Nursing Practice, DNP, Psychiatric/Mental Nurse Practitioner Concentration

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The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is an academic partnership offered by Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Louisiana Lafayette. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a terminal professional degree that focuses on the clinical aspects of nursing rather than academic research. The curriculum for the DNP program is consistent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACE) Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice.

Purposes

The purposes of the DNP program are to prepare graduate students at the highest level of nursing practice to:

1. Provide complex hospital and community-based care for patients and families.
2. Redesign and evaluate nursing and health care systems.
3. Address shortages of clinical nursing faculty to mentor and educate nurses.

Admission Procedures

Applicants to the DNP program must apply to the University and the Southeastern Graduate Nursing Program at the same time. See Admission to the University section for application deadlines and fees.

Admission Requirements

Students are admitted as a cohort into the post-master’s DNP Program. Cohorts will be admitted in fall semesters. Didactic courses are offered online; however, students will be required to participate in on-campus activities immediately prior to the start of the program and at the conclusion of the program when presenting synthesis projects. In addition, there are several courses in the curriculum (i.e., Residency, I-III) with practicum requirements. Prior to enrolling in NURS 8010 BIOSTATISTICS , students must provide evidence of completion of a graduate-level statistics course. The graduate-level statistics course must be approved by the DNP Program Coordinator.

Requirements for admission to the DNP program include:

1. A completed application form and payment of the application fee submitted on or prior to the application date.
2. Receipt of official transcripts from each degree-granting college or university previously attended.
3. An earned master’s degree in one of the following areas of advanced nursing practice:
   1. Nurse Practitioner
   2. Clinical Nurse Specialist
   3. Nurse Midwife
   4. Registered Nurse Anesthetist
   5. Nursing Administration/Leadership
4. Cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale on master’s-level course work.
5. Evidence of current, unencumbered U.S. nursing licensure (no restrictions).
   1. RN license
   2. APRN license if applicable
6. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to the applicant’s capacity for doctoral study.
   1. One letter must be from a former faculty member in a nursing program, a current or former nursing supervisor, or nursing leader.
   2. One letter must be from someone who can attest to the competencies and expertise of the applicant at the advanced practice level.
   3. The third letter is from an individual of the applicant’s choice; however, the letter should address the applicant’s ability to successfully complete a doctoral education in nursing.
7. Current resume’ or vitae.
8. A document, prepared by the applicant, which addresses the applicant’s:
   1. Goals for doctoral study which are congruent with the DNP program (See the Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, which can be accessed at: https://www.aacnnursing.org/DNP/DNP-Essentials).
   2. Focused area of interest for synthesis project.
   3. Expression of how acquiring the DNP degree is important to fulfilling their career goals.
      The document must be typewritten, double-spaced, in 12 point, Times New Roman font and should be no longer than three pages in length.
9. Completion of a telephone interview with the DNP program coordinator.
10. Prior to enrollment, students will be required to submit to background checks, drug and alcohol screening, and must meet program health requirements. These screenings will be conducted at the student’s expense.
11. Students should be proficient with methodologies utilized in distance education and must possess computer equipment and technology which is compatible with University learning management systems such as Canvas.
12. Admission criteria for BSN prepared nurses with a non-nursing master’s degree pursuing the Nurse Executive Leadership Concentration: Applicants must have a BSN degree and must have a current unencumbered Louisiana Registered Nurse License. The students may have a non-nursing master’s degree but must be in a health-related field such as an MBA, MHA, MPH or MPHM. The student must provide evidence of any supervised internship or practicum hours within their master’s program.

Residency Requirements

Core courses taken at either school in the collaborative are applicable to requirements of each member institution. NURS 8090 ADVANCED DIRECTED STUDIES  and practicum hours required in Residencies I, II, and III can only be taken at the home institution.

Registration Procedures

• Registration for core and role courses will be held according to their published dates and procedures. An advisor is available to assist students. Information and downloadable forms are available from the School of Nursing webpage, www.southeastern.edu/graduatenursing.
• A Professional Degree fee will be assessed each semester of coursework. Students will also be assessed fees for proctored testing of online courses.
• All courses offered are subject to resources availability and sufficient student enrollment.
• Full-time degree plans require from 7-10 credit hours per semester; part-time degree plans require 6 credit hours per semester.
• For limited course slots, preference will be given to regular admission status.

BSN to DNP Curriculum

The BSN to DNP program consists of three concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Executive Leadership, and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The Family Nurse Practitioner concentration consists of a total 70 credit hours. The Nurse Executive Leadership concentration consists of a total of 70 credit hours. The Psychiatric/Mental health Nurse practitioner concentration is a total of 76 credit hours. The BSN to DNP curriculum maintains the core MSN degree courses. Students can opt to complete with an MSN degree after such degree requirements are met. All of the courses required in the DNP programs are delivered in distance accessible formats. Courses are designed to comply with the recommendations in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials of Doctoral Education.