DNP Handbook

The Doctor of Nursing (DNP) Handbook outlines the structure, expectations and key components of the DNP program. It includes curriculum details, track information, practice hour requirements, research sequence and guidelines for the DNP project and other information to support students throughout their doctoral journey.

DNP Curriculum

Overview of the DNP Program

The professional nursing standards and guidelines used by the SON include those delineated by the  American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) specifically for the DNP program titled The  Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (2006) and the Doctor of Nursing  Practice: Current Issues and Clarifying Recommendations (2015). Use of the AACN Essentials helps to  guide program and curricular development, and allows the SON to ensure that academic levels of the  curriculum build upon one another. The SON has continued accreditation since its inception which is  evidence of the SON’s compliance with professional nursing standards and guidelines used in the  preparation of nursing professionals at all levels of the nursing educational spectrum. In addition, the  DNP-NA program follows the standards put forth by the COA.  

The DNP is a terminal degree in advanced clinical practice designed to prepare nurses to achieve higher  levels of education enabling them to respond to increasing health care demands. Changing demands of  this nation's complex healthcare environment require the highest level of scientific knowledge and  practice expertise to assure safe and quality patient outcomes.  

There are two DNP tracks in the SON: The DNP-NA track and the Post Masters DNP track. Both  programs contain curricular content that focuses on advanced nursing theory, advanced scientific  methods, advanced leadership and interprofessional collaborative skills, systems management, health  policy, population health outcomes, epidemiology, informatics and advanced specialty practice.  

A maximum approval of nine credits is transferable toward a graduate degree at OU (see Graduate  Catalog). In the DNP programs, graduate credit will not be awarded for courses in which a grade less  than B is earned. All numerical grades earned are used in computing a student’s grade point average. 

Students who have approval of their DNP projects must complete a minimum of eight credits of NRS  8998. 

DNP-NA Track 

The DNP-NA program is 87 credits encompassing 36 months of full-time study. The program is jointly  owned and operated by Oakland University and Corewell Health . In addition to the curriculum  described above, the plan of study includes rigorous courses in advanced sciences and specialty courses specific to the art and science of nurse anesthesia. An intensive clinical internship parallels the didactic curriculum and provides ongoing opportunity to apply theory to practice. The program has partnerships with over 40 different clinical sites. The majority provide clinical instruction for a wide range of anesthesia techniques and experiences across the life span.  Students should refer to the DNP-NA Student handbook for further information and policies specific to the program. 

Post-Masters DNP Track 

The OU SON Post-Masters DNP program offers two and three-year plans of study. All Post-Masters DNP  students must complete a minimum of 38 credits of approved coursework, of which a minimum of 24  credits must be taken at OU. The Post-Masters DNP degree requires that graduates have a minimum of  1,000 post-baccalaureate practice hours. Students who enter the Post Masters DNP program with a  master’s degree may receive credit for up to 640 practice hours from their program, contingent upon  verification from their program administrator. The DNP program provides 700 practice hours that are built into the curriculum. Applicants to the Post-Masters DNP, who do not have enough  practice hours to transfer in to meet the minimum 1,000 hours required for graduation will have their plan of study determined on an individual basis.  

Components of DNP Curriculum

The foundation courses focus on advanced theory, health care policy, leadership within systems, and  informatics. The research sequence includes statistics, population health, theory and translating research  for evidence-based practice, advanced scientific methods for evidence-based practice, and the DNP Final  project. In addition, students who are enrolled in a BSN to DNP APRN program will be required to take  specialty courses. For example, the BSN to DNP-NA specialty courses prepare APRNs with a  specialization in nurse anesthesia. The foundation and research sequence courses provide an opportunity for students to earn up to 700 practice hours that count toward the required 1000 hours of  practice in the DNP program.  

