Consistent with certification requirements and the DNP essentials, post-BSN to DNP students complete ≥ 500 focused specialty clinical hours, along with the DNP practicum hours to meet the 1,000 clinical hour requirement needed to graduate with a DNP degree. Post-master’s students verify clinical hours completed at the master’s degree level upon admission to meet the 1,000 clinical hour requirement for graduation.
The emphasis on high level nursing practice in the DNP curriculum culminates with an individualized clinical final immersion experience. The clinical pre-immersion and final immersion experiences provides the opportunity for students to synthesize and apply knowledge acquired across the program of study by practicing in the student’s area of expertise at a greater level of competence, as well as providing the context in which the final document project is executed. The immersion experiences and the final project represent the results of independent scholarly inquiry and contribute to the student’s personal growth in nursing leadership, health policy, or evidence-based practice. Together with the individual final project, the immersion provides evidence of the student’s advanced understanding of relevant literature and policy/practice issues, documents the outcomes of the student’s educational experiences, provides measurable media for evaluating the immersion experience, and summarizes the student’s growth in knowledge and expertise. Students may not work together on any portion of the immersion plan.