ATTACHMENT E LETTER OF INTENT (New Certificate or Degree Program) 1. Institution submitting request: University of Arkansas 2. Education Program Contact Person/Title: Sharon L. Gaber, PhD Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 3. Telephone number/e-mail address: (479) 575-5459 sgaber@uark.edu 4. Proposed name of Certificate or Degree Program: Doctorate of Nursing Practice 5. Proposed Effective Date: Fall 2013 6. Requested CIP Code: 51.3801 7. Program Description: Rationale: The primary rationale for this degree program is the position by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) the organization that houses our accrediting body - that by 2015 the practice doctorate should be the graduate degree for advanced nursing practice preparation, including but not limited to the four current advanced practice nurses (APN) roles: clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, and nurse practitioner. This decision has now been supported by at least seven Nurse Practitioner organizations (Nurse Practitioner organizations (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Nurse Practitioners, Association of Faculties of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women s Health, and National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners). The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists has also established DNP-level competencies for CNS graduates. The changing demands of this nation s complex healthcare environment require scientific knowledge and practice expertise at the highest levels to assure quality patient outcomes. The DNP is designed for nurses seeking a terminal degree in nursing practice, and offers an alternative to research focused doctoral (PhD) programs. Currently, the AACN reports
that less than 1% of nurses in the U.S. have doctoral preparation. DNP programs (N=184) are now available in 40 states and the District of Columbia. However, currently there are none of these programs within the state of Arkansas. At this point, Arkansas BSNprepared RNs and Master s prepared APNs must find an out of state program to complete this degree. Proposed Program: The proposed DNP program is built upon the Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice as endorsed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The seven essential areas of content as delineated by AACN are: (1) scientific underpinnings for practice; (2) advanced nursing practice; (3) organization and system leadership/management, quality, improvement and system thinking; (4) analytic methodologies related to the evaluation of practice and the application of evidence for practice; (5) utilization of technology and information for the improvement and transformation of healthcare; (6) health policy development, implementation, and evaluation; and (7) interdisciplinary collaboration for improving patient and population healthcare outcomes. The program also incorporates specialty standards of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Competencies (2004), and the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (2009). It is anticipated that the program will be accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), which currently accredits the BSN and MSN programs. For the proposed DNP program there are two levels (tracks) of entry for the practice doctorate: post-bsn and post-msn. The post-bsn track requires students to complete 79 semester hours of coursework in the specializations of adult/geriatric clinical nurse specialist or adult/geriatric acute care nurse practitioner. Theory and clinical courses provide students competencies in the following areas: (1) health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and treatment; (3) practitioner-patient relationship; (3) teaching-coaching function; (4) professional role; (5) managing and negotiating healthcare delivery systems; and (5) monitoring and ensuring the quality of healthcare practice. Students must also complete 1000 hours of supervised clinical experiences as required by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (2010), which prepares them to seek licensure and certification as either an Adult/Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) or Adult/Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP). The Adult/Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist specialty already exists as a specialization for the MSN Degree. The adult/geriatric acute care nurse practitioner specialty will be added to offer two of the four advanced practice nursing roles, i.e. nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, nurse midwife, and nurse anesthetist. Coursework will be shared by the two practice specialties, with role specific clinical rotations to meet licensure and certification requirements for students who choose the CNS or APN role. In compliance with AACN s directive that the DNP become the educational level for advanced practice nurses, the current specialization for the adult/geriatric clinical nurse specialist will no longer be offered at the master s level when current students complete the program. Post-BSN students will enter the program and after completing the 79 required credits, will graduate with a DNP degree.
