Doctorate of Nursing Practice

Transcription

1 Doctorate of Nursing Practice 4. Marketing Strategy Target Populations DePaul graduates are a key target population for marketing the DNP program. They include the Master s Entry into Nursing (MENP) graduates, and the Master s prepared Advanced Practice Nurses. Since 2000, DePaul has graduated 481 MENP students, and 264 Advanced Practice Nurses (163 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and 101 Certified Nurse Practitioners). Of the MENP graduates, approximately 40% enter an Advanced Practice program within five years of graduation. The SON receives frequent inquiries from graduates about a DNP option at DePaul, and many have already enrolled in other DNP programs in the greater Chicago area. In addition to the Illinois nurse population, the SON currently attracts students from all over the United States, especially Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Advanced Practice Nurses without a DNP practicing in the greater Chicago area, as well as those from northern Indiana, southwestern Michigan and southern Wisconsin comprise the target population for the DNP program. Competitive Programs Currently, 121 schools of nursing offer a DNP program nationally, and 161 are in the process of developing or implementing new DNP programs. In the greater Chicago area, DNP programs are available at Governors State University, Loyola University, Rush University, St. Francis College of Nursing, St. Xavier University, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of St. Francis. Other universities offer a DNP for the two Advanced Practice Nursing roles (Certified Nurse Practitioner and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) that DePaul currently awards a Master s degree. This provides the other colleges with a distinct advantage for recruitment. Not only do they recruit their own Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Nursing graduates to return for a DNP, they also attract MENP and Advanced Practice Nursing graduates from DePaul. An increasing number of their DNP graduates in Chicago area practice settings will increase DePaul s program visibility, another significant recruitment advantage. The two Universities that are seen as DePaul s closest competitors are Rush University and Loyola University, both located in Chicago, Illinois. Rush University only offers a Post- Master s DNP for advanced practice nurses with certification. Loyola has a Post-Master s DNP for advanced practice nurses with certification and a Post-Baccalaureate DNP program in infection control. The proposed DePaul DNP program is significantly different from Loyola and Rush in that it offers three enrollment options; post baccalaureate and post masters DNP programs for registered nurses in the three most desirable areas of advanced practice nursing: Adult-Gerontological Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and a post masters DNP program for all advanced practice nurses with certification. The DePaul DNP also offers a seamless path for DePaul MENP graduates to continue in the DNP program at DePaul rather than at another institution. In addition, the DePaul DNP will be presented in a hybrid format with options for online courses and courses with some content on line and some in class. The options for a variety of course formats will provide greater degree flexibility with more face-to-face

2 contact between faculty and students if needed and a greater opportunity for one-on-one mentorship. Historically, Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) graduates from DePaul have had a wide range of opportunities for employment. Similar to other years, the 2010 graduates accepted a position in their specialty practice prior to their graduation. Seventy-two percent of the nurse anesthesia students, that graduated in August, 2011, had accepted CRNA positions prior to their graduation. DePaul attracts a large number of out-of state applicants, especially for the nurse anesthesia tract, who tend to return to their home state or relocate to a new state for practice and are unofficial recruiters for DePaul. Graduates and employers report a high degree of satisfaction with their DePaul education and/or clinical performance. Many graduates have significant achievement in their professional careers, including Director of the University of Iowa Nurse Anesthesia Program (DNP). Attributes of a DePaul DNP program The primary focus at DePaul will be a streamlined three year, post-baccalaureate program of study for Advanced Practice Nursing students. In , students enrolled in the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and Family Nurse Practitioner Master s programs will have the option of transferring to the DNP program. By Autumn 2012, the School of Nursing will only enroll DNP students in the Advanced Practice Nursing programs, allowing a predictable and sequential course of study for DNP students, and a logistical teaching and mentoring load for faculty. DePaul will offer a hybrid DNP program that includes both face to face courses and online instruction. This is in contrast to the other schools that primarily offer an online DNP with minimal face to face contact with faculty, a source of frequent student disaffection. The mission of DePaul University and the mission of the SON are major reasons that students choose DePaul for their MENP and Advanced Practice Nursing education. The emphasis on scholarship and service provides the professional framework for their Registered Nurse and Advanced Practice Nursing practice. These values, scholarship and service, will be instrumental in their decision to return to DePaul for a clinical doctorate. While the School of Nursing will offer a DNP completion, the focus will be on a Post- Baccalaureate DNP that is limited to two important Advanced Practice roles in the United States, namely the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and the Certified Nurse Practitioner. The school has developed two parallel tracks that are specific for each role. In addition to increased student satisfaction, this will provide better preparation for Advanced Nursing Practice as dictated by the 2010 Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. The School of Nursing has received numerous inquiries from our current students, graduates and non-depaul University graduates about the availability of a DNP program. This degree of interest is an indication of the anticipated number of applications to the DNP program.

