BINGHAMTON, NY -- Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing will introduce a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program in the fall semester of 2010, offering advanced practice nurses the opportunity to gain clinical and leadership expertise beyond the master's-degree level.
“In today’s complex health care environment, nurses serving in specialty positions need to have the highest level of clinical, leadership and practice expertise,” said Joyce Ferrario, dean of the Decker School of Nursing. “And Binghamton University is uniquely positioned to meet this demand. We already have excellent master’s programs and outstanding faculty and by transitioning to a DNP, Binghamton will be able to draw from these strengths to provide the kind of high-level preparation that is required for nursing practice today.”
The launch of the DNP at Binghamton University is particularly important in light of a recommendation by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to move the educational requirement for all advanced practice nurses from a master’s degree to the doctoral level by 2015.
“Nurses prepared at the doctoral level will significantly impact health care outcomes,” said Ferrario. “The blend of clinical, organizational, economic and leadership skills that the DNP offers will expand Binghamton University’s contribution to the training of nursing faculty at a time when we are facing a national and statewide shortage of nursing personnel. As one of only two DNP programs offered through SUNY, our goal is to produce nursing leaders who will be able to influence and address major health care issues and as a result, be able to facilitate better patient care, and improve patient outcomes in New York state.”
Binghamton University’s DNP program has been designed for nurses with master’s or bachelor’s degrees and offers two tracks — either nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist. Students holding a master’s degree in nursing may apply for admission for fall 2010 and will need to complete 38 credits to graduate from the program. Those holding a bachelor’s degree in nursing may apply for admission for the fall 2011 and will be required to complete 77 credits.
The Decker School expects to enroll about 25 full-time and 25 part-time students in the program. Plans are also underway to offer the program in a blended format with classroom and online courses, which would appeal to a national pool of applicants.
The curriculum, developed in accordance with the guidelines of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice, will include proficiencies in areas such as organizational and systems leadership for quality improvement, patient care technology for the improvement and transformation of health care, policies for advocacy in health care, clinical prevention, and advanced nursing practice.
“Over the years, requirements for the profession of nursing have evolved, which is consistent with healthcare needs,” said Ferrario. “Nurses prepared with graduate degrees are important resources for health care. But as we look to the future, delivery and access to needed services will require even more of a focused approach to ensure that the number of nurses prepared at this level does not diminish. Our DNP graduates will be highly qualified and equipped with skills to embrace and solve many of the new health care challenges we will face in the future.”
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