Post Baccalaureate to Doctor of Nursing Practice Program/ Family Nurse Practitioner Program
The Post Baccalaureate to Doctor of Nursing Practice program with a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) concentration is for the BSN graduate seeking a clinical doctorate, while concentrating in the advanced specialty area of FNP. The degree program is designed to prepare qualified advanced practice nurses ready to work in primary care. This program is best suited for nurses with clinical experience, however, new graduates will be considered. This cohort program is 69 credits and is designed to be completed in a full-time 36-month sequence. A four year part-time option is also available. Graduates of the FNP/DNP program will be prepared to provide primary care for individuals as well as be leaders in community and population health endeavors. FNPs provide a wide range of healthcare services to individuals and families in a variety of clinical settings. They focus on health promotion and disease prevention beginning in infancy and continuing through the aging process and are educated to diagnose and treat acute and chronic diseases. The FNP/DNP program offers an excellent educational foundation in advanced practice nursing and substantial clinical experience. Graduates of the program are prepared to make independent and collaborative decisions, sound clinical judgments and be leaders in their profession. Graduates are eligible to take a national examination for certification as a family nurse practitioner and to apply for APRN licensure in Connecticut or other states based on regulatory guidelines.
Course Delivery Method
This unique blended program offers students a combination of online and on-campus classes.
Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials
The AACN Essentials for Advanced Nursing Practice is the framework for the DNP program curricula. The student learning outcomes are derived from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essential ten domains designed to reflect the discipline of professional nursing (AACN, 2021, pp. 10-11). The Essential Domains with descriptors can be located at the following link: The Essentials: Competencies for Professional Nursing Education.
- SLO 1: Translate into action knowledge from the philosophical and theoretical traditions of nursing science and other disciplinary perspectives to facilitate the ethical integration of evidence-based practice to advance nursing scholarship. (AACN Domains 1 & 4)
- SLO 2: Lead collaboratively within the interprofessional team to develop and evaluate plans of care with evidence-based, person-centered care principles promoting quality and safety outcomes. (AACN Domains 2, 5, & 6)
- SLO 3: Collaborate with strategic partners to implement health policy while advocating for equitable and sustainable population health care. (Domain 3)
- SLO 4: Integrate complex systems-based practice to develop innovative and evidence supported equitable solutions to improve health outcomes across the lifespan of diverse populations. (Domain 7)
- SLO 5: Apply best practices of informatics and communication technologies in diverse care settings to collect, analyze, and synthesize data to promote quality and safe health care outcomes. (Domain 8)
- SLO 6: Demonstrate professional behaviors reflecting current regulations, policies, and practice integrating professional concepts including ethics, compassion, diversity, equity, and inclusion. (Domain 9)
- SLO 7: Model leadership within the nursing profession that embraces self-care, a spirit of inquiry, advocacy, change, mentorship, and service to others. (Domain 10)
Admission Requirements
This competitive program is designed for the academically talented student who has experience in nursing. The criteria for admission include:
• Completed online application and nonrefundable fee
• Bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or better
• Copy of unencumbered RN License
• One year of nursing experience preferred
• Completion of an undergraduate health assessment course (30 hours or greater)
• Completion of an undergraduate statistics course
• Official copies of all college transcripts
• Two strong letters of recommendation
• Statement of professional goals
• Résumé
• Interview with a graduate nursing faculty by invitation only
The Graduate Transfer Credit Policy governs the approval of transfer credits.
Transfer Credit Limit: 6
Minimum Grade Required: B
Degree Requirements
BSN to DNP students in the FNP track are required to design an approved plan of study in collaboration with a faculty advisor that must be satisfactorily completed with a minimum GPA of 3.0 to earn the degree. The plan of study requires the student to complete 69 credits.
Requirements List
Required Courses for BSN to DNP / Family Nurse Practitioner Program
All BSN to DNP students in the FNP track are required to take the following:
| NU 549 | Family Theory in the Context Community | 3 |
| NU 552 | Advanced Health Assessment for NP | 3 |
| NU 556 | Advanced Pharmacology I | 2 |
| NU 557 | Advanced Pharmacology II for the FNP/DNP | 2 |
| NU 562 | Primary Care I: Comprehensive Primary Care of the Adult | 5 |
| NU 566 | Advanced Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners | 3 |
| NU 604 | Health Care Research and Statistical Foundations for the Advanced Practice Nurse | 3 |
| NU 622 | Primary Care II for FNP/DNP | 6 |
| NU 632 | Primary Care III for FNP/DNP | 7 |
| NU 700 | Theoretical Components of Nursing Science | 3 |
| NU 710 | Healthcare Policy, Advocacy, & Ethics | 3 |
| NU 720 | Leading Quality Initiatives & Information Systems | 3 |
| NU 743 | Epidemiology and Population Health | 3 |
| NU 745 | Evidence Based Practice Doctoral APRN | 3 |
| NU 760 | Strategic Leadership & Collaboration in Health Care Organizations | 3 |
| NU 783 | Leadership in Chronic Disease Management & Palliative Care | 3 |
| NU 810 | DNP Scholarship & Advanced Practice I | 3 |
| NU 820 | DNP Scholarship & Advanced Practice II | 3 |
| NU 821 | DNP Project Topic Development | 1 |
| NU 822 | DNP Project Evidence Review, Recommendations, Proposal Development | 1 |
| NU 823 | DNP Project Proposal Presentation | 1 |
| NU 824 | DNP Project Final Presentation | 1 |
| NU 831 | Clinical Immersion I | 2 |
| NU 832 | Clinical Immersion II | 2 |
Total Credit Hours: 69
Doctor of Nursing Practice Project
The DNP graduate will fulfill the current need in our healthcare system by applying and translating evidence into practice to improve quality, clinical and financial outcomes. The DNP project is the chosen modality for students to develop and/or refine the skill set needed to fulfill this important role.
The DNP project focuses on an endeavor consistent with the student’s identified clinical interests. This scholarly project must be a significant, evidence-based contribution to existing nursing knowledge and be suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or a book. The DNP faculty leader for the student’s committee will act as facilitator of the student’s scholarship. Each student will identify an external practice mentor who will assist the student with the requirements of the practice project. A minimum of 435 practice hours gained through classroom and immersion experiences will be used to collect and evaluate data on a specific population in a practice setting.
All DNP students are required to complete a DNP project that demonstrates practice scholarship prior to graduating from the program.