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Upstate now offers Doctor of Nursing Practice degree

Nurses

SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- Upstate Medical University’s College of Nursing will begin offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in the fall semester of 2013.  The degree program will be part time and available online.

The DNP is the nursing profession’s highest clinical doctorate, designed for individuals working in clinical practice and in areas that support clinical practice, such as administration, organizational management, leadership and policy.

College of Nursing Dean Elvira Szigeti, PhD, said the degree provides nurses with the preparation to assume a larger clinical role that encompasses populations and systems, as well as individual patients. In some settings, Szigeti said, it may be a nurse with a DNP who oversees the development of a clinical practice.

DNPs can help improve outcomes and quality of care by translating research into clinical practice, performance improvement of policy, she said.

Szigeti says the part time and online nature of the program fits the professional life of nurses. “It’s a realistic program that prepares one for the future of nursing,” she said. “With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act under way, demands on the healthcare system will be significant, and nurses, especially those with a DNP, will be leaders in creating systems of caring to meet the needs of the patient.”

Requirements for the admission include a master’s degree in a clinical area, such as nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, family psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner, pediatric nurse practitioner or adult geriatric clinical nurse specialist. Nurse practitioners who apply must have current National Board Certification in their specialty, and all applicants must have active registered nurse license.

For clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners the program requirements are for 40 semester hours.

For more information, visit DNP. Application deadline for fall 2013 program is June 1.

Upstate’s College of Nursing has added several new academic programs over the years that have been designed to enhance the training and skills available to nurses as they play expanded roles in the healthcare system.  Among those recently added include the Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and the Registered Nurse First Assist Program.

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