Course Descriptions

This course provides a foundation for conducting scholarly activities and developing writing skills essential for advanced nursing roles. The course serves as a springboard for integrating advanced-level nursing concepts by helping students be professional and lifelong learners.

This course prepares graduate nursing students to apply evidence-based practice (EBP) principles to improve nursing care, patient outcomes, and healthcare systems. Students will develop competencies in clinical inquiry, evidence appraisal, interpretation of statistical results in published research, application of evidence to practice, evaluation of outcomes, ethical decision-making, and professional communication. The course is aligned with the AACN Essentials (2021) and emphasizes translation of evidence into nursing and healthcare practice.

Students explore health information literacy, data analysis, and using data to lead change. Features of EHRs such as computerized provider order entry, clinical decision support, documentation capabilities, and medication reconciliation are addressed. The various health information technology (HIT) applications, the unique characteristics of the healthcare environment, privacy and security considerations relative to HIT utilization, the impact of HIT on healthcare, and standards and requirements for effective implementation of HIT solutions are examined.

This course synthesizes knowledge from the ten AACN Essentials domains and competencies to prepare for progress to the DNP Clinical Practicum and for beginning the DNP Project. The DNP project is a written scholarly project related to the student’s role and population of interest, designed to improve health outcomes for individuals, families, populations, or systems. The student develops a project proposal based on an area of clinical interest, and a professional development plan for the clinical practicum

This course provides the opportunity to synthesize and apply the knowledge from the AACN Essentials domains and competencies in the Doctor of Nursing (DNP) and in preparation for progression to the clinical practicum. The DNP Project is a written scholarly project related to the student's role and population of interest. In this course, the student will develop a project proposal and complete a self-assessment of current competencies to identify areas to be met through completion of the DNP Project or subsequent clinical practicums.

In this course DNP students are introduced to selected theories and frameworks from the field of ethics and other disciplines to inform ethical decision making in complex healthcare situations. Standards of conduct that relate to advanced nursing practice are also addressed. In a case-based learning format student will use an ethical framework to guide nursing science, evidence-based practice, and population health outcomes.

This course examines topics related to organizational and systems leadership, and health policy. Students will develop an understanding of strategic leadership's impact and governance's role in health care delivery. Health policy financing issues and the impact of historical, political, economic, global, and cultural influences are addressed. This course introduces contemporary strategic management theories and practices commonly used in health care settings. Personal, professional and leadership development topics are addressed. The leadership competencies of advanced nursing practice relative to clinical leadership, professional leadership, health system leadership and health policy leadership are addressed.

This course serves as a graduate survey of epidemiologic principles as they apply to the distribution and determinants of diseases, health conditions, or events among populations and the application of that study to control health problems. Topics include an overview of the history of epidemiology, understanding of disease frequencies, study designs, measures of association, and causality. Students will develop skills in the interpretation of biostatistics present in health care literature. Clinical and population-based principles of health promotion and disease prevention are emphasized.

The pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacotherapeutics of various drug categories are examined. General principles applicable across the life span will be addressed. Administration and teaching issues in the use of pharmacologic agents are emphasized. Principles of drug selection and monitoring in the treatment of common problems are integrated. Issues and practices regarding the use of over-the-counter (OTC) and herbal therapies are included. The role of the advanced practice nurse in practicing legally and safely with prescriptive authority is addressed.

This course is designed for advanced practice nursing students to understand the normal biophysiological and pathophysiological disease processes that occur over the lifespan. e emphasis is on genetics, epigenetics, cellular, organ, and system pathophysiologic alterations and responses to illness and treatment modalities are examined.

The focus of this course is on the assessment, differential diagnosis, and management of complex acute and chronic mental health problems. Evidence-based practice principles are integrated to provide comprehensive and collaborative primary and secondary care to persons from young through older adulthood. Health promotion and disease prevention strategies are incorporated; culturally sensitive care is emphasized.

The focus of this course is to develop knowledge and management skills related to family systems theory/family assessment; developmental appraisal; and management of the ill child and adolescent. Evidence-based practice principles are integrated. Emphasis is on the planned nursing and collaborative medical management provided by the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner to promote health, maintain wellness, and intervene during illness.

