Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs in New York

The nursing field has taken great strides in recent years. New York’s Columbia University is home to the first Endowed Nursing Chair in Public Health and the first WHO Collaborating Center for International Nursing Development in Advanced Practice. Yet even as nurses strive to take on leadership roles in global health, many people still envision them as patient care assistants. The AACN is hoping that the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree will have a hand in changing not only how nurses at the highest level practice, but also how they are perceived by the health community.

In 2002, the AACN began a task force. They visited the practice doctorate programs that existed in the country and asked them how their doctoral level alumni were better prepared than their master’s ones. Two years later, they announced their findings. They believed that additional coursework could improve health outcomes in a fragmented and increasingly complex healthcare system. Moreover, they believed that further education could help nurses become better health advocates and take a greater role in shaping public policy. Programs for nurse practitioners were already longer than typical master’s programs, they noted, and nurses didn’t graduate with a degree that reflected their expertise. It was time for a new educational standard for advance practice nurses: the doctorate.

AACN urged that the educational transition take place within a ten year time frame. The accrediting bodies, CCNE and AANA, have supported AACN goals while stopping short of mandating the 2015 deadline. AANA has stated that 2025 is the target date to have all nurse anesthesia courses transitioned — yet many programs are already making the switch. In seven years, the number of practice doctorate programs has increased from four to 120. This figure includes courses for nurse leaders as well as APNs. Executives may choose the DNP because they want additional strategies or because they feel that they can make the most impact with a degree that is comparable to that of practitioners in other fields. The DNP is offered in the standard specialty areas, and in some sub-specialties, like child/ psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

Difference Between the PhD and DNP Program

Though the practice doctorate encompasses both practice and executive roles, it differs from a PhD; there is less focus on original academic research. Nursing students in a DNP course learn to assimilate information from many sources, but not necessarily to bring new knowledge into the field. AACN standards include epidemiology, healthcare policy and advocacy, leadership, and informatics. Advanced practice nurses also do some advanced studies in their own specialty. There is typically a capstone project which involves translational research. Requirements vary from institution to institution. At Pace University, students complete a “culturally competent, evidence-based” project in conjunction with clinical hours at a partnership institution. At some institutions, the project and residency are completed at the end of the program. At others, a student can begin their project early in the course of study.

In New York, the DNP is currently offered post-masters at most institutions. There will be more options after master’s preparation programs are phased out. St John Fisher College notes that while only master’s students are currently admitted, later, there should be a post-baccalaureate option as well. At this time, there are still a number of master’s level courses preparing students for initial licensure as advanced practice nurses.

Contact Information for DNP Programs in New York

Find schools offering DNP Programs Online in New York.

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