The post-msn track allows currently licensed and certified advanced practice nurses (APNs) to complete coursework that leads to the acquisition of knowledge and skills approved by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Students will complete six theory courses, up to three clinical courses to obtain the additional clinical hours to comply with the new standard of 1000 supervised clinical hours for continued certification and licensure as an advanced practice nurse, and four courses that will result in the completion of a capstone project. Program Resources: Global Campus: There are existing online programs and courses being offered by faculty in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing through the Global Campus - an entity of the School of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach. The Global Campus collaborates with academic colleges and schools to provide online and distance education and correspondence courses for academic credit. The school also provides non-credit professional development and computer training classes in face-to-face online settings. The mission of the School of Continuing and Academic Outreach is to collaborate globally in development and delivery of quality, innovative and student-centered offerings of the University of Arkansas, addressing both the formal and informal educational needs of the state and beyond. The school s purpose is to use technology and expert staff members to provide support for the development and implementation of quality distance education offerings and online programs from the University of Arkansas to meet the academic and informal educational needs of working nurses. State of the art technology is available that allows students located anywhere in Arkansas and around the globe to access courses by our full-time faculty. Faculty: There are nationally certified and experienced faculty who are currently practicing in the area of adult/geriatric acute care and who are teaching in the master s program either in the education specialization or the clinical nurse specialty specialization. Adding a second clinical specialty for adult/geriatric acute care nurse practitioners would easily be accommodated, and there is strong support from local hospitals, long-term care facilities, and physicians for this specialty, and to offer both specialties at the DNP level. Because we will offer the post-bsn track, we will need to hire two new faculty members, one in year 02 and the other in year 03. Current undergraduate students have already expressed a desire to attend the program. Library: Distance learning students have the same opportunities as are offered in a traditional learning environment. For example, students have internet access to the university s library holdings - which are extensive. Last year 46 new nursing journals were added to the library s holdings, at a cost of $32,869. The majority of students use of library services is conducted on-line. The librarian reported that over 12,600 full-text articles were downloaded by students, mostly in conjunction with links from CINAHL. An estimated 12,000 searched were conducted via CINAHL along, with more in related health science databases. Over the last three years over 210 electronic texts in Nursing and related health sciences have been purchased in what is now called the R2 Digital Library on-line. (The R stands for Rittenhouse, the largest independent purveyor of health sciences books in print. Over the past two years the librarian has targeted about $15,000 into e-books in Nursing. Only a few more selected books and journals will be required for the advanced practice DNP students. LibGuides are now
available related to interlibrary loan, academic integrity, plagiarism, and many other important research topics. LibGuides can be created to be course specific or content related. The Research Paper Wizard is available at the library s web-site and is designed to assist students with the steps for writing a successful research paper. Clinical Resources: There are 117 facilities in Northwest Arkansas, including hospitals, clinical, public health agencies, as well as long-term care facilities. Because reimbursement for services will be tied to certification, providing the DNP program within the state will allow working nurses to continue working while completing this degree and the required clinical hours for re-certification. Additionally, there are no magnet hospitals in the area, but there is the goal by many hospitals to achieve this designation. In order to meet the essentials of magnet status units will need Clinical Nurse Specialists on each unit. 8. Mode of Delivery (mark all that apply): On Campus Location: X All students will be informed that at least one oncampus visit will be required. Additional visits may be added, depending on the individual student s learning needs. Post-BSN students enrolled in NURS 5102: Advanced Health Assessment, Physical examination, & Diagnostic reasoning will be evaluated for their assessment and treatment techniques in the simulation lab of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. This would require a 3-hour on-site lab visit out of the 79-credit program. Students of both levels will attend an on-site orientation session prior to the start of the program for 6-8 hours. Additional meetings/discussions with faculty related to progression can be handled via a number of distance communication options (web conferencing, Skype, phone, e- mail, etc.). Off Campus Location: N/A Distance Technology: X Both the Post-BSN and Post-MSN tracks of the proposed DNP program will be offered in an online format through Global Campus (95% for Post BSN and 93% for Post MSN). 9. List existing certificates or degree programs that support the proposed program: The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing currently offers a Master s Degree with the specializations in adult/geriatric clinical nurse specialist, and nurse educator. The clinical nurse specialty specialization is offered fully on-line. Graduates of this degree program would be eligible to enter the post-msn DNP track. The undergraduate generic BSN and the RN to BSN programs would yield graduates who can enter the post-bsn track where students will complete the required curriculum for the DNP and be eligible to sit for national certification as either the already established adult/geriatric clinical nurse specialist specialization or the proposed adult/geriatric acute care nurse practitioner. 10. President/Chancellor Approval Date: 11. Chief Academic Officer: Date: