Consistent with national accreditation requirements all DNP students are required to complete 1000 hours and meet the AACN essentials for advanced level Nursing education.
- BSN to DNP students will complete 500 focused specialty clinical hours, along with the DNP practicum hours to meet the 1,000 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 hour requirement for graduation.
The emphasis on high level nursing practice in the DNP curriculum culminates with an individualized clinical final immersion experience. The immersion experiences provide 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, quality improvement and/or evidence-based practice. The immersion experiences provide opportunities to meet the AACN Advanced level nursing Education Essential competencies and provide evidence of the student’s advanced understanding of program content. Students will receive detailed information about Immersion experiences and opportunities during the first week of their first Immersion course (8405/8896). Immersion hours can only be acquired while enrolled in an Immersion course, and students must be clinically compliant prior to start of the Immersion courses (8405, 8896, 8897, 8898).