Program Overview

Introduction to the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a practice-focused doctorate that prepares professional nurses for scholarly practice. Our graduates are clinical and health system experts that create, reform, and lead improvements in practice, policy, populations, organizations, and government.

Program Overview

In addition to the traditional DNP-Clinical Practice, Jefferson offers a DNP-Post Baccalaureate Entry. Part-time and full-time plans of study are available. The program focuses on leadership, systems thinking, reflective practice, health policy, implementation science, and evidence-based clinical practice.

Program Outcomes

Students matriculated Summer 2025 and onward will:

• Participate in activities and self-reflection that foster personal and professional wellbeing and resilience, contribute to lifelong learning, and support the development of leadership. (Domain 1)
• Lead and integrate initiatives which drive person-and family-centered care that is culturally responsive, just, respectful, compassionate, coordinated, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate. (Domain 2)
• Appraise practice patterns and risk stratification to lead evidence-based initiatives that improve holistic care, collaborating in traditional and non-traditional partnerships for the improvement of equitable population health outcomes. (Domain 3)
• Design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate scholarly inquiries that incorporate evidence appraisal, research translation, and best practices to improve outcomes. (Domain 4)
• Design and lead quality and safety initiatives using established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science to mitigate risk of harm to patients and providers and optimize individual performance and system effectiveness. (Domain 5)
• Lead interprofessional teams to address complex needs of the individual, families, community, and population through respectful and effective communication and shared decision making. (Domain 6)
• Analyze complex systems impacting the healthcare industry to generate strategic innovations that enhance value, access to care, and cost-effectiveness. (Domain 7)
• Leverage information and communication technologies and informatics processes in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards, to analyze and compare quality metrics, impact clinical decision making, and develop knowledge to improve healthcare delivery. (Domain 8)
• Advance core values that promote professionalism, ethical standards, accountability, integrity, empathy, civility, and a spirit of mentorship into one's advanced nursing specialty practice/role. (Domain 9)
• Advocate for reflective practices that advance the health and well-being of self and colleagues through engagement in initiatives that support personal health, resilience, life-long learning, and leadership development. (Domain 10)

Program Details for Students Matriculated Fall 2021-Spring 2025

• Synthesize knowledge from ethics and the biophysical, psychosocial, analytical, and organizational sciences into the conceptual foundation of advanced nursing practice at the doctoral level. (Essential I)
• Employ organizational and systems-level leadership principles in the development and evaluation of care delivery approaches that meet the current and future needs of communities and populations. (Essential II)
• Design, direct, and evaluate scholarly inquiries that incorporate evidence appraisal, research translation, and standards of care to improve practice and the practice environment. (Essential III)
• Analyze ethical and legal issues in the use of information, information technology, communication networks, and patient care technologies used to support safe, high-quality patient care. (Essentials II, IV)
• Influence policy makers through active participation on committees, boards, or task forces at the institutional, local, state, regional, national, and/or international levels to improve health care delivery and outcomes. (Essential V)
• Integrate skills of effective communication, collaboration, shared decision-making, and leadership with interprofessional teams to create change in health care. (Essential VI)

Accredited DNP Program Details

• The accredited DNP program is designed for the working healthcare professional, and all coursework is completed online.
• The program can be completed on a full-time or part-time plan of study.
• It includes three practica that comprise the doctoral project and provide the opportunity for application of knowledge gained in all the courses.
• DNP graduates lead and practice at the most advanced level of nursing.
• The program prepares students to plan, initiate, lead, and evaluate change in practices and health systems.
• Graduates in administrative, healthcare policy, informatics, and population-based specialties focus their practice on aggregates: populations, systems (including information systems), organizations, and state or national policies.

DNP Program Options

• DNP-Post Baccalaureate Entry
• DNP-Clinical Practice
• DNP-Executive Leadership
• DNP-Nurse Anesthesia

Now, BSN-prepared nurses can enter the DNP-Post Baccalaureate Entry program directly and earn a conferred MSN prior to completing DNP nursing coursework.