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Nursing Graduate Programs - Student Services

Program Profile

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

Post-Graduate Certificate Nurse Practitioner (PGC)

Sample Plans of Study

PhD Program

DNP Program:

Characteristics of DNP versus PhD in Nursing - Terminal Degree Options in Nursing

Characteristic Doctor of Nursing Practice PhD in Nursing
Focus 
  • Nursing practice 
  • Nursing research 
Degree Objective 
  • Prepare nurse leaders to improve patient care outcomes 
  • Engage in advanced nursing practice
  • Provide leadership in innovations in health care delivery and development of health policy 
  • Prepare nurse scientists who will contribute to development of new knowledge, theory generations, and hypothesis testing to advance the science and theoretical and philosophical foundations of nursing  
  • Dissemination of research discoveries by nurse scientists develops the evidence base that improves health care and guides health policy 
Curriculum Focus 
  • Promote change in advanced clinical practice 
  • Health promotion, health care quality improvement, and evidence-based practice 
  • Information systems and technology
  • Organization and system leadership 
  • Communicate research findings to the scientific and social policy communities 
  • Steward discipline 
  • Integrate the components of scholarship: research, teaching, mentoring, and services to profession 
  • Educating the next generation contributing to the formal and informal education of future nurses through discovery, application, and integration 
Core Course Work 
  • Scientific writing 
  • Epidemiology 
  • Evaluating research evidence  
  • Applied informatics 
  • Advanced clinical practice   
  • Scientific writing 
  • Grant writing techniques
  • Interpreting research evidence 
  • Theory construction
  • Formal designing and testing interventions and innovations 
  • Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies 
Employment Opportunities 
  • Advanced Nurse Practitioner
  • Clinical Nurse Faculty
  • Leadership positions in health care organizations, industry, government
  • Policy and change agent 
  • Academic faculty
  • Clinical researcher
  • Principal research investigator 
  • Research scientist/policy maker 
  • Leadership positions in health care organizations, industry, government 
  • Director of Research 

 

DNP Immersive Learning Experiences

Term Program
Year		 Term
Week		 Date Course Correlation
Intensive I Spring Year 2 15th week of term April 23-24, 2024 Health Assesment
Intensive II Fall Year 3 9th week of term October 15-17, 2024 Diagnostic Reasoning
Intensive III Summer Year 3 1st week of term May 14-16, 2024 Practicum I
Intensive IV Fall Year 4 10th week of term October 22-24, 2024 Practicum II
Intensive V Spring Year 4 5th week of term February 12-14, 2024 Practicum III

Advanced Health Assessment (N6524) will now have an associated Intensive (15th Week)

  • Comprehensive Assessment Completed at April 2024 Intensive  
    1. Script(s) and Rubric(s)  
      1. Simulated Patient Actor Information
      2. NP Faculty Information
      3. NP Student Information
    2. GTA/MUTA Immersive experience associated with this Intensive  
      WashU Woods Center Collaboration secured.   

Diagnostic Reasoning will now have an associated Intensive (9th Week)  

  • Students will have exposure to faculty principal discussion for knowledge base enhancement.  
    1. Population-specific  
    2. Some shared content discussions
  • Students will complete OSEC (1) and Oral DRT (1) for this Intensive  
  • Track Coordinators to submit Focused (5) and Comprehensive (5) diagnoses for tests for the Competency Workbook. 
    • Each diagnosis will need an H&P developed by track lead.  
    • One (1) Focused and One (1) Comprehensive will need a script for each Intensive Experience.

OSCEs (Focused)

  • Students complete a OSCE (Focused) 
    1. Students receive HPI and Demographics  
    2. Students ask appropriate ROS questions based on HPI.  
    3. Student Completes a Focused Assessment
    4. Students organize differentials (5) with rationale. With Faculty Assistance   
    5. Recommends appropriate diagnostics.  
    6. Issues Prescribed Treatment and Management Plan 
  • Students complete Oral DRTs (Comprehensive)  
    1. Students receive HPI and Demographics 
    2. Students ask appropriate ROS questions based on HPI.  
    3. Student completes an appropriate Comprehensive Assessment
    4. Students organize differentials (5) with rationale.  
    5. Students recommend appropriate diagnostics with rationale.  
      1. Challenged by Faculty on Utility and Rationale for EACH diagnostic. 
    6. Student issues Prescribed Treatment and Management Plan  
      1. Challenged by Faculty on EACH element of Prescribed treatment plan.  
    7. Faculty issue Final/Actual Diagnosis  
    8. Faculty notes rationale supporting final Dx. 
    9. Student issued opportunity to change or alter Prescribed Treatment Plan  

Practicums I, II, & III will now have associated Intensives. 

  • Population-Specific Skill Attainment | Directed-Practice Model (from NONPF)  
    1. OSCEs as outlined above.  
    2. Oral DRTs as outlined above.