Medical University of South Carolina
College of Nursing
Doctor of Nursing Practice Proposal

The College of Nursing will be requesting approval to open a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.  This change is requested based on national standards and the desire to provide the educational preparation necessary for nurses to meet the needs of health care consumers in the 21st century.

In Fall 2004 the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) set as a goal that preparation for advanced practice in nursing should occur at the doctoral level by 2015. In addition, they have recently proposed that faculty teaching nursing students in both baccalaureate and graduate degree programs be prepared at the doctoral level.  The MUSC College of Nursing has assessed these trends over time and it is clear that schools across the country are moving to conform with this recommendation.  Currently there are 55 schools offering the DNP and140 schools are preparing to do so.

At this time we are developing the proposed program of study. It will offer a post-BSN and post-MSN entry. For the post-BSN entry we anticipate that it will be a three year curriculum that will be based on AACN's core DNP competencies and meet competency requirements for advanced nursing practice specialty and role concentrations. Our current MSN program is 52 credit hours.  We anticipate that the DNP program will be approximately 80 credit hours.  The program will be offered in an online format with a required residency. At the end of the first two years, students will have the option of exiting with a Masters of Science in Nursing Degree.  With this degree they would be able to sit for certification as a:

• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Adult Nurse Practitioner
• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Nursing Administration and Nurse Educator also will be available at the MSN level.

The post-MSN program for the DNP will be 1-2 years in length depending upon the applicants prerequisites and will be offered online.

All programs of study will be available for full-time or part-time study, except for Nursing Administration, which will only be offered for part-time study.

Graduates with a DNP will be able to assume faculty positions, thus clearly addressing the nurse faculty shortage.  In addition, the program has opportunities for collaboration with other colleges here at MUSC.  The curriculum will include intense clinical immersion that emphasizes evidence-based approaches for quality and safety improvement in various roles and practice settings and provides students with interactive mentorship by clinical experts.  It will also emphasize nursing's role in translational research.

In the coming months we will be developing the curriculum, seeking official MUSC approval, and meeting with required approval bodies. It is our intent to begin the approval process for this request, with the hope of opening the program in Fall 2009. This proposal received preliminary approval from the MUSC Dean's Council on September 17, 2007.