Program Overview

Nursing - D.N.P.

Overview

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program is designed for experienced nurses who are looking to advance their career. With a focus on evidence-based practice, leadership and patient care, this program prepares you for a wide range of roles in healthcare. Students in this program will have access to experienced faculty, cutting-edge technology and clinical experiences that will prepare them for the challenges of the modern healthcare industry.

About This Program

The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in Nursing is the terminal degree for nurses who want to advance their knowledge of nursing practice, gain leadership and technology skills and become clinical scholars. Students develop leadership skills to affect health outcomes for individuals and populations by translating scientific evidence into clinical interventions, managing healthcare systems and collaborating with other health care providers.

Concentrations

The Nursing major comprises the following concentrations:

• Executive Nurse: prepares nurse leaders for the role of nurse executive at the highest level of healthcare administration.
• Nurse Administration and Executive Leadership: prepares B.S.N. nurses for entry-, mid- and executive-level leadership roles.
• Practice Leadership: prepares advanced practice and clinical experts to lead interprofessional teams focused on evidence-based practice, quality improvement and translational research.

Admission Requirements

• Previous degree:
  • Executive Nurse concentration – master's degree in nursing or a related field
  • Nurse Administration and Executive Leadership concentration – bachelor's or master's pre-licensure degree in nursing
  • Practice Leadership concentration – bachelor's or master's degree in nursing
• Minimum overall 3.000 GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Completion of an undergraduate- or graduate-level statistics course with a minimum C grade
• Active, unrestricted registered nurse license in the state in which the student's practica will be completed
• Résumé or curriculum vitae that demonstrates professional experience in nursing
• Essay (300 words) describing professional goals and reasons for seeking the professional practice doctorate
• Three letters of reference from healthcare professionals or academic faculty who can speak to the applicant's professional and academic abilities
• Pre-admission interview
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 DET score

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester: Priority deadline: March 1
• Spring Semester: Priority deadline: October 1

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • NURS 70016 | ADVANCED ASSESSMENT, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY FOR THE NURSE LEADER | 3
  • NURS 70621 | D.N.P. ROLE DEVELOPMENT AND PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP | 1
  • NURS 70630 | RESEARCH METHODS FOR EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE | 3
  • NURS 70635 | APPLICATION OF EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE | 3
  • NURS 70640 | ADVANCED LEADERSHIP IN HEALTHCARE | 3
  • NURS 70670 | QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTHCARE DELIVERY | 3
  • NURS 70680 | POPULATION HEALTH | 3
  • NURS 70711 | SCIENTIFIC WRITING | 3
  • NURS 70750 | D.N.P. DATA SCIENCE FOR HEALTHCARE QUALITY | 3
  • Culminating Requirement:
    • NURS 72692 | D.N.P. PROJECT I: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE PROJECT PLANNING AND PROPOSAL | 3
    • NURS 72792 | D.N.P. PROJECT II: IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS | 3
    • NURS 72892 | D.N.P. PROJECT III: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE | 3
  • Concentrations:
    • Choose from the following: | 6-30
    • Executive Nurse
    • Nursing Administration and Executive Leadership
    • Practice Leadership
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 40-64

Executive Nurse Concentration Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • NURS 70089 | INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE POLICIES | 3
  • or NURS 70686 | APPLIED ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE NURSE EXECUTIVE
  • NURS 70651 | ADVANCED LEGAL, REGULATORY AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS FOR NURSE | 3
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 6

Nursing Administration and Executive Leadership Concentration Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • NURS 70020 | LEGAL AND REGULATORY MANAGEMENT FOR NURSE ADMINISTRATORS | 3
  • NURS 70024 | HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION, STRUCTURE AND BEHAVIOR | 3
  • NURS 70089 | INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE POLICIES | 3
  • or NURS 70686 | APPLIED ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE NURSE EXECUTIVE
  • NURS 70101 | THEORETICAL BASIS FOR NURSING PRACTICE | 3
  • NURS 70292 | INTEGRATION OF CLINICAL EXPERTISE INTO THE HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT ROLE PRACTICUM | 2
  • NURS 70315 | BUDGETARY AND FISCAL MANAGEMENT FOR NURSES | 3
  • NURS 70651 | ADVANCED LEGAL, REGULATORY AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS FOR NURSE | 3
  • NURS 74002 | PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION FOR NURSE ADMINISTRATORS | 3
  • NURS 74292 | NURSING ADMINISTRATION AND HEALTH SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP I PRACTICUM | 2
  • NURS 74302 | NURSING ADMINISTRATION AND HEALTH SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP SEMINAR | 2
  • NURS 74692 | EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICUM | 3
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 30

Practice Leadership Concentration Requirements

• Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours
  • NURS 70089 | INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE POLICIES | 3
  • or NURS 70685 | HEALTHCARE FINANCE AND ECONOMIC POLICY
  • NURS 70650 | ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS | 3
  • Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 6

Progression Requirements

• Student who do not earn a minimum B grade in a course must repeat it and cannot take other courses that require that course as a prerequisite until the course is successfully repeated.
• Students who do not earn a minimum B grade in the second attempt may be dismissed from the D.N.P. degree.

