Doctor of Nursing Practice
Frontier Nursing University’s clinical doctorate is designed for registered nurses who want to take their nursing career, leadership skills and clinical expertise to the next level.
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the highest degree for clinical nursing practice. Our DNP curriculum provides education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems leadership.
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“Obtaining my doctoral degree taught me to think differently. It opened my eyes to quality improvement, developed leadership skills and gave me the confidence to be an agent of change in my community.”
- Kristin A. Gianelis, DNP, ANP-BC, WHNP-BC”
Post-Master's DNP
FNU's Post-Master's DNP degree program is designed for certified nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who want to earn a DNP. The goal of the program is to improve health care outcomes and the delivery of primary health through enhanced nursing leadership.
Program Overview
- Complete your coursework online.
- Complete 30 credit hours in 18 months.
- In collaboration with your clinical site, lead a rapid cycle quality improvement project (500 clinical hours).
- One three-day campus immersion experience (orientation before beginning the program).
- Small cohort of students.
- Learn about the DNP Project and Practicum Experience.
The DNP Quality Initiative
- Lead a Quality Improvement (QI) project guided by the needs of the practice site.
- Complete planning improvements using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) “Model for Improvement” over an 8 week period.
- Learn about the process of working within a healthcare delivery system to translate evidence into practice.
Click here to learn more about the quality improvement projects.
Candidates for the Post-Master’s DNP program at FNU hold national certification in one of the following specialty areas:
- Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP)
- Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
- Geriatric-Adult Nurse Practitioner (GANP)
- Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (GNP)
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
- Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
What Sets FNU Apart?
- A leader in distance education since 1989
- A focus on rural and underserved populations since 1939
- A national leader in DEI
- A culture of caring shared by the FNU community
- Flexible format offering every course every term to fit your life and career goals
- A campus immersion experience to build lifelong connections with other students and faculty
- Nearly 13,000 clinical sites and 16,000 preceptors nationwide
- Scholarship opportunities for students
Affordable
Affordable Tuition
Flexibility
100% Online Coursework
Supportive
Doctorally-prepared Faculty
Dedicated
Clinical Placement Services
Accredited
Top-ranked Programs
Post-Master's
DNP Program Q&A
with Dr. Khara' Jefferson
This video was recorded in February 2024.
Ready to Apply?
Preparing nurses at the highest clinical level
The DNP Program draws on the clinical expertise of the faculty and students to prepare nurses at the highest clinical level to impact health care nationwide, starting with their communities.
Read more in our blog Be a leader for change with the DNP.
“I decided to pursue a DNP at Frontier due to its strong reputation, online format, and faculty expertise.”
- Kimberly Jones-Beatty, CNM, DNP, FNU Alumni
“I was lucky to have wonderful influences during my journey with Frontier... It truly made the educational process more of an exciting evolution of uncovering more about myself and what differences I can make in healthcare and quality improvement.”
- Marie Labadie-DeGennaro, DNP
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Within her community in rural Maine, Frontier … Read More...
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