Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
As a DNP-prepared advanced practice nurse, you'll have a key role to play in transforming health care for patients/clients, families, organizations, and healthcare delivery systems. In today’s complex and rapidly changing health care environment, the need has never been greater. With a strong emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship, the DNP graduate can blend advanced practice knowledge and skills with business insight. Your chosen track as a family nurse practitioner or psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner is designed to prepare you as a leader for improving patient outcomes and transforming healthcare.
Doctor of Nursing Practice at Washburn
The Washburn DNP program is offered in a distance accessible online format that offers advanced practice education for nurses according to their entry education level, certification, and practice interest.
Specialty tracks available include:
- Family nurse practitioner (FNP)
- Psychiatric nurse practitioner (PMHNP)
Our program is designed for students to work while completing their degree. The online structure allows students to access learning activities when it best fits their schedules, with faculty mentoring to help pace students through required activities and competency attainment. Paired with “live” virtual classes that are held at pre-arranged times, students participate in an active learning environment with faculty and peers.
Selected on-campus experiences are designed to support and expand online learning for BSN-DNP students, and to provide hands-on instruction for performing advanced patient assessments and office-based interventions. Faculty are skilled educators, who also maintain active clinical practices and bring real-world experiences into the student learning environment
Program Tracks and Curriculum Plans
Whether you are soon to graduate with your BSN, or have been practicing as a BSN-prepared RN for many years, the BSN to DNP program is the pathway to the future of advanced practice nursing. The program is designed to meet the needs of the working RN.
Depending on the specialty area chosen the program is 75 to 76 credit hours which includes a minimum of 1000 clock hours of direct patient care. Students in this program are required to attend up to three On-Campus Experiences each year.
Sample Course Sequences
Sample Fast-Track Course Sequences
(allows for program completion one semester sooner)
This program is for APRNs who are licensed in their state of residence and nationally certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, or Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
If you are not seeking a second certification the program is 44 credit hours. For those seeking a second certification, an additional 6-16 credit hours is required depending on the specialty chosen. Clinical experiences are individually determined to add breadth and depth to your advanced practice (with a minimum of 525 clock hours of direct patient care).
Sample Course Sequences
This program is for masters prepared nurses who are not licensed as an APRN-NP in their state of residence. This program is 66-72 credit hours depending on the specialty chosen with a minimum of 1000 clock hours of direct patient care.
Sample Course Sequences
Clinical Hours
Preceptor-guided clinical experiences provide DNP students with a minimum of 1000 hours of direct patient care. An MSN to DNP applicant who is nationally certified as a nurse practitioner at the time of program entry may be awarded up to 500 clock hours toward the minimum 1000 clock hour requirement.
Students work with faculty and program staff to arrange clinical placements. Whenever possible, students identify suitable preceptors and sites that are convenient or close to where they live. Faculty provide oversight and supervision of students at approved clinical sites.
Jobs and Opportunities
Average Salary
$111,281 (FNP)
$139,976 (PMHNP)
Job Growth
36%
(2016-2026)Faculty Ratio
1:6
(clinical supervision)Program Cost
Costs include graduate credit-hour tuition, university administrative fees, selected software programs to document information for clinical placement and to support learning. Textbooks will be an additional charge and vary based on the course. Graduate students may be eligible for Federal financial aid; grants and scholarships are offered as they are available.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Washburn University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.GET IN TOUCH WITH School of Nursing
School of Nursing
Petro Allied Health Center
1700 SW College Ave.
Topeka, KS 66621-1117
Phone & Fax
Ph: 785.670.1525
Fax: 785.670.1032