Graduation Requirements

• Graduation Requirements Summary Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA
  • • | 3.000
• Minimum B grade in all courses.
• Completion of minimum 500 practicum hours for post-master's students. Post-baccalaureate students are required to complete additional hours based upon their selected concentration.
• Submission and defense of a scholarly project to a committee that includes, at minimum, the student's academic advisor and two other doctoral-prepared members. The project must result in a manuscript suitable for publication.

Roadmaps

Executive Nurse Concentration

• This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Nursing Administration and Executive Leadership Concentration

• This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Practice Leadership Concentration

• This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Graduates of this program will be able to:
  • Develop and implement systems-focused care and innovative strategies to promote positive, sustainable health and fiscal outcomes across the healthcare continuum.
  • Provide population-focused, advanced nursing care to diverse populations within a variety of settings based on evidence, ethics, theory and professional standards.
  • Provide leadership and interprofessional collaboration to plan, implement and evaluate programs of care delivery to improve outcomes for individuals, populations and aggregates.
  • Synthesize and translate evidence for implementation and dissemination for equitable, evidence-based and inclusive healthcare outcomes.

Clinical Compliance Policy

• This policy applies to all students enrolled in B.S.N., M.S.N., D.N.P. degree programs and postmaster's certificates.
• Students must provide documentation of the following items to a third-party vendor that is approved to track and maintain student health and other compliance documents.
• Students are responsible for all costs incurred in meeting the requirements for clinical compliance and for establishing and maintaining their third party account profile.
• Students in the B.S.N., M.S.N. and D.N.P. degree programs and College of Nursing post-master's certificates must be fully compliant with this policy prior to registering for their first practicum course.

Requirements

• Current American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or American Red Cross CPR/AED. Ph.D. students must have CPR certification within the first semester of enrollment.
• Background Check: Students are required to submit federal and state criminal background checks and incur the related costs. International students must meet university policy for admission.
• Healthcare Insurance: Students must provide proof of health insurance. Students can submit either (a) a copy of an insurance card with the student's name on the card or (b) a copy of the health insurance statement coverage that indicates that the student is covered.
• Immunizations/Immune Status Testing: Evidence of the required immunizations/tests must be provided on the Immunization and Physical Compliance Form available from the Office of Student Services. The form must be completed, dated and signed by a licensed health care provider then uploaded to the third party vendor's portal.
• Physical examination : A physical examination is required within one year prior to admission to a clinical site. For students admitted into the B.S.N., M.S.N. and D.N.P. degrees or post-master's certificates, the provider conducting the physical must indicate that the student can perform activities in the nursing student's clinical and practicum courses, or can do so with reasonable accommodations, and is free of all communicable diseases. Students should request accommodations from the Office Student Accessibility Services. Failure to obtain the physical examination or the provider assurance may prevent the university from placing the student in a clinical setting.

Registered Nurse (RN) Licensure

• Students enrolled in the B.S.N. (Nursing for Registered Nurses major), M.S.N., and D.N.P. degrees or post-master's certificates must have an active, unrestricted RN license in either (1) the state of Ohio for students taking on-campus courses or who will be completing practica in Ohio or (2) the state of residence and practice for applicants residing and completing practicum outside Ohio.
• They must obtain proof of the appropriate licensure within the first semester of their program or before starting their practicum hours, whichever comes first.

Why Kent State University

• DNP Student's Research Makes Local Impact
  • Kent State DNP student uses evidence-based practice to update nurse residency program.
• Faculty Spotlight: Lisa Onesko, DNP, APRN-BC
  • Meet Lisa Onesko, DNP, APRN-BC, and learn how earning a DNP provides an excellent foundation for APRNs to explore new and more influential positions in the healthcare industry.
• Three-Time Kent State Nursing Alumna Named Women’s Health NP Concentration Coordinator
  • Drawn to the university because of the great experiences she had as a student, Lickwar desired the opportunity to prepare future Kent State nursing students for this honorable profession.