Program Outcomes

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice degree enables the graduates to transform the health care delivery system and design new systems to improve the context in which health care is offered. Nurses prepared at the DNP level will function from a strong evidence-based foundation, effectively assessing health care policy, organizational effectiveness, and economic trends in health care to design new models for patient care services. The practice doctorate is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice, and offers an alternative to research focused doctoral programs.

The graduate of the DNP program will:

  • Demonstrate effective clinical judgment and innovation in nursing practice through the integration, translation, and application of distinct nursing knowledge utilizing shared multi-disciplinary theory and research-based knowledge.

  • Develop person-centered plans of care that integrates holistic,  compassionate, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate knowledge, regardless of specialty or functional area, integrating assessment, evaluation, and diagnostic skills into care coordination.

  • Engage in traditional and non-traditional public health partnerships that demonstrate advocacy and equitable policy strategies and consider the socioeconomic impact of health care delivery to ensure equitable population health outcomes and advanced preparedness during disasters and public health emergencies.

  • Transform into practice evidence-based nursing knowledge based on scholarly ethical foundations that promote, integrate, and improve health care systems and patient outcomes.

  • Formulate interprofessional quality improvement practice and safety initiatives within the healthcare system through performance, fiscal, and policy measures, and organizational processes.

  • Model interprofessional collaboration through partnerships between various healthcare disciplines, patients, families, and communities, utilizing team dynamics to empower colleagues, patients, families, and communities to act on behalf of justice and improved healthcare outcomes.

  • Implement safe, cost-effective, quality, interprofessional, and equitable care to diverse populations that utilize evidence-based practices and innovations to optimize care across healthcare systems. 

  • Review data obtained from the use of technology, communication, and informatics to create meaningful information to guide decision-making and support the expansion of knowledge and ethico-legally sound advanced nursing practice within health care delivery systems serving diverse populations.

  • Create opportunities to teach, mentor, and facilitate professional and interprofessional development of nurses and other healthcare disciplines to promote a participatory approach to the delivery of healthcare across all diverse cultural and spiritual milieus.

  • Integrate personal health and well-being practices while contributing to a resilient workplace environment fostering individual and professional growth while employing leadership skills that advance nursing practice that supports the role of the professional nurse in promoting social justice across the healthcare delivery systems.

  • Develop creative educational programs for the system to address patient needs, staff development and student achievement.

  • Foster the exploration of new knowledge to address issues in the delivery of health care, especially nursing care.

  • Advocate for culturally competent environments and systems of care.

  • Sponsor and model ethical decision making in all aspects of practice with the self, patient, family, community and health care delivery systems.

Introduction to the Tracks

The School of Nursing offers two online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) tracks.

DNP in Clinical Leadership

Invested in practical, hands-on education and experiential learning, the DNP in Clinical Leadership provides the knowledge needed to impact organizational and system changes by leading efforts in evidence-based practice involving quality improvement, evaluation of health care programs and influencing health care policy.

The Clinical Leadership DNP program can help you learn how to effectively influence patient outcomes and improve the quality of care in clinical settings through evidence-based practice. You may pursue roles where you will be responsible for managing nursing staff and serve as a resource of knowledge for your team in implementing best practices when it comes to patient care.

DNP in Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management

As a graduate of the DNP in Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management, you will be able to collaborate with senior executives and leaders across various health care disciplines to identify problems, propose solutions and implement change for health care systems as a whole. You will gain the knowledge of how finance, budgeting, human resources and other aspects of business fit together to improve patient outcomes.

This DNP track offers two entry pathways:

  • Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management DNP - Post-Bachelor's

Explore management and executive administration roles while developing key business skills. Developed in collaboration with Duquesne's Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, this program will help you learn effective ways to utilize and lead evidence-based practice initiatives that facilitate the delivery of safe, quality nursing care at organizational and system levels to improve patient care outcomes in a variety of health care organizations.

  • Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management DNP - Post-Master's

Developed in partnership with Duquesne's Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, this online DNP will teach you to utilize your leadership experiences to advance your awareness of business and executive administrative roles in health care. Enhancing these business and leadership skills will improve your abilities to lead change in organizations through the implementation of evidence-based practice aimed at improving health care delivery and achieving strategic organizational and system goals.

DNP in Nurse Anesthesia

The DNP in Nurse Anesthesia prepares nurses with a critical care background to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs).  This program combines practice-focused experiences with theoretical knowledge to prepare graduates to provide safe, well-informed and effective anesthesia care. Clinical experiences include working in hospitals, outpatient surgical centers and other healthcare settings. The DNP in Nurse Anesthesia is considered a hybrid program, mixing online and in-person instruction throughout the curriculum.

DNP Residency - Clinical Leadership and Nurse Executive Leadership tracks only

The DNP program includes three residency experiences.

1. Strengthen your professional writing skills.

Writing is a complex process, especially at the doctoral level. Our writing residency prepares you to deliver high-quality academic papers and projects. Prior to orientation, you will gain access to writing modules created exclusively for DNP online students. Each module can be completed at your own pace.

