Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership (DNP)

This course incorporates the study of organizational leadership and interprofessional team development to improve quality of care delivery, health outcomes, and safety of patient populations. You will examine consultative and leadership skills that facilitate intraprofessional and interprofessional collaboration. You will analyze effective strategies for resolving ethical and legal issues in the delivery of care. You will also synthesize knowledge of leadership and communication theories with nursing science as a framework for organizational assessment, diagnosis of systems issues, and facilitation of system-wide practice initiatives. This course will prepare you to develop advanced leadership roles in addressing complex practice and organizational issues.

This course involves intensive examination of contemporary topics in healthcare. Emphasis is placed on exploring and evaluating theoretical foundations that influence nursing practice, healthcare systems, and organizational sciences. Key topics include the development of interprofessional competencies, health status and health disparities, ethics, and the meaning of health outcomes related to both quality and safety for population healthcare.

This course introduces the financial structures that support nursing practice and will focus on economic principles, financial management methods, and business strategies. You will explore the foundation for balancing productivity with quality of care, while learning to design effective and realistic care delivery systems that optimize performance, minimize costs, and enhance outcomes.  You will also examine methods to evaluate costs and cost effectiveness of care using health equity and diversity. This course provides you with the tools to plan, monitor, and evaluate the acquisition, use, and outcomes of fiscal resources for practice and program initiatives.

This course incorporates the study of information science concepts, principles, and methods with application in the support, improvement, and evaluation of nursing interventions, outcomes of care, and delivery systems. You will focus on the development of knowledge and technical skills to use data management systems and technological resources for decision-making, implementation of quality improvement initiatives, and evaluation of patient care technologies.

This course focuses on advanced nursing leadership and advocacy for healthcare policy improvement. You will examine the process of healthcare policy development and determine the disparities within the US and international healthcare delivery systems. You will use policy theory to critically evaluate the current and historic policies, laws, and financial incentives that affect healthcare delivery and nursing practice. You will apply principles of organizational change and cultural effectiveness to evaluate components of leadership necessary for public health improvement.

This course will address scientific frameworks for advanced nursing practice including theories from nursing, behavioral and social sciences, quality improvement models, and evidence-based practice models. You will integrate the theme of change throughout this course related to improving patient and healthcare outcomes. You will examine various strategies to develop partnerships with stakeholders, assess quality improvement, and facilitate change based on evidence.

Prerequisites: DNP -7005

This course prepares you, to plan for the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion and disease prevention program initiatives. Within a practice setting, you will work with your mentor, the advanced nurse leader, to analyze practice approaches to quality improvement and evaluate clinical prevention strategies utilized to promote population health. You will discuss various approaches to quality improvement.

*Requires 30 Practice hours

Prerequisites: DNP-7106 – Program Planning and Evaluation

This course introduces various approaches to evaluating health outcomes research, including risk assessment, causation, and principles of measurement. You will evaluate evidenced-based health outcomes research to include instruments and strategies for measuring the economic valuation of healthcare programs. You will examine factors that affect quality and safety and develop strategies to monitor and improve health outcomes. Within the practice setting, you will appraise factors that increase risks and liability. You will review data using information technology and review the literature addressing a healthcare issue to identify a DNP project topic.

Prerequisites: DNP-7107 – Health Outcomes Research

This course focuses on data management skills to measure the use of services and quality of patient care. Within the practice setting, you will incorporate multiple techniques and methods to diagnose system issues and measure quality improvement and program outcomes. You will also assess ethical principles related to data governance and stewardship. Finally, you will work on formulating your problem statement for your DNP Project.

*Requires 90 Practice hours

In this 12-week course, you will complete all relevant subsections of Section 1: Foundation. You will use your school-specific template and guidance from your chair to determine which subsections apply to your individual work. Section 1 must be completed and approved by your committee in order to pass the course and move forward. If you do not receive committee approval of Section 1, you will be able to take up to three supplemental 8-week courses to finalize and gain approval of Section 1.

In this 12-week course, you will compose all relevant subsections of Section 2: Methodology and Design and complete your proposal. Both of these components must be approved by your committee in order to pass the course and move forward. You will use your school-specific template and guidance from your chair to determine which subsections apply to your individual work. If you do not receive approval of Section 2 and the complete proposal, you will be able to take up to three 8-week supplementary courses to finalize and gain approval of Section 2 and your completed proposal.

In this course, you will prepare, submit, and obtain a determination from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) application before collecting data and, if applicable, executing your project modeling. You will also submit documentation that you have closed data collection. If you are still collecting data or modeling your project at the end of this 12-week course, you will be able to take up to three supplemental 8-week courses to complete the required components.

In this 12-week course, you will complete all relevant subsections of Section 3: Findings, Implications, and Recommendations, finalize your manuscript, and disseminate your findings. You will use your school-specific template and guidance from your chair to determine which subsections apply to your individual work. The final manuscript, which includes Section 3 and the dissemination of findings, must be approved by your committee in order to pass the course and be eligible to graduate. If you do not receive committee approval of all components, you will be able to take up to three supplemental 8-week courses to finalize these requirements and be eligible to graduate.