Program Student Learning Outcomes
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner DNP program prepares graduates for systems-level leadership. You will learn to improve patient health outcomes in a variety of settings.
You are prepared to practice in a variety of complex clinical, organizational and educational systems with diverse populations.
Our program gives you the tools to affect changes in health care outcomes through evidence-based decision-making and system redesign.
Graduates meet the following outcomes:
- Integrate science-based theories and data-based concepts to develop, critically appraise and implement practice approaches that improve health care and health care systems
- Apply organizational theories and systems thinking to improve the quality, cost-effectiveness and safety outcomes of practice decisions and initiatives
- Apply effective strategies for managing the ethical dilemmas inherent in patient care, the health care organization and research
- Apply knowledge of informatics to monitor and improve outcomes, programs and systems of care
- Provide leadership in influencing policies on the financing, regulation and delivery of health care
- Lead interprofessional teams to improve patient and population health outcomes
- Function independently in an advanced nursing role to improve health outcomes in a specialty area of practice
Graduates Meet the Following Standards
Students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree need to complete a minimum of 71 term hours.
Students with a master’s degree must complete 59 term hours. Master’s-prepared students who are APRNs must complete 38 term hours.
All students must complete the degree requirements within five years.
Clinical and DNP Project Experience
You will work collaboratively with faculty to arrange your clinical experiences.
Clinical experiences occur in a wide variety of settings:
- Acute inpatient hospital units
- General and specialty intensive care units
- Emergency departments
- Subacute care institutions
- Specialty acute care practices, such as cardiology, neurosurgery and bone marrow transplant
We work with you to create clinical experiences that provide you the best preparation for your professional goals.