Track Description
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Track prepares nurses at the highest level of practice for the current health care environment based on a strong scientific foundation for practice; flexibility and emphasis on evidence-based practice, leadership, and organizational analysis; and analysis of the DNP project.
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Track prepares the advanced practice nurse to care for patients with medically complex stable and unstable acute, critical and chronic illnesses across care settings ranging from hospitals to subacute, ambulatory care, clinic and home care environments at the DNP level, incorporating DNP essentials in practice with a culminating DNP project.
Program Objectives
The objectives of the DNP program are to prepare graduates to:
- Critically analyze complex clinical situations and practice systems and disseminate findings.
- Assume leadership roles in the development of clinical practice models, health policy and standards of care.
- Develop practice models that support diagnostic reasoning skills and clinical judgment through the use of the evidence-based practice.
- Analyze the social, economic, political, epidemiological and other scientific data to improve individual, aggregate and population health.
- Demonstrate information fluency and advanced communication skills to lead quality improvement initiatives to improve patient care and healthcare systems.
- Design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive care models for populations and/or systems and disseminate findings.
Curriculum
The DNP Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track requires a minimum of 76 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. The curriculum includes 39 credits of core courses shared with other DNP tracks, 14 credits of APN core and 23 credits of specialty courses. A total of 1,080 practicum hours are required to earn the DNP. The program prepares nurses at the entry level for advanced practice for the current healthcare system based on a strong scientific foundation for practice; offers flexibility and emphasis on evidence-based practice, leadership and organizational analysis; and provides analytic, critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills to examine practice innovations involving completion of the residency project during the clinical residency courses. Details about this program are in the Advanced Practice DNP Handbook.
Total Credit Hours Required: 76 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor’s Degree
Prerequisite Courses—9 Credit Hours
Students with a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing will be required to take the following courses prior to taking required program courses. Consistent with graduate nursing program policies, courses must be completed with a grade of ‘B’ or better.
- NUR 3805 - Dimensions of Professional Practice 3 Credit Hours
- NUR 4637 - Public Health Nursing 3 Credit Hours
- NUR 3165 - Nursing Research 3 Credit Hours
Advanced Practice Core Courses—14 Credit Hours
- NGR 5003 - Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning 2 Credit Hours
- NGR 5003L - Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning Lab 1 Credit Hours (60 Lab Hours)
- NGR 5141 - Pathophysiological Bases for Advanced Nursing Practice 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 5638 - Health Promotion 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6172 - Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6063L - Advanced Skills for the Management of Illness and Injuries 2 Credit Hours
- (120 Lab Hours)
Specialty Courses: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner—23 Credit Hours
- NGR 6210 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner I 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6230L - Diagnostics and Skills for the Critically Ill 2 Credit Hours (120 clinical hours)
- NGR 6211 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6211L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II Clinical 3 Credit Hours (180 clinical hours)
- NGR 6175 - Critical Care Pharmacology 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6212 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6212L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III Clinical 3 Credit Hours (180 clinical hours)
- NGR 6215L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practicum 3 Credit Hours (180 clinical hours)
DNP Core Courses—39 Credit Hours
- NGR 5800 - Theory for Advanced Practice Nursing 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6801 - Research Methods 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 6874 - Nursing Environment Management 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7673 - Epidemiology Principles in Advanced Practice Nursing 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7793 - Leadership and Economics in Advanced Practice Nursing 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7827 - Concepts, Measurement, and Data Management 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7820 - Innovative Technologies in Healthcare 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7892 - Healthcare Systems and Policy 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7855C - Evidence-Based Practice Development for DNP 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7065 - Advanced Clinical Management for Advanced Practice Nursing 3 Credit Hours
- NGR 7911C - Doctoral Project I 3 Credit Hours (60 clinical hours)
- NGR 7912C - Doctoral Project 2 3 Credit Hours (120 clinical hours)
- NGR 7913 - Doctoral Project 3 3 Credit Hours
DNP Project
The DNP Project is related to advanced nursing practice and benefits a group, population or community rather than an individual patient. It addresses identified needs and builds on an evidence base. DNP projects may include but are not limited to:
- Translate research into practice and evaluate outcomes
- Quality improvement (care processes, continuity of care, patient outcomes)
- Implement and evaluate evidence-based practice guidelines
- Analyze policy: develop, implement, evaluate or revise policy
- Design and use databases to retrieve information for decision making, planning, evaluation
- Conduct financial analyses to compare care models and potential cost savings, etc.
