Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.)

The School of Nursing offers an innovative doctor of nursing practice (D.N.P.) program with a family nurse practitioner (F.N.P.) population focus. The program prepares nurses to provide health services at the highest level of clinical nursing practice. The curriculum is designed to develop leaders able to expand their impact on the health of society by improving quality of care, patient outcomes and health policy. The program features an integrative health component, which prepares graduates as holistic practitioners who understand many different healing methodologies and practice collaboratively with those who seek care. There is also an emphasis on caring for disadvantaged populations and eliminating health disparities. Students may choose a focus on serving the disadvantaged and have all their clinical experiences in sites with a majority of underserved and Medicaid patients.

The D.N.P. program includes 1,050 total hours of clinical experience for post-baccalaureate students and students who complete the pre-licensure component of the AEM UP program. The program incorporates professional standards and guidelines from The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (AACN, 2006), the Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs (NTF, 2008), the Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies (NONPF, 2011), the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Competencies in Specialty Areas: Adult, Family, Gerontological, Pediatric, and Women’s Health (NONPF, 2002), and the Oregon State Board of Nursing in preparation of the curriculum and evaluation of outcomes. Students complete a comprehensive examination at mid-program to demonstrate progress towards achieving the D.N.P. essentials.  Students complete an independent practice improvement project related to advanced nursing practice and prepare a manuscript for publication to disseminate the results.  The D.N.P. residency is designed for students to demonstrate synthesis of knowledge and use evidence to improve practice or patient outcomes.

The program has two tracks: (1) post-baccalaureate, post completion of the AEM UP pre-licensure component at the University of Portland or non-nurse practitioner post-master's for nurses wanting the F.N.P. population focus, and (2) post-master’s for nurses licensed and certified as nurse practitioners. 

D.N.P. Goals and Program Outcomes

The goals and outcomes of the D.N.P.—F.N.P. program reflect the mission of the School of Nursing with the focus on the profession of nursing, leadership, high quality care for all populations, inquiry, and social justice. The goals, competencies and outcomes are in alignment with professional nursing standards and guidelines.

The goals and program outcomes of the D.N.P. program are to graduate competent, entry-level family nurse practitioners and experienced nurse practitioners who:

1. Practice independently in a variety of primary care health environments, translate best evidence into practice, employ a population focus, incorporate an integrative healthcare perspective, and collaborate with multiple disciplines with the goal of providing effective, comprehensive healthcare;
2. Demonstrate leadership in macro and micro healthcare system change and personal practice improvement; and
3. Proactively strive for social justice, actively address health disparities and function as culturally competent practitioners who relate effectively with diverse and underserved individuals, families and populations.

D.N.P. Admission Requirements

1. Bachelor of science in nursing or a master’s degree in nursing from a school of nursing accredited by an appropriate national nursing accrediting body; or completion of the alternate entry master’s at University of Portland (AEM UP) program pre-licensure component.
2. Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher.
3. For B.S.N. to D.N.P. applicants: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) verbal score of 150 or above (500 or above if exam was completed prior to August 1, 2011) and an analytical writing score of 3.5 or above; or a score of 50 or greater on the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Post-master’s applicants are not required to submit GRE or MAT scores.
4. TOEFL iBT score of 100 or a IELTS score of 7.5, if native language is not English.
5. Current R.N. license to practice nursing in state of residence. R.N. licensure in Oregon is encouraged. Additional costs may be incurred for clinical placements outside of Oregon.
6. For post-master’s nurse practitioner applicants: Current national and state nurse practitioner certification and currenly employed as a nurse practitioner in a clinical setting.
7. For post-baccalaureate applicants: Students admitted to the program must complete of a minimum of 2,000 hours of work as a registered nurse by the start of the 7th semester in the program (by the start of Year 3, Summer Session).
8. Written essay that reflects on the F.N.P. role, the D.N.P. role, and integrative health.
9. Three recommendations from persons able to evaluate current competency in nursing and potential for nursing practice at the most advanced level.
10. College-level statistics course.
11. Ability to use a PC for word processing, e-mail and Internet.
12. Current résumé.
13. An admission interview.

Total Credit Hours: 83

Total credit hours includes 1,050 clinical hours.