Program Overview

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Nursing Practice: Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

The Pediatric Primary Care DNP program focuses on patient care from birth to 21 years old in settings like primary care, specialty care, and school-based health care.

Program Overview

• Clinical Placement Coordinators organize clinical experience opportunities at multiple locations across the state, including urban and rural primary care, specialty care, and Wisconsin Childrens hospitals.
• As part of the program, Pediatric Primary Care students receive the opportunity to apply for the UWMadison LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disabilities) Fellowship.
• Most Pediatric Primary Care students also graduate with at least one published journal article.
• Pediatric Primary Care students are also presented with the opportunity to complete the Global Health Certificate Program and/or the Nurse Educator Certificate Program, which complements the curriculum and sets graduates up to succeed in a teaching career.

Admissions

Admissions Requirements

• Fall Deadline: December 1
• Spring Deadline: This program does not admit in the spring.
• Summer Deadline: This program does not admit in the summer.
• GRE (Graduate Record Examinations): Not required.
• English Proficiency Test:
  • TOEFL (iBT): 100
  • IELTS: 8
  • Duolingo English Test: 130
• Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT): n/a
• Letters of Recommendation Required: 3

Additional Admission Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing or masters degree from an accredited nursing program (if applicable)
• One year of professional nursing experience
• Minimum GPA requirements:
  • 3.0 in the last 60 baccalaureate credits and/or
  • 3.5 in master's degree credits (if completed master's degree)
• Grade of B or better in an approved graduate-level statistics course within the last 5 years.
• Unencumbered Wisconsin RN license (by the program start)
• Certification as an advanced practice nurse (if applicable)
• Application essay (see School of Nursing website for specific criteria)
• Curriculum vitae or resume
• CGFNS Certification (for international applicants only)

Requirements

Curricular Requirements

• Minimum Credit Requirement: 68 credits
• Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 32 credits
• Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 34 credits must be graduate-level coursework.
• Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required.
• Other Grade Requirements: A student may not receive more than one grade below a B (or a U grade) in any 12-month period.
• Assessments and Examinations: Students must complete a scholarly project, which represents the culmination of a student's doctoral education. This project is a paper of publishable quality. Students must deliver an oral presentation to faculty, students, and the community.
• Language Requirements: No language requirements.
• Graduate School Breadth Requirement: DNP students are not required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate.

Required Courses

For students with a master's degree in nursing, a personalized program plan will be developed, and some of the following courses may be satisfied with previous master's coursework.

• NURSING 601: Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits)
• NURSING/PHM PRAC 605: Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice Nurses (3 credits)
• NURSING 702: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Diverse Communities (3 credits)
• NURSING 703: Health Care and Public Policy (3 credits)
• NURSING 704: Leadership in Advanced Practice Nursing I (3 credits)
• NURSING 706: Nursing Research (3 credits)
• NURSING 708: Ethics for Advanced Practice in Health Care (2 credits)
• NURSING 726: Foundations for APN Clinical Practice I (3 credits)
• NURSING 727: Foundations for APN Clinical Practice II (3 credits)
• NURSING 728: Advanced Practice Clinical Application and Role Development I (3 credits)
• NURSING 729: Advanced Practice Clinical Application and Role Development II (3 credits)
• NURSING 741: Advanced Practice Nursing Theory: Family Process & Child Development (3 credits)
• NURSING 761: Health Program Planning, Evaluation, and Quality Improvement (3 credits)
• NURSING 764: Nursing and Health Informatics (3 credits)
• NURSING 772: Leadership and Organizational Decision-Making in Health Care (3 credits)
• NURSING 806: Evaluation and Application of Evidence-Based Practice (3 credits)
• NURSING 811: Advanced Pathophysiology (3 credits)
• NURSING 826: Foundations for APN Clinical Practice III (3 credits)
• NURSING 828: Clinical Leadership III (3 credits)
• NURSING 829: Clinical Leadership IV (3 credits)
• NURSING 906: Scholarly Project 1 (6 credits)
• Elective (3 credits)
• Total Credits: 68

Program Plans

Three-Year Program Plan

• First Year:
  • Fall: NURSING 704 (3 credits), NURSING 706 (3 credits), NURSING 741 (3 credits), NURSING 811 (3 credits) (Total: 12 credits)
  • Spring: NURSING 601 (3 credits), NURSING/PHM PRAC 605 (3 credits), NURSING 703 (3 credits), NURSING 806 (3 credits) (Total: 12 credits)
  • Summer: NURSING 708 (2 credits), NURSING 764 (3 credits) (Total: 5 credits)
• Second Year:
  • Fall: NURSING 702 (3 credits), NURSING 726 (3 credits), NURSING 728 (3 credits) (Total: 9 credits)
  • Spring: NURSING 727 (3 credits), NURSING 729 (3 credits), NURSING 761 (3 credits) (Total: 9 credits)
  • Summer: NURSING 772 (3 credits), NURSING 906 (2 credits) (Total: 5 credits)
• Third Year:
  • Fall: NURSING 826 (3 credits), NURSING 828 (3 credits), NURSING 906 (2 credits) (Total: 8 credits)
  • Spring: NURSING 829 (3 credits), NURSING 906 (2 credits), Elective (3 credits) (Total: 8 credits)