2. Study advanced practice nursing in Italy (optional)

This experience is an optional, study-abroad residency. It is part of the transcultural and global health perspectives course, GPNS 917.

DNP students can study advanced practice nursing in Italy at Duquesne's Rome campus. This is an outstanding opportunity for doctoral nursing students to learn more about international health care systems.

Please note that any tuition discounts that graduate students receive are not applicable to study abroad courses.

Students receiving any outside aide are responsible for ensuring that the aid will cover expenses related to study abroad courses. 

3. Complete a specialized leadership project.

Nurses prepared at the DNP level are expected to provide leadership for evidence-based practice in nursing, and our DNP tracks focus on how evidence-based practice influences patient care.

Research drives health care and defines the procedures, policies and patient care measures that keep everything in motion, and that is why we require you to complete a DNP Practice Project. Your project will demonstrate what you have learned throughout the coursework, and it will showcase a solution to a specific problem as it relates to your chosen DNP track.

Working closely with faculty, you will select an area of interest to evaluate, such as a population, program, system or clinical intervention within a health care setting. Each course in our DNP program builds on the last — enabling you to work toward the completion of your DNP project every step of the way.

Coursework (Fall 2025)

Please note that revisions to courses and coursework are ongoing.

DNP in Clinical Leadership Coursework

Course # Course Title Credits
GPNS 906 Healthcare Informatics (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 908 Evidence Based Practice – Leading Change Management (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 920 Health Care Policy 3 credits
GPNS 969 Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 970 Evidence Based Practice – Translation of Research to Practice (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 976 Ethical Leadership in Management and Healthcare 3 credits
GPNS 977 Transcultural Health and Global Healthcare Delivery 3 credits
GPNS 978 Social Justice and Preventing Vulnerable Populations 3 credits
GPNS 979 Analytical Methods – Healthcare Program Evaluation and Analysis (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 980 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum I: Implementation (Up to 350 Hours) 4 credits
GPNS 981 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum II: Evaluation (Up to 350 Hours) 4 credits
--- Total 35 credits

Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management DNP - Post-Bachelor's Coursework

Course  # Course Title Credits
GPNG 548  Evidence Based Practice and Policy for Advanced Nursing 3 credits
GPNG 550  Clinical Prevention and Population Health Promotion for Advanced Nursing Practice 3 credits
GPNS 906  Healthcare Informatics (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 908  Evidence Based Practice – Leading Change Management (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 920 Health Care Policy 3 credits
GPNS 969  Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 970  Evidence Based Practice – Translation of Research to Practice (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 974  Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare 3 credits
GPNS 975  Organizational Leadership for Healthcare Leaders (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 977   Transcultural Health and Global Healthcare Delivery 3 credits
GPNS 978  Social Justice and Preventing Vulnerable Populations 3 credits
GPNS 979  Analytical Methods – Healthcare Program Evaluation and Analysis (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 980  Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum I: Implementation (Up to 350 Hours) 4 credits
GPNS 981  Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum II: Evaluation (Up to 350 Hours) 4 credits
MGMT 601  The Entrepreneurial Manager 3 credits
MGMT 605  Behaviors in Organizations 3 credits
MGMT 619  Budgeting and Finance for Managers 3 credits
MGMT 620 Business Strategy 3 credits
--- Total 56 credits

Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management DNP - Post-Master's Coursework

Course # Course Title Credits
GPNS 908  Evidence Based Practice – Leading Change Management (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 969 Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 970 Evidence Based Practice – Translation of Research to Practice (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 974 Legal and Ethical Issues in Healthcare 3 credits
GPNS 975 Organizational Leadership for Healthcare Leaders (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 979 Analytical Methods – Healthcare Program Evaluation and Analysis (50 Hours) 3 credits
GPNS 980 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum I: Implementation (Up to 350 Hours) 4 credits
GPNS 981 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum II: Evaluation (Up to 350 Hours) 4 credits
MGMT 601 The Entrepreneurial Manager 3 credits
MGMT 619 Budgeting and Finance for Managers 3 credits
MGMT 620 Business Strategy 3 credits
  Total 35 credits

