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.
The DNP Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track requires a minimum of 75 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. The curriculum includes 39 credits of core courses shared with other DNP tracks, 12 credits of APN core and 24 credits of specialty courses. A total of 1,020 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: 75 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
Track Prerequisites
- BSN degree from an accredited institution by program start date.*
- Undergraduate Statistics course.
- 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.)
*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.
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
Degree Requirements
Advanced Practice Core Courses
12 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- NGR5003 - Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (2)
- NGR5003L - Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning Lab (1)
- NGR5141 - Pathophysiological Bases for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
- NGR5638 - Health Promotion (3)
- NGR6172 - Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
Specialty Courses: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
24 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- NGR6210 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner I (3)
- NGR6230L - Diagnostics and Skills for the Critically Ill (2)
- NGR6211 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II (3)
- NGR6211L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II Clinical (3)
- NGR6175 - Critical Care Pharmacology (3)
- NGR6212 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III (3)
- NGR6212L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III Clinical (3)
- Earn at least 4 credits from the following:
- NGR6215L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practicum (3 - 4)
DNP Core Courses
39 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- NGR5800 - Theory for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
- NGR6801 - Research Methods (3)
- NGR6874 - Nursing Environment Management (3)
- NGR7673 - Epidemiology Principles in Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
- NGR7793 - Leadership and Economics in Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
- NGR7827 - Concepts, Measurement, and Data Management (3)
- NGR7820 - Innovative Technologies in Healthcare (3)
- NGR7892 - Healthcare Systems and Policy (3)
- NGR7855C - Evidence-Based Practice Development for DNP (3)
- NGR7065 - Advanced Clinical Management for Advanced Practice Nursing (3)
- NGR7911C - Doctoral Project I (3)
- NGR7912C - Doctoral Project 2 (3)
- NGR7913 - Doctoral Project 3 (3)
DNP Project
0 Total Credits
- 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.
Grand Total Credits: 75
Application Requirements
Financial Information
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.
Fellowship Information
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.
Progress to DegreeStudents 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 LearningA 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.
