The Post Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program builds on the advanced nursing practice master’s programs and prepares leaders in a culture of innovation and inquiry. For national information about the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, please visit the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, www.aacnnursing.org/DNP.

The Post Master’s DNP program is designed to prepare leaders to drive the application of evidence to promote excellence in nursing practice and health care. As a practice-focused doctoral program, innovation and inquiry are central to DNP practitioners prepared in leadership to identify, develop, and evaluate solutions to the most troubling challenges found in clinical practice and health care. Distinctives of an OHSU DNP include:

Practice-Ready. The OHSU DNP graduate is ready for practice as an APRN in their specialty area.

Evidence-Based. The OHSU DNP graduate has a strong foundation in clinical and improvement science.

Future-Focused. The OHSU DNP graduate looks to the future and embraces emerging models of healthcare.

Leadership-Oriented. The OHSU DNP graduate is prepared for growth in health care leadership in a variety of diverse settings.

DNP graduates are expected to meet the general DNP program student learning outcomes.

1. Demonstrate readiness to enter clinical practice via specialty competencies with the appropriate scientific knowledge, and considerations for its application to practice.
2. Apply ethical principles along with the standards of professional conduct to clinical care, research, and education.
3. Evaluate emerging healthcare systems and policy that influence delivery of cost effective patient care.
4. Generate entry level practice scholarship through the completion of a clinical practice improvement project based on the principles of improvement science.
5. Model interprofessional communication and collaboration to improve individual and/or population health outcomes.
6. Identify and address gaps in professional knowledge through ongoing reflection to support the principle of life-long learning.

The post-master’s DNP program is for master’s-prepared nurses who are currently licensed advanced practice nurses or have a focus in health systems/organizational leadership. One year of experience after the master’s degree is preferred. The post-master’s DNP program extends over two academic years (seven quarters). The courses are offered online for post-master’s DNP students. Some courses require a face-to-face intensive meeting for instruction. Students can expect to come to campus at least twice each year. Students who have not completed a minimum of 640 clinical hours in their master’s program will need to include additional hours in their DNP program by completing the appropriate number of credits of NURS 709 . Although the program is designed to be completed in two years or seven quarters, students may develop a plan of study that extends over a longer duration, but not more than four years.