Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Become a leader in nursing and help shape the future of patient care.
Reach the height of your nursing education with a doctorate program that focuses on clinical expertise and expanding your career opportunities.
The part-time study plan offers an alternative to the traditional doctoral degree program by focusing on collaborative clinical learning in partnership with Penn Medicine-Lancaster General Health.
Customize your program based on your previous academic and professional experience.
Curriculum
The core courses of the DNP are listed below. The core curriculum represents the common courses taken by all DNP students, regardless of track. The core courses listed as variable (or waived) are included with the intention of providing adequate clinical hours to ensure all students have the necessary clinical exposure to reach the required 1,000 clinical hours to obtain a DNP degree.
Clinical Leadership Track
| Prerequisites | Credits | |
| IPC 511 | Graduate Research or approved transfer Graduate Research course | 3 |
| Clinical Hours from MSN Degree | ||
| Courses | Credits | |
| IPC 512 | Health Policy & Finance | 3 |
| IPC 850 | Doctoral Integrating Experience II | NC |
| MAT 600 | Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NHA 522 | Organizational Behavior and Performance Improvement | 3 |
| NUR 700 | Epidemiology & Population Health | 3 |
| NUR 801 | Introduction to the DNP | 2 |
| NUR 803 | Nursing Leadership for Quality and Safety | 3 |
| NUR 806 | Leadership Practicum | 2 |
| NUR 807 | Advanced Leadership Practicum | 3 |
| NUR 809 | Health Information Technology | 3 |
| NUR 811 | Clinical Role Immersion I | 3 |
| NUR 813 | Clinical Role Immersion II | Waived or 3 |
| NUR 815 | Evidence-Based Practice: Research Translation | 3 |
| NUR 816 | DNP I Project Planning and Development | 3 |
| NUR 817 | DNP II Project Implementation | 3 |
| NUR 818 | DNP III Evaluation & Dissemination | 2 |
| NUR 819 | Knowledge Dissemination | 1 |
| Total Credits | 40 (minimum) |
DNP APRN/NP Track
| Prerequisites | Credits | |
| IPC 511 | Graduate Research or approved transfer Graduate Research course | 3 |
| Clinical Hours from MSN Degree | ||
| Courses | Credits | |
| IPC 512 | Health Policy & Finance | 3 |
| IPC 850 | Integrating Experience II | NC |
| MAT 600 | Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NHA 522 | Organizational Behavior and Performance Improvement | 3 |
| NUR 700 | Epidemiology & Population Health | 3 |
| NUR 801 | Introduction to the DNP | 2 |
| NUR 803 | Nursing Leadership for Quality and Safety | 3 |
| NUR 806 | Leadership Practicum | 2 |
| NUR 807 | Advanced Leadership Practicum | Waived or 3 |
| NUR 809 | Health Information Technology | 3 |
| NUR 815 | Evidence-Based Practice: Research Translation | 3 |
| NUR 816 | DNP I Project Planning and Development | 3 |
| NUR 817 | DNP II Project Implementation | 3 |
| NUR 818 | DNP III Evaluation & Dissemination | 2 |
| NUR 819 | Knowledge Dissemination | 1 |
| Total Credits | 34 (minimum) |
Two-Year Track
| First Year: Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree | ||
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 512 | Health Care Policy and Finance | 3 |
| MAT 600 | Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NHA 522 | Organizational Behavior and Performance Improvement in Health Care | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 511 | Graduate Research | 3 |
| NUR 700 | Epidemiology & Population Health | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Summer Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 550 | Integrating Experience I | NC |
| IPC 601 | Role Development and Leadership | 3 |
| NUR 715 | Evidence-Based Practice: Research Translation | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Second Year: Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree | ||
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| NUR 706 | DNP Leadership Practicum Post-Master's 2 clinical credits - 120 clinical hours | 2 |
| NUR 710 | Health Information Technology | 3 |
| NUR 800 | DNP Project I: Planning and Development 1 semester credit, 2 clinical credits - 120 clinical hours | 3 |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Spring Semester | Credits | |
| NUR 810 | DNP Project II: Implementation 1 semester credit, 1 clinical credit - 60 clinical hours | 2 |
| NUR 811 | Knowledge Dissemination | 1 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Summer Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 650 | Integrating Experience II | NC |
| NUR 820 | DNP Project III: Evaluation Dissemination | 2 |
| NUR 832 or NUR 833 | Clinical Role Immersion II Non-NP or Clinical Role Immersion II NP 1-3 clinical credits - 60-180 clinical hours Waived if 1,000 clinical hour requirement is met | 1-3 |
| Credits | 2 (or more) | |
| Total Combined Credits | 34 (or more) | |
| NC = Non-Credit Bearing | ||
Three-Year Track
| First Year: Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree | ||
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 512 | Health Care Policy and Finance | 3 |
| NHA 522 | Organizational Behavior and Performance Improvement in Health Care | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
| Spring Semester | Credits | |
| NUR 700 | Epidemiology & Population Health | 3 |
| NUR 710 | Health Information Technology | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Summer Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 550 | Integrating Experience I | NC |
| IPC 601 | Role Development and Leadership | 3 |
| Total | 3 | |
| Second Year: Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree | ||
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| MAT 600 | Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice | 3 |
| NUR 706 | DNP Leadership Practicum Post-Master's 2 clinical credits - 120 clinical hours | 2 |
| Total | 5 | |
| Spring Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 511 | Graduate Research | 3 |
| Total | 3 | |
| Summer Semester | Credits | |
| NUR 715 | Evidence-Based Practice: Research Translation | 3 |
| Total | 3 | |
| Third Year: Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree | ||
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| NUR 800 | DNP Project I: Planning and Development 1 semester credit, 2 clinical credits - 120 clinical hours | 3 |
| Total | 3 | |
| Spring Semester | Credits | |
| NUR 810 | DNP Project II: Implementation 1 semester credit, 1 clinical credit - 60 clinical hours | 2 |
| NUR 811 | Knowledge Dissemination | 1 |
| Total | 3 | |
| Summer Semester | Credits | |
| IPC 650 | Integrating Experience II | NC |
| NUR 820 | DNP Project III: Evaluation and Dissemination | 2 |
| NUR 832 or NUR 833 | Clinical Role Immersion II Non-NP or Clinical Role Immersion II NP 1-3 clinical credits - 60-180 clinical hours Waived if 1,000 clinical hour requirement is met | 1-3 |
| Total | 2 (or more) | |
| Total Combined Credits | 34 (or more) | |
| NC = Non-Credit Bearing | ||
Our nursing degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. See more accreditation information.
Faculty
Suzanne Fischer Prestoy PhD, MSN, RN
Dr. Suzanne Prestoy is Professor and Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. She joined the college in 2018 bringing a rich background in Nursing Education, Clinical Practice and Hospital Leadership. Dr. Prestoy has over 50 international, national and regional publications, presentations and grants. As a clinical nurse specialist, she developed interdisciplinary practice improvements in the hospital and community. She received her PhD from New York University in Research and Theory Development in Nursing, her MSN from the University of Pennsylvania in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, and a BS degree in Nursing from Wilkes University. Dr. Prestoy finds working with DNP candidates gratifying and enjoys mentoring Nursing scholars to improve health care.
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