DNP Curriculum | Doctor of Nursing Practice Courses

Curriculum Details

34 TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED

Perfect for working professionals, our online format with synchronous components, in which you’ll attend class at the same time as other DNP students, provides flexibility and convenience. The DNP curriculum at Carlow University, designed with the values of the Sisters of Mercy in mind, prepares you to lead the profession ethically through opportunities and challenges, toward a more just and merciful world.

Our courses move in a cohort model, meaning you’ll share a class schedule with the same group of individuals throughout the program. In this format, you all work toward your diverse goals on your own schedules, while supporting each other along the way.

In the DNP program, you’ll complete:

12-16 Courses
1,000 Clinical Practice Hours
A Practice-Based Scholarly Project
Nurse Practitioner Electives

For the scholarly project, you will work with a Carlow faculty committee chair, a self-chosen community expert, and a Carlow statistician. Most students complete their clinical hours and much of their scholarly projects at their places of employment and challenge themselves to find ways to impact nursing practice.

For the nurse practitioner electives, students will choose 3 credits of Graduate Coursework (level 700 or 800 courses) in consultation with their advisor.

Core Courses

Credits

NU 795 Scholarly Writing Credit Hours: 3

This graduate level writing course will help the student refine writing skills from the fundamentals of writing through argumentation. Through a series of small writing assignments, this course will prepare the student for scholarly writing and research.

NU 802 Cultural Competence Credit Hours: 3

The United States is a multicultural nation. Such diversity creates a significant challenge for interactions at all levels of society. This graduate level course provides the theoretical foundation to examine key concepts related to cultural competence as experienced in personal and professional life. Approaches and tools to enhance the quality of the cross-cultural interaction will be provided. This is a doctoral level required course.

NU 810 Transforming Systems – Big Data, Innovation and Quality Credit Hours: 3

This course focuses on data acquisition and utilization of information systems/technology supportive of clinical and administrative decision-making relevant to patient care, care systems, and quality improvement. Students will be prepared to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based quality health care practices and drive clinical transformation for patient populations, individuals, and aggregates. This course requires the student to demonstrate the skills to effectively utilize data for health care decision making based on the process of outcomes management.

NU 811 Evidence-Based Quality Improvement (EBQI) & Intervention Research Credit Hours: 3

This doctoral level nursing course is the foundation for designing, conducting, and analyzing evidence-based quality improvement (EBQl) and intervention studies to improve health care quality, safety, costs, and health outcomes. Students will learn advanced strategies to navigate through databases to find and appraise relevant internal and external evidence. Problem prevalence, significance, translatability, and passion to conduct a scientifically rigorous study or impactful EBQI project is emphasized.

NU 812 Critical Appraisal of Evidence Credit Hours: 3

This course focuses on critically appraising and synthesizing evidence for the EBQI project and for clinical decision-making. Emphasis is placed on design; methodology; data management; and measurable outcomes for evidence-based quality improvement. The analysis and interpretation of data from quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods designs will be examined. Students incorporate rigorous evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in an effort to reduce variation in care and optimize population health outcomes. PREREQUISITE: NU 811

NU 813 Transitioning Evidence into Practice Credit Hours: 3

This Doctoral Level core nursing course teaches about the culmination of the DNP scholarly project. Students will incorporate the best evidence in an intervention study or evidence-based quality improvement (EBQI) project while integrating clinical expertise, patient preferences, and values. Particular attention will be given to data management and intervention fidelity with regard to data collection, data analysis, extraneous variables and measurable outcomes. Leadership strategies that involve stakeholders to sustain and disseminate practice change are critical to influencing health outcomes and making decisions about resource allocation. PREREQUISITES: NU 795, NU 811, NU 812

NU 814 Population Health Promotion Credit Hours: 3

This graduate-level course relates to health promotion for populations. Public health concepts and system-level population determinants of health are examined; strategies are analyzed and developed. This is a course for DNP students.

NU 830 Leadership for Practice Excellence Credit Hours: 3

This course helps meet the AACN DNP Essentials 1, 2, 3, 5 addressing multi-disciplinary collaboration and systems leadership.

NU 838 Executive Decision Making in Complex Systems:
Policy, Politics & Advocacy Credit Hours: 3

NU 8901-8903 Clinical Practicum I-III Credit Hours: 1 each

The purpose of the clinical practicum courses is to refine leadership strategies and best practice models in the delivery of high-quality care. The focus of these courses is to evaluate progress toward achievement of the DNP AACN Essentials. The emphasis is on incorporation of evidence and concepts from previous coursework to improve the status of individuals, communities, and organizations. STUDENTS MUST HAVE COMPLETED ONE SEMESTER IN DNP PROGRAM BEFORE TAKING THESE COURSES

Request More Information

We’d love to hear from you. Fill out the form, and we’ll be in touch shortly to learn more about your goals and how we can help.