Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP), 2-Year

As a student in D’Youville’s DNP program, you’ll learn from working professionals from a wide array of career paths and specialties. As professionals engaged in the day-to-day practice of healthcare, they’ll be able to educate you about cutting-edge healthcare issues, share their knowledge of advanced practice and guide you as you move forward in developing the next stage of your career as a Doctor of Nursing Practice (Family Nurse Practitioner).

Our program integrates knowledge in the dimensions that define contemporary healthcare. You'll learn the full spectrum of knowledge that today’s healthcare leaders need to master including communications, business and financial principles, and cultural sensitivity.

At D'Youville, you can earn your Doctor of Nursing Practice degree as Family Nurse Practitioner your way — your plan of study will be personalized for your needs after a detailed evaluation of your transcripts and your documented clinical experience.

• You can start in either the fall or the spring semester.
• Our flexible program is designed for both working professionals who want to pursue their degree part-time or students who are able to dedicate themselves to full-time study.
• Our faculty are clinical experts in their fields and recognized for their student-centered approach that emphasizes individualized instruction and career guidance.
• Benefit from an individualized plan of study that is created for you after a detailed evaluation of your transcripts and documented clinical hours
• D’Youville’s nursing program reflects the college’s mission to educate professionals who contribute to the world community through leadership and service to others.
• Established in 1942, D'Youville's nursing program has an excellent reputation as one of the best in the region for high-quality, student-centered education. 

• Official transcripts from all college/universities attended;
• Completion of a baccalaureate degree in nursing from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited program at a college or university (or CNO in Ontario); 
• Completion of a master's degree with specialty preparation as an advanced practice nurse (nursing practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist or nurse midwife) from a CCNE or NLNAC accredited program at a college or university (or CNO in Ontario);
• Minimum graduate grade point average of 3.25 (based on a 4.0 system);
• A current license to practice professional nursing in New York State or Ontario;
• A current certification in CPR;
• Current national certification (or exam eligibility) as an advanced practice nurse in a specialty area (where applicable);
• Documentation of the number of clinical hours completed in prior master's degree program;
• At least two years of relevant professional experience;
• Current resume or curriculum vitae;
• Evidence of active membership in at least one professional organization;
• Favorable review with a panel of D'Youville College nursing faculty;
• Three letters of reference; the faculty prefer that one come from a college-level professor if possible, and at least one from an employer or colleague with an advanced or terminal degree, focusing on the applicant's potential for success in the doctoral program;
• A written personal statement outlining how the applicant expects the degree to assist in achieving specific career goals.

An applicant may choose to submit GRE scores if they believe their application does not adequately reflect their potential to succeed in a doctoral program.

Applicants to Doctor of Nursing Practice (Family Nurse Practitioner) degree program must complete the following undergraduate course prerequisites:

Undergraduate Courses
Statistics
Computer Science (or its equivalent)

Canadian students must submit a 'course-by-course' evaluation (or equivalent) of all Canadian college and/or university transcripts through the World Education Services (WES).

Use the Online Course Equivalency database to see whether the courses you've taken at other institutions can be counted towards a degree at D'Youville.

Course #	Course Name	Credits
NUR 701	Health Literacy and Population Health Outcomes	3
NUR 702	Evidence-Based Practice and IT in Health Care Delivery	4
NUR 703	Biostatistics for Advanced Nursing Leaders	2
NUR 711	Translational Capstone I (Identify Project)	2
NUR 712	Translational Capstone II (Design/Pilot Project)	2
NUR 704	Community-Based Care of the Aging Population	3
NUR 713	Translational Capstone III (Implementation/Evaluation)	3
NUR 705	Ethical Topics in Advanced Nursing Practice Seminar	3
NUR 709	Advanced Practice Role for Doctoral Nursing Leaders	3
	TOTAL	25

Course #	Course Name	Credits
HSA 653	Health Care Law: Legal and Ethical issues	3
HSA 652 (or) HSA 648	Health Care Economics and Policy Making (or) Introduction to Financial Management Health Care Budgeting	3
HSA 705 (or) HSA 670	Leadership through Communication (or) Health Care Consulting	3
	TOTAL	9

Total Credits required for DNP: 34

An individual assessment will be made of each applicant’s transcripts to determine what additional courses or clinical hours may be needed to satisfy the DNP requirements.

From hospitals to community clinics, from research facilities to private practice, and from educational institutions to the military, nurses are in high demand.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the nursing profession will increase 19% per year until at least 2022, making nursing, in their words, one of the few professions that’s growing “faster than average” in the United States. 

But if you’re a nurse with a master’s degree in an advanced practice specialty, you probably already know this. What you might not know is that the changing landscape of health care has created an increasing need for nurses who can function in leadership roles in everything from research to advanced clinical care, private practice and research. As someone with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner, you’ll have the credentials you need to assume these leadership positions in the future.

A DNP degree can greatly expand your career options, allowing you to assume an advanced role as a healthcare professional. Typically, nurses with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree can seek expanded career opportunities in:

Hospitals

Nurses with DNP degrees often find themselves playing a larger role in developing patient treatment plans, conducting research and using their knowledge to develop new policies and procedures for healthcare administration.

Research

The advanced knowledge you’ll gain while earning your DNP can help you enter new roles in research facilities pursuing new ways of treating diseases, coping with medical issues and developing new cures.

Private Practice

Many nurses with doctorates are starting their own private practices focused on advanced practice in a wide range of specialties.

Physicians’ Offices

More and more physicians are discovering the benefits of partnering with advanced practice nurses with doctorates in order to address the expanding demands of healthcare practice and administration.

Public Health

Both policymakers and public health professionals are increasingly relying on the expertise of nurses with advanced degrees in order to address the increasingly-complex issues of public health and public health administration.