Accountability for Practice Hours

Programs must demonstrate/validate that graduates have attained all the DNP Essentials outcomes. All students must complete sufficient time in supervised practice hours to integrate and  demonstrate the new skills and knowledge needed to achieve the DNP Essential outcomes. This expectation applies to all DNP students, including those focusing on organizational and executive  leadership, health policy, and all direct care roles. Students who have completed more than 1,000 practice hours in their master’s program will need to complete additional hours in the DNP program to  demonstrate the expected outcomes delineated in the DNP Essentials and their ability to integrate their  new learning into practice. DNP students may be employed in settings or positions that appear to overlap with some of the outcomes delineated in the DNP Essentials. Practice experiences should have well defined learning objectives and provide experiences over and above the individual’s job responsibilities or activities. 

Students will complete a minimum of 50 practice hours in each of the following courses: NRS 8221, NRS  8231, NRS 8241, and NRS 8681. In addition, NRS 8998 accounts for a minimum of 500 practice hours.  

Practice Hour Experiences

DNP programs prepare graduates for the highest level of nursing practice and demonstrate synthesis and  application of all DNP Essentials. Practice experiences should prepare the DNP student with the  outcomes delineated in the DNP Essentials. Given the intense practice focus for DNP programs, practice  experiences are designed to help students build and assimilate knowledge for advanced specialty  practice at a high level of complexity.  

Practice experiences should be designed to help students achieve specific learning objectives related to  all of the DNP Essentials, role outcomes, application of theory and the translation of evidence into  practice. Faculty, in conjunction with the student, will develop learning objectives for the practice  experience(s), and evaluate student learning and achievement of outcomes. Practice experiences for the  DNP student can include direct and indirect care practices in healthcare settings or related environments  that broaden the experiences of the student. Experiences include in-depth work with experts from nursing  as well as other disciplines and provide opportunities for meaningful student engagement within practice  environments.  

Opportunities for inter- and intra-professional collaboration with other health professions are needed to  prepare the graduate with the leadership, communication, and team capabilities that are critical to  advanced nursing practice. Examples of settings and areas of practice that could be considered to  provide a broad array of opportunities for practice experiences include health systems, community  organizations, policy projects, long term or urgent care facilities, schools, prisons, and health  departments.  

DNP program practice experiences are designed to provide:  

• Systematic opportunities for feedback and reflection.  
• In-depth work/mentorship with experts in nursing, as well as other disciplines. 
• Opportunities for meaningful student engagement within practice environments.
• Opportunities for building and assimilating knowledge for advanced nursing practice at a high level  of complexity.  
• Opportunities for further application, synthesis, and expansion of learning.  
• Experience in the context of advanced nursing practice within which the final DNP Project is  completed.  
• Opportunities for integrating and synthesizing all of the DNP Essentials and role requirements  necessary to demonstrate achievement of defined outcomes in an area of advanced nursing  practice.  

Mentoring for PM-DNP Students

Mentoring involves an ongoing process of learning, dialogue and query. Prior to admission, applicants  provide a written statement that identifies objectives, goals, and research interests. Every effort is made  to match the student with faculty research mentors whose research interests are similar to those of the  student. Students are encouraged to work with the PM-DNP Coordinator to identify a DNP Project Faculty Chair.

Mentoring for DNP-NA DNP Students

See DNP-NA Handbook. 

Research Sequence and Guidelines for DNP Project

The AACN DNP Essentials (2021) recognizes the need for a final scholarly project that demonstrates clinical scholarship. The DNP Essentials clarifies the scope of the final scholarly project, the level of  implementation, the impact on system/practice outcomes, the extent of collaborative efforts, the  expected dissemination of findings, and the degree of faculty mentorship/oversight. It is important that  the translation of knowledge into the practice setting by way of the final scholarly project be guided by criteria to ensure consistency of learning. Students can refer to the DNP Project Handbook, which can  be found on the SON website.

Human Subjects Requirement

Any scholarly project with human subjects or animals as subjects requires IRB approval. Oakland University requires completion of CITI training which fulfills the human/animal subjects training which  applies the ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence and justice as set forth in the Belmont Report and the regulations codified by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 45 CFR 46 and the FDA as applicable in its review of research. National Institute of Health (NIH) requirements for human subjects training. Following project approval, submission to the Oakland University Institutional Review Board (IRB), and other relevant IRBs (as deemed necessary), is required for studies involving human subjects. IRB approval must be obtained prior to the initiation of the project.