DNP in Nurse Anesthesia

Course # Course Title Credits
HLTS 519  Anatomy II  4 credits
GPNA 816  Professional, Legal & Ethical Aspects of Anesthesia Practice   3 credits
GPNA 818 Simulation in Anesthesia Practice  3 credits
GPNA 819  Anesthesia Seminar I / Clinical Practicum 2 -10 hr days/approx 260°  2 credits
GPNA 820 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia I / Clinical Practicum 3 – 10 hours days/approx 300°  4 credits
GPNA 821 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia II / Clinical Practicum 3 – 10 hr days/approx. 390°  4 credits
GPNA 822 Advanced Principles of Anesthesia III / Clinical Practicum 3 – 10 hr days/approx. 390°  4 credits
GPNA 823 Anesthesia Seminar II/ Clinical Practicum 3 – 10 hr days/approx. 300°  2 credits
GPNA 824 Anesthesia Seminar III / Clinical Practicum 3 – 10 hr days/approx. 390°  2 credits
GPNA 825 Anesthesia Role Preparation I / Clinical Practicum 3 – 10 hr days/approx. 390°  3 credits
GPNA 826  Anesthesia Role Preparation II  3 credits
GPNA 827  Anesthesia Seminar IV / Clinical Practicum 3 – 10 hr days/approx. 300°  2 credits
GPNA 829 Introduction to Surgery for the CRNA   3 credits
GPNA 830  Implications of Biochemistry and Physics in Clinical Practice  4 credits
GPNA 831  Implications of Diagnostic Testing for the CRNA  1 credit
GPNA 832 Implications of Diagnostic Imaging for the CRNA  1 credit
GPNG 533  Advanced Pathophysiology Applications  3 credits
GPNG 534  Advanced Pharmacology Applications  3 credits
GPNG 536 Advanced Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for the CRNA  3 credits
GPNG 548  Evidence-based Practice and Policy for Advanced Nursing  3 credits
GPNS 906   Health Care Informatics 3 credits
GPNS 908  Evidence-Based Practice – Leading Change Management  3 credits
GPNS 948  Evidence-Based Practice – Translation of Research to Practice  3 credits
GPNS 962  Advanced Pharm II  3 credits
GPNS 963  Genetics & Genomics for the CRNA  2 credits
GPNS 969  Analytical Methods for Evidence Based Practice and Practice Improvement  3 credits
GPNS 971  Evidence-Based Practice Methods for Health Policy & Program Evaluation  4 credits
GPNS 972  DNP Practicum for the CRNA  6 credits
GPNS 973  DNP Seminar for the CRNA  2 credits
HLTS 517  Anatomy I for the CRNA 2 credits
PNA 817    Basic Principles of Anesthesia   4 credits
--- Total 92 credits

Coursework (Students who started Fall 2024 and before)

Please note that revisions to courses and coursework are ongoing.

DNP in Clinical Leadership Coursework

Course #

Course Title

Credits

GPNS 907 Health Care Policy and Finance 3 credits
GPNS 917 Transcultural Care and Global Health Perspectives 3 credits
GPNG 928 Social Justice and Vulnerable Populations 3 credits
GPNS 937 Ethical Leadership in Complex Organizations 3 credits
GPNS 954 Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice and Practice Improvement 3 credits
GPNS 956 Nursing Infomatics and Data Management 3 credits
GPNS 957 Evidence-Based Practice I 3 credits
GPNS 958 Evidence-Based Practice II 3 credits
GPNS 959 Change Management and Project Analysis 3 credits
GPNS 960 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum I 4 credits
GPNS 961 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum II 4 credits
---

Total

35 credits

Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management DNP - Post-Bachelor's Coursework

Course #

Course Title

Credits

GPNG 524 Evidence-Based Nursing Practice & Policy Development 3 credits
GPNG 527 Clinical Prevention and Population-Based Health Promotion 3 credits
GPNS 907 Health Care Policy and Finance 3 credits
GPNG 928 Social Justice and Vulnerable Populations 3 credits
GPNG 933 The Legal Environment in Nursing and Health Care 3 credits
GPNG 955 Organizational Leadership in Nursing & Health Care 3 credits
GPNS 917 Transcultural Care and Global Health Perspectives 3 credits
GPNS 954 Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice and Practice Improvement 3 credits
GPNS 956 Nursing Informatics and Data Management 3 credits
GPNS 957 Evidence-Based Practice I 3 credits
GPNS 958 Evidence-Based Practice II 3 credits
GPNS 959 Change Management and Project Analysis 3 credits
GPNS 960 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum I 4 credits
GPNS 961 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum II 4 credits
MGMT 601 The Entrepreneurial Manager 3 credits
MGMT 605 Behaviors in Organizations 3 credits
MGMT 619 Budgeting and Finance for Managers 3 credits
MGMT 620 Business Strategy 3 credits
---

Total

56 credits

Executive Nurse Leadership and Health Care Management DNP - Post-Master's Coursework

Course #

Course Title

Credits

GPNS 933 The Legal Environment in Nursing and Health Care 3 credits
GPNS 954 Analytical Methods for Evidence-Based Practice and Practice Improvement 3 credits
GPNS 955 Organizational Leadership in Nursing and Health Care 3 credits
GPNS 957 Evidence-Based Practice I 3 credits
GPNS 958 Evidence-Based Practice II 3 credits
GPNS 959 Change Management and Project Analysis 3 credits
GPNS 960 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum I 4 credits
GPNS 961 Doctor of Nursing Practice Practicum II 4 credits
MGMT 601 The Entrepreneurial Manager 3 credits
MGMT 619 Budgeting and Finance for Managers 3 credits
MGMT 620 Business Strategy 3 credits
---

Total

35 credits