News & Announcements

Doctor of Nursing Practice Approved by Board of Control (12/16/11)

MSN Program Announces Changes for Fall 2012 (12/16/11)

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Approved by Board of Control

December 16, 2011 - The Board of Control for Saginaw Valley State University approved a doctor of nursing practice program. The DNP program was approved by the Presidents Council on January 20, 2012. Students will be admitted starting the Fall 2012 Semester. For more information on the DNP program, please contact the DNP Coodinator, Dr. Karen Brown-Fackler at kmbrown4(at)svsu.edu or by phone at (989)964-2185.

What is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)?

On October 25, 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) voted to endorse the Position Statement on the Practice Doctorate in Nursing. This decision called for moving the current level of preparation necessary for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), including Nurse Practitioners, from the master’s degree to the doctorate-level by the year 2015.
DNP curricula build on traditional master's programs by providing education in evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and systems leadership, among other key areas.
The DNP is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice and offers an alternative to research-focused doctoral programs. DNP-prepared nurses are well-equipped to fully implement the science developed by nurse researchers prepared in PhD, DNSc, and other research-focused nursing doctorates.
(Source: Introducing the Doctor of Nursing Practice (AACN Fact Sheet for DNP, April 2011)

Why Move to the DNP?

The changing demands of this nation's complex healthcare environment require the highest level of scientific knowledge and practice expertise to assure quality patient outcomes. The Institute of Medicine, Joint Commission, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other authorities have called for reconceptualizing educational programs that prepare today’s health professionals including development of practice doctorate.
Some of the many factors building momentum for change in nursing education at the graduate level include: the rapid expansion of knowledge underlying practice; increased complexity of patient care; national concerns about the quality of care and patient safety; shortages of nursing personnel which demands a higher level of preparation for leaders who can design and assess care; shortages of doctorally-prepared nursing faculty; and increasing educational expectations for the preparation of other members of the healthcare team.

Introducing SVSU’s DNP Program

The DNP program will prepare Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP). There will be two program options:

BSN-DNP – 79 credits. Based on 2-courses per semester, this option can be completed in 4 ½ years including 4 spring/summers.
Post FNP-MSN – 39 credits. This 4 ½ year option requires mostly 1-course per semester.

The DNP program is designed to be mostly hybrid. A hybrid course will offer a combination of on-campus face-to-face sessions with off-campus online learning.
A unique feature of the SVSU DNP program is the emphasis on rural health. Our strong regional network of outstanding family nurse practitioner preceptors has a tradition of providing excellent precepted clinical practice for our FNP students.
The capstone project for the DNP student will be an evidence-based clinical change project that will be developed over three courses. The evidence-based clinical change project will be implemented during at least one clinical immersion course.
Admission criteria include: MSN GPA of 3.3; MSN research/statistics course with minimum grade of B within last 7 years or demonstration of proficiency; certified to practice as an FNP in Michigan; college chemistry with grade of C or higher (3 cr. course of general, organic or biochemistry); two letters of recommendation (one from a doctorally prepared academician); GRE within 6 years with approved scores; goal statement with literature support; detailed resume with current job title and description; and an interview for successfully screened applicants.

MSN Program Announces Changes for Fall 2012

December 16, 2011 - Beginning Fall 2012, there will be three tracks in the Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) program at SVSU:

Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL), 36 credits
Nurse Administrator, 39 credits
Nurse Educator, 39 credits

Admission criteria include:

GPA of 3.0; licensure to practice in Michigan; two letters of recommendation (including nursing faculty member for recent BSN graduates); essay; and an interview.

The program is designed to be mostly hybrid. A hybrid course will offer a combination of on-campus face-to-face sessions with off-campus online learning.
The program can be completed in two years, including two spring/summer semesters.

For more information on the DNP program, please contact the DNP Coodinator, Dr. Karen Brown-Fackler at kmbrown4(at)svsu.edu or by phone at (989)964-2185.

About the different tracks:

Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL)

In practice, the CNL oversees the care coordination of a distinct group of patients and actively provides direct patient care in complex situations. This master’s prepared clinician puts evidence-based practice into action to ensure that patients benefit from the latest innovations in care delivery. The CNL evaluates patient outcomes, assesses cohort risk, and has the decision-making authority to change care plans when necessary. The CNL is a leader in the health care delivery system, and the implementation of this role will vary across settings (Source: AACN, 2005, Fact Sheet: The Clinical Nurse Leader). Learn more about the CNL at http://www.aacn.nche.edu

Nurse Administrator

The nurse administrator student completes the 30 credits of the core MSN program plus 9 credits in the nurse administrator track. These 9 credits begin with the Foundations of Nursing Administration course which presents the evidence and best practices in nursing administration while emphasizing the implementation and evaluation of nursing services along with the study of current issues in the field of nursing administration. The remaining 6 credits are obtained through selected administration and business courses taken in other colleges at SVSU.

Nurse Educator

The nurse educator student completes the 30 credits of the core MSN program plus the three nurse educator track courses. These three courses provide didactic learning and practicum experience learning the principles of evidence-based teaching and learning in nursing education; principles of assessment and the use of technology in nursing education; and the principles of curriculum design. These three courses provide a total of 180 hours of precepted experience including enacting the role of a nursing educator. The graduate of the nurse educator program is prepared to teach in a clinical agency, in an ADN program, or to be a preceptor/ clinical instructor in a BSN program.