The focus of this course is on the continued assessment, differential diagnosis, and management of complex acute and chronic mental health problems. Evidence-based practice principles are integrated to provide comprehensive and collaborative care to persons from young adult through older adulthood. Health promotion and disease prevention strategies are incorporated; culturally sensitive care is emphasized.

The focus of this course is on the continued assessment, differential diagnosis, and management of complex acute and chronic mental health problems in specialty populations. Such groups include individuals who have experienced traumatic events, military personnel, individuals with serious medical conditions, postpartum women, and immigrants. Evidence-based practice principles are integrated to provide comprehensive and collaborative care to persons across the lifespan. Health promotion and disease prevention strategies are incorporated; culturally sensitive care is emphasized.

This course will introduce the PMHNP student to use of biopsychosocial assessments to assess what biological, psychological, and social factors could be impacting their client’s health. Students will learn to develop a DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition) differential diagnosis based on diagnostic criteria, symptoms, and stipulations for every accepted mental health disorder.

This course is designed for PMHNP prescribers to learn best practices and principles for using psychopharmacology to treat mental illness and disorders across the lifespan. A wide variety of drug classes, select drugs, basic concepts in pharmacology, behavioral methodology, clinical applications, and drug effects and drug interactions on the nervous system are addressed. The emphasis is on the development of person-centered decision making and prescriber consideration of outcomes, safety, quality, and costs.

This course addresses the components of advanced history taking, physical examination, and health assessment across the life span within a holistic framework. Differentiation of normal from abnormal/dysfunctional findings is emphasized. Health promotion/protection/prevention is integrated. Differential diagnosis and clinical reasoning are introduced. Prerequisites: a basic course in physical assessment at the undergraduate level or equivalent.

In this course DNP students will focus on identifying, measuring, and developing outcomes to improve safety and quality. Various models of processes and quality improvement will be examined so that nurses in advanced roles can function as transformative agents while using effective communication and collaboration skills.

This course examines the philosophical bases of the helping processes, major contemporary psychotherapy theories, and their application in individual and group psychotherapy and in family systems psychotherapy. The course is designed to aid students' development of therapeutic relationships, psychotherapeutic goals, intervention strategies and client outcome evaluation.

This seminar serves as a clinical conference companion to the PMHNP practicum experience. Specific topics and assignments focus on issues and learning needs presenting themselves in the clinical area.

This seminar serves as a clinical conference companion to the PMHNP practicum experience. Specific topics and assignments focus on issues and learning needs presenting themselves in the clinical area.

The course focuses on scholarship for nursing practice as the student completes the final stages of the DNP Project, with the emphasis on synthesizing and applying knowledge gained in the Project work, with a goal of translation and dissemination of this knowledge via a formal, scholarly paper. May be repeated for credit.

In this course students synthesize their Dominican University education, skills, and knowledge into strategies for transition to advanced nursing practice. The concepts of leadership skills, interdependence, professional identity, and interprofessional collaboration are emphasized. Students will explore personal awareness related to self-efficacy, barriers to transition, resiliency, and self-care strategies related to the development of a professional identity.

This course offers the initial clinical experience related to the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner role and focuses on the development of clinical decision-making skills in the management of health problems and the needs of individuals, families, and populations across the lifespan. Health promotion and disease prevention strategies are embedded. Culturally sensitive care is emphasized.

This course offers the continuing clinical experience related to the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner role and focuses on increasing independence in clinical decision-making skills in the management of health problems and the needs of individuals, families, and populations across the lifespan. Health promotion and disease prevention strategies are embedded. Culturally sensitive care is emphasized.

This course offers the continuing clinical experience related to the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner role and focuses on expanding upon and refining clinical decision-making skills in the management of acute, emergent, and chronic mental health problems. Health promotion and disease prevention strategies are embedded. Culturally sensitive care is emphasized.

Students complete an individually designed practicum based on their professional development plan and their self-assessment of the AACN Essentials domains.