Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner (DFNP) - Post-Master’s DNP


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39 credits

A Plan of Study is available on the Doctor of Nursing Practice website.

Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs


Grounded in an environment of scholarship, the mission of the WSU Department of Nursing is to educate knowledgeable caring, ethical, creative, and accountable nurse leaders who provide person- and relationship-centered care for individuals, families, groups, communities and populations in a diverse society. This mission is based on the beliefs that:

  • a caring, diverse, and respectful community provides the best environment for students to learn how to care for themselves and others
  • optimal learning to care for self and others occurs in a caring, diverse and respectful community
  • faculty and students are accountable for maintaining and modeling professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct
  • recognizing and valuing human diversity is essential to person- and relationship-centered care
  • individuals have different ways of knowing and learning about the world
  • creativity and innovation contribute to continuous quality improvement and sustainability
  • an enriched learning environment is the responsibility of faculty, staff, and students
  • effective nurse leaders engage in continuous professional development and lifelong learning

The Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs offer programs for nurses interested in post-nursing masters DNP education. Post-Master’s DNP Programs are in the following areas: Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist ; Family Nurse Practitioner ; Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner ; Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner ; Nursing Leadership: Nursing and Organizational Leadership ; or Nursing Leadership: Practice and Leadership Innovations .

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) - MS to DNP


This option provides nurses who already have a Master’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited graduate program with the opportunity to obtain Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) preparation with eligibility for National certification with the DNP education preparation. The Clinical Scholarship Project is completed with the guidance of a clinical mentor by all DNP students and involves demonstration of knowledge and skills to enhance the quality and safety of health care in a variety of settings and for a variety of populations.

Students who elect the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) DNP program are prepared to perform an expanded nursing role as primary health care providers. In addition to the nursing science core courses and the direct care core courses (content may have been obtained in prior Master’s degree), content includes comprehensive assessment of the health status of adults, children and families; diagnosis and management of common acute and chronic health problems; provision of counseling and teaching in areas of health promotion and disease prevention; and collaboration with other health professionals. Clinical practicums are under the supervision of qualified nurse practitioners or other primary care provider preceptors will focus on primary health care in a variety of settings. The Clinical Scholarship Project is completed with the guidance of a clinical mentor by all DNP students and involves demonstration of knowledge and skills to enhance the quality and safety of health care in a variety of settings and for a variety of populations. Graduates with the DNP award are prepared for eligibility for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Family NP exam or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Certification Program’s FNP exam.

Admission Prerequisite(s)


Graduation from a nationally accredited graduate program in nursing with a Master’s degree required. Applicants will need to show evidence of the following content from the Master’s program or take these courses.

Clinical Hours


A total of 1000 clinical/practicum hours are required for all graduates of a DNP program. This program provides 960 hours, (6 scholarship credits, 360 total clinical hours, 10 role clinical credits, 600 hours total of 960 hours). The remaining 40 hours needed for 1000 clinical hours for a DNP degree may come from your master’s degree. (1 clinical credit = 60 hours of contact time)

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