Program Coordinator/Contact
Mary Minton, Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing
Department of Graduate Nursing
Wagner Hall 217, Box 2275
605-688-4114
Program Information
The D.N.P. program was established in 2009. The program was developed in response to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing. The position statement supported moving the preparation of advanced practice nurses from the M.S. in Nursing to the Doctoral level by the year 2015.
The purpose of the D.N.P. program is to prepare Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to transform clinical practice as expert clinicians and leaders with a special focus on rural and underserved populations.
In addition to delivering evidence-based direct patient care at an advanced practice level to individuals across the lifespan in primary care settings, graduates of the D.N.P. program will learn skills needed to produce and implement valuable evidence to guide practice and are prepared to work collaboratively with rural communities in an effort to reduce health disparities.
Program Outcomes
- To prepare graduates as clinicians and leaders with a special focus on rural and underserved populations.
- To prepare graduates to deliver evidence-based direct patient care to individuals across the lifespan in primary care settings.
- To prepare graduates to produce and implement scientific evidence to guide practice.
- To prepare graduates to work collaboratively with frontier, urban, and rural communities in an effort to reduce health disparities.
Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the program, the graduate will successfully demonstrate the following competencies:
- Integrate theoretical and scientific underpinnings of nursing and other disciplines to address emerging healthcare and practice issues.
- Engage in health policy at all levels to influence healthcare delivery concerns, such as health disparities, cultural sensitivity, ethics, access to care, health finance, and quality of care.
- Employ evidence-based practice and advanced clinical judgment to comprehensively assess, design, and deliver care for individuals or populations.
- Demonstrate leadership at the organizational and/or systems level to address health outcomes of individuals and populations though evidence-based initiatives.
- Utilize advanced nursing knowledge and information systems/technology related to clinical prevention and health promotion to address gaps in healthcare.
- Collaborate with the interprofessional team in the translation, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of evidence-based practice to improve healthcare outcomes.
Accreditation, Certification, and Licensure
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice at South Dakota State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, 202-887-6791.
Licensure
Students must provide evidence of professional registration by submitting a copy of the most current RN license.
Course Delivery Format
Nursing courses are delivered face-to-face and enhanced with web-based instruction. Online course delivery is also offered for specified courses.
Facilities and Services
The College of Nursing provides world-class facilities and a variety of student services and programs for graduate student engagement.
The program is open to registered nurses with a Master’s Degree in nursing with CNP, CRNA, CNS, and CNM. The program is designed for part-time study (including summers) and requires 31-36 course credits. The program is delivered through an executive delivery model in Sioux Falls that includes online components.
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