About the Program

Philosophy

Consistent with the mission and purpose of the university, the School of Nursing is a Christian community of disciples, scholars, and practitioners. Its purpose is to advance the work of God in the world through nursing education, research, professional practice, community, and church service.

Health is defined and understood by the faculty as totality or completeness, whether for an individual, family, or community. That totality or completeness, within this conceptual definition, cannot be seen apart from the constitutive element of spirituality. Our conceptual approach to health highlights our distinctive role as a Christian university and provides the discipline of nursing with a distinctive domain for research and advanced nursing practice.

Program Goals

DNP graduates will be well-prepared to translate new knowledge from research into cost-effective and culturally competent clinical practice. They will contribute to the development of health policy in the promotion of health, reducing the burden of disability, and maintaining the quality of life.

The following are the student learning outcomes for the DNP Program:

1. Utilize nursing, bioethical, physical, spiritual, psychosocial, and organizational sciences in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of advanced clinical nursing practice.
2. Provide transformative and collaborative leadership in the organization and management of health care delivery systems for ethnically and culturally diverse populations to improve patient and population outcomes.
3. Critically examine, develop, and translate research and other evidence as a basis for developing, implementing, and evaluating advanced clinical nursing practice and health care delivery.
4. Employ current technological and informational advances from health care and other disciplines to promote the highest level of health care delivery.
5. Actively participate in evaluating, formulating, and implementing health care policies that address health disparities and health care from a social justice and ethical framework.
6. Integrate faith traditions and Christian values in the development of professional and advanced nursing practice.

Curriculum

The curriculum provides theoretical and empirical knowledge essential for advanced nursing practice, clinical research, health policy formation, and nursing education.

The core courses include: wellness promotion, statistical analysis, social ethics, advanced pathogenesis, program evaluation, translational research, informatics, spirituality and health, and organizational leadership. The courses prepare students to implement the use of translational research approaches in healthcare. Coursework in these areas enables students to identify and formulate a translational research project as the culmination of their program.

DNP Courses

View the catalog for a list of DNP program details and program learning outcomes.

Intensives

Students enrolled in the School of Nursing DNP program at Azusa Pacific University will participate in an intensive campus experience each semester in Monrovia, California. Intensives are usually scheduled for Friday afternoon and/or all day Saturday (see posted schedule). DNP intensives provide an opportunity for faculty-student engagement, networking with colleagues, interaction with library and Writing Center resources and personnel, and course enrichment through guest speakers. Intensives are designed to support students in developing the required DNP project, from early question development to DNP project completion. Our highly skilled and engaging faculty make these experiences both educational and enjoyable. DNP Student Association meetings also take place during the intensives. Attendance at these intensives is a DNP program requirement.

Dates for Intensives

2018

• February 9-10: Intensives 1 and 2
• March 10: Writing Boot Camp
• June 15: Intensives 2 and 3

2018-19

• October 5-6, 2018: Intensives 1-4
• February 15-16, 2019: Intensives 1-5
• March 16: Writing Boot Camp
• June 7: Intensives 2-6

2019-20

• October 4-5, 2019: Intensives 1-6
• February 7-8, 2020: Intensives 1-6
• February 21: Writing Boot Camp
• June 5-6: Intensives 2-6

Residency Practice Hours

In alignment with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), a minimum of 1,000 hours of clinical residency is required for the completion of the DNP degree. Students who have completed an Advanced Practice RN (APRN) program from an accredited institution, such as Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), may transfer up to 500 clinical hours from the APRN program to the DNP program. These students are required to complete 500 additional clinical hours. Students who have an MSN in an area other than an advanced-practice specialty may be credited for some or all of their clinical hours from their master’s program based on the results of a gap analysis. The clinical residency is composed of GNRS 733A, GNRS 733B, and GNRS 733C, and the leadership residency of GNRS 734A, GNRS 734B, and GNRS 734C.

DNP Project

The DNP is a practice-focused doctorate that includes integrative practice experiences and an intense practice immersion experience. Each student in the program generates an evidence-based project as an integral part of their practice experience. There are a number of practice doctorates at the university, which provide opportunities for interdisciplinary coursework and collaborative projects.

The DNP Project is the culminating scholarly, clinical inquiry project of students in the DNP program. This project represents the translation or application of research evidence into direct or indirect advanced practice nursing roles. The completion of the DNP project lays the groundwork for future scholarship and evidence-based practice.