DNP: Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
The Neonatal Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Practitioner (NP) Program is a full-time doctoral program for registered nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing who desire to become nurse practitioners. Consistent with the mission statements of the School of Nursing and the Graduate College at St. Catherine University, the DNP-NP Program educates nurse practitioners to lead and influence as doctoral-prepared experts in advanced nursing practice.
The DNP-NP Program begins with core graduate nursing courses and courses that lay the foundation for nurse practitioner clinical practice. Students will continue with neonatal track-specific course work, followed by clinical hours and their DNP project. Courses are grounded in a commitment to critical inquiry, innovation, ethical leadership, social justice, with a holistic view of the person, designed to prepare scholar-practitioners who lead and influence, advocate for justice, honor diverse and global perspectives, and demonstrate expertise in their area of study.
Why the DNP?
The Nurse Practitioner program at St. Catherine University was one of the first NP programs in Minnesota. Our graduates have a long and successful history of providing excellent patient care, especially for the most vulnerable populations in Minnesota and throughout the country. Dynamic changes in the role of the nurse practitioner and the need for nurses to earn higher degrees supported the need to transform the M.S. Nurse Practitioner program into a DNP-NP program.
Years to Complete the Program
This is a 3- or 4-year program of study to complete the DNP-NP program. Students are expected to complete the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Practitioner (NP) Program within seven years of initial enrollment.
Important Technical Standards
For successful admission and continuance in St. Catherine University’s pre-licensure nursing programs, a specific set of essential cognitive, sensory, communication, psychomotor, and behavioral/ emotional/spiritual health abilities are required to be performed with or without reasonable accommodations.
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NURS 7140 | Foundations of Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| NURS 8150 | Leadership for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 |
| STAT 7000 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 3 |
| IPE 7000 | Evidence Based Practice: Interprofessional Perspectives and Competencies 1 | 3 |
| NURS 7080 | Informatics for Advanced Healthcare Practice and Management | 3 |
| NURS 8300 | Advanced Outcomes Measurement and Evaluation | 3 |
| NURS 6223 | Advanced Pharmacology across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NURS 6160 | Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NURS 6143 | Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 3 |
| NURS 6230 | Embryology and Pathophysiology of the Neonate | 2 |
| NURS 6340 | Advanced Neonatal Assessment, Diagnostics, and Procedures | 2 |
| NURS 6352 | Neonatal Pharmacotherapeutics | 2 |
| NURS 7030 | Neonatal Management I: Common Neonatal Conditions | 3 |
| NURS 7230 | Neonatal Management II: The High Risk Neonate | 3 |
| NURS 7430 | Neonatal Management III: Complex Conditions of the Neonate | 3 |
| NURS 7215 | Neonatal Clinical I | 1 |
| NURS 8015 | Neonatal Clinical II | 3 |
| NURS 8215 | Neonatal Clinical III | 3 |
| NURS 8325 | Neonatal Clinical IV | 2 |
| NURS 8515 | DNP Practicum I: Leading QI | 2 |
| NURS 8523 | Advanced Evidence-based Practice | 3 |
| NURS 8536 | Healthcare Economics and Finance | 3 |
| NURS 8543 | Health Care: Power, Policy and Politics | 3 |
| NURS 8516 | DNP Practicum II: Strategic project planning | 2 |
| NURS 8517 | DNP Practicum III: QI implementation and data analysis | 2 |
| NURS 8518 | DNP Practicum IV: Sustaining and disseminating QI | 2 |
| Total Credits | 68 | |
- 1
May also be fulfilled by NURS 7060 Evidence Based Practice
Three Year Plan
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 7140 | 3 | NURS 7080 | 3 | NURS 6143 | 3 |
| STAT 7000 | 3 | IPE 7000 | 3 | NURS 6230 | 2 |
| NURS 6223 | 3 | NURS 6160 | 3 | NURS 6352 | 2 |
| 9 | 9 | 7 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 8150 | 3 | NURS 8300 | 3 | NURS 8515 | 2 |
| NURS 7030 | 3 | NURS 7230 | 3 | NURS 7430 | 3 |
| NURS 6340 | 2 | NURS 8523 | 3 | NURS 7215 | 1 |
| 8 | 9 | 6 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 8536 | 3 | NURS 8517 | 2 | NURS 8518 | 2 |
| NURS 8015 | 3 | NURS 8215 | 3 | NURS 8325 | 2 |
| NURS 8516 | 2 | NURS 8543 | 3 | ||
| 8 | 8 | 4 | |||
| Total Credits: 68 | |||||
Four Year Plan
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 7140 | 3 | NURS 7080 | 3 | NURS 8150 | 3 |
| STAT 7000 | 3 | IPE 7000 | 3 | NURS 6230 | 2 |
| 6 | 6 | 5 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 6223 | 3 | NURS 6160 | 3 | NURS 6143 | 3 |
| NURS 8536 | 3 | NURS 6352 | 2 | ||
| NURS 6340 | 2 | ||||
| 8 | 3 | 5 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 8300 | 3 | NURS 8523 | 3 | NURS 8515 | 2 |
| NURS 7030 | 3 | NURS 7230 | 3 | NURS 7430 | 3 |
| NURS 7215 | 1 | ||||
| 6 | 6 | 6 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 8516 | 2 | NURS 8543 | 3 | NURS 8518 | 2 |
| NURS 8015 | 3 | NURS 8517 | 2 | NURS 8325 | 2 |
| NURS 8215 | 3 | ||||
| 5 | 8 | 4 | |||
| Total Credits: 68 | |||||