Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

The program leading to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at Hunter College is part of a national trend to require that all advanced practice nurses be educated at the doctoral level and that this education be clinical rather than research in focus. According to the leading nursing organizations, the DNP is designed to address the problems and shortfalls in the current health care system, in particular questions about the quality of health care, the lack of primary care providers, and cost. This DNP program is designed to complement the Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS) degree by preparing primary care clinicians who are well prepared to translate basic science to the bedside or community. The DNP program at Hunter College consists of four tracks: the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) DNP, the Adult/Gerontological (ANP/GNP) DNP, the Psychiatric-Mental Health (PMH) DNP, and the Public Health (PH) DNP. The Master’s of Nursing Science advanced practice programs remain open, and the DNP program utilizes many of the same graduate nursing courses. The DNP program is designed as a post-baccalaureate program that requires 90 graduate credits and 1000 hours of clinical practice. This program meets all the requirements of the New York State Department of Education and of the leading nursing oganizations for a doctorally prepared advanced practice nurse.