Doctor of Nursing Practice

The course focuses on the integration of scientific, philosophical, and theoretical concepts as the foundation for advanced nursing practice. The scientific underpinnings of the practice doctorate in nursing and the interrelationships among theory, research, and practice are explored.  The role of the DNP leader in advancing the translation of knowledge to practice is examined.

The course prepares DNP leaders with business acumen, financial skills, and health economics and policy knowledge for the analysis of practice quality and cost-effective outcomes as well as for the development and implementation of sustainable plans for practice and system initiatives. The course connects theoretical financial management with the human impact of business decisions through the exploration of concepts such as resource allocation, cost containment, reimbursement models, and health equity.

The course involves the synthesis and application of research to promote innovative thinking and generate sustainable solutions to clinical practice or systems issues. Ethical considerations are examined in the context of health care research.

The course explores policy development and political processes that impact the health of the nation and health care systems. The course connects the role of the DNP nurse leader to civic engagement through the lens of social justice for the purpose of analyzing the policy process and engagement in politically competent action for person-centered outcomes. The course develops purposeful perspectives and outlines diverse resources to support the advanced practice nurse in influencing, designing, and implementing ethical health care policies that frame individual and systems outcomes. The role of the nurse leader as advocate for and partner in shaping policy at all levels is emphasized.

The course focuses on the development of advanced practice nurse leaders. The unique and interprofessional contributions of the DNP to advancing leadership in diverse healthcare environments are explored through the application of the principles and practices of organization and systems leadership.

The course facilitates the development and formal approval of a theoretically based, methodologically-sound Leadership DNP Scholarly Project Proposal.  The proposal demonstrates a spirit of inquiry and is the foundation for the DNP Scholarly Project aimed at improving either a defined practice or patient outcome.

The course will examine and integrate the Leadership DNP practice role through immersion in diverse healthcare environments. Experiential opportunities in an identified area of practice will inform scholarly project implementation. Data collection and analysis will contribute to the translation of evidence into meaningful information to optimize healthcare system functioning or care delivery.

The course synthesizes the personal, professional, clinical, and theoretical knowledge, skills, and attributes from previous courses, leadership DNP scholarly inquiry, experiential opportunities, and reflection to support the emerging DNP leader and the mastery of the translation and dissemination of evidenced informed findings. The leadership DNP scholarly project is finalized and disseminated, translating evidence for meaningful application to practice.