Four-Year Program Plan

• First Year:
  • Fall: NURSING 704 (3 credits), NURSING 706 (3 credits), NURSING 741 (3 credits) (Total: 9 credits)
  • Spring: NURSING 703 (3 credits), NURSING 806 (3 credits), Elective (3 credits) (Total: 9 credits)
  • Summer: NURSING 708 (2 credits) (Total: 2 credits)
• Second Year:
  • Fall: NURSING 702 (3 credits), NURSING 811 (3 credits) (Total: 6 credits)
  • Spring: NURSING 601 (3 credits), NURSING/PHM PRAC 605 (3 credits) (Total: 6 credits)
  • Summer: NURSING 764 (3 credits) (Total: 3 credits)
• Third Year:
  • Fall: NURSING 726 (3 credits), NURSING 728 (3 credits) (Total: 6 credits)
  • Spring: NURSING 727 (3 credits), NURSING 729 (3 credits), NURSING 761 (3 credits) (Total: 9 credits)
  • Summer: NURSING 772 (3 credits), NURSING 906 (2 credits) (Total: 5 credits)
• Fourth Year:
  • Fall: NURSING 826 (3 credits), NURSING 828 (3 credits), NURSING 906 (2 credits) (Total: 8 credits)
  • Spring: NURSING 829 (3 credits), NURSING 906 (2 credits) (Total: 5 credits)

Pre-approved Elective Options

• COUN PSY 650: Theory and Practice in Interviewing (3 credits)
• NURSING 657: Clinical Psychopharmacology (3 credits)
• NURSING/PHM PRAC 674: Seminars in Interprofessional Mental Health Care (2 credits)
• NURSING/MEDICINE/POP HLTH 705: Seminar in Interdisciplinary Clinical Research Evidence (2 credits)
• NURSING/PHM PRAC/SOC WORK 746: Interdisciplinary Care of Children with Special Health Care Needs (3 credits)
• NURSING/LAW 768: Health Justice Clinic (1-7 credits)
• NURSING 785: Foundations of Curriculum Development and Evaluation for Healthcare Professions (3 credits)
• NURSING 786: Teaching and Learning Strategies for the Classroom and Online Environments in Healthcare Professions (3 credits)
• NURSING 787: Teaching and Learning in Healthcare Professions Practicum (3 credits)
• NURSING 847: Health Policy Practicum (3 credits)
• OTM 753: Healthcare Operations Management (3 credits)
• POP HLTH/SOC 797: Introduction to Epidemiology (3 credits)
• POP HLTH 650: Special Topics (1-6 credits)
• POP HLTH 915: International Health Systems and Policy (2 credits)
• PUBLHLTH/NURSING/PHARMACY/PHY ASST/PHY THER 758: Interprofessional Public Health Leadership (1 credit)
• PUBLHLTH 780: Evidence-Based Decision-Making (3 credits)
• SOC WORK 875: Health, Aging, and Disability Policy and Services (2 credits)

Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions

With program approval, students are allowed to transfer graduate coursework from other institutions. Graduate work should be less than five years old to be considered; additional justification and/or documentation are needed for work taken between five and ten years. Coursework more than ten years old will not be considered unless students are board-certified advanced practice nurses (APN) and have continuous practice as an APN.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

No undergraduate coursework will be allowed to transfer toward DNP requirements.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UWMadison

With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 9 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a University Special student. These credits are considered part of the total allowable credits available for a student to transfer. Coursework should be less than five years old to be considered; additional justification and/or documentation is needed for work taken between five and ten years. Coursework more than ten years old will not be considered.

Probation

Students meeting any of the following conditions will be placed on Academic Probation and will receive written notice of their status:

1. Achieving less than a 3.0 GPA in a term (fall, spring, or summer).
2. Earning a cumulative GPA less than a 3.0.
3. Earning one grade below a B or one Unsatisfactory (U) grade.

Advisor / Committee

Within the DNP Program, each student will have an assigned faculty advisor as well as an assigned academic advisor, which is the Graduate Advising Manager.

Credits Per Term Allowed

15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.

Time Limits

• PostBS: Students must complete the requirements within six years of admission. Upon the advisors recommendation, the associate dean for academic programs may grant a one-year extension.
• PostMS: Students must complete the requirements within four years of admission to the program. Upon the advisors recommendation, the associate dean for academic programs may grant a one-year extension.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty, and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Student Appeals, Petitions, and Grievance Procedures

Section One: Appeals

Appeals are limited to requests to continue in the curriculum after being dropped from the program and/or course grade appeals.

Drop Appeals

Any undergraduate or graduate student who feels they should not have been dropped from the program has the right to file an appeal.

Course Grade Appeals

A student who believes a grade received in a Nursing course was an error or not consistent with guidelines outlined in the syllabus or campus standards has the right to appeal the grade.

Section Two: Petitions

If a student in the School of Nursing wishes to request an exception to a School of Nursing academic policy or regulation, they should first consult their academic advisor. Then, the student must formally submit their request using the Petition for Special Consideration form.

Section Three: Grievances

The following School of Nursing Student Grievance Policy and associated procedures are designed for use in response to individual student grievances regarding faculty or staff in the School of Nursing.

Any individual student who feels they have been treated unfairly by a School of Nursing faculty or staff member has the right to file a grievance and receive a timely response addressing their concerns.