DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE (DNP)
The Doctor of Nursing Practice will prepare clinical leaders for comprehensive clinical nursing practice that influences health care outcomes for individuals or populations, grounded in evidence-based application, within a changing health care system.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice FNP and ACNS options are delivered online and will start in Fall 2013.
The curriculum pattern for the DNP program can be found here.
Goals
The primary goal of the DNP degree program is to prepare experts in advanced nursing practice in specialized areas with an emphasis on innovation and evidence based application to improve health care outcomes.
Finances
Professional Fee for Nursing DNP
In addition to ISU tuition and fees, a professional fee is assessed for all undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Nursing.Professional fees for the DNP program are $1828.00 per semester including any summer session regardless of number of credits in which the student is enrolled. Professional fees for the nursing programs are used to support faculty salaries, instruction support services, durable & disposable equipment and supplies, faculty and staff program travel, capital equipment and a reserve for maintenance and purchase of major capital items.
Costs for tuition and general fees at
ISU are listed on the Cost of Attendance Page
Scholarships
The School of Nursing annually awards approximately $42,000 in scholarships.
See Idaho State University scholarship information
Admission Requirements
The student must apply to and meet all requirements for admission to the Graduate School. In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, the student must comply with the following:
- Earned Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Nursing or with a major in Nursing from a program accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (calculated based on previous 60 credits of undergraduate coursework) from a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S. in Nursing or BSN).
- Competitive GRE score (see below).
- English Proficiency Exams: Students whose native language is not English must provide
evidence of satisfactory scores on the English Foreign Language (TOEFL) or on the
International English Language Testing System (IELTS). (See Graduate Catalog for details).
- Satisfactory TOEFL requirements for admission include: 1) Internet-based total test score of 80 with a score of at least 20 on each Section and 23 or above on the Speaking Section; or 2) Computer-based total test score of 213 with a score of at least 21 on Section 1 (Listening Comprehension); or 3) Paper-based total test score of 550 with a score of at least 55 on section 1 (Listening Comprehension).
- Satisfactory IELTS requirement for admission include scoring 6.5 or higher on the total band and 6.5 on the speaking test component.
- Completed application to the SON by established deadline which includes an essay describing applicant's interest in pursuing the DNP degree and vision of how this preparation will facilitate career goals.
- Verification of valid and current unencumbered Registered Nursing license.
- Completion of a preadmission interview by the SON DNP Admissions committee. If the applicant resides at a distance over 100 miles, an interview by videoconference may be provided for at the student's expense.
Two years of documented previous healthcare or nursing experience before admission is preferred, but not required.
Admission to the FNP or ACNS DNP degree option is contingent on sufficient enrollment as defined by the SON.
The SON DNP Admissions committee will make the final recommendation regarding admission. This decision will be based on evaluation of established application and admission requirements.
Application Requirements
The student must apply to and meet all requirements for admission to the Graduate School. In addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School, the student must comply with the following:
- Application to the Graduate School AND to the School of Nursing with payment of appropriate fees (separate application process).
- Submission of official transcripts of all degrees including the completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN or B.S. in Nursing) from an accredited nursing program. Official transcripts must be sent directly to the Graduate School from the Registrar's office of the applicant's previous institution(s) of study.
- Submission of official report of Graduate Record Examination Scores taken within the previous five years. Applicants should achieve at least a 50th percentile on one of the three aptitude sections (Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical). Achievement of two or more scores at the 50th percentile is highly preferred.
- Evidence of completing prerequisite undergraduate level descriptive or inferential statistics course with a C grade or better within three (3) years previous to admission to the program. A descriptive or inferential statistics course may be taken during the admission process; course must be completed prior to starting the program.
- Submission of professional essay (3-4 pages) describing applicant's interest in pursuing the DNP degree and vision of how this preparation will facilitate career goals.
- Three professional references attesting to the applicant's capacity and potential for clinical
doctoral study.
- Submission of professional vitae or resume.
*Students may be required to enroll in NEXus (The Nursing Education Exchange) courses as part of the DNP program which will require additional enrollment fee(s) per course in any semester.
Selection Process
The application cycle for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program in the School of Nursing in both Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (ACNS) options is now closed for entry fall semester of 2013. The next application cycle will open in November of 2013 for enrollment August of 2014.
Notification of candidates for admission will occur by July 15th, 2013. Fall semester classes begin August 26, 2013.
More Information
Questions related to this degree program should be addressed to:
Karen S. Neill, Ph.D., R.N., SANE-A
Associate Director for Graduate Studies
Idaho State University School of Nursing
Division of Health Sciences
neilkare@isu.edu
208.282.2102 (Office)
Questions related to technical aspects of submitting the online application should be addressed to:
Morgan Scadden
Idaho State University School of Nursing
Division of Health Sciences
mikemorg@isu.edu
208.282.2325 (Office)