Nursing (D.N.P.)

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program prepares nurses for the highest level of specialized nursing practice. DNP graduates are prepared to translate evidence into practice, improve systems of care, and measure health outcomes in diverse settings. Graduates of the DNP program are prepared for culturally competent, evidence-based, system-based care, interprofessional collaboration and leadership. DNP graduates are distinguished by their abilities to:

• Affect practice
• Design and implement programs that improve health and healthcare delivery
• Apply data management and informatics skills to evaluate programs, outcomes, and care systems
• Influence health policy

Requirements for the Online Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree include:

• Successful completion of 8 core courses and 3 doctoral scholarly project courses
• Verification of 1,000 advanced practice clinical hours (includes up to 500 clinical hours earned in master's program);
• A publishable scholarly paper;
• Presentation of your DNP scholarly project; and
• Acceptance of the DNP Project Final Report by your DNP Team.

All courses are offered 100% online. Students are required to attend two on-campus residencies:

• The first 2-day residency is early in the program to meet with peers and nursing faculty, and identify ideas for the DNP project;
• The second 1-day residency is at the end of the program, for the oral presentation and defense of the DNP Project. 

Cohorts are admitted twice a year, with starts in January and August.

The DNP program builds upon the experience of master's-­prepared nurses. Registered nurses who have obtained a master's degree are welcome to apply.

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice degree requires students complete 21-33 credits via 11 courses.  The online DNP program aims to produce graduates prepared to improve health and care outcomes through coursework in organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement processes, and translation of evidence into practice, to name a few.

Degree Requirements

Students are required to successfully complete DNP coursework, have 1,000 documented advanced practice clinical hours (includes up to 500 clinical hours earned in master's program), produce a publishable scholarly paper, and present their DNP Project.

If a student completed fewer than 500 clinical hours in their Master’s program, the student must enroll in NURS 970 Clinical Practicum for Advanced Practice Nurse, under the supervision of the DNP director.  NURS 970 is a 2-credit course and allows the student to complete up to 250 clinical practicum hours; this course may be repeated once. 

UNH Student Learning Outcomes The Undergraduate Student is prepared to:

• Synthesize core knowledge from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing as the foundation of professional practice.
• Integrate knowledge and skills to assess, design, implement, and evaluate nursing care in a safe, compassionate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based manner.
• Engage clients, families, and communities in collaborative decision-making incorporating evidence-based knowledge and anticipatory guidance.
• Employ team leadership and collaborative skills with other health professionals to optimize client and system outcomes.
• Recognize the influence of complex health systems on health care practice and advocate for policies that promote a socially just, patient centered healthcare system.
• Engage in scholarly inquiry to identify, evaluate and integrate the best current practice.
• Integrates health promotion, clinical prevention strategies when providing care at the individual or population level.
• Incorporates principles of patient safety and risk mitigation when using healthcare technology and therapeutics in the provision of care.
• Uses effective written, verbal, and nonverbal communication strategies when engaged in professional practice.
• Embrace professional values embodied in the ANA code of ethics.

In addition to the BSN outcomes (above) the Graduate student is prepared to: The NP graduate will:

• Utilize advanced assessment, diagnostic reasoning, and evidence-based practice when partnering with individuals, families, and communities to optimize health.
• Judiciously prescribe treatment modalities to manage acute and chronic conditions within state and federal scope of practice regulations.

The Family Nurse Practitioner graduate will:

• Function as an independent practitioner to manage comprehensive primary care across the lifespan.

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner graduate will:

• Engage in developmentally appropriate care of patients with psychiatric mental health problems using biopsychosocial theories, and evidence-based practice across practice settings.

In addition to the Master's outcomes, the Doctor of Nursing Practice student will be able to:

• Employ strategic leadership skills to shape practice environments to produce positive, patient centered, healthcare outcomes at individual and system levels.
• Facilitate inter-professional collaboration to implement practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, and standards of care.