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College of Nursing

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

The DNP Program


The College of Nursing's Doctor of Nursing Practice was approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on July 19, 2007. The first cohort of DNP students will begin the program in the Summer of 2008. The TWU Doctor of Nursing Practice builds on the legacy of the TWU PhD in Nursing Science, the largest doctoral nursing program in the United States.

The TWU Doctor of Nursing Practice is designed to prepare Nurse Practitioners and Certified Nurse Midwives to function as expert clinicians who integrate and evaluate evidenced-based practices in acute and primary care settings. The DNP curriculum broadens and expands on the skills of the master's prepared Advanced Practice Nurse to include enhanced clinical expertise, implementation of healthcare informatics technologies, and increased depth in the application of scientific advances and health care organizational concepts to nursing practice.

The goals of the Doctor of Nursing Practice are to prepare expert Advanced Practice Nurse clinicians who will:

  • Apply evidence from nursing and the biophysical, psychosocial, behavioral, and clinical sciences to complex health issues.
  • Implement health care delivery models and strategies designed for quality improvement in patient care.
  • Analyze existing research and design and conduct evaluations of clinical interventions to implement evidence-based practice.
  • Employ an evidence-based framework when conducting research on clinical interventions.
  • Develop and advocate for health care policy.
  • Collaborate with other health professionals to provide high quality, ethical patient-centered care that meets current standards of best practice.
  • Synthesize concepts of health promotion and protection and disease prevention in managing complex health problems.
  • Apply expert clinical judgment in providing comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, and management of health and illness in diverse populations.
  • Provide visionary nursing leadership through contributions to the management and guidance of health care systems.

Please contact Peggy Mancuso, PhD, CNM, at pmancuso@twu.edu (214-689-6564 or 214-689-6552) for further information about the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

page updated 5/14/2008 13:49

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