News
September 16, 2009
Board of Regents Approves Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree
Madison, WI – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has approved a proposal for the UW–Madison School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. The program prepares nurses for leadership roles in advanced nursing practice. Students prepare for roles as clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners in adult/gerontology, pediatrics or psychiatric mental health. Students interested in dual preparation as an advanced practice nurse and nurse educator may add a nursing education focus.
Applications from post-MS applicants will be due February 1 for Fall 2010 admission. Applications from applicants with a BS in nursing will be accepted after September 2010 for Fall 2011 admission.
"It is the logical next step for the School to open this program," says School of Nursing Dean Katharyn A. May. "The DNP is aligned with our mission and goals and will allow us to better serve the people of Wisconsin with advanced practice nurses for the challenges ahead."
The DNP degree is a professional doctorate, which is a terminal degree for those engaged in a specific profession. The nursing profession is moving in the direction of other health professions. Professions that require doctorates include medicine, law, pharmacy, and dentistry.
Increasingly, advanced practice nurses require doctoral degrees, according to recommendations from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. As colleges and universities across Wisconsin work to enroll and graduate more nursing students, the need for nursing instructors with advanced educational credentials is also growing.
The addition of the DNP should help the School of Nursing provide graduate education for nurses and nurse educators to help meet increasing workforce needs in this field, according to a UW System task force report presented to the Regents in February.
For more information about the new DNP program, visit the School of Nursing's Web site at: http://www.son.wisc.edu/academics/dnp/
For more information, contact: Gale Barber (608) 263-5172, mgbarber@wisc.edu