Nursing, DNP

Doctor of Nursing Practice

CGHS’ Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) expands students’ personal and professional horizons in nursing. Graduates will gain knowledge and skills in a variety of areas that will further refine and deepen current skills. The DNP requires successful completion of 7 online courses plus a leadership-organizational systems or practice management specialization and scholarly project. Students have a special opportunity toward the end of their program to meet with other students and faculty to focus on their specialization and launch their project.  

The DNP integrates web-based instruction, directed readings, email, discussion boards, and collaboration between students and faculty. The College uses mission driven, context-based curriculum design, and assesses student learning through authentic assessments.

Nursing Program Purpose

The Nursing Program prepares graduates to function as highly skilled leaders in practice and/or in organizational systems. Graduates are effective decision-makers, are collaborative, strong communicators, and are prepared to practice in a variety of complex clinical, organizational and/or educational systems with diverse populations. They are able to influence positive health care outcomes through evidence-based decision-making and system interventions and innovation.

Vision and Values

Graduates are well regarded, socially responsible practitioners and leaders who are recognized as contributors to improving overall population health and practice, promoting whole-person healthcare, and advancing the nursing profession.

The values espoused by the Program are:

Leadership: We value leadership development for our students, faculty, and staff and encourage participation in community and professional service.

Integrity: We value the highest ethical principles of fairness and honesty in all of our interactions.

Scholarship: We value scholarly thinking and the generation of ideas through inquiry, analysis, and innovation.

Diversity: We value differences among people and their personal and professional perspectives.

Interprofessional education: We value the combined contributions of our educational community and work to achieve an environment of teamwork and collaboration.

Innovation: We value new and efficient mechanisms for learning, teaching, and technological delivery.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates from the DNP are expected to demonstrate competence in the following learning outcomes:

1. Combine nursing and related sciences to develop, critically appraise, and translate scholarship into practice.
2. Propose evidence-based methods and strategies to achieve best practice and improve the practice environment.
3. Design health promotion and disease prevention initiatives based on scientific data and concepts related to clinical prevention and population health.
4. Improve quality, safety outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and the financial impact of practice decisions.
5. Evaluate programs that monitor outcomes of care, care systems, and quality improvement, including consumer use of healthcare information systems.
6. Explain the impact communication skills have on professional presence, best practice, safety, quality care, and whole person healthcare.
7. Collaborate with interprofessional teams using communication, consultative, and leadership skills to improve quality and safety in health care.
8. Advocate for policy at the organizational, local, state, federal, international, and professional levels to create positive change in the financing, regulation, access, and delivery of healthcare.
9. Lead teams in the evaluation and resolution of issues related to equity, ethics, and social justice within healthcare systems and practice environments.
10. Justify the use of data and technology to plan, make system decisions, and monitor and improve outcomes.
11. Implement leadership strategies to improve health and practice through community engagement, advocacy, and professional participation.
12. Create a self-care plan that demonstrates a lifetime commitment to personal and professional wellness and whole person healthcare. 
13. Develop a reflective practice that incorporates self-awareness, personal and professional growth, creative problem solving, and continuous learning.

Length of Program

The Doctor of Nursing Practice consists of 33 credit hours (30 if you are an alumnus of ATSU’s MSN program).

Tuition and Fees

Tuition is due the first day of class. The tuition due each semester is based on the credit hours being taken by the student during that specific semester. Delinquent tuition penalties accrue at 1.5% per month, which is 18% per year. For more information on Student Account Collection, please reference ATSU Policy #50-112 within the Financial Policies  section of this catalog.

HIPAA Training

Health Information Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) training and certification is required for all ATSU-CGHS DNP students taking DNPP 7600, Advanced Nursing Practicum and DNPP 9100, Specialization Scholarly Project A. Students may submit current HIPAA training certificates of completion from their facilities or complete the training offered online by ATSU.

Graduation Requirements

Students must complete 500 hours of applied clinical skills (ACS). ACS are earned as part of course assignments prior to the DNP Specialization.

Courses

Descriptions and Credit Values