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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Transform into practice evidence-based nursing knowledge based on scholarly ethical foundations that promote, integrate, and improve health care systems and patient outcomes.
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Formulate interprofessional quality improvement practice and safety initiatives within the healthcare system through performance, fiscal, and policy measures, and organizational processes.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Develop creative educational programs for the system to address patient needs, staff development and student achievement.
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Foster the exploration of new knowledge to address issues in the delivery of health care, especially nursing care.
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Advocate for culturally competent environments and systems of care.
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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 at Duquesne in Rome, Italy. 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 |