practice-related project whose scope begins with development and ends with evaluation. Specific criteria for each project will be determined by the committee.
The work will result in a written document, with an oral defense. Final approval by the committee will result in a signed and approved document of record. It is anticipated that the capstone inquiry project will be of sufficient quality to be publishable, according to a review by faculty within each degree granting school. Publication of selected elements of the project will be required for graduation.
Potential areas of inquiry for the capstone experience at UMMC School of Nursing include:
- HIV/AIDS
- CVD/Hypertension/Renal/Diabetes
- School Health
- Health Systems Quality Improvement
- Health Workforce Analysis
- Gerontology and Geriatric/Psychiatric Mental Health
- Primary Care (including Maternal Child Health and Infant Mortality)
- Wounds/Microsurgery
- Public health systems/population health
- Health education programming
| Clinical Practicum |
Clinical practicum immersion experiences afford the student the opportunity to develop and synthesize the knowledge and skills required to demonstrate doctoral level (DNP) competency in a specialized nursing practice area.
The clinical practicum requirement for the Mississippi DNP program will meet the AACN requirement of 1000 clinical hours. In the initial post-masters program, it is anticipated that the student will spend 400-730 hours in meeting the clinical practicum requirements, depending upon the transferable clinical hours from the student’s master’s education. The clinical hours include those required to complete the capstone inquiry project.