3 Partnerships with Key Professional Organizations and Other Constituencies As a result of the variety of faculty certifications in advanced practice nursing, DePaul faculty are well represented in both membership and elected positions in a large number of national professional organizations including the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Education Committee, the American Colleges of Nurse-Midwives, the American Nurses Association, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs, the Illinois Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the Illinois Nurses Association, the Illinois Society of Advanced Practice Nurses, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, the National League of Nursing, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and Sigma Theta Tau. Faculty also sits on advisory boards of major pharmaceutical companies and healthcare agencies. Competitive programs cannot offer the broad spectrum of faculty involvement in advanced practice nursing. For example, Loyola does not offer a DNP in nurse anesthesia, consequently, faculty are not involved in the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the Illinois Association of Nurse Anesthetists, or the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Program; they cannot mentor or recruit applicants for DNP s program in nurse anesthesia. Healthcare institutions where students currently complete their clinical residencies are key constituencies available to increase the visibility of the new DNP program. Not only do these institutions provide the clinical sites for the MENP and APN students, they also employ a significant number of DePaul graduates and are an excellent resource for advertisement and recruitment. The School of Nursing has well established partnerships with a large number of Chicago area health clinics, school clinics, and immediate care centers (See Appendix 3). The MENP and Advanced Practice Nurse alumni are also a target audience for advertising the DNP program at DePaul. The School of Nursing maintains a current list of alumni and graduates. Currently, an alumni newsletter is mailed twice a year to the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist graduates; alumni newsletters are been developed for the MENP and Certified Nurse Practitioner graduates. DePaul is the beneficiary of a long and successful involvement with nursing education; therefore name recognition is not an issue. Once it is approved, formal notice of the new DNP program will be mailed to all professional organizations, institutions with partnerships with the School of Nursing, alumni, and other key stakeholders. The program will also be marketed through advertisement in professional journals, education and job fairs for Registered Nurses, and partnerships with local undergraduate nursing programs. Anticipated Enrollment The School of Nursing has continually demonstrated strong enrollment in both the Masters Entry into Nursing (MENP) and the advanced practice nursing options (currently there is a waiting list for both programs). Enrollment in the DNP programs for advanced practice nurses (APN) is expected to exceed the Masters enrollment as APNs recognize the

4 professional mandate for a DNP. Since nurse anesthesia students have already been accepted for Autumn 2012 matriculation, the School of Nursing will continue the M.S. for APNs for These students will be allowed to complete their degree programs without modification. Beginning in Autumn 2013, only the DNP option will be available for Advanced Practice Nurse students. There will be no change in the MENP program. The table below depicts the transition in enrollment (See Table 2). Advanced Practice Nurses provide primary care and clinical management of all patient populations. They work in a variety of healthcare settings including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, health clinics, physician offices, military and public health services, Veterans Administration facilities, academic settings, and private practice. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) asserts that more nurses, especially Advanced Practice Nurses, are needed in the United States healthcare system to meet the growing demand for healthcare services. In a large number of settings, especially in rural and other vulnerable communities, Advanced Practice Nurses provide quality, cost effective health care. Certified

5 Registered Nurse Anesthetists are the most cost effective model of anesthesia delivery (Journal of Nursing Economics, 2010, New York Times, Sept 7, 2010). According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the United States must graduate approximately 90% more new nurses to meet the projected demand for Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Nurses. Per United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics, more than 581,500 new Registered Nurse positions will be created through 2018, which would increase the size of the Registered Nurse workforce by 22%. Historically, Advanced Practice Nurse graduates from DePaul have had a wide range of opportunities for employment. In 2010, all of the graduates had accepted a position in their specialty practice prior to graduation.