The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a practice doctorate designed to prepare professional nurses for scholarly practice as clinical and health systems experts who will lead and inspire health care improvement and reform. Jefferson’s DNP program provides a rigorous 36 credit post-MSN curriculum focused on leadership, systems thinking, reflective practice, health policy, implementation science and evidenced-based clinical practice. The program is designed for the working healthcare professional, so most coursework is completed online with limited in-class meetings. Course work can be completed on a full time or part-time plan of study allowing students to take a maximum of 5 years to complete the DNP. Advanced nursing practice is broadly defined by American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in 2004 as "any form of nursing intervention that influences health care outcomes for individuals or populations, including the direct care of individual patients, management of care for individuals and populations, administration of nursing and health care organizations, and the development and implementation of health policy."

• DNP graduates are prepared to lead and practice at the most advanced level of nursing.
• DNP graduates prepared for an APN role focus their practice on direct care and management of individuals and families.
• DNP 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.

Contact Information:

Mary Lou Manning, PhD, CRNP, Director, DNP Program
215-503-6354
mary.manning@jefferson.edu

Practice Inquiry Project (PIP)

The PIP is a faculty-guided scholarly process to address a theoretically and clinically relevant problem. The PIP provides evidence of the student’s practice inquiry knowledge and skills and ability to apply curricular components through problem identification, proposal development, implementation, and evaluation of a problem related to clinical practice, the health care delivery system, or a health care policy issue. Students are mentored to conceptualize and approach practice through a scientific mindset – challenging the habits of practice, cultivating curiosity about the scientific and theoretical underpinnings of clinical practice, and formulating practice inquiry questions. The PIP is conducted during the 3 practicum courses and is intended to serve as a foundation for future scholarly practice.

Dolores A. Grosso Predicting Donor Alloreactivity in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Practice Change Initiative Yvette Winstead Clinical Management of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in the Emergency Department of a Suburban Hospital Monica Young Demonstrating the Impact of Nursing Communication on Patient Satisfaction Guiyun Zhou Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Behaviors of Clinical Oncology Advance Practice Nurses Regarding Advance Care Planning for Cancer Patients

Admissions Requirements

Admission is highly competitive. The deadline for applications is April 15th. Applicants must submit the following:

1. Completed Jefferson School of Nursing Application.
2. Cumulative GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale in a   program resulting in the award of master's   degree in Nursing from an accredited college or university. Note: For GPA of less than 3.2, submit official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing).
3. Official transcripts for all Undergraduate and Graduate Study.
4. Three recent professional references including narrative letter and attribute form.
5. Essay (not more than 1,000 words) outlining career goals, educational goals and objectives, and area of interest in pursuing the Doctor of Nursing Practice.
6. Portfolio - Hard copy examples of scholarly work.
7. Copy of current RN license, CRNP license (if applicable), and specialty certification (if  applicable).
8. Letter from your MSN college or university verifying the number of clinical hours completed.
9. Copy of your current CPR certification card.
10. Copy of Curriculum Vitae.
11. After applications are received and reviewed, selected applicants will be invited to interview with School of Nursing faculty for final selection.