- Design and evaluate new models of care
- Design and evaluate health promotion and disease prevention programs
- Assess integration of technology in care
The theme that links these forms of scholarly experiences is the use of evidence to improve either practice or patient outcomes. Additional examples of DNP projects can be found on the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF) website under Practice Doctorate Resource Center.
Progress to Degree
Students are required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average. Students who receive a grade below “B” in any course will be reviewed by the DNP Admissions, Progression and Graduation Committee for continuation in the program. Grades of below “B” are not acceptable in the doctoral program in the College of Nursing. Students who do not maintain a 3.0 GPA will be put on probation or dismissed from the program.
Graduation Requirements
- All course work completed with a minimum grade of “B”
- A satisfactory DNP Project
- Clinical performance evaluated at a satisfactory level
- A satisfactory public presentation of the DNP Project
Independent Learning
A DNP Project will be completed by all students in the DNP program. A scholarly project, derived from clinical practice, will be developed in depth with faculty supervision.
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
- One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- BSN degree from an accredited institution by program start date.*
- Undergraduate Statistics course.
- Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last five years.
- Licensure as a registered nurse in the State of Florida by program start date. (Out of state applicants must be eligible for licensure in Florida and must achieve RN licensure to begin clinical courses.)
- Current certification as an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and basic life support (BLS) provider.
- Address the following 3 items in a written essay. Responses to questions should not exceed 1 page, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, and 1-inch margins:
- Describe how earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice in the track to which you applied will help you achieve your personal and professional goals.
- Explain those personal and professional experiences that have helped prepare you for doctoral study and your readiness for doctoral study at this time.
- The final DNP project focuses on implementation of an evidence-based change that impacts healthcare outcomes through direct or indirect care from a systems or population/aggregate focus. Describe an area of interest you believe could be improved through such a project.
- Curriculum Vitae: CV should reflect prior education, recent clinical accomplishments, any recent scholarly work (publications and presentations), awards, additional certifications, and activities with professional organizations. For recent graduates, this can include accomplishments as a student
- Requires 3 professional recommendations
- An interview with faculty may also be required.
*For Students with an RN license and a Bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing, please contact the College of Nursing Graduate Office at gradnurse@ucf.edu or 407-823-2744 for additional options.
Before submitting your application, it is recommended that applicants call the College of Nursing Graduate Office at 407-823-2744 to schedule an appointment with a DNP adviser to discuss your goals for doctoral study. It is advantageous to discuss the program before writing the required essay because the essay must address your goals for doctoral-level preparation for advanced nursing practice.
Upon admission to the program student will be required to complete FDLE/FBI fingerprinting and certified background checks, and health screening. Students must be able to meet clinical partner background requirements to continue in the program.
The College of Nursing uses a student information management system, LEAP*RN (Project Concert). This database houses information regarding plans of study, clinical placements, clinical hours, logs, and evaluation data to assist in maintaining standards required for CCNE accreditation, facilitate student progression, and enhance clinical tracking. Students will need to access LEAP*RN for clinical course requirements, course evaluations, and portfolios. Upon graduation, students will continue to have no-cost access to their information. All students will be responsible for a one-time subscription of $150 per degree program payable at https://secure.projectconcert.com/ucf and due prior to registering for first semester courses. If students register for courses prior to paying the subscription, a “hold” service indicator will be placed to prevent future enrollment and other progression functions.
Application Deadlines
| Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner | *Fall Priority | Fall | Spring | Summer |
| Domestic Applicants | Jan 15 | Feb 1 |
| International Applicants | Jan 15 | Jan 15 |
| *Applicants who plan to enroll full time in a degree program and who wish to be considered for university fellowships or assistantships should apply by the Fall Priority date. |
Financials
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowships
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
GRE: 5233
GMAT: RZT-HT-58
TOEFL: 5233
ETS PPI: 5233
