Doctor of Nursing Practice

University of Illinois at Springfield

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is designed to prepare nurse leaders for the highest level of professional nursing practice beyond the initial preparation in the discipline. Doctoral nursing practice encompasses advanced clinical practice that influences health care outcomes for individuals, families, and populations including the direct care of individual patients, management and care coordination for individuals and populations, administration of nursing and health care organizations, and the development and implementation of health policy. Graduates of DNP programs are prepared for direct care roles (e.g. nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives) and systems-focused roles (e.g. administrative, public health, and policy roles) or a blend of these roles.

The DNP curriculum at UIC consists of three domains of competencies for advanced practice in direct clinical care or systems: a) core practice competencies, b) specialty-specific practice competencies, and c) role competencies. Our mission is to develop advanced practitioners of nursing into evidenced-based, intra-disciplinary providers who meet the needs of a rapidly expanding healthcare field.

At completion of the DNP program, you will be able to:

Demonstrate the specialty competencies needed for doctoral practice in nursing
Translate science to influence healthcare policy
Implement evidence-based practices to optimize healthcare outcomes and reduce disparities
Practice strategic management skills to improve the effectiveness of nursing interventions and health systems outcomes
Develop transdisciplinary ventures to create innovative healthcare delivery models
Demonstrate fiscal leadership in planning and in management for nursing practice
Integrate technology with nursing practice skills to improve quality and accessibility of care