DNP Course of Study
The Vanderbilt Doctor of Nursing Practice program is structured as a post-master’s program for MSN-prepared nurses, requiring 74 credits, 39 of which may be transferred from an accredited APN (NP, CNM, CNS, CRNA) Master of Science in Nursing program. Students must complete 35 credits of coursework at Vanderbilt School of Nursing, including 500 hours of clinical integration, and a scholarly project. DNP students will have an immersion experience on-campus in Nashville for approximately one week each semester to facilitate mentoring by faculty and interaction with nursing Vanderbilt PhD students as part of a community of scholars. Other coursework, scholarly interaction and clinical application can take place in their home locations so that students do not have to relocate or give up employment. We use a variety of state-of-the-art online and distance learning technologies and techniques to facilitate the program and enrich every student’s learning experience. Working with clinical partners in health care agencies/organizations, students will apply knowledge and skills gained from coursework to their clinical settings. These clinical experiences will build on the strengths of the Master’s/APN curriculum, while transitioning students to the doctoral level.
Dates of Required On-Campus Immersion for 2008-09
| Block I | August 24-29, 2008 |
| Block II | January 12-16, 2009 |
| Block III | May 11-15, 2009 |
Scholarly Project
A hallmark of Vanderbilt’s practice doctorate is the successful completion of a scholarly project that demonstrates the synthesis of the student’s experiences. The scholarly project will embrace learning from both coursework and clinical practice application. The scholarly project will be reviewed and evaluated by a faculty mentor and scholarly project committee, which will be chaired by a member of the Vanderbilt School of Nursing faculty with doctoral preparation and who is actively engaged in practice relevant to the student’s topic of interest. Prior to graduation with the DNP degree, each student will publicly defend the scholarly project and prepare an article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Sample Schedule
(other courses may be added as appropriate topics and faculty are identified)
| YEAR 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| SEMESTER 4 | ||
| Integrative Application of Evidence-Based Practice III | 1 | |
| Quality Improvement & Patient Safety | 3 | |
| Management of Organizations and Systems | 3 | |
| SEMESTER 5 | ||
| Integrative Application of Evidence-Based Practice IV | 2 | |
| Health Policy | 3 | |
| Legal and Ethical Environment | 3 | |
| Total Year 2 Hours | 14 | |
| Total coursework transferred from MSN | 39 | |
| DNP Program Total | 74 | |